I have just started building my Stingray 120 for use with my Ryobi 28cc engine. I decided to build the body first to make sure the Ryobi would fit OK. I had to move the motor mount back 3" from it normal position to get the engine to fit the frame. from the pictures I believe I will move the motor up about another inch to get a better looking fit. I will be positioning more pis's as the build comes along. Any suggestions are highly appreciated.

Thanks

Jim

Looks good. Are you going to cover over the top of the cheeks or leave it open?
I built one of those a few years ago with a G-38. I cut the cheeks off and also moved the firewall back. I had a lot of fun with that airplane until the engine quit during a low hover.

I plan on covering over the cheeks with some Balsa, but leave an opening so I can get to the Cab. What size prop did you use. I am thinking of trying an 18x8 to start with.

Thanks

I think I used an 18-6 prop. I mounted the radio equipment, rudder and elevator servos back as far as I could to help balance the cg.

jim,
This thread is making me want to get another stingray. If I do, my wife is go'na shoot me. Heres my two cents worth. I see you got the 3" mount, remember to use some hardwood triangle stock on your firewall and also use the trick of drilling 3/32 ( I think) holes, 4 or 5 per side and epoxy toothpicks through the fusalage sides into the ply firewall. With that engines weight ,that far out, hanging on the firewall it has a lot of leverage. A bounced landing might end up with the plane running over its own engine. Think strength but build light. Keep posting pics and such. I'll try to resist rushing out to get one. Piper

Darn it Jim! I just went the Balsa USA site a drooled over the idea of the Stingray on floats with my ryobi. Curse you...LOL

Weew...none on ebay...good. I'm sick, i really am.

FINE looking setup.......I'm a little misty eyed.....

Figure up the all up weight yet??
BB1

Mr. Pipercub

I am sorry this is causing such a problem with you. I am glad to here that you like the stingray and that the Ryobi might be a good engine for it. I will ad extra strength to the motor mount as you suggested. I to do not want to lose a engine on landing. I ordered my Balsa USA stingray from www.sheldonhobbies.com for $116.94 delivered to Memphis, TN. That is the best price I could find. I will keep adding pic's every couple of days and the build comes along. I am working on the wing right know and the plans are missing a couple of things, but this should not case a problem because of the extra building instructions with 9 pages of pictures.

Thanks

BB1

I figure the total weight to come in around 13 lbs. plus or minus a couple of oz. With a 83" inch wing with 1276 sq in. this should be a good combination.

Thanks

How about using bamboo skewers instead of toothpicks? They seem to have alot more shear resistance.

Mike

I believe you have something here. I will be on the lookout for bamboo skewers this weekend.

Thanks

any ideas as to why when i use the link :www.sheldonhobbies.com it takes me to:

http://laurel.netster.com/Index.asp?...hvYmJpZXMuY29t ????
Tried it twice no joy and properties show as printed.

Oh no a computer thing []

I love this forum.

Same thing happened to mine..I let the registration expire and some company took over the name..I didn't feel like paying the new guys to get my own website back, so i changed the ISP and added an "s" (rcignitions.).Works great now, but some of the old customers had a hard finding it...

Jim, Stick with the toothpicks. Using larger sticks like the skewers damages the integrity of most aircraft grade ply used in our models. If you drill out a hole that large of size, you go through several layers of the ply firewall. Yes the skewers are stonger than tooth picks but now you've weaken the ply unnecessarily. Please guys, remember that just a little change most always will make the biggest improvement in a structure. Think strength when you build but build light and think about what each change you make during construction would mean to the other parts that interact with your modifications. Does it make sense to split and destroy the firewall to use skewers? If the ply was 3/4" thick, and needed to support a 150cc motor, you can do it, but not in a 1.20 size model.

Jim, you go with what works best but go slow and think all your mods through. You wont be able to undo most if there not thought out first. Keep posting pics. Im eager to know how it flys.

Oh..one more thing. The toothpicks arent used as shear resistance but to increase the efective bonding surface. Ever notice the "ears" in formers and bulkheads that key into the fusalage? Yes, it makes it easier to build a straite structure, but it adds strength to the joint most of all. There's always more than meets the eye in model building. Piper

Jim,

Looks good! Any updates soon?! I still haven't ordered mine yet! Keep those pictures coming.

Mr. Pipercub

I will use the toothpicks. It does make since on what you said about maintaining the over all strength of the 3/8"' plywood firewall. I do thank you for you help.

I will be posting more pic's tomorrow on how it is coming. I did move the engine up an inch on the firewall. The wing is coming out fine and I should be ready to cover it this coming week if things keep going as good as they have.

Thanks

Mike

Sorry I left off the s at the end of sheldon for the web address. The correct address is www.sheldonshobbies.com

Sorry[:@]

Thanks

lol..your not helping me resist buying one are you? I'm building a plane a lot like the stingray rught now, a Bridi Old Timer. Should be a blast with a ryobi too. Piper

Mr. Piper

Do you have any pic's. I would like to compare them to by Stingray. How far did you have to move your firewall for the Ryobi engine? I'll be placing more pic's tomorrow on this site. Do you think standard servo's will be OK. I do have a couple of the larger servo's with 111 oz of torque if you think they would be better. That is one thing Balsa USA leaves out of the plans. I was thinking of mounting the larger servo's in the rear of the fuselage to help with the CG.

Thanks

Jim,
I used Hitec 605BB servos on the elevator and rudder on my Stingray. I don't know if it was necessary though.
I'm looking forward to your updated pictures.

Doug

Jim, sure I'll post some pics. right now I've only got a couple of formers glued together, I started on it Monday. This plane is going to be a further experament of mine. I'm only building with Titebond wood glue and very little CA or epoxy. Then I plan to cover it with dress lining bought from wal-mart using sig's Stik-It to bond the fabric to the airframe and then paint with thined latex house paint. I'm going to do a WW1 Folker look'a'like. I plan to use the bottom half of a 1gal bleach bottle as the cowl. should look great. I bought the plane for $60 and should take less than $5 in glue to build it and bout $12 to cover, the hard part is stealing by wifes bleach bottle if shes not done with it by the time I need it. You got'a know by now I'm a cheap a@@, lol.

As far as the engine go's, I'm thinking I will use the homelite 30cc I just got off ebay(brand new-$26, CHA-CHING!). I was thinking bout the ryobi but I du'no yet. I wish we had talked a bit more before you started to build your stingray. I plan to use my ryobi in my 1/4 scale cub in the future and have found a neat way to mount it. If you remember the mount you got from Pete has that hole in it the carb mounts through, just put a hole in the firewall that size, drill four hole for the case bolts and flush mount the motor to the firewall with tha carb inside the tank compartment. Nice, clean, may not need to move the firewall but mostly....yep, CHEAP!..lol. I do have two of Pete's mounts and there great as are his mufflers but I just pick and choose where to spend the money on some planes.

Drat..a few more things.
Yes you can use standard servos on the stingray but a bit more like the 605's from hitec as stated earlier wouldnt hurt. I used standard futaba 148's in my stingray, and yep, mount them in the tail. Now I cant remember if the ailerons are meant to have one or two servos to operate on the stingray but I used two myself. Seems that they were torque rod and I didnt like the weak wood they were made from so to avoid too much flex I just used two servos and mounted them mid-span of each wing. I also cant recall how the elevator is set up. Two half's joined with a dowel or one piece. Over the years I have been replacing the dowel in most kits with a hardwood square piece like left over wing spar, that was the same thickness as the stab. Greatly reduces flex over the dowel with glue globed over it to mate the two halfs.

I dont think I will need to move the firewall back in the old timer. its short nosed already. I do have a pair of 42" floats that im wanting to try out on it this spring so I hope it flys great with the homelite. Piper

Mr Piper

I to wished we had talked a little before I started on the stingray. I like the looks of your old timer and I like your idea on how to cover and paint it. Do you thing that will add much more weight to your plane? I am thinking of trying your way of covering on my stingray, but I want to keep the weight down as much as I can.

Here are some more pics of the building process. I have taken a picture of the wing along side my Dodge truck so you guy's can get a idea of how large the wing is. Also my work bench is a hollow core door I got from lowes and the body is just 12" short of the length of the door.

Thanks