Alex7403

This Ultra Sport 60 will be built as a Tricycle, I want to keep it stock simple maybe some small changes.
Idea for power is OS 75 AX.


• I’m flying from non forgiving concrete and my airplanes somehow landing on their chin every once and a while.
• This muffler on the side will not hold very long the way im flying…
• The setup of LG for a tail dragger is more complicated then a trike.

I believe this build will be long in time as it usually turns out to be but I have a long winter ahead.

I made a pole and the winner was GP Ultra Sport 60.
Got tired of looking at other US60's so decided to build one.
The recommendations about its flight characteristics led me to build it.

* Don’t be discouraged by the amount of black roach like clamps, I just like clamping.

And thanks for checking

Alex

Alex7403

After reading the instructions for a month and hiding the box under the bed i had enough So I opened the box and guess what its full of balsa sticks, no ARF popping out.., it seems to be I got spoiled with laser cut Sig kits this one is die cut and a lot of sanding.

Started with the rudder and the fin, stabilizer, elevator and continued to main wing spars.

Now I had to make some decisions about the LG, ordered some parts to build and bury the tail dragger inside for later change.

dhal22

what a great plane. either way consider retracts, some spring airs would be nice and it looks so good on a low flyby with your wheels up.

david

Alex7403

[] no no retracts on this one, too complicated, trying to stay on low budget, and last flying day at the field some cheap(?) retracts didnt fully open on a fancy airplane, it wasn’t beautiful, so i decided no retracts, but i tought about that.

MinnFlyer

My Feedback: (4)

Yes, there's a lot of sanding to do, but when you see what a fantastic plane you'll end up with, you'll see that it was all worth it!

andrew66

lol i do that too! i will be watching this build closely, cause im looking for a 60 size plane for my "second plane since ive been out of the hobby" so far what ive looked at is this one, fourstar and astro hog. im leaning towards astro hog cause of the looks, but i maybe i should get this one so i can improve my flying skills.
good luck with the build
andrew

XTOL

Alex...excellent choice. Glad you decided to join the exclusive
Ultra Sport club. You wont be sorry.

Reconsider building it as a tail dragger. It handles very well
as a tail dragger. Hold full up elevator...get it rolling...relax the elevator
and the tail will come up and it will roll out on the mains.

No nose gear means less weight up front and less drag.

Either way its a truly great airplane.

Mike Hammer

Alex7403

Thanks Mike,

1) Great website about your build of the US60, I’m watching it and learning from it.
2) I remember you mentioned US60 when I asked about the Midstar.....

Alex

Alex7403

OK LG doublers on W2, W3, W4 ribs.
Glued the doublers with titebond, a little bit of sanding, no problems here.
sitting snag and perfect on the LG block.

Alex7403

Now the next step, LE sheeting.

The right way to do it is Like what MinnFlyer show on post #12

Did it the hard way.

flybug

Great progress, looking good!

MinnFlyer

My Feedback: (4)

It would have been easier to remove a section of the sheeting, glue it in place, and THEN do the final cut

Alex7403

Hmmmm.... didnt think about that.....

Too much trigonometry led me to keep the angle….

I’m spoiled of laser cuts kits I guess.

OK, I’ll ask at the forum first, the next time I run into trouble.

I have still the left wing to implement that, so that’s why left wing is always better built the the right one.

Thanks
Alex

Alex7403

Doing the right wing right now, its appearing straight so far.
Going fast, so far so good.

Alex7403

In general i'm trying not to use CA but Titebond instead, its working well and surprisingly faster because i dont have to deal with spills and glued fingers and other health issues.

after the dihedral brace pocket and the sheer web reinforcement comes the TE sheeting.
i already took the wing of the building board so i had to ut it back for TE sheeting.
clamped it to the building board, so far its straight without deflection.

Alex7403

Question:

Now comes the hard part, the LE sheeting.

How do you make it curved without stressing and braking it?

Thanks
Alex

RCKen

My Feedback: (9)

Wet the balsa with warm water. Ammonia works well too, but is rough on the nose and lungs. I usually just use warm water.

Ken

Alex7403

Do you let it dry in some shape so it wont curve in the middle somewhere, if so how?

Thanks
Alex

RCKen

My Feedback: (9)

Wet it and then glue it in place. Use tape to hold it in place until the glue dries. Some prefer to glue the leading edge in place and when that dries wet the balsa with a sponge and then glue it in place on to ribs, using tape to hold it in place till the glue dries. This is usually what I will do

Ken

Alex7403

Thanks Ken im simulating it now.

Alex

tmproff

My Feedback: (5)

Hey Alex,
The best way I've found to bend sheeting over the LE is to glue the front of the sheeting to the LE of the wing...let that dry and then wet the wood on the side you will NOT be gluing then slowly start to bend the wood (kind of like streching before exercising). Dont push to hard at once or you will split the wood. After bending the wood a dozen times or so (each time putting a little more pressure on it), you will notice that it will bend all the way to the spar without splitting. After that, just put a little glue on the ribs and the spar and then bend the sheeting into place and use PLENTY of tape to keep it in position. Another great trick is to fill a few ziplock bags with sand and use them to weigh down the LE sheeting while it is drying.

Alex7403

First glued the edge of the sheeting to the LE with thick CA, then positioned it as tight as I could, taped it and added wood glue from the other side.
Now I’m letting it set and do the sponge wetting method after the edge is set.

Thanks again guys
Alex

MinnFlyer

My Feedback: (4)

You're off to a good start. What I do now is similar to what has been said, but slightly different.

Once the LE has set up, wet the outside of the sheeting with a cloth soaked with hot water. Now go take a break. No bending required. Once the water has had time to soak in a bit, it will cause that side of the wood to expand.

Since that side is expanding, and the inside isn't, The wood will start to bend on its own.

Now I put wood glue on top of all of the ribs, then run a bead of Medium or Thick CA on the front half of the spar, and bend the sheeting down to it.

I have a 3-foot level that I use to hold the sheeting down to the spar for the 20 or 30 seconds that it takes to set up.

kwhite.6

Why do you use wood glue and not thick ca on all of it? I just got my US40 today and I'm trying to get all the information I can before I start. Thanks.

MinnFlyer

My Feedback: (4)

Because putting the glue on top of the ribs (While you're working in the tight space under the sheeting) can take a while. If you used Kicker anywhere in that area - even if it was a few days ago - it could kick off the CA.

Using wood glue lets you work at a slow pace. Then when the sheeting is stuck down by the CA on the spar, the wood glue can set up at its own rate.