JohnMcGowan

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Rgr that Chad.... much appreciated.

Chad Veich

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Alright, last time we left off I had just completed laminating up all the pieces of the rudder. Next we need to hinge the rudder and elevator so we can temporarily assemble them. The 1/64" plywood rudder core is already cut for CA hinges so it's just a matter of sliding them into position. (No glue at this time!)



Next we match the rudder up to the vertical stab and mark out the hinge locations, mark a centerline, and then cut the slots.



Temporarily assemble the rudder and stab together and trace the shape of the trailing edge of the vertical fin onto the leading edge of the rudder.





Now the hard part, shaping the rudder. Not hard really, but time consuming and messy work. I started with a 60 grit sanding block and went to town. A belt sander and/or a hand plane would speed up the process. Actually, I have devised a jig which will allow me to do about 90% of this work for you before you get your kit so it will be much easier from here forward. If you have already received your kit and would like to have the pre-shaped rudder pieces just shoot me an email and I'll see to it that you get a set. Here I've assembled the stab and rudder back together to check my work.



Next time I will finish shape the entire assembly and then put the bevel on the leading edge of the rudder to allow for movement. Stay tuned...

JohnMcGowan

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Here's the "DUH" question of the day Chad [sm=spinnyeyes.gif],.. whats the little round hole for shown it your last pic?

Tko310

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HI JOHN
i can answer this
it is the hard point for the rudder pull pull
a 1/4 inch dowel is inserted then drilled for a 2-56 threaded rod.
then threaded torque tube nylon attachment are installed to accept the clevis.
it is a really nice clean set up no bulky control horns

Chad Veich

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It's for the rudder pull-pull horn John. A 1/4" dowel goes in the hole into which 2-56 studs are threaded. Then a horn bracket is threaded onto each stud for the pull-pull cables. Of course, you could use regular old nylon horns if you prefer but I find this method cleaner. This was the only good pic I had of the set up which also shows the damage done on the test flight when I went off the runway and into the soft dirt tearing out the tailwheel and breaking the "stinger" on the aft end of the fuse. Ignore the damage and just look at the pull-pull set up OK!

Chad Veich

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Doh! Tighe beat me to the punch!

Tko310

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yeah but you had pics![:@]

Chad Veich

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Ok, last time I finished up by getting the rudder hinged and rough sanded to shape. Next step is to final shape the leading edge and tip of the vertical fin. Then assemble it together with the rudder and shape the top of the rudder to match the fin. Do all of this BEFORE putting the bevel on the leading edge of the rudder in order to keep the rudder centered and stable while you shape it. Once you are satisfied that you are done sanding then, finally, you can bevel the leading edge of the rudder to allow for movement. As you can see in the pic below it does not take much bevel to get plenty of throw. My bevel stops right at the front of the hole in the base of the rudder for the 1/4" dowel.



I managed to end up with about a 1/8" gap between the rudder counter balance and the fin tip which is a bit too much. I added a 3/32" piece of scrap to the front of the rudder counter balance to take up some of the gap. While I was at it I decided to add the little "hook" to the rudder hinge line which is a feature of the full size Hellcat.



A small radius is sanded onto the top of the rudder at its' leading edge.



Then a small scrap is added to the trailing edge of the fin and sanded to match.



That wraps up the construction of the fin and rudder for now. Next up, horizontal stab and elevators.

Tko310

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Hi All
Im Getting there. i finised the gear installation and first coats of primer. i installed the cockpit, some what premature, but i wanted everyone to get an idea of what it looks like. couple more weeks now to finish the belly pan and the sliding canopy.
I ordered my engine yesterday, i am going with the RCFG 20cc gas engine should fit nicely in the cowl. I will let everyone know.

Tighe O'Meara

P.S. the hole in the side panel of the cockpit is for my on/off, charge switch.

Chad Veich

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Nice work Tighe, coming along rapidly now. I will be putting the flaps and one of Tighe's cockpit kits in my second Hellcat as well and am looking forward to it. Gotta get Hellcat #1 detailed and painted first though!

uncljoe

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Guy's the Photographer is Standing BY.
Semper Fi

JohnMcGowan

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My my my Tighe... that is is one LONG prop shaft you have on your plane. Im guessing the engine block is way back in the trunk of the plane? [sm=lol.gif] LOL All looks good Tighe! About what kind of speed do you think the 20cc gasser is going to give you and what are you feeling about the weight up front( if any)? And Im guessing you are planning on a maybe a 16 inch prop or so?

John

Tko310

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Hi John,
the 20cc weighs 38 oz (2 3/8 pounds) with battery and muffler. chad's prototype with the OS .61 needed 8oz of lead in the nose and the plane weighted 10.5 lbs approx. The .61 with muffler is 23.6oz and 8 oz of lead is almost 2 pounds so my added weight is 6oz there about.. so my estimated all up weight is 12 pounds. not to bad for a 65 inch warbird. i have moved the servo tray aft one bay to accomodate the cockpit and the added weight. so thing should balance out pretty well.


as far as speed goes i will assume it has plenty of power may be in the 100mph or a little above range with the recomended 16-8 prop. i talked th the distributer and he has people running 18-6 comfortably but it slows the plane down.

here is the upside, no mess, fuel is $2.75 a gallon, the engines are proven and reliable from what i can gather, and it was $249.00 shipped, the owner informed me that he flies his with 6oz tanks for 10 th 15 min. i wont go quite that small but less full is less weight.
i will let you guys know how it turns out here soon. i should have the engine this week.

by the way the owner of rc aero products, henry zwolak, was very helpful and a plesure to deal with. it appears that he supports his products.

have fun
Tighe O'Meara

Tko310

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by the way the parts to move the servo tray aft will be included in the cockpit kit. so everything is drop in. No measuring or hacking

aerowoof

how much for the cockpit kit and where or who to get one from?

Racinrc14

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Is a retractable tailwheel a possibility?

Tko310

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Last 15 Posts - reverse chronological order
Racinrc14 Date 1/18/2010 2:02 AM
Is a retractable tailwheel a possibility?

Warks62 directed me to the CMP hellcat build where i got info to build my scale taile wheel i have changed the design slightly as far as material and i will probably change a few other items to better facilitate the install into this plane.
additionaly i will be offering 1/8 scale carrirer tailwheels shortly. the hubs are resin cast and the wheel is cast black rubber. I have only made the mock up and the plugs and will be making the molds shortly as i will need one soon as well.
here is the forum and page you will find the drawings on. let me know if you cant find them. there are also step by step instructions to build it and pics.

http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/m_25...38/key_/tm.htm

[/quote]
aerowoof Date 1/17/2010 11:57 PM
how much for the cockpit kit and where or who to get one from?

you will get the cockpit through me. pricing is not determined yet as i am finishing up a few items for casting. i will tell you that if you buy chads kit, while this group build is going on the cost will be less for you. this cockpit will likely fit in the CMP as well. TBD!

if you already have chads kit and you are going to install the cockpit you can proceed with the build just dont glue in the servo tray. do however tab it in place while constructing the fuse to maintain allignment.

Tighe O'Meara

Chad Veich

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Tommy,

My prototype uses a Robart tailwheel retract and parts are provided in the kit to mount it or a fixed tailwheel. I have some ideas on how to dress up the Robart unit to look more scale but, for a really scale one that you can build yourself, check out the link in Tighe's post above.

Chad Veich

My Feedback: (60)

Just a reminder for those who are already building and may be getting ahead of me in the build (Thanks for the reminder Tighe):

1. If you plan to install the full cockpit do not permanently install the servo tray (part F3). Install it loose while building up the fuselage box structure to maintain spacing and alignment but do not glue. You will use F3 but it will need to be moved aft to make room for the full cockpit. As stated previously, the parts necessary to do that will be included with the cockpit kit.

2. If you plan to install the flaps you can proceed with wing construction up to the point of sheeting the top sides but please hold off on sheeting the bottom of the wing. There will be a couple of additional internal parts required in order to mount a second access hatch for the flap servos.

Racinrc14

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Thanks guys, that looks great. I can't wait to order one of these! If only someone would buy the stuff I have listed........

Chad Veich

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Looking forward to building with you Tommy whenever you're ready.

Chad Veich

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I have added the first installment of the wing center section construction to the web site for those who may be interested. It is not quite complete but I am doing my best to stay ahead of you guys who are already building!

http://www.hellcat.cwvmodels.com/csect.html



I will start posting pics of the horizontal stab construction in this thread some time in the next few days. For those who can't wait, the complete build sequence for the stab can be found on the web site.

http://www.hellcat.cwvmodels.com/hstab.html

PS - If anyone runs into any issues with the web site please let me know.

Chad Veich

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Doh! Seems I forgot to add one very important item to the Hellcat plans. Namely, the balance point! It has now been added to the plans but, for those who already have your kits, below is an addendum showing the CoG as I have it on my prototype. This is at 28% of the total area which is where I recommend setting it for the test flights. If you would like full size PDF copies of the files shown below that you can print please just let me know. Sorry about that gents! [X(]

As measured at the root.


As measured at the wing tip.

Chad Veich

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Alright, two more minor issues to take care of for you guys who already have your kits. Don't you guys just love being my guinnea pigs?!!!

In your kit you have two 1/8" light plywood parts "W17". They look like this:



Throw them away, they are no longer needed! Instead you will be using the four 1/4" balsa wood parts which are numbered "W17t" and "W17b". The part shown above was for the original wing joiner design and I simply forgot to remove it from the laser file.

Second issue, you should have received four 1/8" light plywood "W18" parts as seen below. Instead you only have two. They are simple enough to make but I would be happy to provide them for you if you prefer. Please note that the hatched area is a jig tab which will be removed from W18 before you sheet the bottom surfaces. If you decide to make these yourself it is not really necessary to include the jig tab. Again, if you would like a full size PDF file of W18 please ask.

valr

Kicking off my entry into the group build. I'm planning to stick to the original concept and keep it a simple build.

This is the first build I've ever done with laser cut parts and I'm impressed! The interlocking rib and spar design makes for very accurate and easy assembly.

Val