bodywerks

My Feedback: (4)

I am using blue loctite on the 1/4-20 bolts, just tight enough to squeeze the wood, then I will safety them with .025 safety wire. This is not really me over-engineering the plane, just my Aircraft mechanic experience coming into play...

While on the subject of over-engineering, I have found a slick way of safetying my aileron extensions plugs at the receiver without doing anything extra during assembly at the field. I will post some pics tomorrow

Also, after fussing with that JOKE of a design for canopy securing, I decided to go with a quick release latch pin...super easy, just wish I would have decided on it BEFORE I cut the screw holes in the fuse!

jpa2002

My Feedback: (115)

Tell me more about the canopy latch system.

Also, next question. I have never balanced a prop, so can someone give me a quick tutorial?

Do I sand the prop?

Thanks
Jon

bodywerks

My Feedback: (4)

Are you actually using the BIG THICK gold colored DA prop drill guide or just the washer??? If you are using the drill guide, I find it hard to believe that you are drilling the holes crooked!!! Are you using a #7 bit?? It is a perfect, tight fit and there would be no way to drill crooked...a drill press is not necessary, but nice.

DrScoles

My Feedback: (18)

Why is the caopy mounting a joke? I thought it was pretty straight forward...nice how the bolts are recessed.... Man that dude who posted the switch pics has got a rats nest of wires in there..<g>

Mike

jpa2002

My Feedback: (115)

I will get the rat's nest tamed down shortly!

I do have the prop jig from DA, but I didn't use a #7 bit? Uh oh! Is that metric? Where do I get one?

Jon

bodywerks

My Feedback: (4)

Go to post #1464, like page 50 ish. Maudib did the mod, too, but his is a little more elaborate than mine, but the same idea applies.
better yet...
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=2616983

bodywerks

My Feedback: (4)

It's not metric and it is not necessarily the one they recommend, but it is the best fit. You can find them at any hardware store, I imagine...I got mine from work

jrjohn

My Feedback: (24)

.

ten pillows

I have successfully drilled all mine with a regular drill, but be sure to drill it from the back of the prop. I use rubber bands over the template to hold it secure. If you have access to a press, so much the better.

ten pillows

DrScoles

My Feedback: (18)

ten pillows, you ready to fly that thing yet? As soon as we get some nice weather I'm ready to go... If we have any nice Saturdays coming up, I might stop by the rams field...


Mike

ten pillows

Hey Bodyworks, could you post pictures of your quick canopy release set-up. Sounds like a good idea. Thanks.

ten pillows

ten pillows

I flew mine today also Flatspin. I couldn't agree more on flight characteristics. They are totally predictable. This plane gets one of the prettiest knife edges I've yet to see! The landings are feather lite and make even an amatuer like me look good. The guys at the field are awing this plane. I have been blessed to have some nice planes. This one however, is my favorite. Predictable is especially good when you are new into this hobby, and this plane leaves nothing to guesswork. It does exactly what you tell it to, every time. All I can say is WOW......

Thanks again to Chris for this great contribution to modeling!

ten pillows

bodywerks

My Feedback: (4)

Use Maudib's How-to as a guide...here's a direct link to the page:

http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=2616983

Mine is essentially the same but I didn't build a ply plate to bolt the latch down. I just scuffed up the plastic and glued it right to the underside of the turtledeck (after removing the foam, of course).
On the canopy side, just add another piece of ply to the frame where the pin wil go through for more surface contact, then position the canopy almost in place and wet the tip of the latch pin with a sharpie (magic marker) and slide the pin back, put the canopy in place and hold it firmly, then "snap" the pin into the canopy frame a few times to transfer some sharpie and it might even create a small impression. Then drill the location with a 1/8 bit and test fit. Then soak the drilled hole with a couple drops of CA, let it dry, clean it up with the 1/8 bit again and you're done!

bodywerks

My Feedback: (4)

Okay, got some pics of my aileron connection safety design. I wanted to have the piece of mind that I don't have to worry about my aileron connections coming unplugged, but I didn't want to hassle with those Ernst-type connection safeties everytime I assembled the plane, and I didn't want any wires flopping around...
First thing I did was dremel out the former in a couple spots to slide the female plug in. I just scuffed up the plastic of the plugs and CA'd them to the underside of the deck framing as square as possible

bodywerks

My Feedback: (4)

Then I placed a ruler on top of the deck so that the edge was directly over the ends of the male plug wires with the wires bent straight down. Once marked, I transfered the marks to the underside of the canopy frame and fabricated the funky little support out of the end grain of some 1/16 balsa and spaced it up about 1/8" (whatever is required to make the support drop down enough to rest against the back of the plug wires. I then lined up the support with the markes on the canopy frame and glued it in place...

bodywerks

My Feedback: (4)

Now, every time you assemble the plane at the field and put the canopy on, your aileron connections are secure...
Sorry for the poor pic quality, btw, Im a novice at digital cameras, and I couldn't just take a pic through the canopy because I painted it!

lex2bits

My Feedback: (12)

Kewl !!
For some reason I never even tried gluing connectors to anything. I guess I just assumed they weren't gluable..... DOH! Now I'm laughing at my dumb sh** self for wasting time inventing all kinds of elaborate contraptions when all that was necessary was a drop or two of glue. Thanks.... between Maudib, you and the others, the forest for the trees thing has improved significantly.

Maudib..... how you doin'? What you're enduring ain't easy.... did 10 months of chemo myself. Hang in there, it'll get better. [sm=thumbup.gif]

Ray

torqmeister

You don't need to sand the prop. The bare wood can soak up oils & stuff, & weaken the wood structure. Get a good balancer, I use the Dubro model, and spray lightly on the light side until perfectly balanced. Use any kind of clear polyurathane paint, or, Top Flight has a product called Lustrecoat, which is the one I use.

Maudib

My Feedback: (51)

Doin pretty well... the chemo is all done and I recieved my stem cell transplant on Wednesday night. God bless that young man for donating to the orgranization.

It went without a hitch , so I am halfway there. We are waiting on the "big drop" of all my counts... basically the dying off of the diseased cells. Here is where I will feel the worst, have very little energy and beat risks for infections and things.

Once they drop it'll be a slow 3 week process to get me back up to safe blood counts and maybe get to go home.. Just should hit the best part of flying season... my good buddy Neo will be able to help me get around and get some flying in early.

I've been reading the thread and enjoying the conversations and mods... great stuff! Keep it coming!

torqmeister

Maudib, I pray for your speedy recovery. Hang in there.

jpa2002

My Feedback: (115)

Bodyworks/Maudib: OK, where do you get those hatch latches? I am getting some of them!

I have a carbon fiber prop, and I sanded the back of it and balanced it!

I am going to wait on the drill press and get the right bit, and carefully drill again!

Thanks for everyone's help.

bodyworks, that is a neat idea on the aileron leads!

Maudib, I too am praying for you!

Jon

stomper

My Feedback: (20)

Here you go > http://www.hobby-lobby.com/hatchlatch.htm

ten pillows

Hey Mike, I am ready to go. Saturdays are a tough day for me as I am scheduled to work those days. I am taking off for IMAC, but I don't know if there will be free flight allowed on those days. Sundays are great days for me as well as Mondays.

Mike

bodywerks

My Feedback: (4)

Thanks guys, and thanks Stomper for posting the link to a hobby shop that carries those. I was actually planning on doing the hatch latch from the beginning but couldn't find the latches at the lhs at the time. Went there yesterday and they were starin' me in the face!

jpa2002

My Feedback: (115)

Oh, did you guys see those metal latches right above the one we were talking about. I think they will be a perfect fit for the existing holes, so I ordered some of those also?

Jon