i managed to get a little more work done this weekend. i hollowed out the belly pan and added a lite ply spacer between the engine compartment and the retract compartment. i will try to get a full fuse photo uploaded later.

david

after noticing in 8178's build that his completed fuse weighed just under 13 oz, of course i had to go weigh mine. i happen to have the engine mount attached at the time but the full fuse with mount came in at just under 14 oz. i may have to break out my router again.[sm=teeth_smile.gif][sm=teeth_smile.gif].

david

i must be making some progress, i suddenly felt compelled to start the stabilizer sections. i probond glued some square balsa stock to the trailing edges of the horizontal stab foam pieces and did some beginning work on the vertical stab. it took weeks of staring at the vertical stab section to understand what is going on. it is indeed very complex.

david

more tail assembly/framing work. what a massive tail section. lots of angles and bevels to pay attention to, although there is one angle that i didn't pay attention to. should be satisfying to get to a finished shape.

david

Looking Good..

Hey Dave I started my speed/pattern plane and I emailed you some pictures

ok the granddaugter has been born, what about the blue angel?

for whatever reason my enthusiasm waned over the last few weeks on my build. however, i am determined to pick back up the pace. my Spring Air retracts arrived just before i left for summer vacation so i had that area to start working on now that i'm back to building. of course i ran into a problem immediately. the nose gear tiller arm sticks out below the fuse. that won't work. since i used a 1/4" tank floor between the tank and the retract i am limited in my options in raising (retracting?) my nose gear into the fuse. one idea i have is cutting a center section out of the tank floor and laminating an 1/8" floor on the tank side. that would raise the gear up a 1/4", enough to clear the tiller arm. however i don't like the idea of an 1/8" being all that supports my nose gear during one of my harder landings[sm=72_72.gif]. i have cut a test piece out of whatever you call the glossy white covered mdf to help my decision making. should this idea work are there any suggestions on a stronger 1/8" thick material? carbon fiber sheet? g-10?

david

An 1/8 ply sheet attached to a 1/4 balsa backing would be plenty strong. If you still want some insurance, then 1/4 square maple attached to the sides & plate would be bullet-proof.

in the 3rd picture i show 2 pencil lines where i'm thinking about cutting the 1/4" tank floor and removing the center section. on the tank/top side i'm thinking about gluing an 1/8" ply piece to bolt the retract to. although sturdy i'm sure, there would still be only an 1/8" between the gear flange and the blind nuts. not a lot for some of my harder landings. and completely buried inside the plane should i happen to break out the retract. therefore i'm considering a piece of carbon fiber or g-10 if anyone thinks those are stronger materials in this application. thx.

david

I solved that problem on my BA by cutting out a few layers of the ¼� ply and adding some on top. It is in my build thread but I’m not sure of the page. So far it’s worked great and no loss in the thickness of the mount.

essentially the same idea. your's give you the 1/4" that i would like to have. thx.

david

David - Nice build. Spring-Aire NG. I would like to see all completed, steering, etc. I am using the old Rom-Air type steering, with cables on the Phoenix I am completing. This steering available from SA.
Even with this method, I have had to move the NG closer to the tank floor, machine out notches where the tiller arm and strut will rest when retracted, plus more machining on the aluminum block for collar clearance.

I have a lot of old/new Rom-Aire's here, and 5/32" struts. With the SA's, I am using 3/16" struts, thinking I need the support. As far as I can remember, many years ago with the Phoenix', etc., the 5/32" Rom-Air's were fine.

I would like to use the tiller arm on the NG, but have not had any luck setting up to retract, and it sliding up and down on the shaft.

Crank

well of course there is another blue angel build with excellent photographs and installation technique of the spring air nose gear. i have a King Kobra ready for paint that has the same retracts and installation approach. i think i put up some nose gear photos on that still incomplete build thread. a search for king kobra would find that build thread or i can place a link here later.

david

it's been awhile since i've updated the BA build but progress is still being made. i haven't had the nerve to close up the fuse yet, the bottom is still open. i don't know how all of the pushrod layouts will go so have left the bottom open. i have ordered a DEPS elevator pushrod system from Central Hobbies but needed to temporarily install servos 1st to help me visualize and plan the pushrod setups. while i was at it i mounted a small servo and the retract air switch. all of this is tack glued until i get it all figured out.

i also glued upper fuse section (canopy area) to the main body.

david

the BA dual pushrod set up stumped me for awhile. as noted in another build apparently the controls are drawn backwards. but having a elevator and a rudder pushrod in the same area can cause conflict anyway. i ordered a Dual Elevator Pushrod System (DEPS) from Central hobbies but the pushrods are carbon fiber which eliminates some flexibility in the elevator pushrod setup. i needed the elevator pushrods to exit a little wider than is possible when using the instructions that came with the DEPS system. however i think i found a solution; instead of using the long shafts through the entire rear fuse section and a short piece of the hollow shaft at the servo area to tie the pushrods together i came up with another idea. i attached the long pushrods to the hollow shaft with a piece of angled balsa with the idea of using a longer hollow shaft and shorter pushrods. that allowed the pushrods to spread out and give me the width i needed.

the sewing thread and thin CA idea to connect everything is astoundingly strong. i think i could sand, tap, drill or carve the combination of the two anyway i wanted. not only is the setup very strong but also very light. when cut to correct length the full setup will have at least 6-8"of the 2 pushrods removed and the hollow tube will also have about 6" removed yet only weighs a 1/4 oz. two pieces of 4-40 rod without any center connecting piece weighs over an ounce. probably a full ounce difference when all is said and done.

thoughts anyone?

david

one thing i did not look closely at was using a 1/4" dowel and short pieces of 4-40 rod. mostly because i ordered the DEPS system and felt compelled to try it and i didn't have any 1/4" dowel.

david

You can use Dave Brown Pushrod's. They are fiberglas, and the ends come in single or double. You can squeeze 4:40 rods in, with a little mod. Getting two 4:40's in for split elevator's will work, if you use that size.
The thread way works fine, used to use that with 3/8' sq. stock. I just looked up at your set-up. Did not realize you were using the long rods. If it works, don't fix it.

Crank

i need to post an overall fuse photo.

david

Yeah you do.

So far, so good. Keep up the good work!

rudder pushrod is in, will post photo tomorrow. next up planking the bottom of the fuse.

david

Looks Great David... keep it going !!!!

Dan
Carolina Custom Aircraft

dan, i'm soon to start working with your excellent foam core products. so far so good.

david

push rods set ups are all done and final fuse planking is underway.

david

rear stab sheeting is underway. i sanded the sheets smooth before i glued them this time. last time i wasn't happy with the grain patterns showing through the fiberglass cloth and polycrilic. i like to use a polyurethane glue to assemble the foam cores and balsa sheeting. i use a 6" foam roller and put just enough glue on the foam to see a shine to it. you can roll the glue around until it shines. after assembly i clamp firmly with ply pieces and clamps. the polyurethane is extremely strong and only a very little is needed.

david