wisher

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It s me again guys.I have lots of ? Building my first big plane.The plans are for a RCM SENIOR TELEMASTER,With the wing on the bottom and the top made to look like a laser.I am going to get it in the air for $200.00.Bought a 22cc weed wacker motor for 15.00,need to make or buy a prop hub,It has 5/16 fine threads,any ideas?I made a list of the balsa and plywood I would need and it came out to $70.00,now I am thinking of other materials.I made the ribs out of 1/4" foam board, and am thinking of using the same for the fuselage sides using 4 foot yard stiks for the stringers,Has anyone used the material,(I have found out that epoxy and wood glue do not adhere to the paper backing sufficiently so I will have to peel that off where neccessary,But it sticks very well to the foam.Also, I bought some 1/8 lite ply to use for patterns, Have a lot left over, but remember reading in a magazine not to use lite ply,the sticker on the plywood says "NO AIRPLANE",what is the difference?Will 6" of dihedral be enough?Last question for now, Bought a Hander 9 fuel tank on ebay, do I need to get a different stopper for gas use? if so are they available?

R. C. Day

My Feedback: (7)

1. Prop Hubs are commercially available, check around on this board, you will find them.
2. Does the 1/4" foam board have paper (poster board), celephane (Fan Fold Insulation) or pink or blue 4' x 8'?
3. Yard sticks will stiffen, stress well between the motor mount, landing gear and the wing(s) attach point.
4. Epoxy and glue WILL attach to the paper, but the paper will seperate fron the foam. If this IS posterboard you are using, I recommend that you use foam insulation, available in 4' x 8' size at most home improvement centers (Lowes, Home Depot).
5. The Lite Ply would be my first choice over the foam you have selected.
6. Ailerons don't need dihederal, rudder steering does. I would use more than 6".
7. DuBro sell's the conversion kit for the fuel stopper.

This post sounds like a first attempt at building and perhaps flying as well. You are most likely over your head, you need to find and join a local club. Take your time and have fun, building and flying with no experience is just setting yourself up for stress, and that is no fun.

R. C.

CrazyHerb

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Check out my Big Pink lots of construction pics and video of completed project.
www.crazyherb.com

wisher

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Thanks for your reply,The foam board I was talking about has a paper backing.I thought it out and ordered the balsa yesterday.Believe it or not between control line and R/C I have been building for over 35 years, I was hoping to find a cheaper material to use.(I live in North Dakota,up here we build for 8 month and fly for 3 1/2, lots of time to build).

aero nut

Hi wisher! I have many years of experience with foam board, as a matter of fact most of the planes that I have designed are around foam board, I like to use the 3/16 thick foam board and the secret that I have is to stiffen the front part of the fuselage with 1/16 balsa as far as the aft of the wing saddle, I use 3M 77 aerosol contact cement on both sides(foam board and balsa) that are making contact, the other thing you may try is using thick cyanocrilate glue for joining the formers to the fuselage it sticks very well to the foam board paper and makes very strong joints, as for the tail feathers what I do is make the stabilizer then glue with either carpenters glue or thick cyano a 1/2 inch balsa stringer around the edge of the component to add stiffnes and rigidity to the structure just make sure that when you cut your pattern for the tail feathes to take off 1/2 inch along the sides to compensate for the balsa, if I can borrow a digital camera I will post you some pic's because it so happens that I am building a 40 size plane for a friend of mine, till the
AERONUT

Turbobeaver

Yes,the poster board is a great material to use for model aircraft use if you use it correctly.It comes in many different thicknesses as well.I like the 3/16" foam board the best for overall useage.Up in my neck of the woods,there have been quite a few aircraft built using this material and they range in size from 80" gassers down to .15-.25 size models.Like SPAD,you have to have a bit of a creative mind to work with this stuff but it is cheap,strong and flies great if you implement it wisely.Regular white glue or carpenters glue works best with poster board and it is not necessary to remove the card layer off the foam to use it necessarily.It is much stronger than you think it is.If you feel it necessary to remove the card layer from the foam,soak it in a tub of warm water over night and the next morning you should be able to VERY gently rub the paper off with your fingers while keeping the foam piece submerged under water.It helps to float away the paper residue after it comes off.This stuff is great also for indoor electrics if you are having a hard time finding Depron foam sheet in your area.It is the card layer that is on top and bottom of poster board that makes it too heavy for indoor electric use but by simply soaking off the top and bottom card portion,you've got some really light foam sheet to work with.On larger models,the card top and bottom layer adds strength to the foam, especially over larger surface area's such as a wing panel or fuselage side.I use it in conjunction with balsa and plwood bracing/reinforcement where necessary and it works quite well.Drafting and art supply stores sell this stuff in various size sheets right up to entire4' x 8" panels of the stuff.Cheers!