Workshop

Jan 31,2009

The weather looked good so Dick and I did the final checks and went to the field. We assembled the plane and ran a standard pre-flight before starting the DA 50. We warmed the engine and range checked the gear. The engine ran up to above the spec and sounded like it had had enough time in the shop and it was time to prove it was an airplane engine.

With a few spectators I took the plane off and with a few beeps of down and one of right aileron it was flying straight and level. It looked even better in the air as I tried for altitude and the big mill shot the plane straight up with no indication it would need to rest on the way up. The first check was for thrust and it passed easily. The center of gravity check is to fly straight and level and roll to inverted and see what it did. The Cuda only took a whisper of down to fly flat and that is a good thing. The final check was to get it three mistakes high and stall test it. With the engine at idle and full up elevator on low rates it took about 100 yards to bleed of enough speed to stall. The stall looked like a hi alpha elevator as the wings stayed perfectly flat and the plane sunk.

With all this success, I did one slow roll and was convinced it was just another fine Cuda. I brought it around for a landing and I heard a faint sigh of relief from Dick.

The post flight check indicated a few minor items to resolve for the next time.

1) the 1.5" servo arms did not stay tight on the ailerons

2) one bolt on the cowl mount failed

3) the smoke connection to the header was too close to the cowl

4) The tail wheel was not tight enough to keep a straight line on taxi

5) One elevator has a flaw in the covering

We made our way back to the shop and were delighted with the plane. It will give many hours of brain clearing fun to Dick and all the others that will want stick time on this fine bird.

After I resolve the few little things from the first flight, the plane will go to its new home. This build and the time I got to spend with Dick was the reason I do this work and will likely continue to do it as long as there are kind and thoughtful folks in the hobby to make smile as their plane looks and flies up to their expectations.

Jan 27, 2009

The weather cleared and I ran the engine test with complete success. The big DA came to life in just a few flips and ran just fine. I ran a full tank and it smoothed out some in just one tank.

After the test, I removed the cowl and inspected all the internal parts to be sure everything was as planned. The test did not shake anything loose or do any damage to the components.

The only open issue is the interference produced by the smoke pump. While this could not prevent a first flight, the problem needs to be resolved and I am in contact with the pump maker for some assistance.

Jan 16, 2009

I inspected the new paint on the cowl and it looks fine. The clear coat must dry for several days and then it will be buffed out and we can put it on the plane. Only the final checks remain and we will be set to do the first flight.

Jan 9, 2009

I assembled the plane and checked that everything was on the plane. This was the first time is was complete and some of the final checks could be made. First I checked for lateral balance and found it did not have a heavy wing.

I set the plane up on the CG machine and found it to be 1/16" aft of the center point of the reco0mmended zone. I checked and I fly my cuda with the CG another 1/8" aft of the center of the zone so I decided I would leave it as is. With that information, all the wiring could be completed and secured to the plane. The batteries were mounted in final position and the ignition switch was mounted in the plane. The main switches were located ahead of the wing and one of the main batteries was near the trailing edge of the wing so wires needed to be extended and many of the connections to the receiver needed to be soldered. The radio gear was checked as the wiring was finalized and all functions were in place. The smoke pump was generating some servo movement so I will run the pump to finish the run in period that will quiet the motor down.

I bolted the prop and spinner on and prepared for the engine test. A final check was made of all the hardware on the plane and all was ready for the test.

Jan 8, 2009

The painting was completed on the cowl and I was pleased with the gloss and the clean lines between the white and the red areas. After bolting it to the plane, the color match on the red was not up to standards so I returned the parts to the body shop and they agreed that the color was not close enough to use it. The problem originated with the computer analysis of the monokote sample I supplied. Since the monokoke is translucent, the color of the gray desk they used came through the covering and darkened the color to the eye of the computer. We now realize that we have to shoot the color evaluation on the wing rather than a sample of the covering. The computer machine will be back at the body shop on Tuesday and we will have to repaint the cowl and get a better result.

Jan 6, 2009

The new smoke pump arrived and the session began with the wiring of the new pump. There are 3 batteries in the plane and the ignition and the smoke pump share a battery. With the wiring complete, I ran a test on the pump and then the 30 minute run in of the pump motor. Unlike the first time, all is well with the system.

All the electric systems were then finalized and tested for operation. Everything in the plane works per spec and are awaiting the arrival of the replacement receiver.

The wiring is not set in final position as that is done after the CG is set.

The cowl is being painted red today and will be returned to me on Wednesday or Thursday.

The receiver arrived from Horizon and it is a shinny new one to go with the 9303 transmitter. I opened the box and followed the instructions ( no really -- I did) for firing it up and binding to the transmitter. This time everything worked as planned and the big 9 channel system came to life.

The programming phase was next and it begins with telling the transmitter what is expected of it in terms of basic functions. I taught it to be an airplane transmitter and who the coke special is. Next I set up all the control surfaces and got them going in the customary directions. After centering all the trims, sub trims and setting everything at 100%, I removed all the servo arms and centered the surfaces to the new gear.

Next was the setting of what switch connected to which function. this involves assigning functions to switches and while this should be simple, the authors of the system flummoxed themselves by labeling some of the switches with duplicate names. After time I got all of that sorted out and all functions worked from the transmitter.

The three flight modes were next and I set them up so that the throws were similar to my Cuda and that should be a fine starting place. This process takes a lot of time and ends with throws that will not get us in trouble on the first flight.

The final step of the session was to record the settings so that if the transmitter goes insane we can set it up with ease. I had a friend that placed the transmitter under the trailer to keep it out of the hot sun and later ran it over with one of the tires................

Jan 2, 2009

The wheel pants are cured and ready to be mounted on the plane. I removed the landing gear and set the wheels,wheel collar, and wheel pants. I then set the two screws that hold each wheel pant in alignment. After reassembly to the fuse, the landing gear portion is complete

The supply of smoke oil arrived and the pump needs to be tested for proper operation. The motor on the pump is prone to make electrical noise prior to being worked for 30 minutes. I set up the fuse and plumbed the lines to re circulate the pump oil to the tank from the pump. I then fired up the pump and ran for the required 30 minutes. Near the end of the test period the pump encountered problems keeping up with the pump rate. While this is not a big thing since one would never pump oil for 30 minutes, the problem was related to overheating of the motor and I thought it was worth checking out. I have contacted the producer and am waiting for a response.

 

Dec 31, 2008

Happy New Year!!!

The body shop called this morning and the white paint phase is complete. I picked up the wheel pants and the canopy which have the white and the clear coat applied. The quality is top notch and I am very pleased. The cowl has the white base coat on in and needed to be masked off for the red. The base coat is not glossy and prone to finger prints so I had to use caution handling it.

I fit the canopy and the cowl on the plane and the fit and look are all very good.

The close shot below shows the canopy in more detail. After cleaning the inside and putting the pilot in place, it will look better.

The cowl was mounted to the plane and the red stripes were marked so that they will line up after the paint is on. I then taped of the cowl for the red paint. Below you can see the white version with the tape on it.

The blue part will be white along with the part under plastic masking. The white part will be red and then they will clear coat to give the smooth finish and high gloss.

After returning the cowl to the body shop, I cleaned the canopy and installed the pilot on the trap door and the door in the canopy frame. Below you can see that the gloss of the white and the clean lines makes the top of the airplane look as we had imagined it would.

The session ended with inspection of the wheel pants and preparations to mount them on the landing gear. The pants look as good as any I have ever seen and they have a nice look with the clean lines of the cuda.

Dec 30, 2008

Dick visited the plane today and we finished the graphics application. The positioning of some of the insignias is a matter of how it looks to you so we thought Dick ought to be the decision maker. The session turned out very well and the plane is looking hot hot hot.

Since all the surfaces are attached to the plane, I built and adjusted all the links. The process of making the links is only slightly slower that using the purchased ones, and the quality and reliability is far better at a fraction of the cost of the high dollar ones.

I began by selecting very high quality ball links (these were Hangar 9) and the swivels for the control horns. I measure the distance the rod must cover and cut that length from a 4-40 threaded rod. I then cut a length of c/f tubing that will just fit over the allthread and cut it to 80% the length. I use medium ca to glue the tube in the center of the allthread and use kicker to set the position. I then assemble the rod, control horn swivel and the ball joint to the servo arm. This is then mounted on the plane with the servo energized and centered.

This control linkage has the advantage of continuous 4-40 rod for push-pull strength that is unbeatable anywhere and the bend resistance of the c/f tube. I have never had a failure and the cost is about $1.00 per rod while you can pay $15.00 for some of the metal ones that will fail on the plane every time.

Dec 29, 2008

After the holiday break I now have the graphics from Bad Brad and I began with the stab and worked on to the rudder and fin. The rudder gets the number one surrounded by stars and we have spent a reasonable time getting it sized to look good on the plane. The checkerboard on the stabs and elevators required additional striping to set the boarders correctly. The hinge line between the stab and the elevator also required turning the vinyl down in the bevel in order for it to look right. I allowed for the wasted material when I ordered the checks for the tail assembly so it all went on and looks very nice.

I will hold on the checkerboard on the rudder as I am unsure if it is A> left off altogether B> red and black check C> black and white check. Dick and I will get together later in the week and make the decisions on that and the final placement of the coke and the special on the wings. After hinging the tail is beginning to look good.

The right wing was then fitted with the checkerboard and it looked very nice.

The left wing has some issues of junk under the covering. This can happen if I let the covering touch anything after the backing was removed. After checking the location of the Coca-Cola insignia on the wing, it became necessary to remove the covering on the wing and replace it over a clean surface. I had hoped the insignia would cover the defect so that I could cut the covering and remove the dirt. I carefully cut the covering around the perimeter and removed all the debris I found adhering to the covering. Once this was completed, the checkerboard was added to the wing and the plane assembled to check the appearance.

The hinging process then began with the ailerons. The holes are cleared and the hinges have Vaseline applied to the center area to prevent epoxy from freezing the hinge.

The hinges are then set in the ailerons with 15 min epoxy and the ailerons were allowed to dry while the elevators and the rudder were processed in the same manner.

Dec 19, 2008

I have reached an agreement with our local body shop and they will repaint the parts with their 2 part paint system and have a clear gloss coat over the paint. Their system is far more complicated than the single stage paint I use. This will give a flawless job that will be up to the quality of the rest of the plane. they do wonderful work and there is nothing like doing it every day to get the best results.

Dec 17, 18, 2008

The two days were used working on some of the final touches. I am in hold for graphics and for the replacement receiver. These two items prevent any further work on the plane other than the paint on the front.

I applied the first coat of white on all 4 parts ( cowl, canopy and 2 wheel pants). The result was pretty good but I do not think is is good enough as there are pin holes visible and my airbrush spattered just a little bit on the color. These factors mean the final coat will look wonderful at 5 feet and only average up close. This situation is not tolerable to me from a quality standpoint so I took the parts to an expert on automotive paint systems and we decided to start over by sanding all the paint off of the parts. The culprits seems to be the primer and the air brush settings. We will use "High Build"paint the second time and the defects will be eliminated. The sanding was complete and the primer will be in my hands tomorrow.

After conversation with Dick regarding the pilot figure, we decided that the reduction in width will take some shoulder surgery, repair of the area and a new yellow paint job on the shirt. All of this was accomplished and the pilot looks fine and will live to fly the plane many times.

 

Dec 15, 16, 2008

The session began with the sanding of the second coat of primer on the wheel pants and the cowl. This is a wet sand and it sets the surface for the paint. This takes some time to ensure the finish is consistent and it gives a good base for the color coats to come.

The cockpit deck has three coats of stain and 2 coats of clear with sanding between the coats and it looks nice. I masked and sprayed the floor of the cockpit with a gray and white fleck paint that looks nice on the plane. I then glued in the dash panel and checked to be sure it is double glued as we have had some problem making these dash panels stay in place.

With that done it was time to glue up the canopy and this is another of the big one way steps. It pays to dry fit everything and be sure there is a plan to hold it in place. I first bolted the hatch in place and confirmed that everything was positioned properly. I use Pacer formula 560 to hold the slick canopy to the frame and this product works fine if you let it set up.

After about 48 hours it will turn clear and hold very well. I have large gluing surfaces on the side and back and that will help it stay in place. After the glue is dry I will mask and paint white around the perimeter and on the top front deck, so the glue joint will not show. i put the glue on the wood surfaces that will contact the canopy and put in in place. I used tape to hold it firmly in position with pressure on the glue surfaces. I allowed it to dry for 2 hours and then removed it from the plane and clamped the side surfaces in place to complete the drying process

The building is complete on the front of the fuse now and I sanded and filled the fuse after inspecting it for any imperfections. I then covered the front of the plane and the bottom. Once all the covering was on the plane I added the red stripes on the sides of the fuse. The plane is now looking good and the graphics will be shipped today and be here in a few days.

 

 

Dec 14, 2008

Work resumed on the plane today with the completion of the under side of the fuse. The glue up of the planking was trimmed and sanded. With some filler and the hole cut for the air flow through the fuse, the bottom of the fuse was complete and ready to cover.

The trial assembly showed that the left side rear hold down for the canopy was set a little low and might interfere with the wing. This is an error in the location of the hard point relative to the datum line at the top of the rail. In order to correct the error I first drilled out the hard point and glued in a smaller dowel to fill in the hole.

After the glue dried, I drilled the 3/8" counter-sunk hole at the top of the hard point and re drilled the hole for the bolt. This raised the bolt to clear the wing and corrected the problem in the fuse. I then removed the block on the inside of the ear that holds the canopy and glued on a fresh block so that it could be drilled and have the brass insert located in the hole. I then tested the new bolt location and it clears the wing easily.

 

The wheel pants got the second block glued in place for the support of the inside of the shaft

The landing gear was drilled for the two support bolts that will hold the pants in place and the pants were assembled on the plane. The pants must be leveled with the plane on its tires and then the holes were drilled for the bolts.

The bolts got blind nuts and were fitted on the plane to confirm they were level and ready to be painted.

Back on the cowl, I test fit the cowl to the mounts to ensure the locations were correct and everything looked good. The holes for the smoke oil fill and the gas fill were located and then cut in the cowl. The hole needed for the clearance of the exhaust system was marked and cut to complete the fabrication of the cowl. I then sanded all the cut edges and sanded the joints in the cowl and the wheel pants. These were then wash to remove all the mold release and surface sanded to prep for the primer coat of paint.

The primer is automotive three part primer and the first coat is put on thick to fill any small depressions or scratches in the surfaces. I set up the airbrush and compressor and mixed the paint. After some adjustments the new primer went on just fine and it will be allowed to dry overnight.

The deck was stained the first coat and it will be sanded and restained to make the color more consistent and then the clear will give it a little gloss.

 

Dec 11, 2008

The front of the plane is in fine shape with the rough sizing of the cowl and the canopy I was ready to do the cowl glue-up. This is the most critical step of the build and it takes several hours to adjust the cowl position and shape and set it up for gluing to the ply supports that I bolted to the motor box earlier. The process begins with the taping of the canopy in place on the front former. This is done with precision and I was careful to get the canopy pulled firmly down on the front former. The cowl is then set in place with the spinner back supplying position on the front of the plane and the gap between the cowl and the front former was adjusted. This takes time as it was about ten repetitions of sanding the edge of the cowl and trying it on the plane in order to get the gap even and spaced properly. Next the shape of the cowl is matched to the shape of the fuse and the canopy. The adjustment is made on the ply formers bolted to the motorbox and each time they are unbolted, sanded on the belt sander and bolted back on the plane. After many trial fits the cowl matched the shape of the fuse. The cowl was then removed and all parts cleaned and inspected for any problems as there is no way back if a mistake is made here. 30 min epoxy was applied to the outside edge of the ply formers and the cowl was put in position and taped tightly in place while the glue dried. After the glue was done, I removed the cowl and added fiberglass cloth and epoxy to the joint of the fiberglass and the supports.

I next began the wheel pants as the painting is about to begin. first I cut the 3/16 wheel shaft to the proper length and made a block for the outside wall of the wheelpants. This block has a hole in it and it will support the shaft and keep the pant alligned. This is epoxied in place after being fitted to the shaft.

While the glue sets up, I turned the fuse over and planked the under side of the fuse. There will be a hole for the exhaust system

Dec 9, 2008

Dick visited the plane today and we made many decisions on the appearance. We did a set-together and the photos show the result.

I also made the trap doors for the pilots and trimmed the canopy to fit the area.

Decisions made on the plane:

Graphics package ordered and Bad Brad will have all the work to me within a week.

The instrument enclosure will be wood grained

The checkerboard on all the tips will be red and black

We decided the layout of the transmitter switches

The striping on the side of the plane was agreed as well as the paint on the cowl.

 

I tried to bind the new transmitter to the new receiver and we ran into the first problem. The receiver did not light up and flash like it is supposed to. After changing the switches and the batteries I deducted there was a problem and called the good folks at Horizin. The highly trained technician stated flatly that if the lights will not light up it is not working properly. We both laughed and he gave me a return authorization so that they can get us a new one. While failures out of the box are not common, they do happen and I would sure rather it happen now than in the air ...... soooooooo true.

 

Dec 8, 2008

The work continues on the canopy area with the planking of the floor just aft of the future location of the dash panel. The dash panel formers were constructed based on the shape of the instrument panel. These 2 formers were positioned on the floor of the pilot area and stringers were added to make the dash enclosure strong enough to stand the vibration of flight. you will notice that the floor is open to the lower area and this is to give room for the tanks and the wiring. This design was made today to help eliminate the clearance problems in the tank area.

Next, the 1/16 planking was put on the instrument enclosure and trimmed to fit. This will give an instrument panel that is more like the full scale and I think it will look very nice. The canopy will cover a lot of the instrument enclosure and that is scale too.

You can see above that the instrument area will fit well in the constructed dash. Also you can see that the rest of the floor is in place and the hole is the place where the trap door will be constructed. Next the sides will need to be added as the hard wood rails are about 1/8" inside the fuse wall and balsa will make a better exterior surface. Below you see a shot of the fuse after the sides were added and trimmed to fit. The canopy will fit over the side and be glued to the balsa surface. THe fitting and trimming of the canopy will be done later

The landing gear was sanded with 6 progressively finer papers and then shined with a gun metal cleaner and polish so that it has a nice shine.

Also below, there is a shot of the switch location. There are one of these on each side and I think they will be out of the way and not really noticed under the leading edge of the wing. The cutout is in foam so I added a hard point on each side of the hole to ensure the switch will stay put.

Below you see the canopy frame after removal from the fuse. It is inverted and the construction of the trap doors will begin. The construction is light and will be strong.

Dec 7, 2008

Since it is Sunday December 7 -- one has to pause and wonder about the past and the things that are ahead for us all. My parents survived the events of the 40's and the generation accomplished things that seemed impossible. Are we as strong as they were?

The front of the plane continues to be the focus of the work. With the cowl in rough position, I started on the canopy since the canopy / cowl joint is the most visible on the plane. I will build the canopy frame with the dash panel and the trap door and then attach the clear canopy to the frame. Later I will get the spacing correct and glue up the cowl to the supports.

The process began with the hard points in the fuse sides. This takes a long time to do and gives the structure longevity. Since the canopy is bolted and unbolted all the time, I like to put the bolts in hard wood and use brass inserts for the bolts to fit in. I first drilled 5/8" holes in the 4 corners of the canopy area and made sure they went through ply on the inside of the fuse. You can see below that the holes are positioned so that the ply on the inside will be the hard face for the mounting arm to fit against.

The arms were next and they were fabricated from 1/8 ply and blocks of 1/4 ply to give material in which the brass inverts will fit. below is a shot of the arms and the inserts.

The hard points were cut from 5/8 dowel and were drilled for the screw head and then drilled for the shank of the screws. This way, the heads of the screws will be hidden inside the surface of the fuse when the plane is assembled. The hard points were epoxied in place in the fuse.

The arms were then assembled and bolted in position on the inside of the fuse. This is their final position so I took care to get them aligned and square to the rails.

With the arms done, the side rails of the canopy frame were sized and the balsa back former was put in place. The rails were attached to the arms with glue and they were blocked out so that the rails were only 1/8" from the outside of the fuse. Later I will put a balsa stick in the gap and finish the shape to match the fuse. The glue was allowed to dry.

The joints between the arms and the hard wood rails were then pinned with small hard dowel material. It is imperative that the arms are able to take the punishment of time and the pinning helps a great deal. After the pinning, the arms were trimmed flush with the rails.

Next I added front stringer and the front former that had been shaped to fit the cowl. I set the canopy and pilot in place to check the location of the trap door and the dash panel.

The view from the front shows the rear of the pilot area and what that will look like. The next step is to make the dash and fit it into the front area without running into the tank and all the equipment in the front equipment area.

Dec 6, 2008

This session was spent on the front of the plane getting things positioned for the great cowl mounting. I began with the mounting and assembly of the upper cowl support. It is bolted to a bracket and the bracket is bolted to the side of the motor box. The cowl will later be removed by removing the bolts that are through the upper bracket and facing fore ward into the upper cowl support. These will be 2 of the 4 bolts that will hold the cowl in place.

Next I set up the lower cowl mount by attaching the brackets to the lower frame. Once that was done, the lower frame was bolted to the motor box using blind nuts on the inside of the ply box. This is not simple to do but a little patience and it is all set.

The lower frame has a bolt that is facing aft and the two sides are the third and fourth bolt that will need to be removed in order to take the cowl off of the plane. The ring that is now formed will be glued inside the cowl and that will do a fine job of supporting the fiberglass. This ring will need to be adjusted before the glue up is done.

The photo above shows the front view of the first fit of the cowl on the plane. I tape the spinner back on the cowl with no clearance and that will center the cowl and make the spinner joint look just right. I slid the cowl on over the motor shaft and over the ply support ring to see how it fit.

In the view above you can see that the joint between the cowl and the plane is not perfect and the back edge of the cowl will need to be sanded to get 1/16" separation between the cowl and fuse. Any contact will cause the cowl to cut into the balsa fuse.

Before adjusting anything, I also wanted to look at the cowl and canopy joint. I fit the canopy front former to the plane and found that I had neglected to route the wires and tubing so that the former would fit down on the side rails.

The photo above shows the area after the adjustment had been made. All the wires and tubing are routed under the front of the canopy and this will let it set down tight to the fuse rails.

Next I wanted to ensure the pilot will fit once the canopy is constructed. I set up a mock up of the canopy area and it is shown below. Everything will clear just fine and there is room for the trap door that will allow Dick to change pilot figures depending on his mood.

You can see that the pilot fits fine and looks very nice in his new plane. The side view is shown below and with this check done, I can continue the front end build.

I ran other size checks to be sure the instrument panel and the fuel and smoke tanks will clear the planned cockpit arrangement. All is well and we can continue---

The cockpit will be the next thing to build and then we will fit the all important joint to the cowl and the last step will be to glue the cowl to the cowl supports

Dec 5, 2008

With the completion of the exhaust system, it was time to begin to set up the other systems.

CANISTER COMPARTMENT - the floor that will keep the heat in the proper place was put in place and the motor box upper mounted in final position]

THROTTLE - The throttle servo was in position and the linkage was constructed and a hole in the firewall was required to make the throttle work. below you can see the throttle arm is attached to the rod with a kwick klip. The wire was not long enough so I soldered extension material to it. I plugged into a receiver and the throttle was working and ready for the real radio.

The image below shows the front view of the linkage.

GAS SYSTEM - The gas tank was plumbed with two lines and I tested the tank to ensure there were no leaks. The tank was put in place and yellow tygon run through a T fitting and to the engine and the filler tube that will be located on the side of the cowl. I spent considerable time looking for a better location and the configuration of the cuda will not allow any other fuel dot location. I put it on the right side of the cowl. The overboard discharge was plumbed straight down just aft of the landing gear on the right side

OIL SYSTEM- The tank was plumbed and checked and the tank put in final position. The overboard discharge was run straight down to the left side just behind the landing gear. as seen below, the tubing was then run to the fueler port on the left side of the cowl and the fueler was secured to the tubing. The tubing was then run to the intake of the pump. THe black temperature resistant tubing was then run from the pump to the oil port that was installed on the bottom of the exhaust manifold. This should ensure the smoke production will fit our hopes. The smoke pump was mounted just ahead of the tank and properly padded to prevent vibration damage. The controller requires connection to the receiver and to power. The wires were run to the receiver and I made the decision to use the ignition battery for power to the smoke pump. It is a 2700 ma battery and it will run the ignition and the smoke pump all day. I made custom connections so that the battery can be removed or replaced without soldering. The pump was then tested through the receiver and it worked just fine. Once I have smoke oil, I will run the pump for 30 minutes to wear it in and prevent electrical noise in the air

All the cables were then secured and run to the receiver compartment.

Dec 4, 2008

The day began with the exhaust system installation. This required building the support system for the canister. The contact with the canister is silicone as explained earlier and the former was constructed with a pad on reverse side of the canister.

The canister and pipe were then installed and sized to fit the area. The pipe and fittings were adjusted and put in the plane to stay. The shot below shows the entire assembly in position and the tool I made to tighten the rear exhaust bolt. This is included with the plane in case you would ever have to tightened the bolt of disassemble the system.

Next, I put the plane on its feet and began the assembly of the front part of the plane. There is a floor to the equipment compartment that will go to the firewall, but first I have to put in the motor box upper and mount the equipment to be sure where the lower floor will go. The first step was the mounting of the supports for the motor box

The motor box upper was put in place and the throttle servo was mounted along with the ignition module.

The ignition battery and one of the main batteries were mounted on the platform as I am confident the nose weight will be required to make the CG position correctly.

The area aft of the batteries will hold the fuel and smoke fluid and that was the next thing to solve. The two tanks were mounted with velcro and the smoke pump was cushioned and velcroed down ahead of the tanks. This is tight for space as the canister compartment is directly below the tanks.

The wires will be resolved after the hardware is mounted down. The floor under the motor box top could now be positioned and the floor was installed to complete the canister compartment. I epoxied the entire canister compartment as it will see elevated temperatures and I want the area to last longer than the expiration date of the plane.

The opti switch will control the ignition from the transmitter and it was wired into the system and plans were made for some soldering in the next session.

Dec 2-3, 2008 Tuesday and Wednesday

Covering continued on Tuesday and all but the nose and the turtle deck was done. On Wednesday I attended the LAB session on covering and finished the turtle deck. I also picked up the long awaited exhaust system so that work can begin on the front of the plane.

Dec 1, 2008 Monday

The tail surfaces were covered today and the control hours were put in place on all three surfaces. The servos were installed using the string left during the building process. The surfaces are ready to be glued on and have the linkage made from the servo to the surface.

After the wiring was in the fuse, I connected the gear and ran operational checks on all 5 servos and they are working fine.

I am nearly out of things to do while waiting for the canister to arrive. The back of the plane and wings are nearly done and the front has yet to be built and while that is strange, it will all come out fine.

 

Dec 1, 2008 Monday

The covering continued today with the completion of the wings and the installation of the wing servos. The fuse covering began with the tail assembly and this area takes a great deal of time as there are many small pieces of covering that need to be done properly for the appearance to meet our expectations. The plane is begriming to look very nice with the covering step and I contacted Brad the graphics expert and we are getting the plan done for the graphics. He will send a draft of the insignia for the rudder and we will give it a look before we say go to the cutting.

Dick gave me the equipment so the next task was to set up the servos and equipment on the bench and check it out. Steps completed were: A. plugged in the batteries and switches. B. plugged in the binder plug to the charge line to the battery. C. followed the binding process and bound the receiver to model 2 in the transmitter. D. plugged in the servos. E. set up the transmitter so that all the servos work and directions were correct. F. programmed the right elevator servo with a hitec servo programmer to get the direction correct - the elevators would work like ailerons if this were not done. The alternative would be a servo reverser and this is just one more thing in the plane to go wrong. G. tested all 5 servos and they were correct. H. machined the 2" servo arms to be 1.5" and mounted them on the servos.

Nov 25, 2008

The day was busy with many tasks that included preparing for the LAB session on covering that will be held Wednesday. I will be out of the shop from Wednesday AM through Saturday.

I began by shaping and sanding the rudder and drilling the holes for the control horn and for the tail wheel post. It looks good and everything fits just fine.

I next glued the floor of the equipment compartment in place and checked alignment. Under the floor is the compartment for the canister and I next mounted the former for the canister in place between the landing gear mount and the floor of the equipment compartment. The former has been cut so that air can pass through the area and exit the bottom of the fuse. This will allow further construction once the new canister arrives.

The covering was then started with the right wing. The bottom was covered with 1" black and white checkerboard and the edges trimmed in white with a white wingtip. The edges of the checkerboard were sealed with 1/4" black striping tape. The aileron bottom side was completed in white. The top of the wing was done in red (monokote true red) and the wingtip is white. The wingtip will also get black and red checkerboard which is being supplied by Bad Brad graphics since black and red check is not made by any of the covering companies.

Nov 24, 2008

The session began with the tail wheel assembly. I have found what appears to be the best tail wheel assembly ever and it was time to put it in the plane. The rough construction left an opening for the assembly

As you can see above, the rails are in place and you can see the string in the elevator servo holes. I began by cutting rails to raise the tail wheel mounting plate to the proper level.

The rails were put in place and the mounting plate fit between the rails.

The shot above is of the tail wheel assembly and the mounting plate. The tail wheel can take quite a bit of stress, so it is good to get it securely in place. I put triangle stock on the rest of the plate and glued it in place.

Above you can see the completed assembly rough sanded to shape. Next I assembled the entire tail section and checked that all was correct.

The rudder was then final sized on the bottom to be sure it lined up with the bottom of the fuse. The hard points for the control horn and the tail wheel were then added and the rudder set aside to dry. The tail assembly was then complete and ready for final sanding and covering.

Next, I completed the wiring of all the servos. The plugs are a problem so I eliminated all the plugs in the extensions and that will make the plane safer.

I the mounted the motor on the front of the plane. The engine is designed to get 2.5 degrees of right thrust and no down thrust. This is achieved by blocking the engine mounts to get the off set. First the motor was mounted on the firewall and then the block was constructed and sized to give the thrust. The number is checked with the digital level

As seen above, the front of the engine is at -2.3 degrees and the firewall checked at +.2 degrees giving the required offset. Also notice that the back of the carb is near the firewall and the DA speck is that there be one inch of clearance behind the carb. This required drilling a hole in the firewall as shown below.

The next step was to make a ring by hole sawing a 3/4" poplar board and then band sawing the outside surface.

I then added a 1/16 balsa top and glued it in place behind the firewall to seal off the carburetor from the equipment compartment

Above is a front view of the completed recess behind the carb. This will let the engine breathe and will prevent the pressurized air in the cowl from reaching the main part of the fuse. In a down line, the plane will reach high speeds and the pressure in the cowl will rise. If that pressure were allowed to enter the fuse, it could blow the canopy off or even damage the fuse in other places.

In order to prep for the canister, I then built the former that will support the canister and keep it from vibrating in flight. The former is built out of ply and has silicone contacts with the canister surface. The canister can reach operating temperatures of over 200 degrees and this would damage balsa and even ply. The silicone is a special material good to 500 degrees. The former will be cleaned up further and glued to the landing gear plate and the bottom of the equipment compartment once the new canister is received and fitted to the area.

I then fitted and glued the front of the turtle deck in place. there is a 1/8" sheet on the front surface and a 1/4" former in the back of the canopy compartment. It was set aside to dry

 

Nov 22-23, 2008

The loss of Daniel's Laser 200 at the Auburn fun fly has placed us in need of a new plane for the nimble fingered flyer. I spent one day building the fuse for the new plane and Daniel took the rest of the parts to his place and will assemble most if it on his own. We hope to have him back in the air amazing people in short order.

I spend the better part of a second day preparing for the LAB session later in the week as we are studying monokote application and that takes some prep to do properly. This is hard to learn, but worth knowing how to cover something and have it look nice.

The cuda did get some work done in the two days. The tail assembly and the turtle deck was shaped and rough sanded. The blemishes and low spots were filled and allowed to dry. The fuse and tail assembly were then medium sanded and it came out very well as it nears the covering stage.

I did the layout of covering for the wings and did final prep to begin the covering.

All the servos will need extensions and I try to avoid plugs in the system wherever possible. I began the splicing of the wiring to give the length we will need.

 

Nov 21, 2008

The day began with the trimming and shaping of the rudder and fin. The stab was then medium sanded and the hard points leveled with the elevator surface on both sides. Using the foam that the elevator was cut from for level. I drilled the hard points to take the 10-24 control horn rods later on.

The top of the elevator wad drilled with a forstner bit to ensure the head of the bolt will be below the surface of the elevator and therefore will not show. Once that was done, the assembly of the tail section can begin.

I blocked the fuse up level and put the wings on with the nuts tightened to hold their position. I then dry fit the stab on the fuse and adjusted it for 00 incidence and no tramble. This is a time consuming process and it will help the plane fly correctly. If the stab incidence is off, the elevator trim will be off to compensate for the stab. The action of the elevator changes with speed and the plane will dive with no throttle and climb at high speed( or the reverse). This is a bad situation that can be avoided if great care is taken to get the stab on straight and cleanly.

Once set up properly, I pulled the strings for the servo wires. These go from the servo bays up the wiring tube to the main compartment. After the covering is on, the servo wires will be pulled up the tube with the string. The stab was epoxied in place and allowed to dry.

While waiting, the rudder and fin were hinged and beveled in preparation for mounting the fin on the fuse. The hinging operation is as with the other surfaces, I strike a center line on the face and drill the holes for the robart hinges using a drill guide. I bevel the leading edge as well as the fin trailing edge in order to get the deflection I need. This is adjusted to make the joint even and close correctly.

Next, I built the fin platform and made sure it was flat and square to the datum line. I the dry fit the fin on the platform.

As you can see above, this platform will give a good base for the fin. For strength, the trailing edge stock on the fin continues down to the bottom of the fuse. This will increase the strength of the fin and is essential to some of the maneuvers that use a lot of rudder force. The fin was then glued on with epoxy.

The turtle deck was ready to be fitted to the fuse and I began with the drawings of the fin opening and cut the turtle deck per the plans.

The fitting then commenced and it takes time to get the joints to fit satisfactorily. I then put blocks on the side to contain the lower edge of the turtle deck and glued it in place. It is really looking like an airplane now and it is worth the time to stand back and just look at it.

Nov 19 -20, 2008

The sessions began with the unmasking of the turtle deck and it looks good. I trimmed the edges and rough sanded the surface. This is one of the key surfaces on the plane and it is worth some extra time getting it right. I tested it on the plane and all is well.

The rudder and fin were separated next and the wood glued on the edges as I did with the wings and the stab. These were set aside to dry.

The stab and elevators were medium sanded and the hard points were glued in place after laying out the servo linkage. I usually lay out the linkage right on the surface so that there is no chance I have the hard point in the wrong place.

I had the pleasure of being with the Lineville, Alabama club for a session on building and we discussed what some of the skills are in this building thing. We will be together once a week improving our skills in building. This applies to all parts of building from ARFs to design and build projects and I am delighted that this group wants to learn more about building. Even if you never build a plane, you will need to know how to fix one and that is often harder than building.

More of the parts ordered have arrived and I began to assemble the engine and canister system as that requires quite a bit of building to support the canisters and be sure they do not damage the plane in the future. The surface temperature of the canisters reaches 175 degrees and that will melt monokote and burn balsa. I did not get far as I was sent the wrong canister and I will need to get the correct one before proceeding with the front of the plane. I do not want to set the other equipment before the exhaust system in in place so I turned to planning the electronics.

The electronics are getting interesting as there is a 7 channel receiver in the plane. I will use one and two for ailerons, third for rudder, fourth for elevator, fifth for throttle, sixth for ignition and seventh for smoke on and off. There are also 2 batteries and the receiver will be full pf plugs. THe main batteries will be located to satisfy the CG and the ignition will likely be up front with the module and the throttle servo. The smoke pump will be vibration mounted and will be located near the smoke tank.

Nov 18, 2008

The first task was to trim and rough shape the stab and the elevator and bevel for the hinges to work properly.

I then worked on the stab mounting area and dry fit the stab to the fuse. I will wait to glue this in so that the fuse bottom can be put in place.

I also drilled a hole for the servo wires from the elevators. This hole will be hard to access after the plane is covered, so the wires must have a clear channel to run up to the receiver.

The bottom of the fuse was glued up before, so I trimmed it and made the cutout for the motor box. After dry fitting it numerous times, I glued to bottom to the rail frame and used tape to hold the joints flush.

You can see in this shot the opening in the motor box will allow air to flow out the hole and keep the canister cool.

The turtle deck was glued up and it is the final foam that needs to be skinned. It was done in the same way os the other foam parts and weight was applied to be sure the glue will foam into the foam and make it strong.

Next, the final sanding and shaping of the wings and ailerons was completed. This is the last step prior to covering and it takes quite a bit of time to get the surface sanded to 320 and free of any defects. The airfoil is set at this time and al the hinge joints are checked for accuracy. The wings are now all set for the covering.

The outside of the plane got some attention today as I emailed the requirements to BB Graphics, my source for creative graphic work. Brad has been doing this a long time and has lots of cute tricks to apply to the design.

Nov 17, 2008

I spoke to Dick in the morning and made several changes to the plan that will make an even nicer plane in the end.

First -- added a canister to the plan. This will cause a new internal layout and some reconstruction on the inside of the plane.

Second -- Added smoke capability to the plane. This includes a smoke oil tank, a pump, tubing and an attachment point to the canister. All of the items needed were put on order in the morning.

After a final check of the ailerons and the wing / fuse attachments, I returned to the stab construction.

The stab was laid out per the plans and the elevators were cut from the stab using the band saw and the same process used to cut the wings. After the parts were cut, I glued balsa to the trailing edge of the stab and glued the two stab halves together.

I then glued balsa to the leading edges of the elevators. This is 1/2" wood as the bevel on the elevators is sharp to allow for the throw we need.

Next, the landing gear was drilled and mounted to the landing gear plate. I do this early because the blind nuts are much simpler to deal with before the fuse is closed in.

The lightning holes I put in the motor box assumed the use of a muffler and would not due for a canister operation so I covered the holes with 1/16" balsa inlaid in the holes. This will seal up the canister compartment and allow the heat from the canisters to be ejected out the rear lower port hole in the fuse. I then constructed the canister compartment by using rails and ply on the upper and balsa to cover the rear and move the air out the hole.

I then began the planning for the new equipment layout and found that the 2 tanks could be assembled in the same area that the gas tank was planned. This is tight but might work as I ordered a different smoke oil tank and I hope it will fit better than the one I had in stock.

Nov 16, 2008

The first task was the sanding and re inspection of the aileron hard points. They sanded just fine and all the drilling was completed. Hinging is done and they are ready for covering

The wings are done with the building segment and now need to be attached to the fuse and aligned for correct incidence. The aeronautical fact is that errors of alignment of less that 3/4 of a degree are not important to the flight of the plane. Since I have the tools to be more accurate than that, I set to one tenth of a degree and I find the planes fly just fine.

I use a digital level that is accurate to .01 degrees and the normal bar and end clip from and incidence meter. The top rail of the fuse is the datum line for the plane and this makes setting the incidence simple. I blocked the fuse to a steady position that is not necessarily level.

The digital level read .30 degrees down at the tail. This is the datum setting, so it the reading we wanted for the wings. There are as many ways to set the incidence as there are people doing it, so this is just the way I do it.

I set the wings at .30 degrees to match the datum line and I CA a balsa block under the trailing edge to give me a positive location of the wing.You can see the block in the shot above -- it is just under the black clip from the bar. I then removed the wing and drilled 1/4" holes in each of the hard points for the rotation pins and one for the bolt that will hold the wings on the plane.

I used short pins with a point on them to mark the position for the holes in the fuse.

The pins were 1/4" dowels and they were cut to length and dry fit into the drilled holes in the wing root. I the slid the wings on the fuse and noted if the pins went into the holes I drilled. Since they did, there was not need to adjust.

The interior ply doublers were then fabricated and glued on the inside of the fuse while the wing was in place. The wing was then removed and the pins and bolt were epoxied in place.

The other wing was done in the same manner and both were set aside to dry.

With the wings complete and ready for covering, I turned to the inside of the fuse to layout the gas tank system and the location of the receiver. The batteries were planned and the ignition battery was planned to be up front with the ignition module. I decided the throttle servo will be just behind the firewall and the linkage will be short and direct to the carb. The servos have arrived and I am putting a big digital on the rudder and locating it in the tail section. The ailerons and elevators will each have one medium powered digital on them and the links will be carbon fiber over 4-40 threaded rods.

The big DA 50-r has arrived and it is a thing of beauty. It is a shame to put such a fine looking piece of american workmanship in a cowl. I checked the standoffs and the muffler and found they would fit nicely in the cowl without any modifications to the mounting system I have used in the past. What a joy this plane is going to be with all this fine equipment and the classy design by Dennis at Carden Aircraft!

Nov 13, 2008

The wings were first today, they got sanding to 220 and a detailed inspection of the surface and the hinges. The aileron mounts were sanded and prepped for covering. The aileron hard points were drilled for the 10/24 bolt and counter sunk so that the head of the bolt will be below the upper surface of the aileron.

The Stabs were stripped of the tape and rough cut to outside shape. Then I rough sanded to shape and opened up the servo bays. These look very nice and can now go on the the next step

The rudder was also cleaned up, shaped and rough sanded to the proper shape and size. These surfaces will need to be cut into their respective parts and then lined with balsa.

The fuse was then checked and final glued before the assembly process begins.

Nov 12, 2008

This was a short day in the shop and so I began with a review of the wings and sanding from the 80 grit down to 150 grit. I find this will show some defects that can be corrected at this point. The wings look very nice and I then laid out the position of the control horns on the ailerons.

I use 10/24 bolts as control horns and this will supply stable control of the surface by the servo. The assembly begins with drilling the surface for the 1/2" dowels that mount in the aileron. I then glue in the dowel and set aside to dry overnight.

Returning to the stabs that are now skinned, I removed all the shucks and wax paper and trimmed the edges to the foam shape. All the edges were then sized and glued up. These were set aside to dry

The Rudder has been skinned and it was trimmed and all the edge material was glued in place.

Nov 11, 2008

The day started out with work on the wings. The rough shape was completed by crafting the wing tips to the rough shape we desire. This was accomplished by rough cutting with the gouge and then with 80 grit sand paper. This rough paper cuts the wing tip in short order and must not be allowed to cut on the wing skin as it would go right through the thin contest balsa. The wings are now complete except for the 1/8" balsa on the root and pins into the fuse. I will set the root of the wings in a step shown later in the day.

The fuse is roughed in so the work began with the removal of the fuse from the board. It was then turned upright and all the cross bracing was put in place and a second gluing of the critical joints with gorilla glue. I checked the fuse frame for alignment and all is well.

The wing roots were now cut from 1/8 balsa. Some folks use ply for the root but I see no value in putting the weight in the ply since the strength of the root is not a problem for the plane.The wing tube liner (phenolic tube) was then trimmed to be flush with the surface of the root cap. This will allow the wing to fit up to the fuse. Likewise, the phenolic tube in the fuse was trimmed to be flush with the outside of the fuse sides. With all of this done, the wings were set on the wing tube for the first time and assembled with the fuse. The tramble was then checked with a string from the center of the rear fuse to the wing tips. If the mark on the string tells that the distance is the same then you are all set. I adjusted the phenolic tube supports in the fuse to get the tramble to zero. Once this was done, the tube was glued into the fuse so that the position can be relied upon.

The next step was to place the fuse on one side and set the wing tube and the wing in position with the wing straight up in the air. This is the process I use to make the wing / fuse joints come out perfectly. Since the phenolic tubes in the wings and the fuse are in place and secure, I inspect the intersection of the wing root plate with the fuse and with the wing root. If the joint is not perfect ( and is seldom is) I adjust the wing root and use shims to get it perfect. This is not an aerodynamic issue, it just looks bad if the wing joint is not perfect. After all the adjustments were made, I epoxied the wing root / root cap joint and I placed wax paper in the root cap / fuse joint to prevent gluing the wings to the fuse permanently. After allowing the dry time, I did the same thing to the other wing. The oversized wing root cap was then trimmed and the joint filled as needed.

While the epoxy dried, I began working on the stab as it needs servo bays, and parting into stab and elevator sections.The layout of the foam is detailed on the plans, so I transferred the information to the foam and cut the servo bays just as I did in the wings. The hard mounts were then added and a passage for the wires was created.

After the glue dried, the stabs were skinned in the same way as the wings and the skins were allowed to dry for several hours

The wings were then set up and I test fit them to the fuse and the results were great as the wings fit very nicely to the fuse. After trimming the root cap and medium sanding the wings, it was time to set the foundation for the anti-rotation pins and the bolt that will hold the wings on the fuse. I use 5/8" dowels glued into the root of the wing and then the pins are drilled and glued in the dowels. The first step os to layout the location of the holes based on the layout of the inside of the fuse. The holes were then drilled for the dowel and great care was taken to drill parallel to the wing tube so that the pins will slide onto the fuse.

The dowels were then glued into the holes with Gorilla glue because it will foam and fill any voids in the holes.

Nov 10, 2008

The wings continue to be the focus of my work because as soon as the fuse is framed, the wings will need to be set on the fuse. The wings had the leading and trailing edges rough shaped only as the final sanding and shaping is done immediately before covering.

The shape of the wings is key because they determine the flying characteristics of the finished plane.

The hinges now need to be laid out and it begins with the cut lines for the bevels in the trailing edge of the wing and the leading edge of the aileron.

The lines show where to drill the hinge holes and the bevel for the hinges surfaces. The bevel is tapered out to the tip in order to get the hinge to work right. The bevel was then cut by use of a flat gauge as it will remove all the extra wood and then I sanded the cut surfaces to get them in position.

With the bevels cut, the hinges are installed and the bevel checked to be sure it fits.

The wing tips can now be put on the wings and the process begins with finding the center line of the blocks.

I then cut the lines on a band saw.

After the rough cutting, I glued on the wing tips and all the other wing blocks that are not now on the wings.

The wing is now roughed in and there is nothing more to be done on the wings.

I turned my attention to the fuse. All the parts were cut in advance. The fuse is assembled in and inverted position. All joints were done with CA glue and it looks nice. The alignment here was key and I took a lot of time getting the fuse lined up over the plans.

Another view of the fuse after the glue was in place on the under side of the fuse.

Nov 8, 2008

The wings were dry and at the start of the session, I trimmed the second wing and cut out the servo bay. I then cut the ailerons from the wing and then glued on the leading and trailing edge stock on both wings and on both ailerons. This will give the structure to the wings and after they are dry, I will shape the wood and the tips and root plate will be ready to put on.

The fuse sides were trimmed after being sheeted and the wing tube hole, stab openings, and servo bay were all cut in the sides and adjusted to fit. The motor box, and the tow sides are necessary to make the rough fuse structure. This is the most precise step on the plane and it takes time to adjust all the components to fit over the top view without any variation. I dry fit all the parts and constructed several formers that join the sides with the motor box. The wing tube must be aligned so that it is square in all directions and it will determine the wing placement. Accuracy here will pay of in the wings being flat and no tramble. Tramble is the measure for the wings being on the fuse with the tips lined up with each other. If there is tramble, then one tip is ahead of the other and this will give some strange flight characteristics.

Nov 7, 2008

The work began on the wings-- I sanded the foam surfaces and inspected the skins to be sure there were no flaws or imperfections. The first panel was then glued up and placed on the flat table with 150 pounds of weight on it to ensure the Gorilla glue penetrated into the foam and that the wings were straight and free of any dimensional problem.

The process for the wings was to apply a thin coat of Gorilla glue to the back side of the skin and to dampen the foam surface we are gluing to. The wing was placed in the foam shuck on the bottom of the wing for support and there was waxed paper in the joint. The skin is then placed on the foam and the position is checked to be sure it covers the foam. The position of the skin is guaranteed by the use of pins through the skin and into the core. The wing is then put back in the foam shucks and weighted down as noted above.

All 4 wing panels were glued up and allowed to dry. The Gorilla glue can be worked in 2 to 3 hours and dries to full strength in 24. Once the panels were dry they were opened and inspected to be sure there were no warps and then they were trimmed so the wood matched the cut edge of the foam on all sides. the servo openings were relocated and the skin was cut away from the servo bay. Finally, the ailerons were laid out on the skins to prepare for the cutting operation.

The process of gluing the panel to the foam is repeated three additional times after the 2.5 hour drying time on each panel.

Meanwhile, the fuse sides were constructed over the plans from sticks supplied with the kit.

The plans were used except where the fasteners pass through the fuse for the wings. This area was expanded and the 1/4 sheet material used will serve us better for holding the wing, The stab mounting area was increased and the mount for the rudder servo was put in place. The sides of the fuse were then planked with 1/8" balsa and, after a two hour drying period, were trimmed to size and matched to the other hand.

The motor box was reinforced with dowels in the landing gear plate and in the fire wall. It has been shown that these dowels increase the strength of the joints.

Nov 6, 2008

Today was spent on preparing the wings for the skins. First the wing tube was fitted into the wings and the end of the tube had balsa glued to it to seal it up.

There is a ply reinforcement that is added to the end of the tube and the entire assembly was epoxied in place in each of the wings.

The ailerons were laid out on the bottom side of both wings and marks made in the center of the span of the ailerons for the hard points. Then, the location of the servos was determined and drawn on the wing panels.

I use a hot wire system for cutting the servo bays and the hard rails for mounting the servos later. The system consists of a set of ply templates and some wire forms that fit in a weller soldering gun. The first template is for the servo bay and the cuts were made fast and clean by the hot wire.

The second template and hot wire cut the holes for the rails. The third hot wire is run down a strait edge and it cuts the path for the servo wire to the root of the wing.

After all the cuts were made, the rails were epoxied in place and the wings were sanded to make the skins adhere better to the foam. I cut out and glued in two hard points for each wing panel.

These are to secure the panels to the hard points to prevent any movement of the skin while the glue is drying and the wing is under several hundred pounds of force. When the skins go on, I will CA the balsa to the hard points and this will hold the location of the skin on the wing panel.

Each of the sing skins were cleaned of tape and sanded smooth with 225 sandpaper. I identify the good side of each panel and plan the four skins.

Nov 5, 2008

This was a short day as I was only in the shop for a few hours. The sheeting for the wings, stab, rudder and fin, turtle deck and belly pan were all dry so the tape was removed and all joints checked for quality. Some needed adjustments so those were made and the sheets are all ready for sanding.

The fuse was begun by working on the motor box.

The sides were laid out and lightening holes cut in them to reduce weight. I use hole saws as they cut large holes cleanly. Below, you see the setup on the drill press that works for me if I take my time and

let the saw do the work. Hard wood reinforcements were cut and fitted to the motor box. Some of the reinforcements were glued in place on the sides to make the assembly simpler.

The fire wall was laid out knowing the bolt pattern of the DA 50. Center lines were drawn on the fire wall and the plans call for no down thrust but 2.5 degrees of right thrust. In order for the spinner to come out in the center of the plane and align with the cowl, the right thrust means the mount should be shifted to the left as you look at the plane from behind. this is confusing because the motor box is assembled upside down so the need to move the motor to the left becomes a move to the right. The thrust will cause a move from center of 9/32 ".. A new vertical center line was established with the offset and the holes for the Da were plotted and drilled for the 1/4 - 20 screws that will hold it on the plane.

The assembly was then placed over the top view of the plans and the parts glued very carefully being sure to make it square in all respects. The sides, back, landing gear plate and the fire wall were all assembled and epoxied in place.

Nov 4 2008

Made agreement with Dick on the project and began the assembly operation.

Opened the boxes and made an inventory of the contents. It is a treat to open a box of balsa, even the smell is great. The inventory was complete with no damage or missing parts. The Carden kits do not often have any problems and Dennis is an artist and his work is second to none.

Made a list of all the items I will need to get on order and began the process.

The build begins with the layout of the wood that will become the skins of the wings and the other foam surfaces. This requires attention to detail as I weigh each sheet and sort them so that the wings have equal weight of wood. This helps ensure that the wings are balanced in the final form. I check them for good finish and that they are of similar stiffness as many of the sheets will be bent severely in order to be glued to the foams.

After layout of the sheeted, they are all edge glued to form the skins for the foam parts. Each joint is taped and the sheet is then reversed and white glue is applied to the hinged open edges.

The sheet is then returned to flat and the glue is scraped off of the surface and the sheet is sanded to mix dust with the glue.

The sheets are then taped and placed flat with weight on top. The sheets are then allowed to dry overnight.