Old kit, New Tech ver 2.0

[F22trainer]

And a windy Friday brings another build day

[rifleman_btx]

We shall call them the winds of progress! Lol

[F22trainer]

Short day at work today and yesterday off - warrants an update. Some close up of rudder laminates and corrections of issues from original builder. All the major pieces are built and now can be fitted together as wing is now all one piece. Last the fuselage gets sheeted and hatches cut for battery / motor/ and servo access. Then let the finishing begin.

[rifleman_btx]

Sweet! Good times!:Cool:

[Hardway]

Love the balsa building. Sig makes you work for it, but the laminated tips are awesome when done right and sanded to perfection! Great job! :Cool::Cool:

[F22trainer]

Love the balsa building. Sig makes you work for it, but the laminated tips are awesome when done right and sanded to perfection! Great job! :Cool::Cool:

You are correct - and having only done one of them (previous builder did wings and stab) I wish I had done them all. But they are coming out ok - just require a lot more sanding than necessary to get them straightened. I almost trashed the horizontal stab and elevator and started over, but managed to finesse them to correct specs and straight. I found them very easy to lay up properly and no warps or twist.

[rifleman_btx]

Very nice!

[F22trainer]

It’s growing - fitting has begun. Hardway is right, Sig makes ya work for it! Overall, I do like how strong this bird is turning out to be. The Balsa is also some of the best I have found. Band saw and razor saw are the weapon of choice - I don’t even try using xacto blade. The fuselage sheet balsa will finish with 1/8 inch for the former / longeron and stringers top and bottom and the sides are 1/4 inch preformed slabs with 1/4 inch inside frame.

[rifleman_btx]

Sweet! Looking awesome!

[F22trainer]

Wind and rain ended flying early, but that means build time. Wing bolts drilled and tapped, horiz stab cut in and fitted, vertical stab finished and almost fitted.
what a great day!

[Hardway]

Wind and rain ended flying early, but that means build time. Wing bolts drilled and tapped, horiz stab cut in and fitted, vertical stab finished and almost fitted.
what a great day!

Drilling and tapping the wing hold down bolts.... 1/4x20 SAE. LOL Never done it before!!! Better get 'er right the first time!!

[rifleman_btx]

Very nice

[Hardway]

We changed some things.... Like nylon bolts for the landing gear so it would shear instead of ripping the plates out.... And no bolts for the wings and lots of rubber bands for the same reasons... If you learn to fly correctly, all that is for naught.... Once you are "accomplished" you never bump a gear or wing.... HA!! Right???

[Hardway]

Don't hold your breath.... I hurt the birds more getting them out of the house now than I do flying them..... Unless there is a little too much Jose'. Salt and lime... then stuff breaks all the time.... (Private field) of course!!!

[rifleman_btx]

Haha exactly!

[F22trainer]

Drilling and tapping the wing hold down bolts.... 1/4x20 SAE. LOL Never done it before!!! Better get 'er right the first time!!

Had a nice fit - actually went 10-24, as I could get larger diameter heads and I don’t like the slop of 1/4x20 thread. Went smooth and accurate all the way.

[Hardway]

That is awesome... I have all the sizes in the shop. Just not using them so much since Motion!!! I have built so many balsa birds.... But the new stuff is so good and easy.... Still love sanding and coverings and glassing and re-engineering and..... Oh well you know....

[rifleman_btx]

Someday I wanna rebuild my electrifly dc3. Gonna go back to electric and completely revamp it

[F22trainer]

That is awesome... I have all the sizes in the shop. Just not using them so much since Motion!!! I have built so many balsa birds.... But the new stuff is so good and easy.... Still love sanding and coverings and glassing and re-engineering and..... Oh well you know....

Motion RC and others, have helped not only retrain my eyes and thumbs to fly, but given life to projects that might otherwise never have gotten off the ground.
Pun intended.

[F22trainer]

Couple of close up and todays’ results. Check out the wing bolts Hardway - it is easier to go from the back when you can. Those 18 inch drills are great for pilot holes. Started rounding edges 1/8 round over, Tapers match the prints, horizontal stabilizer and wing took a LOT of sanding to get shape right. Control surfaces fall under their own weight and pushrods will probably get cut to length tomorrow, might even power up the reciever and check throws.