Please do, thanks!

well here are my pics of my hatch. i also have a bomb drop as you can see, for the hatch i just glue spars along the side and put some screws to hold the hatch in, you can see the battery tucked under in front of the landing gear, right behind the firewall. simple and effective

one more pic of the bomb inbetween the landing gear.

I've decided to use Sig Easy Hinges (CA hinges) in the ailerons instead of the hinge points because of the way the ailerons are shaped. Will post pics later.

A good choice. I really enjoy flat spins with my Mini. Lots of fun!!!

To All Smith Mini Plane Fans,

Thought this might intrest any of you contemplating building a larger version. Traplet Publications (USA/Canada etc) in their on-line shop has plans for a 1/3 scale SMP (67"ws, 1.20 plus power) for $22.00. Allegedly scaled from materials supplied by the full scale designer. The link is; https://sslrelay.com/s119033911.onea...dex.shopscript

2 pictures of the real thing, finished by a friend and then sold on-line:-)
A beautiful plane and you really understand why it is called "mini", the plane and the cockpit is very small... Good for short and not fat pilots (at least the one pictured)...:-)

Hey all, sorry for the loooong break, but I finally have some progress pictures for your enjoyment. This has been one heck of a project, and the necessary attention to detail just burned me out for a while.

Here are a couple pics of the finished wings mounted on the fuse.

And a pic of the N-struts. These required bending two wires to proper shape, cutting and attaching balsa fairings, fabricating brass feet, fiberglass and CA glue. I used quick-drying spackle for a filler. Lots of work for these two finished pieces!

I also have the rudder covered, and will probably get the majority of the fuse covered this week. Its nice to be getting a second wind on this project.

You'll find all your efforts are worth it. Looking good!

Two more pics, for anyone who's interested. We're down to the final details, now. Phew!

back to the ailerons for a sec... ive already finished the plane (covered and flown), but ive noticed that the ailerons are kinda stiff so i wanna go back, redo them and put dual servos in. i have two questions.
1) what type of servos should i use for dual ailerons?

2)
i plan on replacing the hinge spar, but for the hinge line, has anyone used just a bevel instead of the whole v-cut thing? (if that makes any sense)

forktail- I used Hitec HS-85's for my ailerons because of the size/weight savings over standard servos. Plus they're still fast & powerful, but if I were to do it again, I'd go with the HS-81's.

As far as beveling- why not? You would take a small bit away from scale appearance, is all.[8D]

is that how the full scales are done??? can you put a pic of your setup complete so i can see how you did the the control horns
thanks

Thought I'd post my pics of my model N391Y.

Finished 6 months ago, it is a super flying model, I recomend very highly.

Power is an old OS 61 FS.

Covering is Dave Brown Skyloft, with brushed polyurethane paint. I also simulated rib stitching.

Since the pics were taken, I have added a 1/5 scalepilot.

Well, folks- I'm as finished as I'm going to get with this. Which is pretty well, actually. My Smithy didn't turn out as nice as EF's, but it sure does fly nice! And the sound of the Saito 62 with a header-pipe exhaust is magic. I had a mishap on the 2nd flight; a wheel collar came loose on the starboard gear, and the wheel came off on landing, damaging the wheel pant. It's pretty minor, and I'll probably fix it like new some day. For now I'm having way too much fun flying it.

This plane is definitely teaching me to refine my in-the-air rudder/aileron coordination. Here are a few pics, enjoy!

The engine sounds as good as it looks, it gives a "crackle" at mid-RPMs. So far it seems to be getting plenty of cooling air.

One more on the ground... if anyone has any questions regarding the build process or the flight characteristics, ask away.

Congratulations on the successful flights! [sm=thumbs_up.gif]

Regarding rudder-aileron co-ordination - I have quite a lot of aileron differential on mine and so hardly need any rudder.

Also, you may find it is quite a hand-full in cross winds, and what I did (usually do it on small bipes) was to add a small cheap gyro (GWS, weighs 7 grams) on the rudder channel as an added safety device.
I have a lot of cross-winds at my field during summer, and this does help - see pic how I installed it on the fuselage side.
If you choose to do so too, set the gyro sensitivity on the mid range since it does not have to be as on a heli where there are usually also very fast servos.

Hello
Congratulations for flying miniplane
I'm just starting to build it. Nothing done yet. But I've just clean my workplace and "re roled" the plans of smith . Start working tomorrow.
I've decided it will be powered by ASP 61 FS. Fev days ago I was wondering about ASP 52 FS. What do You think?

Paweł

My 61 FS is more than necessary, even being a 22 year old engine.
I think the 52 FS should be enough. This is a homebuilt aircraft - not a Pitts... [sm=teeth_smile.gif]

okier- I think you'd be a lot happier with the 61 than the 52. The Saito 62 in mine gives the plane just a little more than "scale-like" power. Not grossly overpowered, but enough extra to be reallly fun! The extra power will help with certain maneuvers (larger, rounder loops, for one), and could help power you out of a tight spot someday, too.[X(] Also, you won't need to run the engine as hard all the time, so it will last longer as well.

EF- no gyros for me! Truly, I actually find the need for rudder coordination enjoyable. After years of flying Somethin' Extras, Ultra Stiks, trainers, etc. its nice to have a plane that forces me to pay attention. I figure this little bipe will make me a better pilot for sure.[8D]

You bouth have right.
If I would buy a SAITO, or OS I'll go for 52. But here in Poland ASP are about half cheaper then those two.
I was searching for compare of ASP to OS and SAITO, and didnt find any interestign info.
So I dont really know if ASP 61 FS have the same power like SAITO at this size. Or maybe ASP 61 is closer to SAITO 56 or OS 52.
In technical performance i've found that:
FS52AR, kW/RPM = 0.71/9,500 , Practical RPM = 2,300-9,500 weight = 455 grams
FS61AR, kW/RPM = 0.83/10,500 , PRactical RPM = 2,100-10,400, weight = 445 grams
while OS 52:
Low RPM: 2300, High RPM: 13000, 0.900 bhp @ 12000 RPM, Weight (no muffler): 14.19 oz.
and saito 56:
Low RPM: 2000, High RPM: 12000, Weight (no muffler): 14.46 oz.

So as you can see the ASP 61 is closer to other 52/56 engines in technical data.

Thats why I've decided on 61, but still dont know for shure. Looking fo someone that tells me the other way, because I can still buy ASP 52 , confused

Well, its your decision [8D]

Pawel - it depends on several parameters really - how light do you build? how profecient a pilot are you? etc.

I finished mine weighing exactly within the range written on the kit box, and I had the engine on hand.
It is a very powerful combo, when I climb for a stall turn for example I usually close the throttle in order not to go too high (and then open momentarily to kick the tail around).

I takeoff on full power and close the throttle immediately after the initial climb out, and rarely see more than 75% throttle during the rest of the flight.

It also depends on your style of flying (I like to fly rather relaxed - you land in the same place anyway so why fly fast? ) and does your flying field have any special limitations or obstacles - like trees that need to be climbed over quickly etc. (my field is a real airplane landing strip - no limits around).

But in the end - it's your decision.