Eric Clutton FRED

[Lindsay Todd]

Well time for a further update and carrying straight on with the elevators, the second side has been built and 0.5mm ply strengthening pieces glued top and bottom of each side at the joint for security of the 3mm wire joiner and horn fixing.

Next job was a little addition to the cowl with an 0.5mm ply ring added so that it overlaps the nose of the fuselage by 10mm, this will be filled to blend in with the carved nose and then sanded, the ply strip will also be the fixing position with small screws.

I also just checked that the instrument panel will actually fit

Not to much now to do on the main structure of the fuselage but the next major item was the undercarriage, the main legs are made from bent 3mm piano wire and then silver soldered at the joint and fixed to the fuselage with standard saddle clamps.

Time to sit her on some wheels and take a look at what she looks like.

Ok still a few jobs to do such as fixing hinge block in tail for the rudder, fit servos and make up the control rods, or rod at least, one for elevator and possibly closed loop for the rudder. A hatch for the servo access on the underside, some fairings for the undercarriage and a fake oleo strut. Then of course fit the motor and esc but those can wait a bit as I am keen to get stuck into the next big job. The wing .

more soon. Linds

[Tim Hooper]

Nice, neat building, Linds, and an excellent choice for a subject!

tim

[Lindsay Todd]

Thanks Tim, yes it would not have been a natural choice perhaps for me but it does have a certain charm about it and it has grown on me a bit whilst I have been building, I think it should be quite a fun model to fly. Plenty of home build full size that would actually be superb models, I have my eye on a rather nice biplane for some time in the future. Linds

[Peter Twissell]

I've just joined this group specifically to follow the progress of this build, which is of particular interest to me. I am adapting the full size Fred design to be built to meet the modern single seat microlight classification.

Eric Clutton is still around and is a keen model builder. It would be worth providing a link to this thread on cluttonfred.info.

Cheers,

Pete.

[Steven S]

I sure agree, I just got into the hobby last year and my first build was a Volksplane and my current build is a Woodys Pusher.  Both plans were downloaded from Outerzone.

Edited By Steven Shaw on 30/06/2016 13:40:37

[Lindsay Todd]

Well I made a start on the wing tonight. Now I have decided to go for a three piece wing so that the centre section stays fixed to the centre fuselage struts as per full size. You could of course have a one piece wing but just by running the spars right through and avoid the aluminium tube system I have gone for. So this is how I have gone about the task of creating the centre section starting with 3 3mm balsa ribs notched for wing supports and spars and of course spar tube and a rear dowel fixing to prevent twist. The support brackets are made of three pieces of marine ply 3mm thick and glued together to create a slot for the wire struts, the front being gapped for two wires.

Next job was to cut some lengths of 6mm square balsa for the short spar lengths, pin the front lower down onto the plan and then glue the front support bracket to the front of the spar ensuring the wire slot is face down.

Next job is to position the rear support bracket and then glue in place the centre rib making sure it is central and square.

When completely dry I then added the two outer ribs, again checking they were accurately positioned and absolutely square as the outer panels will butt up against these and a tube needs to run through the entire wing so all must line up.

The main spar phenolic tube outer is now run through and glued in place with cyno. The top spars again from 6mm square can now be added. I also added so triangular section balsa between support plate and ribs for added strength as this is the main wing retention area and needs to be strong.

When dry we can add 1.5mm sheet to the underside from the rear of the back fixing plate back to the trailing edge line and also add the leading edge which is made from two laminates of 6mm balsa cut to size. and then tie for a quick check fit. the wire being retained with plastic flat plates screwed into the support plates.

Time to just check out the general arrangement and see how the levels look by pinning the tail parts back in place and running the aluminium tube through the centre section.

So far so good. I need to make some ply plates for the anti twist dowels that will locate in the holes towards the rear of the ribs, these will be glued on the internal side and will just stop excessive wear and tear then the centre section can be sheeted . More soon . Linds

[Lindsay Todd]

Well a bit more time yesterday and this evening has seen some more progress. Continuing on with the centre section some 3mm ply plates have been added to the inside faces of he outer ribs to strengthen the dowel holes that are to locate dowels fixed into the outer panels and keep them aligned with the centre section and of course the correct incidence so quite important really.

With those done and the leading edge sand to match the section it was time to complete the sheeting of the centre section with 1.5mm balsa.

and same again for the underside

Final job was to sand the edges flush so I get a good fit to the outer panels.

Next job was to get out the dremel and rotary sander and attack the inside of the cowl to give as much clearance as possible around the motor

With that done I then mixed up some Dolphin Glaze filler (a bit like P38 body filler but sands easier) applied to the outside to fill edge between 0.5mm ply wrap and balsa cowl and then sanded when cured to a smooth shape.

Ok so back to the wings and the outer panels. To start I cut some medium density 6mm square balsa spars and pinned the first down over the plan. I will cut to precise length later but with the ribs all cut the first inboard rib was positioned and glued square and pinned at the rear. The first two inboard ribs carry holes to support a 6mm hardwood dowel that will plug into the centre section so its important that all is built square so things align properly, each rib can then be glued down over the plan checking each as you go.

With all the ribs positioned I then slid the outer phenolic tube that the aluminium spar tube slides into the ribs, and blanked off the end with a balsa plate. The tube was then glued into place with cyno. I will cut the tube flush to the outside of the inner rib later. I also cut a length of 6mm dowel and fixed this through the first tow ribs, butted up against the third rib and glued in place. The wing panel is now left to dry before I add the top spars and leading and trailing edges.

More later. Linds

[Lindsay Todd]

Just a final update for today, top 6mm square balsa spars added and 6mm sheet strip first leading edge strip added plus the 6mm sheet inset trailing edge at the aileron cut out. Also added some triangular section into the corners of the outer ribs for strength.

Linds

[Lindsay Todd]

Time for a further update with starting to get the 1.5mm sheeting down on the top surface starting with the 15mm wide trailing edge. Not also the triangular 6mm sheet anti shear spar brace added to the underside of the rear spar and abutting to the rib, this reduces sheer stress at this point, simply triangulating the loads but quite important with just the one rear spar.

Working along the trailing edge and then covering the first two ribs up to halfway across the front spar so I get a good glue joint. I also added a triangular shape to join the two trailing edge sheeted areas together just to neaten things up

Front sheeting now added from rear edge of front spar and overlapping the leading edge by 6mm for a good glue joint. I also added the 6mm wide cap strips, Finally I trimmed the phenolic spar tube flush to the end rib.

Before I work on the underside I will now make up the second mirror image panel.

more soon. Linds

[Danny Fenton]

Looking good Linds

[Rich too]

Lovely

And what progress, it takes me six months to build a artf !

[Peter Twissell]

Nice build. True to the fullsize, everything looks quite chunky. Do you have a target wing loading (and therefore weight) in mind?

[Steven S]

I am following this with interest as I am building a Woodys Pusher with a very similar wing with the electric motor mounted on it. Does your wing have any dihedral? I want to put a couple of degrees in mine so I guess that will determine the length of tube I can use. When you get to it will you please show how you lock the outer wing panels in place.

[Lindsay Todd]

Thanks guys, I feel time is now running out with just two days left and realistically just a few hours I will be able to find so I will have to complete at a later date but it is surprising how much you can achieve when you set your mind to it. But its not over yet. I did get to jig the model together for the first time tonight with both panels and centre section to see how she looks.

Fit of the wings not bad, just a bit of sanding to do and remove the pins once the second panel is completely dry

The underside sheeting still needs to be done and the leading edge to be finished but she does look rather cute I think

More soon. Linds

[Stephen Jones]

Wow,

That looks Great Lindsay .

Its turned out Better than i thought it would,

Well Done Steve.

[Lindsay Todd]

Steve flattery will get you anywhere, seriously I would not have chosen this to be honest had I not been approached to do it for a friend but it has sort of grown on me as these things tend too. Time wise I certainly bit of more than I can chew but I have not compromised the build and that was equally as important. I have to be honest and say a full days work sometimes leaves me a little sapped of energy and that has slowed progress down a bit. The wing underside sheeting is currently drying so things are still progressing. Linds

[Lindsay Todd]

Well it did not make it over to the Isle of Man, I got close but no point spoiling it through rushing at the last minute. I did get a copy of the plan drawn up for my friend and he's seen all the photo's and keen to get stuck into a winter building project and make one for himself so you can't ask for a better result than that. I'll hopefully get this finished for Greenacres August even with a bit of luck now, that gives me just under two weeks - yikes! Linds

[Stephen Jones]

The weather reports so far are not looking good , i too am thinking about making the Greenacres Do .

Will we get any summer this year .

Looking through this months Magazine most of the pictures have clouds or grey skies.

Is this a sign of what we have to look forward too in the coming years .

Steve

[Lindsay Todd]

Other things like work have dot in the way of late plus a couple of events to attend so I have really only just got back onto the model to push it along and get finished. First job was to make up the ailerons. These are made from 3mm balsa wedges with a 6mm balsa leading edge set at an angle to allow for top hinging. The constructions started by cutting a 3mm ply plate and fixing into slots cut on the underside of two of the wedges that will be the control horn fixing plate. the wedges are then aligned and glued to a strip of 6mm balsa cut to depth and width and butt glued to the front of the ribs

The trailing edge of 15mmx1.5 mm is then glued top and bottom and then cap strips 6mm wide will be glued over the top and bottom of the ribs to finish.

Whilst these were drying I took to fixing a couple of hardwood blocks in place over the spar tube to allow for a through bolt fixing for the outer panels. Set against the spar and flush with the top surface of the wing and a further 3mm plate glued below that will retain a captive nut. These are well bonded with slow cure epoxy and next job will be to assemble the wing and drill a clearance hole for a 5mm bolt.

The remaining sheeting has also been added, a bit of filler here and there and sanded ready for covering. I just have the aileron fixing plates now to make and finish off the ailerons and can think about control snakes and servos prior to covering.

More soon Linds

[Lindsay Todd]

Well its been a while but some more progress made starting with drilling through the main wing spars and then fitting captive nuts to the lower block to accept 4mm long bolts.

Next the aileron servos (Hitec HS85) are fixed to ply plates with hard wood blocks, output arm changed to longest and exit through the slot in the plates which are in turn the screwed into the wings. A short extension lead is required to reach the centre section.

Next job was to test fit the hinges for the all moving rudder, for this I used two medium size robart type hinges which should be up to the job, an extra hard balsa doubler was also added to the rear fuz to help with security and strength. Holes were drilled and countersunk ready to be glued later.

Another job done was to finish off the instrument panel.

Next job is to start the covering. In his case solarfilm red and silver. Just remembered in time to show the rear snakes fitted before I finished covering the underside of the fuz, also added a ply plate for the tail wheel bracket to fix onto.

[Lindsay Todd]

Quick test fit of the rudder once covered and I can press on with other parts

Next time to cover and install the centre section of the wing onto the fuselage. All the wires can be sprung open and removed with care and can be similarly re installed so we can fixed the wires to the centre section with clamps and then fit the assembly to the fuselage

A quick check with a spirit level confirmed all square so time to fit the tailplane. I decided to pre fit the elevators using fuzzy mylar hinges with a 2mm piano wire connector prior to gluing the unit in place using a tape to check for square and a level to ensure parallel with the wing.

With that done and dry I decided I might as well fit the elevator and rudder servos, these are installed from the underside onto ply rails. I used two standard size futaba servos. A ply hatch will be fitted as a cover. I also installed the undercarriage with saddle clamps, this was bent to shape and silver soldered.

Ply servo hatch cut to size, hardwood rails have been glued to the fuselage sides aligned with the to parallel lines drawn on the hatch and four screws will secure in place.

Next job was to connect the pushrods to horns fitted to the elevator and rudder. Note the ply plate with slot that will carry a commercial tail wheel unit.

Next it seemed like a good time to fit the motor, an Eflight 480 1100kv 250 watt item in this case. Bolted directly to the bulkhead, no doubt will need some final adjustment after maiden flight.

The cowl, covered in silver solarfilm (I seriously doubted this would work out as well as it did, so well done solafilm) there are a few joints but that alternative was more time consuming than I wanted to commit. It is simply fixed with three screws.

Next was to cover the wings starting with the ailerons. The underside is covered first and then the control horns need to be fitted, and then cover the top side. At least with the horns I chose to use.

more soon. Linds

[Stephen Jones]

Looking Sweet so far Linds

Steve

[Lindsay Todd]

Cheers Stephen, doing a bit of a catch up so a bit more done. Need a dummy engine so some scrap balsa put to good use with 3 ovals for each cylinder group with spacers between. these glued together and then painted black

out with the scalpel and remove a small section of film and then glue the cylinders in place using a further spacer such that it clears the cowl.

When I get a chance I'll add an inlet manifold and exhaust stub from plastic tube.

Next job was to deal with the dummy oleo . To do this I have used two sizes of abs plastic tube, some electrical fittings, some ball link clevices and some 2mm control rod wire. Staring with the upper sections using 3mm outside diameter tube cut to length, a clevise link as used on Bowden cable and a small electrical loop tag, the various parts were glued together with epoxy.

The lower oleo leg is made from small diameter such that it slides inside the larger, a length of 2mm threaded rod bent at about 15 degrees at the thread end such that a ball link clevise can be screwed on, the tube is then slid over and glued in place with cyno. The two parts making up a reasonable oleo.

For assembly the electrical upper oleo is fitted on the inside of the top wing centre strut, a little rc modelers glue will secure later. The lower leg slides over the axel and slid into the upper oleo, A washer and then the wheel keeps all in place. Just a lick of paint needed.

Glad that bit is done as it was stalling progress a bit. Anyway she now looks like this with a few stickers already applied.

more soon. Linds

[Colin Leighfield]

Lindsay, there's a good feature in the 1968/69 Aero Modeller Annual that includes the story behind Fred. There's a great photo of Eric Clutton with Ernie Sherry wearing a 40ft. span wing strapped on his back. It includes a good three-view of Fred with the original under-cambered wing, as well as one of the completed airframe before covering. There's also a photo and drawing of Ray Lawrence's very similar "Kuching Special". It describes how Fred got through three 500cc Triumph motorbike engines, a Scott Flying Squirrel and a Lawrence 5 cylinder radial engine before success was achieved with a converted VW 1500. If you haven't seen it I can copy it for you.

[Michael Young 1]

Hi all,

I am the current owner of Eric Clitton's prototype FRED formerly G-ASZY then NX 4499Ynow NX 808MY

Here is a picture of me and Eric when I took delivery. Since I have owned FRED I have made some changes. The Instrument panel and Gauges had seen better days and being a techie I installed a Mini EFIS that handles flight and engine instruments. If I can find it, I will photograph the old panel that I removed.