dabrown

Started working on the fuselage over the holidays and now have it about 3/4 framed up. Trying to decide where to mount the servos. The plans aren't much help. They show one servo in the rear of fuse, but the others aren't addressed. I'll be using two servos for the elevator halves and one for the rudder. Maybe put the rudder servo in the tail and the elevator servos in the rear cockpit.

Went to San Diego for Christmas to visit my son and his girlfriend. Visited the San Diego Air & Space museum which has a Fleet model 2 on display. Ruben Fleet was big in San Diego what with the Consolidated factory which later became Convair. The lighting in the museum is dark so pics were hard to take. The example they have there isn't any info about it's particular history and it doesn't have any markings except the s/n and Fleet logo.

Don't know if my pics will upload. Keeps timing out. Maybe will try from work tomorrow.

By the way the museum has some really nice airplanes WWI and WWII. They have an original (not replica) Nieuport 28 and Spad VII.

dave

dabrown

Here are some pics of the fuselage with the Quadra 35 test-mounted. The Fiberglass Specialties cowling is also in the pic and I will start soon removing large parts of it for the engine cylinder and exhaust and also 5 holes for the Williams Bros. dummy cylinders.

Dave

Planejaw

My Feedback: (53)

You're right Dave, there isn't much information on the servos for the rudder and elevator. Most Fleets I've seen have two servos in the rear, one for rudder, one or two for elevator. Mine is all framed up and ready for final sanding and covering. I have Solartex from BUSA in olive drab for the fuselage and cream for the wings and empennage.

With a Fuji 43 up front, I am also not sure exactly where to mount my servos. I want to mount the rudder servo in the fuselage under the rear cockpit and use pull-pull. I will also use two servos for the elevators, but not sure if they will be mounted further forward or in the tail. I thought I'd get most of the covering done, leave the underside of the fuselage, behind the wing uncovered, then assemble and check to see how the CG turns out. I'll then mount the final three servos in the most appropriate location. I'm also making the two large plywood hatches on the bottom of the fuselage removable, held with 6/32 socket-head screws. I am going to bolt the plywood wing tongues in the wing side of the lower wings, then also run a couple of bolts through the wing carry-through spar boxes in the fuselage. I'll have to remove the ply hatches to bolt the lower wings on when setting up the airplane at the field, but I think it's a better way to do it than the simple screws through the top of the wing and top of the spar boxes and into the top of the tongues. If perchance one of the wing spar tongues breaks, the worst thing I'll have to do is to remove a little covering over the bay that will expose the bolts holding the spar tongue in the wing, in order to pull it out.

I have the Fiberglass Specialties cowl and dummy cylinders to mount as you have, as well as radial cowl that a couple of variants also had. I like to use radial cowls, as there's is ample room for most any muffler combination and allows good cooling to boot.

One of the most interesting parts of this build will be to determine the incidence of the horizontal stab, engine thrust-line and decalage of the wings. Not much set-up information in the plans, other than recommendations based on how the airplane flies the first time you get it up in the air, then adjust from there. I have three of the Robart Incidence Meters that I'll be using. Since the one non-adjustable item is the lower-wing, it will serve as my datum line, with everything else based off of that, as you can adjust the incidence/decalage of the upper wing, engine thrust line and horizontal stab incidence. I've been working on mine on and off for the past 1 1/2 years. I'd like to get it completed and into the air sometime this year.

Keep us posted on your build.

retransit

My Feedback: (18)

Guys, look at Post #311. It has the info on the servos I used for elevator and rudder, and also placement. I have a hatch at the rear of the fuse for access to the servos and Rx.

My batteries are located under the floor at the rear cockpit. In my case I use four D cell NiCd's to light the onboard glow driver. My engine weighs 6.17 lbs. You can use that to compare with your engine installation to arrive at component location to get a favorable CG. My Fleet balanced right on the money with the placement of my servos and batteries. You may have to do a bit of weight and balance calculations to get your pieces placed correctly. Every installation is different because of finishing techniques. My use of Klasskote probably added more weight than I wanted on the aircraft, but the finish is great. There is a lot of fuse behind the CG to paint and the short nose moment also compounds the problem. Hopefully, with the judicious placement of components, you won't have to add weight.

I had to place an additional 1/16th inch spacer under the leading edge of the horizontal stab, for a total of 1/8th inch, to get it to fly level. You'll know more after the first flight. All my incidence measurements are at zero degrees along with the engine mounting being zero/zero.

Good luck with your build.

Bob

Planejaw

My Feedback: (53)

Thanks for the info Bob, particularly the incidence measurements. I agree that, particularly with a kit build, there are a number of variants that will come into play, particularly considering the C.G.

Took a look at post 311, good photo showing the servo placement.

Planejaw

My Feedback: (53)

Have covered my horizontal stab, elevators, vertical fin and rudder with cream colored Solartex. The fuselage will be olive drab Solartex. Need to start adding control horns and getting ready for the rudder pull-pull and elevator servos. I think I'm going to mount the elevator servos under or just behind the rear cockpit, then use carbon fiber or hardwood dowl torque-rods with 4/40 threaded wire leading to the elevators. Then time to start sanding the fuselage and wings for the balance of the covering.

Mein Duff

Nice job on the covering John, why not do the rudder pull - pull as well?

Planejaw

My Feedback: (53)

Thanks.

I really like using the Solartex.

Yes, I'll be doing pull-pull on the rudder. I have that on a number of ships and I quite like it. Just trying to figure out how best to actuate the elevators without putting the elevator servos in the empennage.

Mein Duff

Ooops, I meant why not Pull-Pull to the elevators as well?...I'm not sure how the original plane was though..

I have been much happier with Pull-Pull over the years...no expansion problems and suddenly out of trim airplanes due to temperatures.

dabrown

Alot of airplanes from this era used a pull-pull cable set up going rearward to a bellcrank which then connected to a push-pull rod to the elevator horn. The stick was push-pull also connecting to a another bellcrank up front. This pic isn't very good, but you can see the elevator horn.

I'm going with push-pull on the elevator but probably pull-pull on the rudder.

Been working on my dummy cylinders. Williams Bros./fiberglass cowl. It's a trick to mount them to the cowl. I wanted the cylinders to go through the cowl not mounted "on" the cowl but could only do it with the top 3 cylinders. Hopefully the way I did it will hold up to vibration. Will take some pics later.

Dave

Fleet

Nice fin and rudder. I'm building a 16B Finch variety in 1/3 scale. I had the concept kit and bashed it to a 16B and it was a joy. I built the cylinders as per directions and with the help of a moto tool, came out well.

Yellow and Navy Blue...true airplane colors and is a stunner.
Ray W.

dabrown

To clarify, the pic is of a Fleet model 2 in the San Diego air museum...

Here are pics of my dummy cylinder installation.

Dave

Modelflyer

My Feedback: (2)

Dick: Miss your articles in RC Report...................Paul

Planejaw

My Feedback: (53)

Finished the pull-pull on the rudder. Went with 4/40 rods in plastic tubes to actuate the elevators, crossing as they went through the back of the fuselage, just like the rudder pull-pull cables, which I also sheathed in plastic tubes. Mounted the rudder/elevator servos under the rear cockpit. Good straight runs to all control surfaces, no binding or bending of any wire and plenty of throw. Used heavy-duty 4/40 ball links all around, on control surfaces and servo output arms. I'll try to get some photos up this week. Rough-adjusted the throws and exponential on the DSM-X receiver (Spektrum DX-8 transmitter), so I have low, medium and high throws, with 0-30-50 exponential. Control surfaces are quite large (chordwise) on the rudder and elevators. Duff, that's one reason I didn't go with a concealed pull-pull on the elevators, as I wanted to use two seperate servos, one for each elevator half. I've got a 1/3 scale Tiger Moth, and it has pull-pull for the rudder and elevator...with all the external wire exiting at the mid and aft fuselage. Lots of wire. One servo actuates both halves of the elevator for "up" throw, one servo actuates both elevator halves for "down" throw. Works quite well, lots of plastic tubing encasing all the wires in the fuselage to prevent any chafing between wires.

Just about time to remove the tail feathers and finish up with the sanding of the fuselage and preparing for covering. I have a 5-meter roll of both blue and olive drab Solartex. Not exactly sure which one I'm going to use on the fuselage. Wings will be cream just like the tail. Sanding down and preparing the wings for covering will be next after the fuselage. Mounting the Fuji 43 will follow.

I picked up some streamlined aluminum tubing, thinking of using it for the interplane struts, instead of building hardwood struts. Haven't quite made up my mind on that one just yet. With flying season starting in another couple of months here in southwest Michigan, might be working on the Fleet through the late Spring or early summer, to have it ready for late summer or fall flights.

jmatusic

My Feedback: (16)

HI Everyone, I managed to buy a really nice 1/4 scale Concept Fleet, 84 inch WS at the Lebanon Flea Market last Saturday, 10 March 2012. I didn't pickup the N-Struts and didn't exchange contact info with the guy I bought it from.

I am hoping that he might be watching this thread and will respond. My number is 540-317-5373. [email protected]

If anyone has an extra set of these Struts, I'd be happy to buy them.

Thanks

jmatusic

My Feedback: (16)

By the way, the builder's name was Fred Horn or C J Horn, probably living in or near Lebanon PA or states around PA. His name was written on the motor "Fred Horn 1992"

20 year old plane and looks like it might have flown once.

jmatusic

My Feedback: (16)

Is anyone interested in either building the N-Struts for the Romey Bukolt design Concept Fleet? Or Does anyone have the measurements from their plans so I can build them myself? I would gladly pay whatever (I know a dangerous thought) someone thought they would need to build a set for me or for the time and effort needed to provide measurement data. I'm having trouble finding the person who sold me the plane so he might send me the missing N-struts so this is a fall-back plan.
Thanks

[email protected]
540-317-5373

jmatusic

My Feedback: (16)

Is anyone interested in either building the N-Struts for the Romey Bukolt design Concept Fleet? Or Does anyone have the measurements from their plans so I can build them myself? I would gladly pay whatever (I know a dangerous thought) someone thought they would need to build a set for me or for the time and effort needed to provide measurement data. I'm having trouble finding the person who sold me the plane so he might send me the missing N-struts so this is a fall-back plan.
Thanks

[email protected]
540-317-5373

dabrown

I'm almost at the point of needing to do the N struts on the kit I'm building now. This weekend I can look and see what I might be able to do. Maybe just trace the plans. Are there attachment points on the wing for them already? I've seen some builders do them differently than what the kit plans show so it might be good to know how yours were originally done.

Dave

jmatusic

My Feedback: (16)

Dave,

You're a lifesaver! I really appreciate your help. The plane is completely build and was flown once about 20 years ago. Then taxied a few years ago. I got the plane home from the flea market then realized it was missing the struts. I'm sure the seller has them however I'm having a heck of a time getting the contact info from the flea market organizer. He's sent me several names/email/numbers and none of them were the seller. Still trying though he may run out of patience soon. I'm sure the seller doesn't realize he still has them.

The attachment points are already on both top and bottom wings. The top wing is threaded for a 4MM/32 bolt while the bottom wings have captive nuts which are 3MM/32. I have the bolts. There is also attachment points for the cable or wire wing bracing.

I'll try to attach two pictures of the fuselage, if I can figure out how.

Thanks again for any help you can provide. Tracing the plans would be great.

Joe Matusic
11125 Pimlico Circle
Culpeper, VA 22701

[email protected]

jmatusic

My Feedback: (16)

The Fleet I bought at the Lebannon RC Airplane Flea Market,,,,,minus N-struts. Builder did a really nice job. 20 year old plane.

dabrown

Great looking model. Lots of detail work for sure!

I sent you an email. Hopefully it will work for you...

Dave

jmatusic

My Feedback: (16)

Dave,

Thanks. Hey I got the email and responded. I think the data you sent will work just fine. Can't begin to thank you enough.

If I can help you in any way just let me know.

Joe

Planejaw

My Feedback: (53)

Joe, very nice looking Fleet you picked up. When I used to live in Harrisburg, PA, I used to go to the Lebanon Swap Meet every year. One of the biggest I've ever been to.

The "N" struts are the next thing I'm going to be building for mine. Might use some streamlined aluminum tubing to make mine.

jmatusic

My Feedback: (16)

Thanks John. I picked up some 1/4 by 1/2 basswood at the local hobby shop yesterday and together with the drawing that Dave was so kind to provide, I'm ready to build a set and see how they work. I think Lowes paint matching then for the finishing touch after sanding to get the airfoil shape. Your aluminum tubing idea also sounds good.

I must have contacted 20 sellers now through the info provided by the Lebanon tablemaster looking for the original set, still no joy.

Good luck with your build.

Joe