Building the Little Toot

[bert baker]

I will need to set the laser back into the firewall so What I have done is fitted OS FS 90 as it flew well with this combination, and will do rework for laser during the winter time

Bert

[barry saint]

Hi all

 

Jim you were right about ally u/c mine seems to have gone soft,it now splayes out on anything but a greaser,have tracked down same in dural just got to fit stub axles & try it.

 

Only weak point on plane seems to be lugs on struts,have broken two now when fitting wings on in a bit of breeze,with wing slewing round when fitting bolts,will have to lamminate some new ones.

 

Toot has had 28 flights so far flies like a dream.

 

Cheers

 

Barry

[Jimbo565]

Barry,

 

Just seen your post,had doubts about the Ali.u/c with the all up weight of the Toot,my wire one is still holding well and I now have the OS 120fs up front and just waiting for a test flight.

 

Had to cut a big hole in the firewall to accommodate the carb. assembly so the original cowl still fits ok.

 

When you say the lugs on the struts do you mean the piece that slides into the slot in the wing ribs ?

 

I made mine from 1/8 ply and then faired them in with soft balsa and I have never had a problem .

 

Jim

[barry saint]

Hi Jim

 

Yes its the tongues that plug in to wing,there made from 1/8 ply,have been fine up tp last 2 outings, will laminate some out of some resin bonded ply,

 

Laser 90 is performing a bit better now loosened up a bit more,only running on a 15x6 prop,instructions give 14x6 - 17x6 ,have fitted 16x6 waiting to try it.

 

I might fit my laser 100 destined for my Zlin Akrobat,& fit 90 in Zlin,same physical size but silencer protrudes from rear of engine further so will have trim bulkhead or move engine foreward 3/8"

 

Heres hoping.

 

Cheers

 

Barry.

[Jimbo565]

Barry.

 

Plywood aint what it used to be , the 1/8 ply from my LMS is very poor,it has to be kept in a cold place or it turns into a Boomerang.

 

I made mine from two laminations of 1/16 ply and then cut them out on the band saw and they are spot on.

 

I'll give you a wizz when i've had a flight with the 120.

 

Regards

 

Jim

[bert baker]

Hi to all

I went to the BMFA nationals again this year and bagged another Toot

 

In quite nice condition.

 

It came with an engine mount already fitted and as there are no other holes in the firewall I can only assume that the mount was fitted from new.

 

The only engine I had that matched the mount size and holes was an OS BX1 and also throttle link and eyelet went straight on.

 

I test flew it and came to conclusion that the engine is to heavy for the plane.

 

It was a flight with a sinking feeling I must confess to not checking the C/G but it did respond well to elevator control,

 

My other one powered by an old OS FS 90 is a lot better to fly and defiantly has better glide characteristics

 

Bert

 

 

[bert baker]

Well

I went out and flew the other one and they are totally different to fly.

 

I have checked the c/g and both are about the same the only difference is that the one with the BX1 is heavier.

 

As I have another FS90 my plan is to re engine the heavy one and see if it makes much difference

[Alan Dorrell]

Hello again Guys,

Especially Jim, Barry annd Bert. Of course I am now years behind you in finishing my Toot but I eventually got back to it a few weeks ago.

The main airframe was completed structurally, what ? about two yars ago. I have been working on hatches and other fiddly bits. Boring !! But am now getting excited, sanding ready for painting etc.

Somewhat naturally, I have changed my mind about certain things and the biggest one is to get an SC 120 FS for the power plant. I'll use the Webra in something smaller. The undercarriage with spats is installed with it's own hatch in case modifications are needed , the 'legs' are 5/32" dural (equivalent ) I have worked out an upper wing mounting to my own satisfaction which I will detail later. Got to take some photos to post very soon. However, I must get on so will close for now,

Cheers. Alan.

[Jimbo565]

Alan

Good to have you back on Toot time,still have not flown mine since fitting the 120,I ran the engine with a 16 x 8 and its wild.

If the weather settles and the wind drops I will have to give it a wizz.

 

JIm

Edited By Jim Carss on 19/09/2012 18:54:19

[bert baker]

They fly nice in the wind and handle well too.

I had a good result one of my chums bought a load of stuff from a bereavement sale.

In an old box was a original glass fibre cowl and wheel pants.

Bonus was the pants had the collets moulded in from new.

[barry saint]

Hi Bert Red toot i bought from you flew lovely on my spare super tigre 75 2 stroke,similar performance to my other laser 90 powered one,it came to grief on it,s 6th flight while doing a rolling circle,suddenly nothing came down at full throttle,top wing survived that was about all,traced it to a loose crystal holder on my field force 6, new i should have put my 2.4 in it,at least i got a nice video of its first flight.

[bert baker]

So sad to hear that.

Will you rebuild it.

At least you have a top wing completed.

[barry saint]

Hi all,bert

I dont think i will rebuild it as i have another one,& to many projects on the go,just finishing a Dave Platt Waco bipe 60" span,quite pleased with that its only come out at 6lb 3 oz with gear & laser 70,just aquired a Galaxy models chipmunk 70" span kit,plus sitting in box graupner yak 54 63" span ARTF{against all my principles] but what the heck. so busy times ahead as not the best weather for flying.

barry

[barry saint]

Hi all Hopfully have uploaded some pics of my Waco-YMF3 nearly finished.

barry

[Jimbo565]

Very smart Barry, nice job

Jim

[Alan Dorrell]

Hi Guys,

A few piccies as promised. First, the u/c is now fitted. The spats were moulded over thirty years ago !!!

As it is the Hawk Pshaw version I have made fairings for the tops of the u/c legs.

[Alan Dorrell]

Well that seems fairly successful. Here goes again.

[Alan Dorrell]

So, showing how I have created hatches for the tank bay and around the u/c. And , of course it will be seen that the fuselage has been primed now.

I was going to use Solartex but decided on a paint finish instead. So, I have 'skinned' it with glass fibre using De Luxe Eze-Kote acrylic resin. Easy peasy. Not a bad finish. Now because I work indoors, I will use a brushed finish, so, what sort of primer ? Well, I also paint, so I have used artists' acrylic gesso intended for priming canvasses before oil painting. I had both black and white, so made a grey mix. It has gone onto the resin quite nicely so far. I plan to use Flair Spectrum paint.

Finally I assembled the lower wing in place with no problems with my nylon bolts and captive nuts, a big relief. Also, when I slid in the stabiliser, it lines up beautifully horizontal with the wing. More relief .

Cheers. Alan.

[bert baker]

Looking good

Must say I have stared away from using cloth and resin.

Just wondering if you actually used cloth or just resin.

[Alan Dorrell]

Hi Bert,,

I used 17 g/m sqd glass cloth and it follows the contours very easily. I also use an inexpensive artist's brush to apply. It is called a 'hake' (hakee) of soft goat hair and various widths. I use a 1 inch. As the resin is acrylic and water based, the brush washes out easily.

Alan.

[barry saint]

Hi Alan,

Toots looking good,any idea what colour scheme your doing,mines still going strong ideal for these windy conditions,keep us all posted,

Barry

[Alan Dorrell]

Hi All,

I've just gone through the thread to re-inspire myself. I have done a fair amount on the Toot since my last post and a lot of other stuff as well. Unfortunately my legs get worse rather than better but, otherwise I feel okay. I do hope we get a better flying season this year. Apart from the weather last year, I felt I was "jinxed" (and blogged about it). I had been to Corfu for a third time and had a wonderful week with twenty six flights, then only managed four stirs on the sticks during the rest of the year. I have spent a fair time on the sim and feel rather confident in my abilities as a pilot now and am booked in at Corfu for the fourth year again in May.

I now have twelve flyable models with two to just finish. One is a little all sheet biplane that I am sorting the R/C gear for, The other is, of course, the Toot. I will post more pics soon. All hatches are made, The fuselage is painted but not decorated. The wings and tail are covered, with Oracover, great stuff, and insignia applied from Solartrim. I have to install the servos.

It is fiddly stuff to do. The SC120 is installed and I have started "fitting" the cowl. I have some 1/4 scale instruments, from Model Gliders to fit in my instrument panel and the other cockpit details to fit and finish.

Models built in the interim include two Webbits, one scaled up and both flown, the bigger one partially by me. The CAP 21 has been prepared for flight ( by Bill when he comes out of hibernation) and I have my "Windy Ain't It" radio assist electric FF to look forward to as well.

And then it is to be the Firefly, the "Jiant Javelan" and I found a plan for a "Tauri" for which I have just the engine, an OS 30 ts. Then I have four more kits and three more "must build" plans to get on with.

I'll be in touch. Alan.

[bert baker]

Hmm keep with it Alan.

I have found long term builds are a pain. sometimes they get shelved for far to long.

Bert

[Bob Cotsford]

Alan, I ended up building a Great Planes Super Skybolt rather than a Toot, only because I chanced on a kit at a good price. A very good price in my opinion. It's a similar concept to the Toot, a sports aerobatic biplane so it satisfied the craving for two wings and lots of power.

The kit builds heavy - around 10lbs for a 58" span - but my worries were unneccessary as it flies really nicely. Biplanes always look great on the ground or in the air and I'm sure your Toot will too.

I sometimes feel I'm in a rut and struggle for the enthusiasm to get myself out of the door, but I would encourage you to get stuck in as the best cures for waining enthusiasm are a) a newly completed model and b) to actually get out flying or even just out to the field for a chat.

[Alan Dorrell]

Bob

Thanks for the encouragement. Progress, while slow, is going ahead. I feel I have dropped one or two clangers. I have been fitting the tailplane units, and while they line up quite nicely, I left the structure a bit untidy. It is now time consuming as I fill in gaps and make adjustments to things like pushrod outlets. There still seems so much to do. Maybe, also, I should have planned to complete construction and then have the Toot maidened before going ahead with any attempts at a scalish finish. Now, I am committed.

I thought of going to the field this past weekend but do not know how waterlogged it may still be. I drove my car to it's MOT the other day, past our local flood plane, which looked very soggy. Three days later, after a nights rain, I drove the same route. I was horrified at the way fields and fields were by then sheets of water as far as the eye could see. Fortunately that road is raised.

I have some photos to post which show some progress but you will have gathered how slow I am. But while glue has been drying I have been cutting ribs and things for the Jiant Javelan.

Cheers. Alan.