Mark Elen
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Thanks Gents for your comments. I like that Peter. I have been a bit quiet this week, as with the decision made, I have got most of the new wing built. I was never going to be happy, bodging the old one back together, maybe if it had solid coloured covering, but with the transparent scheme, it was a non starter. It has been a whole lot easier building it the second time, as it was so recent, I haven’t been scratching my head and having to work out how to approach each bit. I have also been pushing myself to get on with it with the mantra ‘wing in a week’, where normally, I would ‘leave that till tomorrow’, I have been thrashing it out and getting it done. Anyway, it’s well on its way. Hopefully, this one will last a bit longer than 1 day. Cheers Mark
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Hi John, Thanks for your comments. I haven’t got a lot more done in the last few days, I have put this to one side, to see if I can ‘build a wing in a week’ for the Peggy Sue 2, to replace the one that got damaged on its maiden day. One thing I have definitely decided though, is that I’m not going down the fibreglass route for the nacelles. At 76 inch span, 815 square inches and with a target weight of 9 and a half pounds, by my reckoning, that gives a wing loading of 26.85 oz per square foot. Reading some other twin blogs, and seeing a couple with a shorter span but coming in well over this figure, has given me a bit of reassurance. Although, I have just ordered some ‘contest grade’ 3/8” and 1/2” to make the nacelles with. Talk about ‘Equador Gold’... it needs to be, the price of it. Cheers Mark
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I have got on with that today, a couple of hours work and its nearly done: The 2 solid block stabilizers on the scales are 75 grams - without any joiners, that 1st half with the joiners, but no top sheeting came in at 28 grams, so it looks like I'm going to save a little, I only hope my nagging 'nose heavy' intuition isn't correct. I'm now reconsidering having a go at the fibreglass nacelles. If only I could make a decision..... Cheers Mark
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Hi Gents, Thanks for your comments. I used to be indecisive, now I'm just not sure I have now swung back around to the built up idea. I have had a re-jig of the design, and have decided to keep the rear spar, but it is now spaced 1/4" forward of the rear 3/8 block that will hold the hinges. I have decided to laminate 2 x 1/8 bass joiners and they will fit between those two. The front spar will have a 1/8 bass joiner each side. It will be interesting to get this on the scales, along side the sheet tail that is nearly complete. I have used aliphatic for all of this. Cheers Mark
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OK, So, my instinct all along has been that this will turn out nose heavy, so I have decided to build the tail plane as per plan. If it turns out heavy, so be it. It won’t fly much anyway....I always say, 90% of my enjoyment of the hobby is building, rather than flying. If it’s anything like my last effort, it will end up in bits (not of my doing) on its first outing. I will laminate up the tailplane dihedral brace, as per Johns comments. I have got the majority of it made tonight, but no photos. Cheers Mark
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Hi John, Thanks for your comments. The 2 pieces laminated together sounds like a plan. Cheers Mark
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Hi Danny, I have 1/8 and 1/4 Bass, 1/8 Spruce and both 1/8 and 1/4 Birch ply Cheers Mark
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Hi Danny, Its 28 inches. Cheers Mark
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Chris McG F-86 Sabre Dog build blog
Mark Elen replied to McG 6969's topic in PSSA Mass Build 2020 - North American F-86 Sabre
Hi Chris, Still following along and enjoying your build. Beautiful. Cheers Mark -
Hi Danny, Thanks for your kind comments. The braces are shown on the plan as hardwood, I have 1/4" bass and spruce in stock, but am toying with the idea of using 1/4" ply, what would you recommend? Cheers Mark
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I have got a little more done today. I hinged up the rudder and got the top piece glued into place: It still needs sanding down to shape. Then I got out the wing plan and traced out the horizontal stab profile and set to work drawing out a built up version. I'm not sure if my designing skills are up to scratch, but here it is: I'm going to have a go at it and see how it turns out. Cheers Mark
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Thanks gents for your comments. After a stiff drink tonight, it all doesn’t seem so bad. The plan now is to build a new wing for it, I wouldn’t be happy bodging it back together. There were a couple of bits I wasn’t happy with. The tail end will get cut and sanded out and a new one put in. I have ordered the wood for the wing tonight, but it may be a month or so before I see it. At least while I’m waiting for that to arrive, I can get on with the Cougar. I still can’t believe that of the 5 or 6 models on the flight line today, mine was the only one picked up and chucked about....I must have done something wrong in a past life😂 Either that, it PS2 just wanted to fly😂 Cheers Mark
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Today was finally the day to maiden the PS2. I flew the Ballerina a couple of times before just to get my eye back in. I have to report that it flew beautifully, a couple of clicks of down and a couple of clicks of left aileron and it was flying a treat. I landed and took out the trim and flight 2 went better, by flight 3 I was getting comfortable with it. Then came the calamity..... while it was sat on the ground, in the restraint that our club use for starting, there was the biggest gust of wind, a bit like a microburst, but we all think it may have been a thermal, it got picked up, flew backwards past me at about head height and landed upside down on a field box next to me..... I am not at all happy tonight. It has snapped the wing, all 3 spars at the junction of the aileron and snapped off the starboard horizontal stab. Did I say that I'm not happy... On the plus side, it has given me a chance to destruction test the hinges. Gluing them in with superphatic definitely works… they won't come back out - any of them. Cheers Mark
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