One Design Build
 

I had a Godfrey One Design and lost the plane when the engine dead sticked, low , slow, down wind, windy. Total loss. I saved the fuselage and made templates and drawings of the remaining parts. I plan to build a new one and document the build here. I know this is the kit building forum, this will be just like kit build except I'm cutting the parts. I saved the cowl and canopy and these parts will be reused. If the moderator would like to move the build that's fine with me.
I see there's some new feature on the bottom of page, Product link, let's see what it's all about. This plane will be powered by a ZDZ 80 Super so I linked to the ZDZ link.
Here's the start, today I cut out both fuselage sides and added balsa sticks. The original had 1/4 spruce, I'm using 3/8" balsa. I selected hard sticks for front and light sticks for the back. The sides are 1/8" lite ply.

RE: One Design Build
 

I think by rights this should be in the crash and rebuild forums, but nevermind. I will be watching with interest. I was given a 27% extra-260 a couple weeks ago, much the same happened to it and my intentions are the same once i get some of my current projects done. It nosed in hard, fuse is about 1/2 size, but all the formers i can use for patterns, and one wing is remarkably unscathed, the other totalled. Canopy is usable, cowl is trash, landing gear is also good so I think It wont be too hard to rebuild.

RE: One Design Build
 

I purshased an oscillating spindle sander at the Harbor Freight store before Chrismas, haven't had a chance to use it much. It came in handy when it came time to put the lightening holes in the fuselage sides. I taped both sides together, layed out the holes, cut within 3/8" with a saber saw, and the oscillating sander did the rest.

RE: One Design Build
 

Hopefully I can saved the formers to use for patterns.
When building sides I just nail the parts down to the workbench with 19 gage finishing nails, after two or three planes I fill the holes and re-varnish the top. The top of the bench is two 36" wide solid exterior doors.
The original model was built by Godfrey and was delivered by Greyhound Bus in a giant crate. It was a almost ready to cover verison long before gaint scale ARF's were available, oh how times have changed!

RE: One Design Build
 

Pop corn and soda on hand ... go on.

RE: One Design Build
 

Today I reduced the fuselage into descrete pieces and began to make templates. The original design was 1/4" lite ply, I plan to substitue 1/8" aircraft ply for the engine box and 1/8" lite ply and other areas. I do plan to use 1/4" lite ply on several formers however for gluing purposes. From my measurements 1/8" aircraft Ply and 1/4" lite ply weight the same. Likewise 1/16" ply and 1/8 lite ply are the same weight.

RE: One Design Build
 

The drawings I made were crude, I then transfered the shapes to See Template then to the stock. I will save the templates just in case I need to do this again.
I learned some things by disecting the plane. I was truely amazed at weight gain due to a previous repairs resulting from another dead stick landing in the high grass. I used 1/2"x5/8" maple blocks on each side engine box when I originaly assembled the plane, again these guys were heavy. I need to come up with a different approach.

RE: One Design Build
 

One might ask why re-building this model after two crashes. I simply like the way it looks, I plan to use the same covering scheme for number two. Of course that's a long way off. Tommorow I hope to finish cutting the parts and possibly made the wing tube. The commercial tubes are just too big and loose for my liking.

RE: One Design Build
 

It is a nice looking plane.  I figure the 2 crashes were, like mine always are, pilot error.  Build away bra.  And pass me one of those drinks you are havin.

RE: One Design Build
 

Miller Lite washes down the balsa dust. On to the wing tube.
The materials, one tube for the form, Vasoline (poor man's release agent), wax paper cut to about 1 and 1/2 wraps (Provides about 3 mils clearance), sufficient glass cloth for two wraps( it's 6 oz., I buy it at the auto parts store), one shot of West System epoxy.

RE: One Design Build
 

I grease the tube with a Lite coat of Vasoline then wrap the wax paper around the tube. Be sure to prevent bubbles and wrinkles.
The glass cloth is pre-wetted on a piece of waxpaper.

RE: One Design Build
 

Then wrapped around the tube.
The next day I remove the tube and clean up the Vasoline mess, the Vasoline smell reminds me of when the kids were in diapers. Then clean all the wax paper out of tube. I measured the carbon fiber tube afterwards, the tube measured out at 1.488", a piece of aluminum tube was 1.502", expands why the carbon fiber tubes are rather loose in pheonlic sockets?

RE: One Design Build
 

Tony,

How does the One Design flies?
Is this the same model as the plans that RCM sells?

Pedro

RE: One Design Build
 

No, this model is from Precision Aircraft in Flordia. The company was run by Bob and Robert Godfrey [link=http://www.bobflies.com/]Bobflies.com[/link]. The span is approximately 92". I would say it's more the IMAC style as it was designed in the mid 90's, it's not a 3D frame. I don't fly 3d or IMAC, only for fun, so it's just great for me.
I had to go on an emergency road call to help my brother with a drain leak, it was a little messy so I still have some cutting to tend to. If I get the fuselage glued up by Sunday I'll be happy. I'm in no real hurry. Once the weather says warm I need to finish the paint work on a BUSA Super Cub, this build is a filler.

RE: One Design Build
 

I have a One Design from From Frank Nall that I am just finishing up.

RE: One Design Build
 

Post some photos, I would like to see what it is built like, I think it a little larger than this one. If I could get the plans, canopy, and cowl, I might build the Knoll version. I have a Knoll 34% Christan Eagle that I build some time ago.

RE: One Design Build
 

I put a 1/4" radius on the bottom edge of the fuselage sides with a Dremel router table before jointing the sides. The radius simulates the tubing found in full scale birds.

RE: One Design Build
 

Here's a trick I found when I got the original one design built by Godfrey, the landing aluminum angle and the landing gear were mounted with hex head sheet metal screws. Works great, fast and beats winding down machine screws with lock nuts.

RE: One Design Build
 

I sand the top of the work bench to made sure there are no glue or epoxy bolbs, lay down a strip of masking tape, draw a centerline and start assembling the sides. The plane was designed to interlock and to be somewhat self jigging, not to the extend of many the ARF's of today, but ahead of it's time.

RE: One Design Build
 

I dry fit the engine box and front former together and screwed the former on with #2 screws. I'm using the old cowl that was fit to original plane, therefore I must fit the front former to the original cowl. I mounted the cowl to the former with 6-32 nut spacers under each screw, the gave the new former the same shape. I glued all the engine box parts with epoxy

RE: One Design Build
 

I used every mini clamp I own on the engine box. I guess I need more? I haven't found a really cheap place to buy the Irwin clamps, they work the best. The Harbor Frieght clamps just make me mad.

RE: One Design Build
 

I found this cheap compass at Michaels Craft Supply, it uses a 1/2" dowel as the bar and is adjustable to as large as you need. This is the first time that I used it and it really worked well. With the compass I created two lines at 90 degrees on the workbench. To support the wing tube I make two stands out of scrap wood, these pieces were left over from the engine box. The stands were drilled together so that both holes are the exact distance above the working surface.

RE: One Design Build
 

The centerline of the hole is marked on the stands. These are clamped to the bench on the line. Level is verified. I got lucky in this case, .01 degrees is less than .004" per foot.

RE: One Design Build
 

The goal is get both the rudder post and the thrust line of the engine on the centerline with the horizontal stablizer saddle at zero to match the wing tube.
This is the first time I used this method, on previous builds I just squared the wing tube to the rudder post. This worked well and will use the same method in the future. With this method you aligning both engine and the rudder post while the previous methods I employeed only aligned the rudder port to the wing post.

RE: One Design Build
 

To make adjustments, I wrap sand paper onto an old wing tube, sand the fuselage sides where necessary to achieve alighment, then use balsa wedges to shim the tube in position. Once everything is good, I tack the tube in place with thick CA. For final gluing, I use epoxy and lite filler to fill the gaps, messy work but the goal here is to get epoxy into the joint. I used about a roll of paper towels cleaning up the excess.