I have to get this VI finished. There are more in the attic, but I have carried this one around for 30 years, 10 re-location's. Will use Rossi 60 for power, Spring-Aire's, altho I have plenty of Rom-Air's.
It is still intact, and only problem is the skin's have separated on the stab cores. Wing is fine, but it had been glassed.

Have to move the NG down to the tank floor bottom for clearance of wheel into wing LE, 3/16". Not much sticking out, but want it to be smooth, hid when retracted. I have purchased many pairs of Kraft wheels, and have enough now for a lifetime. Little heavy, but so what, great wheels. Pictures here show retracts and wheels on, checking 12" prop clearance to terra firma.

I will take pictures as I move along, but not every tiny thing as I did with the Intruder's. Same paint scheme. DBrown or Tru-Turn metal spinner will look good on the front.

Crank

cool!!!

gary

Yeah..Defiantly cool!!

Thanks for the "Cool Note's" guy's. It will be coming along. I built many of these with D. Brown in his basement at Cincinnati. Never got famous, but just happy to compete, 1st, 2nd or last was fine with me.

Crank

Gary - Did you build the Phoenix 8 you won on E-Bay ? I auctioned it off.

Crank

we are building them as we speak but I don't know if I will get them done in time for the aug. contest but I am trying..

gary

Back to the shop. The fuselage, pan and wing have a few marks from shifting around, and measurement's. I do not remember when I worked on this last. I think I was living in the great state of North Carolina then, plus 5 hurricane's in Wilmington. Not that safe here either. Whenever it was, I did set the wing up for separate servos and Spring-Aire's.

The belly pan is next. I had to lower the gear right on the tank floor, about 3/16", just to get the NG down a little more. Looks like it is going to stick our about a 1/4" when retracted, and not bad. The wing retracts are sucked up, no problem. The pan had been chopped up a little in the front.

Pictures here show the pan being adjusted for the NG clearance, and the plywood piece at rear of pan, where meets fuselage. This will all be glassed using fiber-glas resin and some cloth for strength. I have to utilize cardboard tubes for the wing bolts. I will show this being done as the pan is secured to the wing. The nylon bolts will slip right in to the mount blocks, and it will be a good guide.

I have to cut about a 1/4" off the pan in the back, then the plywood piece will be resined in, mate perfect up to the fuselage. I need the wing to just sit on the fuselage, and bolt right up, no binding anywhere. Pictures attached, more later. With all the rain here, I may be busy at the ranch for a while, then back to this. The stab needs some work, as the skins have separated from the core.
Not bad, when it is done and glassed, I will line up and attach to fuse.
Crank

Forward: Set up pan today. Aligned bolt heads for cardboard tubes thru pan. Balsa template rear of pan, everything sectioned in.
Pilot holes to make sure bolt holes lined up, then use a rat tail file to finish acceptance of tubes. Cut off even to pan, epoxy these in after pan is secured.
Next step is white micro-balloons and finishing resin, mold all in. The center section will be painted top and bottom, MK the wing as the Intruder's. Get some primer on this dude, make it look good.
Stab pictures here. You can see where the sorghum separated, and this is after about 25 years of in the attic. I will expoxy with 30 minute and tape to dry. Leading edge's of elevator's hardwood triangle stock. Have to carve the tips. The wing and stab tips have
1/16" ply sandwiched in between the balsa blocks. Makes for good pattern when carving the tips, and when the wingtip may come up against something, hangar rash, loading, unloading, etc.

After pan finished and everything molded in to finish-fit, stab to secure, after glassing. Set up radio, 2.4 and digital servos. I am going to check the balance here, may just mount a couple of JR 911 wing servos in the back. This Rossi may weigh a little more then the ST blueheads we used to use. I will get the CG about where the V's set up, except this VI is a little longer wing TE to stab LE.

I keep seeing this bird finished in my head, and think about it when falling asleep. The sub-conscious takes over when sleeping, figures everything out so I don't have to think when I go in the shop.

Crank

Looking great! I’ve found that coating the inside of the cardboard tubes with CA works well to make the inside surface stronger.

Yes, good idea. I swiped them with epoxy. All filler in, drying in the shop now. Get back to it in a couple days. I have a few more pictures to get on tonight. Thanks for the nice comments.

Crank

Moving along. Tubes in and dried overnite. File then sand off to even on pan. 8178 advised to use CA on the cardboard tubes, and a better idea then the swipe of epoxy I initiated. Sanded most of that out, and applied the CA for resilency. Hardened up fine.
Enclosed photos also show a hair spray can with the glass cloth. I use the hair spray applied liberally to the cloth, drys fast, and stiffens up the cloth, making for better cutting and applying. No angel hair flying around, no problem with glass resin.
I used a couple of pieces on the tank floor.
Next up, attach wing, with Saran-Wrap sandwiched under the wing and saddle, to keep micro-balloons and epoxy from oozing down when mating filler up for contour of wing to fuselage, front and back. Let this cure for a couple of days, then back to it.
I was slow getting this Phoenix back to finish, just kept looking at it, making excuse's why I could not finish it. Built the two Intruder's, did the build threads, (re-built the ARF's I should say), on RCU. You probably have seen one of them in the background of these pictures.
I am enthused to get this P-6 done, then maybe get on one of the other Phoenix' or Vertigo here. Should have this fuselage ready for primer by this weekend, stab glassed, etc., ready to go.
Crank

Hey Crankpin,

Keep up the good work!!! Can't wait to see it finished. I'm also interested in hearing your evaluation on your new Rossi 60. I'm curious to see how it compares in power and RPM to an older Rossi engine.

Out of the Mold. Well, it could be. Glass resin and micro-baloons. File and sand to match up, do finish sanding, do a tune up on the filler, sand, then lite glass cloth over this. Set up, then coat with resin, wet sand, ready for primer. I know some wood carving guy's that would not think of using filler like this, but once this all cure's, glassed and finish paint, no one will know the difference. It will last as long as anything else, and weigh a couple of ounce's more, maybe.

Gotta take the wife to see the movie Mama Mia tonight and dinner. Have to get dressed up, slacks and golf shirt, have to get out of jeans and T-shirt. I will sleep thru the movie, as it is a chick-flick.

Crank

I am getting ready to do more work on this bird. Is this build helping anyone ? Next up is section the wing out from the center section at trailing edge, to in-set the aileron's. Get stab ready for glass, finish glassing the pan and center section of wing.
I will do a different paint scheme from the recent Intruder's, more Dave Brown type. I may even get away from red-white and blue for a change.

Crank

I am sure that the information and techniques that you are illustrating here are bound to be helpful to some folks. In this, the age of "ARF's", a lot of this that we older hands take for granted is somewhat of a lost art. Keep up the good work.

Thanks for the reply Klxmaster - Get back at this in a couple days. Glass the filler areas, sand then finish with resin, primer.

Crank

Keep up the good work! A lot of people follow these build threads and enjoy them very much but don’t take the time to make a comment so sometimes you wonder if people are following your efforts, but they are.

Wing saddle area, front. Rear will be treated the same, but easier. These area's will be glassed, primered, paint, perfect match.
Aileron's already done, next up, finish stab, carve tips, sand and finish with lite glass cloth, resin in. Elevator's finished.

Crank

Very true.

Yes!! Please keep posting as you progress!! I learn stuff from you guys and appreciate it Very Much!!!

Thanks to all you Super Builders who take the time to share your expertise with us!!

I'm really looking forward to this one especially because of the engine...

Chuck

Crankpin:
I'm watching intently and learning a lot. Thanks for the extra work it takes to do one of these threads.

Thanks for the nice comments from all. Get back to this in a few days. I have learned a great deal from other builder's threads on here also. I flew these V & VI's back in the 70's when living in Ohio. I am anxious to get this Rossi checked out also. The new Wing Mfg. Phoenix V is up next. The fuselage on the new V weighs in at 13.7 oz, dry, no formers, bulkheads, or firewall, has some CF at stress areas. I will use Rom-Air's.

Crank

[b]I was going to stay out of the plane shop for a while, but decided to get this stab finished and secured into the tail, then let it set for a few days while I get some work done around the ranch.
Attached pictures, the 30 minute epoxy standing by, use it to re-attach the skins to the foam. This has been sitting for some time, and the contact cement gave way a little. If this had been finished and glassed, this would not have happened. Brush the 30 minute in, put on the wax paper, then wrap with tape. I try to use 3M or Scotch tape. I don't know if it is made in China or Formosa, except I always buy a name brand product. You pay a little more, and the QC is there. Better all around.

Epoxy in, tape, set aside. Picture of elevator's here. Using Robart's on each, and will do same with wing. I can section these hinge's a little, get the surface's closer to the stab and wing. Plenty of alcohol nearby for cleanup of epoxy. You can also salvage the throw away brushes after epoxy use, just soak in alcohol, clean out then dry. Also great for your hands clean up, and where you have oozing out of intended area's.

After this is done, tips on, then carve. If you look at the tips closely, you can see 1/16" plywood sandwiched between the upper and lower balsa pieces. This is also done with the wingtip's. It makes for a uniform carve for form, and also protects the tips from hangar rash, etc. Sanding against the ply will not let you go further then you have set up. I see other guys using this method.

Let this dry, get back to it later. 3/4 oz. glass cloth and finishing resin will be applied to stab and control surface's. Wing is already done. Let dry, sand then apply thin coat of resin, wet sand, then secure to fuselage, with wing bolted on, eye up, make sure all on the same plane. I have the tip on backward in the picture.

Epoxy has dried. Tips attached with 30 minute epoxy. I like the slow drying epoxy, it is easy to sand when cured. You can see the TF woodpecker tool. I use it for MK sheeted areas, and also to perforate balsa when epoxying or gluing pieces together, where strength is needed. Probably going overboard with this method. The perforation's allow the epoxy to ooze into the holes on both pieces, creating a stronger bond when cured. It becomes like stringed epoxy bridging each piece into the other.

Attached, filed and sanded to form. I use a square of triangle to even things up, where the elevator's meet the stab, level out, then put a piece of trailing edge under the front of the stab, until the elevator meets the stab top and bottom. All even, then sand into each other, true plane all the way across, bottom and top. Always use a sanding block, as I'm sure everyone does.
I will finish sanding the tips next time in shop, then glass, secure to fuselage, add filler sand, finish to prime.

I cut the rudder away from the fin. You can see the balsa which was added when the fuse was laid up. Not all the way, so I will have to add some. I can use this rudder pattern for the other VI. Taper edges enough to get good rudder throw both ways.
A picture of the Phoenix V fuselage is here next to the VI that I am working on. They are both Skyglas. The other VI fuselage is Skyglas also, and is epoxy. Phoenix V & VI fuselage picture, next message.
Crank

Phoenix V & VI fuselage's. Rear is VI, one working on now.

Crank