Linnet Build..............SteveWO

[Steve W-O]

Just cut and pasted the plan (printed it on A3, too mean to have it printed )

 

I would like to say it was on purpose, however just by absolute luck, the three rows separate the plane perfectly

 

 

 

 

 

And this is what I want to end up with (not the person, the plane)

 

[Steve W-O]

This is some of the hardware, just for weighing and sizing.

 

 

 

Will have to start from the front, see where the motor will go, and where the firewall will go, and work back. That will also decide where the nosewheel will be mounted.

 

The main gear is quite far back, I doubt if it would rotate, so I will have the option to have it sitting slightly nose up on the wheels to stop it sticking down and whellbarrowing on take off.

[Wiltshire Flyer]

Great retro looking plane steve

[David Davis]

Posted by Steve W-O on 03/11/2011 18:14:16:

This is some of the hardware, just for weighing and sizing.

 

 

 

The main gear is quite far back, I doubt if it would rotate, so I will have the option to have it sitting slightly nose up on the wheels to stop it sticking down and whellbarrowing on take off.

 

Or you could reinforce the main spar with some plywood and sew the main gear to that.

[Steve W-O]

Posted by David Davis Telemaster Sales UK on 04/11/2011 06:20:03:

Posted by Steve W-O on 03/11/2011 18:14:16:

This is some of the hardware, just for weighing and sizing.

 

 

 

The main gear is quite far back, I doubt if it would rotate, so I will have the option to have it sitting slightly nose up on the wheels to stop it sticking down and whellbarrowing on take off.

 

Or you could reinforce the main spar with some plywood and sew the main gear to that.

 

 

 

I did consider mountint it on the wing, but for several reasons discsrded the idea.

 

1. I want to keep the exterior shape and appearance as much as possible.

2. One of the advantages is that the wing will be light, no servos etc.

3. I want to try and make the wings split, for easier transport in a small space

4. I will be moving the main spar forward to 25%

 

It would have helped the CoG to move the gear forward.

 

The original probably was able to ROG so I will have close look at the plans tonight, draw some lines through the wings and tail plane (the tail plane seems to have quite a bit of a negative angle in relation to the wing) and the bottom of the wheels.

 

Must run of a couiple of extra sets of the plans before I go home.

[Steve W-O]

Well,. I've got plenty of room for a motor (or two)

 

Will bring the firewall forward to about where the end of the air intake is on the original engine shown.

 

The fuselage will be a different construction to the original, it need to be a bit stronger to carry the weight, and also to take the landing and control surface stresses.

 

It will be 1/16 sheet, lightened toweards the tail, and reinforced around the undercarriage/wings/motor with 1/32 ply. I will use a cavity sandwich construction to get maximum strength with less weight.

[Steve W-O]

BALSA WEIGHTS

 

 

I weighed two boxes (50 sheets each, less a few I have used) of 1/16" sheet this morning, it varied between 14.5 g a sheet, to 41g a sheet (good for domestic flooring). This was bought as ungraded, so a wide variation is to be expected.

 

I chose two sheets od 16.5 g each for the ribs, and two pieces of 21g each for the main part of the fuselage sides.

 

I also weighed all the 1/4" square I will be using for the main spars. It varied from 4.2g a strip, to 12g a strip. I did not expect such a wide variation, as it was bought from one of the highly regarded balsa suppliers.

 

My point is that it is well worth measuring the weight, if not for lightness or strength, but to make sure each side weighs the same.

[IanN]

Posted by Steve W-O on 06/11/2011 08:34:32:

BALSA WEIGHTS

 

 

My point is that it is well worth measuring the weight, if not for lightness or strength, but to make sure each side weighs the same.

 

 

 

Absolutely. If anyone hasn't done this before, give it a go: I guarantee you'll be gobsmacked by the weight variations.

[Big Bandit]

Hi Ian,

 

Try to do it every time, but it has to be the right grain structure as well.

 

Cheers,

 

Chris

[Biggles' Elder Brother - Moderator]

If I remember correctly someone had this issue on the Webbit build - with one side of the wing, I seem to remember, coming out significantly heavier than the other. Was that you Steve or someone else?

 

BEB

[Steve W-O]

Posted by Biggles' Elder Brother - Moderator on 09/11/2011 20:37:46:

If I remember correctly someone had this issue on the Webbit build - with one side of the wing, I seem to remember, coming out significantly heavier than the other. Was that you Steve or someone else?

 

BEB

 

 

 

No, mine was balanced, just very heavy.

 

Still don't know why mine was so heavy.

[Steve W-O]

Well, started cutting out ribs today, very slow start, but hope to finish someday in 2012!

 

The more I look at it, the only part of the fuselage that will be original will be the exterior shape, all construction will have to be different.

[Steve W-O]

Got one wing almost finished, it weighs 55g so far, so the whole wing covered with standard film will be under 200g. (could save 20g using lighter covering, but I have the other already)

 

First time I have used Gorilla glue, makes quite a messy looking job, however I like the "fillet" the foam creates, and as time goes on, I hope to become more used to putting on enough to secure the joint, with as little extra foam as possible.

 

 

 

 

 

I have changed the wing construction, I have used two 1/4" square spars instead of a single 1/2" X 1/8" spar. Have also sheeted the front top and bottom with 1/32". I changed the leading edge to 1/4" square, as I stick the sheeting to the flats, then shape the whole thing.

 

 

 

 

 

I have to finish the wings before I start the fuselage, as I am putting a flat bridge across the dihedral for the wings to sit on the fuselage, and this will be a different shape to the ribs.

 

One thing I didn't notice before, was how thin the wing profile is, tend to think of older planes having a thicker section.

 

 

 

 

[Steve W-O]

Wings are coming along, just the rib capping and dihedral brace/joiners to do now.

 

Marked out the fuselage (just see the marking on the top piece).

 

The whole fuselage is going to be built as it goes along on one fuselage side, The formers will have to be in different places for the motor, battery tray, undercarriage and wing fixings.

 

 

Will have a light ply doubler

but it will only be on the lower part of the fuselage, connecting the motor, wings and undercarriage, with holes made to save weight.

I don't like cutting the ply, must get on and get it done!

[Steve W-O]

Cut out the ply doublers, now working out where and how things will go.

 

The photo will show the extreme precision I am using to measure and mark.

 

Using a charcoal sketching pencil to get a nice fine line.

 

 

The battery can go anywhere between where it is to the trailing edge, so hopefully I won't have any CoG problems. Will do a dry run before I mount the servos and receiver

[Steve W-O]

Ply lightened now. Saved 25g by lightening, that means the servos travel for free now

 

The big chunk on the top of the front of the fuselage side is because that whole section with the cabin and front deck will be removable for access.

[Danny Fenton]

Nice one Steve, always handy to have some spare holes in case you need them. Amazing how quickly you can win back some weight isn't it?

 

Cheers

Danny

[Big Bandit]

Looking good Steve, I'm following this one with interest.

 

Cheers,

 

Chris.

[Myron Beaumont]

Can't find my spare holes. Yours work out to be one gramme each and mine aren't the same if I remember so it would be useless me sending them to you even if I could find them.

[Steve W-O]

Posted by Myron Beaumont on 29/12/2011 09:30:59:

Can't find my spare holes. Yours work out to be one gramme each and mine aren't the same if I remember so it would be useless me sending them to you even if I could find them.

 

 

 

Don't worry, I have plenty of holes I don't need, I will send you some to fill the empty space vacated by your lost holes.

[Steve W-O]

Wing tips are on, dihedral braces tried in place, it has 5" dihedral under each wing!

 

Cut the ply formers for the fuselage, cut them out of a single strip cut to the correct width, then they should hopefully all be exactly the same width.

 

 

Then just separated them

 

 

The weight lost making the holes was 13.6g,and the weight of all the finished bits was 39.9g, so a saving of just over 25%

 

I've laminated a 1/16 ply firewall onto the 1/8 liteply firewall, just waiting for that to dry and I can start assembling it on one side of the fuselage.

 

Slow progress!

[Steve W-O]

What would we do without batteries?

 

I used to have a continuous supply of lead that I used to melt into square blocks, but not any more, so what ever is at hand has to do.

 

The battery on the left is holding the square in place, the one at the bottom right holding the firewall against the square, and the one on top applying weight through a piece of tool steel.

Started with the firewall and added the "floor" and the u/c box in similar manner.

 

Put the other fuselage side in place on top of it, and the tail was 1mm out of line, happy with that, pinned it into place when gluing the second side into place.

[Big Bandit]

Looking good Steve,

 

I do like all of the lightening holes, it must have took ages cutting that lot out.

 

Cheers,

 

Chris.

[Steve W-O]

Commercially available hole cutter

 

Bit disappointed in the quality of one of them, but more on that when I have contacted them.

 

Very easy to make them in fact, exactly the same as we used to use to make holes in thick piles of paper.

[Biggles' Elder Brother - Moderator]

25% is quite a weight saving - and probably for no significant strength compromise either! Must get/make myself a set of hole cutters. Where did you get yours from Steve?

 

BEB

 

PS Nice build work BTW!