Jump to content

The Seagull has landed


Recommended Posts

I need the 4 wing bolts as my fuse is a bit out of shape and without all 4 I end up with big gaps at the wing leading and trailing edges but it all pulls together OK, the front ones are a bit fiddly.

The plug cap thing is a bit easier if you leave out the big internal spring whose only function in life is to make the cap more difficult to fit.

Was out flying my Hannibal today, now that is easy flying!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Advert


Must admit that my mind was working overtime when Cymaz posted the picture of Diana Rigg devil

 

I said that I'd post pictures of how I addressed the problem of the cowl fixing screw coming loose, so here they are:

This is what I had to start with - an oversized hole after my failed attempt at gluing a short length of plastic snake inner into the screw hole.

gwm_1898.jpg

I drilled the hole out starting with a 5 mm drill, which immediately started to wander to one side. My original hole must have just caught the edge of the strengthened part, which is why I never suspected a problem. Rather than carry on drilling, I swapped the drill bit for a conical grinding wheel in my Dremmel and bored the hole out to about 8mm whilst working the hole centre to the position I judged the original hole centre to be in. Note that I also ground well into the underlying corner of the engine box to give me something solid to glue to.

gwm_1900.jpg

I then cut a short length of 8mm dowel. Not sure what type of wood it is, but it's stronger than balsa.

gwm_1901.jpg

Dowel glued in place using plenty of epoxy on both the engine box and the outer skin ends.

gwm_1902.jpg

Dowel cut and ground flush ready for final drilling and screwing through the cowl hole. I've now fitted the cowl and all 4 screws feel nice and solid. I'm sure there are lots of different ways of resolving this problem, but this one seems to have worked well.

gwm_1905.jpg

 

 

Edited By Gary Manuel on 21/08/2018 17:48:26

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Here's another issue to look out for if you are reading this thread and thinking of buying one - have a good look at the supplied wheels, and swap them for something better if they look at all brittle. This happened to BOTH wheels after one outing, with no particularly hard landings or "double take-offs". I've now swapped them for a pair of Du-Bro 3 1/2 inch low bounce treaded wheels.

gwm_1903.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Gary, can we assume these fit the spats, or are you flying without them? Need another trip to the Precious Shop and they’re shut tomorrow when I will be nearby!

BTW picked up spare spats at Elvington swap meet for a fiver, but resisted unused wings for £25 on the basis that I have yet to wreck a wing without demolishing the fus.

Have put hard blocks on firewall for cowl screws.

BTC

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I did actually move the CoG forwards a bit. I think I did it while I was fixing the canopy tab back on. Battery was actually more difficult to get out of the rear position than it was to glue the tray in with the battery already fitted to the tray.

My battery is now where the receiver was and the receiver is on the opposite end of the tray that my throttle servo tray is fitted. Wiring is still as neat because this is the position I initially planned for and made all the servo leads for this position. I'll post a photo of the final arrangement tomorrow.

I've sorted the warped tail by wetting and then heating with pressure applied. Looks better now but I had to peel back the covering on one half of the tail and it's not gone back on perfectly. All I need to do now before I test fly it again is check both wings for twist. I have a horrible feeling that these might be twisted too - fingers crossed.

Also had the fuel tank out to dry the oil residue from the tank area - I've now fitted a crank case breather tube so that the waste oil drains OUTSIDE of the fuselage blush

Edited By Gary Manuel on 21/08/2018 23:11:03

Link to comment
Share on other sites

And how much weight is Diana requiring in the tail? You confirmed my fears about the batteries so far back, although I need to compare your pics with my fus as I'm not sure I have the horizontal former with the circular/oval hole immediately behind the canopy.

I start to wonder whether Seagull continually modify this plane.

Things lying around, per Cymaz; a plank, string and deadweight ... it is a very useful bit of kit.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

 Share

×
×
  • Create New...