john stones 1 - Moderator Posted March 23 Share Posted March 23 1 hour ago, Jonny L said: Thanks for the info and tips. Much appreciated! I’m trying to stay as close to the Chris Foss plans as possible, and think I may have got some progress today. Have the motor accurately placed in the ply disc and clearances look good. Now building up the cowl around the motor to give me a top hatch that should be suitable for motor servicing. (Not sure why the photos post upside down) Have a read of this Jonny, may help with your photo issue. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jonny L Posted March 27 Share Posted March 27 (edited) Further progress: Top cowl with latch is now shaped and fitted. This was a fairly iterative process, and there is still some minor fettling to do to check clearances before covering. plan for the bottom cowl will involve two screws at the back and a tab at the front so both top and bottom can be removed for motor servicing. The top cowl obviously more easily for battery changes without removing the wing. Next steps bottom cowl and then wing box. Edited March 27 by Jonny L 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil Horne Posted March 27 Share Posted March 27 Looking great Jonny 👍 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil Horne Posted March 27 Share Posted March 27 I did my maiden flight last Sunday and flys well. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jonny L Posted March 27 Share Posted March 27 Did you set your throws as per Foss‘s guidance- max 1/4”? Any surprises? hopefully I won’t be too far behind you, but I’ve never built anything before so covering is a bit of an unknown. The nose and cowl has taken me more time than I anticipated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil Horne Posted March 28 Share Posted March 28 Yes, set throws roughly as per the plan on a rate switch so I’ve got higher rates if needed. The flight was cut short as half the covering came off the wing! I made the mistake of not overlapping the top covering to the bottom 🤦🏻♂️ 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jonny L Posted March 28 Share Posted March 28 Good save to get it back in one piece Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jonny L Posted March 29 Share Posted March 29 Bottom cowl now done. Need to add some ventilation slots. Will probably drill some small holes in the front ply disc, and also a naca style vent on the bottom cowl, leaving the top clean. If I need more in the future, I can always add another. Has a bit of a HOTOL vibe at moment, but a quick layout of the remaining parts shows it’s coming together. Landing gear mounts then onto the final build of the back fuselage then wing saddle. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eugene Kinchella Posted April 1 Share Posted April 1 Phil & Jonny L - really useful seeing these pictures and reading about construction - thank you Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rene Wallage Posted April 6 Share Posted April 6 How do I get hold of a plan? I've been to chrissfoss.co.uk, and there's no email, the "contact us" button doesn't work, and the phone number (the new one) doesn't answer... Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keith Berriman Posted April 6 Share Posted April 6 Good Afternoon Rene I seem to remember a name Future Crafts Who do cut parts etc good value for money Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jonny L Posted April 11 Share Posted April 11 On 26/01/2025 at 17:03, Phil Horne said: Phil, did you strengthen the front dowel in any way, or simply drill the hole and fix with epoxy in the balsa top formers that you shaped? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jonny L Posted April 11 Share Posted April 11 On 10/11/2024 at 19:15, Martin John Painter said: Plans are available from Chris Foss Designs directly: https://www.chrisfoss.co.uk/. I sent Chris a cheque payable to “Chris Foss Designs” for £20 and received by plan about a week later. Chris Foss Designs Unit 1 Freehold Street Shoreham by Sea West Sussex BN43 5TQ I sent Chris a cheque to the above address and the plans arrived a week or so later. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jonny L Posted April 13 Share Posted April 13 More progress this weekend. Covering the horizontal stab prior to mounting the top of the rear fuselage. This ‘should’ allow a cleaner finish around the fuselage and stab where they all join at the back. Will protect the covering while shaping and sanding the top back of the fuselage. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jonny L Posted April 14 Share Posted April 14 Key step today with the completion of the top of the wing fairing. Getting the angle and alignment of the wing bolt from underneath is a challenge and for me probably the hardest part of the build - or at least equal with the front nose. Next up, vertical fin and rudder installation, alignment and shaping of the fuselage/wing join, gear, cockpit canopy and covering. then, hopefully brave enough to attempt flight. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil Horne Posted April 15 Share Posted April 15 I see you’re getting the hang of the covering Jonny, the Tailplane/Fin rudder look good 👍 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jonny L Posted April 15 Share Posted April 15 3 hours ago, Phil Horne said: I see you’re getting the hang of the covering Jonny, the Tailplane/Fin rudder look good 👍 Thanks Phil, the Oracover seems to go on well, but the surface of the purple scratches very easily - even with a new iron with completely clean plate. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil Horne Posted April 17 Share Posted April 17 On 15/04/2025 at 13:23, Jonny L said: Thanks Phil, the Oracover seems to go on well, but the surface of the purple scratches very easily - even with a new iron with completely clean plate. Get a ‘sock’ that goes over the iron https://nexusmodels.co.uk/products/irvine-pro-sealing-iron-sock-t-ct01a?_pos=2&_psq=Iron+sock&_ss=e&_v=1.0 you won’t get as many marks, scratches etc. you may need to increase the temperature a little. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil Horne Posted April 17 Share Posted April 17 1 minute ago, Phil Horne said: Get a ‘sock’ that goes over the iron https://nexusmodels.co.uk/products/irvine-pro-sealing-iron-sock-t-ct01a?_pos=2&_psq=Iron+sock&_ss=e&_v=1.0 you won’t get as many marks, scratches etc. you may need to increase the temperature a little. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jonny L Posted Friday at 18:51 Share Posted Friday at 18:51 More progress today. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jonny L Posted Sunday at 21:55 Share Posted Sunday at 21:55 (edited) Bonded the wing to the top fuselage section after some fine tuning of the wing profile on the fuselage. Also started work on the canopy and aerodynamic fairing behind it. Still some final sanding and shaping to do to get clearances right for covering. I’ll cover the back portion of the fuselage before fitting and glueing the vertical stab. Edited Sunday at 22:01 by Jonny L Photo 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jonny L Posted 7 hours ago Share Posted 7 hours ago Gear fabricated. This is my second attempt at the gear as the first attempt wasn’t symmetrical and looked a bit of a mess. I followed the BalsaWorkbench guide for constructing the components and it went together much better than my first attempt. https://www.balsaworkbench.com/?page_id=2638 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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