Fleet

Chuckling at the hamburgers for life.

When I CD'd fly ins , I made it known that the CD is a representitive for the AMA and not the manager of a fly in.   Before I took the reigns, the CD would be as you discribed...he seldom saw his plane.

The last few flyins, we had the place catered by a local BBQ resturant that did a very good job.  At one time, the majority of cash made at an event was the snackbar/ food table.   I think about 1 or 2 dollars per catered meal was made but we all got by very well.  

Personally, I'd rather take my own food in a big cooler but that didn't look supportive of the club.

Any flying on that Sunday?

Ray W
#7

retransit

My Feedback: (18)

You can stick around and fly if you want to. We found that, generally, that is a travel day for participants. It was hard to get fliers to stay. Usually they would start heading out in the morning.

Bob

dreid

My Feedback: (13)

Sure, a number would be great. Several years ago I managed to get a ride in a newly restored Fleet that had been re-engined with a more powerful Kinner engine from a PT22. Sweet ride. Did not have my camera with me and the guy sold the plane before I was able to get back to him for photos.
Dave

retransit

My Feedback: (18)

Dave, you have #19.

I just secured my wings in place with struts attached. Even after all the careful measuring and fitting of the cabanes, N-struts and the lower wings root tongues, I still had to add 1/16" shims to the left cabane mounting at the wing center section. I'm finished. Everything on the lateral axis is within two tenths of a degree. The Harbor Freight digital angle finder is a great tool, and reasonably priced. Couldn't have done the job without it.

Now I just have to sand one N-strut to shape and add the fuselage longerons then it's on to covering.

Bob

Cliff Ozier

Well, She's made the trip from IL to NC safely and has
a spot to park until I can get up to NC at Christmas time.

Long story(over a year). But great deal if I could get it home.
It worked out my sis and bro-n-law where vacationing in the area.

Hi John, I'm thinking of using automotive urethane base coat/clear coat.
I've got to test this on an extra wing but it would be similar to Klaskote.
I used to paint cars, boats and aircraft in my past life and have used
automotive paints on many models successfully as well but all on hard surfaces.

Bob, I'll bring her to the fly-in for display and support our fleet pack
and bring my 1/4 scale Pitts S2-B to fly.

Cliff

Here are some pics...

Cliff Ozier

Bob, one thing I noticed was no N struts either...

pics, pics...

Fleet

Any plans to re-hinge the flight controls?

Ray W.
#7

Cliff Ozier

Brand new '80s Quadra 35

...

Cliff Ozier

Hi Ray, The hinges are scary huh, Yes for sure.
The cloth hinges on my C/L planes where a lot beefier than those.
Not sure what will be the method yet... suggestions are welcome.
Also, plan on modifying the spar stubs to aluminum as suggested by Bob I believe.
And making the landing gear removable. Not sure about dummy engine cowl.
Now is the perfect time to implement the various enhancements everyone has come up with.
The color scheme I'm leaning towards is the red and yellow Great American Flying Circus

retransit

My Feedback: (18)

Cliff, a couple of questions and comments..........................

I stopped doing body work and painting before I got into urethane. Does humidity affect it? I've been using Klasskote, and humidity has absolutely no effect on the stuff. Reminds me of the properties of the German paint (Glasso?) I used on VW's and Audi's many years ago. In addition, it takes on flexible plastic properties when cured.

Not having the N-struts will allow you, as I'm sure you know, the ability to dial in your own wing tip washout and set the incidence.

That Pitts should fit in your vehicle fully assembled. I have a 1/3 scale Great Planes ARF NIB and it only has a 68" span. Some day I'll assemble it or sell it.


Bob

Fleet

I have favored Robart hinge points. Never had one fail. I used the 1/8 Hinge Point on the 1/4 Fleet and the 3/16 Super Hinge Points on the 1/3 scale Fleet.

I sent off my Enya VT240 to JB engine guys in CT. When I opened the orginal box to start packing 'er up, I found I had bought $150 worth of parts from the distrubutor of Enya products. Sooo... Seems Bill had no problem with using my parts. Hopefully, I'll have a zero TSMO on return and it will find it's way back into the 1/4 scale Fleet. After February, it will get a new paint job.

Sorry guys, it is Randophs for me as I'm most familiar with it and it is lighter IMHO.

Ray W.
#7

retransit

My Feedback: (18)

I like the Hinge Points as well, even though I have the large Dubro hinges on my current Fleet.

I have never liked the way the rudder post was not secured to the fuse on the lower end. The dowel holds everything in place in the tubing at the end of the fuse, but you still have the rudder hinged to the trailing edge of the vertical stab that is swinging in the breeze. I'm going to epoxy a thin ply plate to the fuse and run two socket head screws through it and the unsecured trailing edge of the vertical stab. It will give the Rudder more ridgidity.

Bob

Mein Duff

Cliff, I would definitely recommend your idea of the alu Spar Stubs.. The plywood version as the kit recommends wears out very quickly. You may also want to beef up the area where the set screws go through the wing spar to interlock with the stubs or come up with a better system all together...maybe short aluminum tubes epoxied in the spars so the screws (or bolts?) won't wear on the spar.
This are is a constant source of aggravation on my model, every week I have to repair some part of the system it seems. This will all be reworked in this winters restoration and recovering.
Also good advice on the Dubro pin hinges...they stand the test of time

retransit

My Feedback: (18)

OK, I'll stick my foot in my mouth. If you need aluminum tongues for the lower wings, I'll see if I can cut a set. Hope my band saw blade holds up.

Bob

Mein Duff

Actually ply stubs would be Ok if they were thicker so you could sink a captive nut in them or cut threads in a brass tube and epoxy that in the stub then use bolts through alu sleeves epoxied in the beefed up spar at that stress point ....just thinking outloud here...but then, cutting threads in the alu stub might be easier....might be a slight weight gain with the alu stubs...but much more reliable.

retransit

My Feedback: (18)

I did the brass insert thing in the wood, but the stub broke, two of them. And not at the insert position. That's why I went with aluminum on my present build. They are 1/4" thick so they allow room to drill and tap.

Bob

HOT COALS

I was scolling r.c.u. and found the the fleet club. I would like to become a member. I have several fleets and several kits. I enjoy flying my birds. I have 9 completed fleets with different colors, and motors. working on my 2nd. ron wies fleet . saving my money for a 5cyn. motor. I fly out of my back yard. plenting of space here in TX. Enjoyed reading all your pages. Thank's

retransit

My Feedback: (18)

Hot Coals you are #20.

You are very busy in the Fleet department.

Bob

Mein Duff

Hot Coals... lets see some pics of your "fleet of fleets"

Fleet

"Fleets Aflight"?   Rubin would be proud.

Ray W.
#7

retransit

My Feedback: (18)

Anyone have a procedure for doing cockpit coaming? I was thinking of using leather and pre-drilling holes around the cockpit and then stitching the leather around a piece of Nyrod. What do you think?

Bob

Fleet

This is leather and lacing is quite noticable and looks easy.

Ray W
#7

Mein Duff

Bob,
The pic of the Fleet combing looks fairly simple... I think the ny-rod will work also.
I am presently doing the combing on my 1/4 SE5 biplane..had a hell of a time finding natural leather most of it seems to be colored with something.
Now I have to scrape it down somehow to get it thin enough to tuck under and have overlaps etc.

Fleet

Deer skin gloves could be a source of thin leather like padding.

Oh so many years at the Newport News Mariner's Museum was a collection of ancient model ships.   The builder was giving a lecture with slides to describe his feats and procedures.   One most memorable was needing something in scale dimentions for the skin on a beat drum.   The beat drum is pounded by some big ogre to keep all the gally slaves in unison.

He had trapped a mouse and skinned the critter for the drum head.   Most realistic in color and the way it was sinched to the drum body.

I thought once that mole skin one can purchase in an Rx store for foot comfort would work but it was never in the size one could do anything else with except maybe a 5th scale headrest.

Now, I know they have mice in Florida.  

Ray W
#7

Fleet

I may have an issue with old Coverite developing. I covered both ailerons with yellow Super Coverite that is about 15 years old. The adheasion is assisted with some Balsarite (a must now) but the shrink factor is not what I would hope. I'm hoping that the few coats of tautning Butyrate will assist.

I got the roll (two rolls) in a trade but they were still in the plastic wraping. I know the glue goes away but I wasn't prepared for the verylow shrink factor. I really wanted to use up the yellow as it would lessen the amount of paint.

I've some fresh Solartex in silver that may have to be employed but I'd really like to use up the old stuff.

Any ideas Brotherhood?

Ray W.
#7