Harmony Begins

[Peter Miller]

You do need to be able to fly an aerobatic model. Apart from that and the fact that she gets small quite fast she doen't bite.

 

I though that I had better give the pictures of the wing building sequence that were not used in the article.

 

Use these in conjunction with the instructions and plan and you can't go wrong.

 

NOTE the red arrows indocating the washout wedge location in the fourth picture

[kc]

I think the Bushwacker was free plan In RCME a year or so ago.   If you join a club now you could ask around to see if anyone has the plan and articles to lend you.  Clubs like to encourage new members and lending a plan is a fundamental part of club life. 

The RM Trainer is a 1984 Boddington design and the plan is still available see http://www.myhobbystore.co.uk/product/16503/rm287--flight-trainer

 

The Tyro Major is also a popular old trainer bY David Boddington and now sold by his old company  see  http://www.dbsportandscale.com/Tyro-Major.htm

 

Both these models say they are for a 25 but most people build them with a 38 or 40 for use off grass.  This is a fundamental decision if you can only buy 1 engine.  So if you buy a .25 for the Harmony it might not be enough for a trainer which is larger and heavier.  Note that most clubs have an arrangement with their local shop to get a club discount on some goods.  So you might save bit of money if you join.  Check out if it is cheaper to join after 1st Aug because BMFA subs reduce then I think.

Before you build a trainer and join a club find out if they can provide an instructor.  An Instructor might only want to help you if you have the trainer he prefers.  So be guided by your instructor.  

Edited By kc on 07/07/2010 13:11:39

[Peter Miller]

It is great to find such a dedicated builder.

 

You can buy the Bushwhacker plan from My Hobby Store, just go to "shop" and puth the name into the search box.

 

IT will fly nicely on a .25.

[David McEwan]

Thanks Peter i will go look, bought more wood today from my "Friend" in the model shop and was amazed he was chatty. I am now on the assumption he is a split personality might need to calender in when i can catch Mr Chatty.

 

Made a mistake today with the wings, on the ailerons i was putting in 1/4 sqaure in stead of 1/4 leading edge that i have not discovered is diffrent but thankfully nothing is glued so its easy to swap it out when i go buy the correct stuff.

 

I am going to have to make an effort to get to know this wood sizes if only it was done in mm i would understand that.

 

However positive note and forgive me if i am being a tad silly i discovered that when cutting the Ribs out how useful pritt stick is yes i am shocked if i stick two pieces of balsa together with it, it holds in place whilst i carfully sand the shape into the rib.

 

Its great i have Ribs that completly mirror each outher in half the time (please i know i am easliy pleased)

 

Peter thank you for the pics they did help and i now can see the washout it makes sense now.

 

Well all being well i will take my pics tommorow for tonight its time to call it a day, oh i have decided to settel on Very Dark Blue for the skin dont know why i saw it and got it.

 

Now off to go look at the bushwacker plans i feel i have now got my next project in the pipline.

[kc]

Dont forget that a high visibility colour scheme is very helpful when flying fast / small models.  Blue can disappear easily! Needs some contrasting colour too.

 

It is getting away from building, but there are several other reasons for joining a club before buying radio gear.

You need a set the same mode as your club and instructor.  I.e. throttle right or throttle left.  Although modern sets can be changed its best not to have your new radio mucked around by someone who might not be really skilled.
Your instructor will probably want to use a buddy lead ( trainer lead ) and this means you need the same make of radio as he uses, although you might choose a cheaper transmitter of the same make but it needs a particular type of buddy lead socket.  Note not all sets have a buddy lead socket especially the cheaper models. Some clubs might not allow the cheap 2.4Ghz stuff that is around now due to restricted range. You need full range radio not park fly stuff.


 
Some clubs now use only 2.4 Ghz it seems.  In any case you will get more flying in if you use 2.4 Ghz ( no waiting for the frequency peg )  so dont be tricked into buying 35mhz radio if you can possibly afford 2.4Ghz.  Really no point in buying old fashioned 35mhz radio now at full price.  Also dont buy secondhand radio as it might have been crashed  You need 100 percent reliable radio gear of a reliable make but it does not have all sorts of extra functions. 
 How do you find a club?  Look on the British Model Flying Association site   See http://www.bmfa.org/clubs/clist.php   to find a club near you.

[David McEwan]

KC i wished you had not told me that, i really do when i read it i went straight to the garage and checked.

 

And to my amazment the one i got with the spitfire is a code 4 35 box no buddy system oh great.

 

Decided to check out the engine on the spitfire too its a leo 40 ep abc which means about 0 to me except its good enough for the spitfire.

 

So i guess i will be looking at a new box then??? Darn

[David McEwan]

Peter

 

A question are leading edges strips always */* x 3/16 unless stated ?

[kc]

Well I was hoping my information would be in time to stop you buying less than ideal equipment!  Dont despair most of us learnt without using a buddy lead, its just a little more awkward to have to pass the transmitter back to the instructor when things go wrong.

If you state the exact make and model of your radio it will help.  And was it brand new?

 

Having a reliable radio which is correctly installed and with good condition fully charged  nicads or NiMH batteries is essential because an out of control model could cause a most serious accident to a member of the public.   Also take great care when starting the engine because these engines are powerful and can cut off a finger or two in a fraction of a second!   All this is the reason I strongly recommend joining a club where people will be able to guide you in the safest way to fly.   Its one of the few hobbies where you can ( hopefully ) get free tuition from  experts.

Edited By kc on 07/07/2010 23:09:57

[Doug Ireland]

Posted by ntsmith on 06/07/2010 13:44:54:

This design is vagely reminisnt of Keil Kraft's Phantom Mite - OK showing my age but it has the same sort of outline if I recall.

 Ah, memory lane! That was my first C/L model!

[Peter Miller]

Not sure what you mean by

 

"are leading edges strips always */* x 3/16 unless stated ?"

 

That was not on the Harmony plan so possibly the Bushwhacker plan. The answer is, it depends on the design.

 

Leos were good engines. I never owned one but Just Engines used to sell them and they don't sell bad stuff.

 

The radio would do well enough for the Bushwhacker at the very least and will do for other models too.

 

That sounds very like the Deagostini Spitfire to me!?

 

OH dear, every one says harmony looks like a Phantom Mite

 

Yes it does but the thought never crossed my mind when I was designing it. IT was based on the family as seen in the picture above.

 

And oen other point. If I had been designing it on the Phantom Mite or Phantom it would have had an open cockpit, not that new fangled bubble canopy. Now that will tell you how long ago I was building Phantom Mites. When the Phantom Mite kit cost 13s6d or

67 1/2p

[David McEwan]

The Box came new with the spitfire from deagostini that was the first plane i have built which is what started me off. it is currently sitting in the garage waiting for its first flight.

I have bought all the kit such as starter glow plug warmers panel for fuel ect so when i do get to learn its ready to go but not before i have time to practice with a trainer.

 

Peter its my fault i asumed that the plan on Harmony Aileron spar and aileron L.e calls for 1/4 so i layed out 1/4 sq. until i looked at the side view on the plan and relised it cant be.

 

Now i measured it it seems to come out at 1/4 by 3/18 hence my question is this the standard measurmet for leading edges.

 

I am so glad i took the advice of lay it all out first before glueing just got the final ribs to complete then i need to start putting it together. I read you instructions again and picked up on a part that i missed first second and third time around haha, do not glue R1 in on the second wing until its bee offered up for fit.

 

Looked at the pictures for the washout, and read online last night about twist but i am still being dense.

I have read your build instructions and i think if i have this right is that when the wedges are put in place then you add the 1/16 balsa sheeting with the wedges in place it will cause the ribs to be glued in a slightly diffrent place keeping the twist in place.

 

However i am doing no gluing of any part until i am sure to say i have learned alot in this build is probably an understatemet.

 

Thanks for your patience everyone.

[Peter Miller]

You certainly did aneat job on the Spitfire.

 

Leading edges vary. I use the method used on Harmony as standard and the strips vary in width depending on the size of the model. But other people use different methods and sizes.

 

Yes. Once you have fitted the top sheeting it will lock the washout into place. What you have done is created a "D" box with is very stiff and restssts twisting.

 

You glue the wing together to the stage in picture 3, then add the wedges as in picture 4 and add the top sheeting after fitting the wedges.

[David McEwan]

Hi all

 

Ok got on with it today, working very slowly but i think the first wing is coming together nicly now.

I have the magazine, peters comments and pics (thankfully) and the wing has taken shape.

Here are some of the pics sorry got carried away abit wth the camera just wanted to show as many views as i could.

So thats it for now may try if i get time tommorow to complete this one section however i am lucky as i have cut and shaped all the ribs for the next one so it should go quicker.

 

Fingers Crossed

[Peter Miller]

That looks very good.

 

One small point. The centre section sheet at the root normally has the grain running in the same direction is the leading edge sheet.

 

THis is not too important on this wing because it is flat but you will need to have the top centre section sheet grain running spanwise because it is curved.

[Peter Miller]

BY the way, that is a nice tidy bench. Wish I could keep mine as free of clutter.

[ntsmith]

I wish my workbench was that clean and tidy. Every one is putting me to shame ! 

Now where can I get a Phantom Mite for 13s. I could make myself a millionaire on eBay.

By the way, more on subject. The last two wing bays where there is no hole. I just put a 1/16 drill through them. Reason. When you use heatshrink covering film the air has know where to go. It just balloons up. The small holes just allow the air to escape and the film to be able to be ironed on.

Its a real pretty plane. Has anyone put any flying shots of it on Utube yet? come on guys get those cameras out so we can see what we get when we have built this mean machine.

[David McEwan]

Thanks Peter, I knew that the sheet grain was not right but i cant see to get a wide enough sheet to cover it in one go.

 

For the top section i guess i will have to splice them together to fit it over, as for the bench guys i seem to recall a old woodworking eacher many many years ago that said keep it tidy keep it safe !! stsange the things you remeber.

 

When i set out to start on modeling i decided to set the garage up with three bench's in a square. One for working on, one foe the tools such as scroll saw, bench sander and the other for hand cutting and storing the parts until it came to fit.

 

My partner Sharon thinks i am mad as i hover it all at the end of each day to keep it clean i just think its best practice.

 

I am going to try complete that wing today and then this will become a weekend project unfortunaty back to work sat night and sunday nigt.

 

Question whats your thoughts on plasitic snakes i bought the wire as per the plan but i also but some plastic snakes for linkage sre they any good or do the faulter ??

 

 

[kc]

To make wide sheets of balsa glue together enough sheet ( bendable type balsa) to slightly bigger size than the wing (this allows for the curve of the ribs and is quicker and does not need to be precise )  I glue sheet together by laying on a dead flat board and taping edges close together with masking tape and then turn over and dribble in thin cyano.  To use white glue / PVA glue etc after taping one sheet is put on the edge of the bench and hinges down by gravity, then glue is applied in the gap.  When placed flat on the bench again the excess glue is wiped off and some more masking tape is applied to the other side too.  Left to dry.  Trimmed to exact size after fitting in place and glue has dried

 

Edited By kc on 09/07/2010 17:02:56

[Peter Miller]

kc has given an excellent description of making up the sheet.

 

I have to say that you are so wise to work in such a well laid out and clean area.

 

I find that when a scalpel falls of the bench it always lands point first in my oak floor and stays quivering. I also had a small anvil fall off the bench and hit my toes. I never learn.

 

Plastic snakes are fine. The best are called Dubro Laser Rods because they are temperature stable. I have found that long snakes change length significantly with temperature change. This means that a model trimmed on a really hot day will be way out of trim on a cold day.

 

Nothing to worry about but just something to be aware of.

[David McEwan]

Perfect kc thats what i will be doing then, on the matter of the plasic snakes i have decided not to use them on the wings first fitting shows not enouge clearence so back to the wire with that one should be good though for rudder elevators.

 

I am now at the pont on the first wing to glue the second sheet into place, i would never have guessed how hard it was to make a couple of simple washout wedges and keep them flat.

 

I have included a couple of pics here, to show what i think needs doing and where they sit prior to the gluing of the sheet.

 

So any comments before i do start to pin and glue will help but i think i have it right.

 

The only problem with the tidy workshop is the fact i seem to spend a lot of time clearing down before moving on to the next part.

 

However the plus sides out way the negatives, i can normally always find somthing when i need it.

 

i got carried away today was only going to do a little bit but again spent most of the day in there think flowers may be in order by the end of the week

 

[Peter Miller]

That looks pretty good to me.

 

Wire to the wings and ailerons every time.

[Tony H]

This is great, going well so far. This will be very usefull when I come to build my Harmony.

One question for Peter, I decided to try making the undercarriage 8SWG wire undercarriage just to see if i could do it and I found it almost impossible with the wire bender I have as it is at it's max for wire size . Do you think the Harmony would be ok with a 10SWG wire undercarriage instead?

[Peter Miller]

I have to bend my Harmony undercattiage forward after a heavy landing so, unless you have a bowling green surface you would be bending a 10 SWG undercarriage forward every time.

 

I suggest you take your undercarriage down to you local garage and ask if you can use one of their vices and a big hammer.

[ntsmith]

I think we all struggle with 8swg but stick with it if you can. At a pinch, with those large wheels (in comparison) I would have thought 10swg would be fine. I have some small models with some 10swg and smaller wheels and I have had no problems, although the landing surface is pretty good. What happens though is the natural springyness is quite helpfull in reducing any shock loads on normal takeoffs and landings.

One of these is the best bet http://www.ncsl.co.uk/wirebender/

They do last years.

BTW I have just finished carving the nose. You'll love that job. Word of warning - Dont attempt it in the living room

[Tony H]

What if I bend two pairs of 10swg and bound them together with fuse wire and solder so there are two legs made of two pieces od 10swg bound together?