Well I am into my next build now, as I get more into the hobby I am getting more excited about flying multi-engine planes.

I have started to build a Top-Flite DC-3 kit. So far it has gone very well.

I have built tail and about 90% of the fuse so far and here are my observations:

The quality of the kit is very good, the parts all fit very well, the wood is of as good quality as any kit I have built.

If you are building the scale rudder, it is much more complex than the non-scale rudder and takes a lot more time and precision. I love the look of the rudder and the set up is solid, but it is a few more hours of work to get done. I think in the long run it will be worth it, but so far this is the biggest problem area on my model.

The fuse is not that difficult to build, good quality parts that fit very well. I am not using much CA on the kit as I have on others, preferring wood glue, so there is a lot of pinning and clamping, takes a bit more time, but I think worth it. I am really trying to use CA when I really need it. The more difficult part of the fuse is the sheeting. The DC-3 fuse is very rounded and shaped like a bullet, this makes sheeting difficult. I am spending a ton of time sanding and filling in gaps and leveling the fuse. So far the results have been pretty good, but it is some work to get it done well. I still have a some smoothing and sanding to do on the very nose of the plane, that is the biggest problem area for me.

I am using light weight drywall compound to fill the gaps, this is as light as balsa filler and a fraction of the cost, I have used it on most of my planes, it seems to work well, I may have used a bit too much in the tail, but it was needed. I do not think that balance will be a major issue.

Questions I still have to work out: Looking for help / opinions

1) Do I want to have a hatch at the tail for easy access to the rudder and elevator controls - I think it is worth the extra effort to do that, the question is how to do it. I think having easy access with small screws would be best, the manual suggest you just leave it attached with covering, then if you need access cut the covering, I do not like that set up very much. I still have to think this part through. I think small screws into light ply will do the job.

2) Do I want to allow easy access to the nose of the plane through the cabin. Again I think yes, because it would be much easier to add weight up there if I can access through the cabin top. The nose is empty and to do an easy balancing it would be helpful. Again, not sure it is worth the extra effort, as I could almost as easily add weight into the fuse with the wing off, but I would not be able to get it as far to the front.

3) Retracts! The big question. This plane should have retracts, but the complexity of the build, not to mention the cost of the build goes up a ton with this little addition. I am not sure how the plane's flight will be affected with the addition of retracts either. This is one I am really fighting with my self over.

I will post some photos shortly.

Regards,

manks

Hatches are a good thing if they are exposing control parts of the plane. It might be a lot of extra work, but it will pay for itself later on. As for retracts, yes they do cost however they make the plane look so much better in flight. You may want to reconsider. Looking forward to your pictures, Dave

Congrats on the build Manks and look forward to seeing some pictures posted in this thread .

I agree with Dave and recommend that you do install hatches in the tail section of the fuselage. Though it may be a little harder with the round shape of the fuselage I'd try to find a section and just a hatch out and then glue 1/16" ply on the inside of the fuselage to support the hatch and screws. Then for the hatch itself, laminate some 1/64" ply to the backside of the hatch to give it some strength and soak the corners with CA to firm up the balsa so that the screws will not crush the balsa when the hatch is installed.

I've done this with good success on several of my models.

a guy at my club buit one of these. Really REALLy beautiful plane! I want to build one so badly. My wife put the kibash on my RC spending for 2009 though. I just build a brand new rapter 50 Titan heli, upgraded all my models to 2.4 and got a new engine for my Showtime 4D 90. She told me $2,500 is my limit for RC for the year. I'll have to build it next winter. Oh i also got a Hobbico Twinstar built this winter that i'll start with some multi engine training. I would recommend some sort of twin trainer before you madin your DC-3. The guy at my club had his on short final and wanted to go around. He pushed full throttle and one engine flamed out while the other engine went full. He was low, slow, and had one engine full throttle and one dead. Needless to say the plane Vmc rolled in an instant and smashed into the ground. Another piece of equipment i would recommend for your DC-3 is, TwinSync. What it does is monitor the RPMs of both engines and keeps them at the same rpm. Also if an engine dies it automatically retards the throttle on the other engine to avoid the Vmc roll. You can have throttle back by bringing your throttle stick down and then back up again but it really helps for that initial engine out. Some times when a pilot realizes the engine failed it's already too late. It's only $100 bucks or so and i think it's worth it!. I'll defiantly put it on my DC-3. Here is the website,

http://www.rcshowcase.com/html/acces.../twinsync.html

Here is a demo of a guy showing the auto engine retard when one engine fails. Also he has electric start .

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wo70lJYLA34

I think i want to make my DC-3 a C-47. I donno. I have a lot of time to think about it .

Oh let me know if you have any questions about multi engine aerodynamics. I'm a real pilot as well and i teach them for a living as a multi engine instructor.


-Matt

Will follow your build with great interest. Have that kit in the basement, 2 years now, it is a future build but purchased when I had funds. Building my first kit now, DC3 at least 3 kits away. Will build it as a Canadian Air Force Dakota. First plane I flew in at cadet camp in 1966. Interesting point about the engine out problem. I have decided that by that time I will be electric. Mine will have the proper retracts as I had funds to get them when I got the plane.