Author Topic: Building a FJ-4 Fun Carrier (Read 10087 times)

Bob Reeves · « **Reply #50 on:** November 09, 2009, 05:25:21 AM »

After installing the tail hook support I needed to cut channels into the fuselage rear to clear the carbon rods when it is in the up position. A mini mill is real handy when you need to do something like this. I cut a couple pieces of 1/2 inch scrap balsa to the proper angle and used a round nose end mill to cut the channels. second photo is test fitting the tail hook..

Fuselage sides are going to get sheeted with 1/8 balsa, I will blend everything in and fill in the voids during final sanding/filling. Reason I'm going to add the 1/8th is to simulate the FJ-4's razorback plus it will hide the landing gear block that sticks up through the wing into the fuselage.

Bob Reeves · « **Reply #51 on:** November 10, 2009, 09:12:37 AM »

No Pictures today as I'm just doing allot of sanding.. Just for grins wanted to get a rough idea of how the CG was doing, stuck everything together this morning with a 10 ounce chunk of lead in the nose to simulate the engine.. Had to add 3 ounces to the tail to get it to my 20% mark. Most of the weight of the finish will be behind the CG but am adding a tail weight box just in case.

Going to be heavy, already at 36 ounces with allot of epoxy and paint to go, it may need the flaps just to get airborne.

john e. holliday · « **Reply #52 on:** November 11, 2009, 09:57:47 AM »

Bob, you are making that project look great.

Bob Reeves · « **Reply #53 on:** November 15, 2009, 07:11:41 AM »

Finlay got all the mill work and shaping done on the fuselage, installed the 1/8 balsa sides and belcrank mount. Now I can get back to building. This morning I installed the fuselage on the wing and epoxied the stab on.

Put the wing back in the cradles to be sure it was aligned 0-0 with the building table. Slid the fuselage on and just before it was in the proper location I ran a bead of Gorilla glue down the top center of the wing. With the dihedral the very center of the wing is lower than the points it contacts the fuselage sides. The foaming action of Gorilla glue will hopfully fill in where it would be otherwise impossible to get epoxy to contact both surfaces. Once I was sure the fuselage was centered and square I hit a few tight fitting places with CA to be sure it didn't move while the Gorilla glue cured.

Knowing the wing was 0-0 with the bench made it fairly easy to get the stab aligned 0-0. Just stacked up stuff on both sides till I had it level and at the proper height to glue to the fuselage.

BTW: The weights on top of the wing are rectangular cardboard tubes filled with lead shot. The tubes were packing in some stuff I received and with hardwood ends epoxied on made great building weights. Wished I could find a few more.

Bob Reeves · « **Reply #54 on:** November 15, 2009, 09:13:24 AM »

From the above photo one can see it's a long way from the bellcrank to the engine, not only are they are on opposite sides of the fuselage the bellcrank is near the top and the carb control arm is near the bottom. From what I could find the normal solution is a transfer link through the fuselage which would take care of the opposite side issue but still leave pushrods bent at ugly angles and I would have a big issue of trying to work around the the fuel tank.

Decided the best solution was a vertical transfer rod with control arms on each side of the fuselage. Decided to use 1/16 music wire for the rod supported by a section of brass tubing. For the control horns I chucked 1/16 wheel collars in my lathe and cut a shoulder on one end. I then made and drilled brass arms to fit the shoulder and soldered them to the wheel collars. The shoulder provides more surface area for a solder joint and made alignment easier.

Next problem was how to accurately drill a hole midway and 4 inches deep into the front of the fuselage. I made a drill guide using a 1/2 inch piece of balsa scrap with a brass tubing insert about 2 inches long. The balsa was drilled accurately at the proper height on my mill then the brass tubing inserted with CA glue. I laid the fuselage on the bench and weighed it down so it wouldn't move, aligned my drill guide and weighed it down. Then simply used a battery drill with a long bit to drill the hole.

Actually before I drilled the hole for the brass tubing bearing I clamped the fuselage in my mill and made the cutouts for the control horns. After the hole was drilled I inserted and epoxied a brass tubing bearing into the hole between the cutouts.

First photo shows the control horn that will be connected to the bellcrank, second photo shows the control horn that will be connected to the engine. You can see the long piece of 1/16 music wire the control arms are temporarily attached to sticking out the bottom. I have cut a piece of music wire the proper length that will be used in the final assembly. Will probably leave the hole in the fuselage bottom open in case I ever need to remove the control horns. Last photo is a close up of the top control horn.

A Few additional notes....

The 4 slots through the fuselage are for wireties that will be used to hold the fuel tank on. I started using this method of mounting fuel tanks on profiles several airplanes ago and it has worked out so well I will continue to use it for any future profile builds. It allows mounting any kind of fuel tank on either side of the fuselage and the height is adjustable by simply putting balsa shims on the top or bottom of the tank.

I will be using 1/8 aluminum pads to mount the engine. The light ply doublers are cut out so the aluminum pads will sit directly on the hard wood motor mounts. The aluminum pads are pre-drilled for the blind nuts already installed and will be drilled for the engine. Engine is mounted with counter sunk 4-40 screws from the back side of the pads and held down with lock nuts. Again one of my standard profile engine mounting systems. Mainly it allows changing engines by simply drilling a new set of pads for whatever engine one wants to install.

Douglas Ames · « **Reply #55 on:** November 15, 2009, 10:18:24 AM »

Beautiful work Bob!
If you radius the inbd. tank mount holes on the one edge the Ty-wraps will lie flat against the fuse. Your universal mount pads are a great idea.

Bob Reeves · « **Reply #56 on:** November 16, 2009, 09:06:54 AM »

Today was rudder day and of course I had to make it harder than just gluing the darn thing on. Sat the rudder on for a test fit and started thinking, that's an awful large rudder and if this thing ever ends up on it's back that rudder ain't gonna survive. First I thought about sheeting it with 1/64 ply but that wouldn't help keep it attached to the fuselage.

I hadn't rounded off the leading edge yet so started thinking about putting a carbon tube on the leading edge. I could drill into the fuselage and let the carbon tube help support the rudder. Happen to have a carbon tube that was the same thickness (3/16) as the rudder and then discovered I had a 3/16 round Dremel bur. I set up my Dremel router table to cut a 3/16 channel in the leading edge of the rudder to accept the carbon tube. Easy enough, then drilled a hole in the fuselage at the proper angle.

The photo is a test fit of all the rudder pieces, which are now epoxied together and curing. The carbon tube is buried approximately two inches down into the fuselage. Thinking it's going to take a pretty healthy hit to break this rudder off...

Bob Reeves · « **Reply #57 on:** November 20, 2009, 08:22:44 AM »

Almost ready to start the finish. fillets are done and all controls except for the engine side of the throttle arm have been finished. The engine side photo is showing my temporary throttle link to see how the range of movement worked out. Have a couple questions but think I'll start another thread as they are generic and can apply to any 3 wire control.

Douglas Ames · « **Reply #58 on:** November 20, 2009, 08:57:59 AM »

Looks like you got the nose gear sorted out too. Removeable?
What are you using for the fillets? Any special tools for sanding the radius? (radius scraper?)
Looking forward to see how your going to do the markings.

Looks great!

catdaddy · « **Reply #59 on:** November 20, 2009, 09:48:02 AM »

Quote from: Douglas Ames on November 20, 2009, 08:57:59 AM

Looks like you got the nose gear sorted out too. Removeable?
What are you using for the fillets? Any special tools for sanding the radius? (radius scraper?)
Looking forward to see how your going to do the markings.

Looks great!

Looks like Super Fil on the fillets.
Looking great Bob. See you this weekend. I'm bringing my perry carb equipped TT 36

Bob Reeves · « **Reply #60 on:** November 20, 2009, 10:26:28 AM »

Quote from: Douglas Ames on November 20, 2009, 08:57:59 AM

Looks like you got the nose gear sorted out too. Removeable?
What are you using for the fillets? Any special tools for sanding the radius? (radius scraper?)
Looking forward to see how your going to do the markings.

Looks great!

Rick is correct the fillets are Superfill, available from Brodak in reasonable quantities. This is the first time I've used the stuff and think I like the old Epoxolight better. This doesn't seem to smooth out as well with the old finger/water trick but it might just be needing to learn it's quirks. Really curious as to it's sandability and strength. The wing fillet on a profile (in my book) is a structural load bearing surface and needs to be strong.

As it sits no sanding has been done on the fillets, the process of putting down fillets can take an hour Windy tape to fully explain, am sure there are several posts on it in the archives. I didn't do a detailed post on fillets as I thought I would just be repeating stuff that has already been posted.

Yep, nose wheel is removable, next time I have it upside down I'll try to remember to get a picture of how I did it. Not allot different than what you suggested.. A short landing gear block epoxied to the bottom of the motor mount with 2-56 blind nuts for hold down screws. The cover includes metal straps that actually secure the wire with four screws. It's a tad too long for good trike ground handling and will either have to bend another or get creative with the little Z bend I started.

Bob Reeves · « **Reply #61 on:** November 21, 2009, 03:23:47 PM »

Spent the day just finishing up a few details on the control system and making sure everything fits. Weighed it after I got everything together for what I hope is the last time before final assembly. 43 ounces without finish, tip weight or tail weight. I knew it was going to be heavy just wasn't sure how heavy.. Probably end up at around 48 ounces RTF, maybe closer to 50. No way is this thing going to be competitive but should be an attention getter, twice as big as any carrier airplane I ever heard of and with the weight to match it's size. That poor little Thunder Tiger has it's work cut out.

What I'm wondering is what will happen the first time I drop the hook and the flaps drop, the outboard aleron moves up and the rudder kicks out. Guess as long as it doesn't go into a flat spin I'll call it a sucess.. more or less..

Wayne J. Buran · « **Reply #62 on:** November 21, 2009, 04:17:57 PM »

You are going to hold your breath!
Wayne

catdaddy · « **Reply #63 on:** November 22, 2009, 02:23:47 PM »

Went over to Bob's today to set up the Perry carb on my TT 36. It's was a piece of cake. While I was there I took a photo of his way kewl ultra Hi-zoot carrier plane next to the simple little Brodak Bearcat that John Ashford built so you could get a sense of how big this plane is going to be, these planes are going to be using the same size motor. It'll be interesting to see the difference in speeds. While the Bearcat may be faster I'm betting Bob will be able to fly really slow with his plane.

Douglas Ames · « **Reply #64 on:** November 22, 2009, 03:39:11 PM »

What props are you going to run with these .36 TT's? Since they're not Stunters, would you load the engine with a high pitch prop or bigger dia.?

Catdaddy: Bearcats look good with the post-war Reserve markings, good contrast- Orange/ Sea Blue.

Bob Reeves · « **Reply #65 on:** November 22, 2009, 03:53:36 PM »

Good question, the recommended carrier prop for the TT 36 is an APC 9-6. Because the FJ is so big (never let a stunt guy design a carrier airplane) I might try a 10-6.. If I end up with a Saito 56 on the nose I will try something like a 10-8 or 10-9..

Bob Reeves · « **Reply #66 on:** November 23, 2009, 01:41:18 PM »

Today the finishing process started, Covered everything but the fuselage with SLC covering from the Core House. Will put carbon Vail on the fuselage and rudder. Finish is going to be Brodak dope over SLC and carbon. This is the first time I've painted SLC directly, before I covered it with a layer of silkspan. Decided to do away with the silkspan and hopfully save a couple ounces. More details and photos probably tomorrow...

Douglas Ames · « **Reply #67 on:** November 23, 2009, 09:44:13 PM »

Is Dope compatible with that SLC? (dope solvents)

Are you guys gonna run tuned exhausts on your TT 36's?

I'm down to engine fit and fuel sys., then finish...Lee needs to catch up!

Bob Reeves · « **Reply #68 on:** November 24, 2009, 05:03:29 AM »

Quote from: Douglas Ames on November 23, 2009, 09:44:13 PM

Is Dope compatible with that SLC? (dope solvents)

Are you guys gonna run tuned exhausts on your TT 36's?

I'm down to engine fit and fuel sys., then finish...Lee needs to catch up!

Supose to be compatible with any thing we use on models, when I put silkspan over it I use Brodak Butrate.

We put a MACS pipe on a TT on the test stand and it lost RPM, besides I don't think pipes are legal.

Bob Reeves · « **Reply #69 on:** November 24, 2009, 06:04:08 AM »

Well the finish starts...

First I covered everything except the fuselage and Rudder with SLC from the Core House. Have a problem with SLC trying to go around compound curves, when I try the heat and stretch trick I tear it and it doesn't shrink enough to take up all the wrinkles. My solution (like on the wing tips) is to just do the best I can then cut the wrinkles off with a razor blade. I then put a coat of Z-Poxy finishing resin on the edges and over any bare wood. Before it sets up I wipe it with a paper towel to get rid of any excess. When it cures it will get lightly sanded then sprayed with Duplicator sandable primer. This will hide the edges and fill the grain of the balsa. I wouldn't do a large area like this as epoxy and primer can get heavy quick.

Once everything is covered I focus on the fillets. First they need to be sanded to remove any glaze left from the curing process. This not only smooths them out a bit but gives the primer coat a rough surface to grab onto. You can see in the photo a couple sanding blocks I've made for this operation. You cannot just wrap sand paper around your finger, if you do you will create divots in the balsa next to the fillets.

Next step is probably the most important step when it comes to finishing fillets. Brush on a coat of Brodak White Primer. This will stick to the fillet and almost eliminate any tendency for the finish to lift and create dreaded fillet bubbles. Got this trick off a Windy video and have not had a single problem with lifting fillets since I started doing it. Only exception was I once got in a hurry and ended up putting a coat of clear dope over Aeropoxy fillets before I brushed on the primer. This was a real bad thing to do and I paid for it by having to sand completely down to the fillets and start over.

I extend the primer out far enough to cover the SLC seam. This will seal the grain and end of the covering, I also do this when I use Monokote with a painted fuselage. When I paint the fuselage I paint out over the covering edge.

When all this cures I'll cover the fuselage with carbon. I could use SLC on the fuselage but due to the many compound curves and the concave joint simulating the FJ's razor back, carbon veil with filler will be a better choice.

david smith · « **Reply #70 on:** November 24, 2009, 09:59:25 AM »

Quote

We put a MACS pipe on a TT on the test stand and it lost RPM, besides I don't think pipes are legal.

They are but you are limited to 10% nitro.

Do you just paint right over the SLC? Or is there another step? I have never used it but have heard of quite a few people that have and liked it.

David

Bob Reeves · « **Reply #71 on:** November 24, 2009, 02:25:08 PM »

Quote from: david smith on November 24, 2009, 09:59:25 AM

They are but you are limited to 10% nitro.

Do you just paint right over the SLC? Or is there another step? I have never used it but have heard of quite a few people that have and liked it.

David

That's the plan, hope it works. Before I've always covered it with silkspan but this time I'm going to try to paint dope directly over the SLC. Steve Moon has finished several stunt ships like this except with auto paint. I'll scotch bright the SLC before painting, my main fear is pulling up paint when I mask for the lettering.

john e. holliday · « **Reply #72 on:** November 24, 2009, 05:10:22 PM »

If you scuff up the SLC there is no problem.

Bob Reeves · « **Reply #73 on:** November 25, 2009, 09:11:14 AM »

Today I covered the fuselage with .2oz carbon veil ordered from Aerospace Composets. First I used the template I made for the wing cut out to make a cutout for the wing in the carbon. I use disposable razor blades for most of the trim work as they will get dope on them during trimming and carbon is rough on sharp edges. When they quit cutting I just throw it away and grab another.

The piece is them cut off the roll and laid on the fuselage. I start doping it down at the nose and work my way back. You can see in the second photo it's about 1/2 way stuck down. I don't worry about areas that aren't covered at this time, I'll come back and get those with scraps I trim off as I'm covering. Also don't be concerned with overlaps they will get blended in during the filling sanding stages.

3rd photo showed the first piece all doped down and some of the trimming is done. I wanted to double up over the bellcrank mount and also put a small piece over the brass tube for my tail hook release. I just used the piece I cut out for the wing, trimmed and stuck it down over the bellcrank mount.

Once this side is dry enough to be able to trim the edges I can start on the other side..

Bob Reeves · « **Reply #74 on:** November 25, 2009, 09:28:51 AM »

Now have the first pieces on both sides and while I'm waiting for the second side to dry I can do the rudder and patches on the first side. In the first photo you can see how nice the carbon laid down into the convex curves of the fuselage. I don't worry too much about covering fillets unless the carbon completely bridges the fillet like it does on this rudder. When this happens I cheat by running a razor blade down the fillet to cut the carbon. the cut will get filled when I start smearing on filler and helps prevent the carbon from pulling up and creating a bubble.

Last photo is showing it all covered and drying. After I get 3 or 4 coats of dope on I'll lightly sand the overlaps to start blending them in, add another couple coats of dope then start filling with corn starch mixed with clear dope. I've tried talc, corn starch and Zinc Sterate and Corn Starch is by far the best filler to use over carbon. Zinc Sterate just doesn't fill the weave and talc is much heavier than corn starch.

Well now the drudgery begins, dope, dope, dope, sand, dope, sand, fill, sand, fill, sand.... Might be a few days before I make another post unless someone has any questions....

Balsa Butcher · « **Reply #75 on:** November 25, 2009, 05:08:11 PM »

Bob: I'm enjoying your project. RE: Superfil - use alcohol instead of the water to shape before curing. With alcohol it will smooth out very similar to what Sig Epoxy-Lite does with water but is much easier to sand. I like it. Also, thanks for the tip on cornstarch vs Zinc Sterate on CF. I've been having trouble getting the CF on the flaps of my current project (s) to smooth out w/ Zinc Sterate filler. Gonna try the cornstarch mix.

john e. holliday · « **Reply #76 on:** November 26, 2009, 09:14:07 AM »

Rusty Bown told me the secret to filling carbon fiber. Don't blow the dust off after sanding. Just dope it.

Bob Reeves · « **Reply #77 on:** November 29, 2009, 05:49:12 AM »

I'm tired of sanding but getting there, no pictures right now it's too ugly. Getting concerned about dopes stick ability directly over SLC covering. Some filler (clear with Corn starch) has slopped over onto the SLC and it will flake right off. Understand the filler will make it less sticky but it's worrying me enough to take another approach.

This will add a little more weight but maybe not that much. DupliColor primer seems to stick very well to SLC, have decided to spray the primer in a very light coat over everything that is SLC. If not using dope all you need to spray is the seams and edges but I'm thinking a dust coat of primer will help the dope stick and not add that much weight.

Using the rudder as a test piece I have sprayed it with primer, sanded lightly with 400 and painted it with white Brodak dope. Tomorrow when the dope is dry I'll mask off the black diamonds, paint them and see if I can remove the mask without pulling up any white. If it passes this test I'll be a happy camper..

The good part is 90% of what will get masked is on the fuselage which is over carbon and I know I won't have any lifting problems on the fuselage...

john e. holliday · « **Reply #78 on:** November 29, 2009, 01:15:45 PM »

That is one thing they forgot to tell us. No filler of anykind in the clear dope. I may bring it to Tulsa sometime, but I tried that on the Circus Prince. It is not pretty as some flaked off and the rest wont budge.

Bob Reeves · « **Reply #79 on:** November 30, 2009, 08:27:43 AM »

Well... The test piece failed the pull test.. It was mostly OK and if I would have waited another day to let the white dry better and used a hair dryer when I pulled the mask it would have probably been OK. I would say it's about the same as using silver as a blocking coat, you can do it but you have to be very careful when pulling up your mask or you will take it right down to the silver.. I'm kinda committed on this airplane as I already have everything covered with SLC.

I'll go ahead with plan A mainly because what little masking I need to do over the SLC but in the future if I use dope and SLC I'll put silkspan over the SLC before I paint. Kinda like the choice to use polar grey instead of silver because you have a much better chance of not pulling the finish up with your mask or tape.

I'll just strip the SLC off the rudder, recover it and start over. Not really a big deal but if this would have happened on a top wing panel it would be much more work to fix.

Bob Reeves · « **Reply #80 on:** November 30, 2009, 10:17:11 AM »

Well I'll be.... Went to the auto parts store to pick up a can of white Duplicolor primer and ran across a can that's labled "Adhesion Promoter". Says " Improves adhesion of all paints. Quick dry clear primer. Idea for automotive plastics." It's also by Duplicolor, in fine print says "Ideal for plastics, fiberglass and bumpers." Couldn't help but buy a can, may just be THE solution to dope over SLC.

Bob Reeves · « **Reply #81 on:** December 01, 2009, 04:32:36 PM »

Still sanding.. between other projects, when I get sick of sanding I go work on something else for a while. Today I literally peeled the dope off the rudder. With the help of a few pieces of regular masking tape it came right off. In one way this made it easier in another wished it hadn't been so easy. Most of the Duplicator primer I sprayed on also came off so looks like the Sandable primer doesn't stick to SLC any better than straight dope.

Tomorrow I'll do a test with the can of Adhesion Promoter and see what it does. If it doesn't work I may end up at least covering the wings with silkspan. I can just visualize the paint comming off the wings in sheets a year down the road.

david smith · « **Reply #82 on:** December 01, 2009, 06:04:51 PM »

The adhesion promoter should help the paint stick just follow the directions if it says wait between coats then wait, dont try to rush it. I have not used the duplicolor brand but it should work like any other. I have used Sherwin Williams, Kent, and Five Star and they are all about the same. If you still have problems then try to find some epoxy primer(non sandable) to put on before paint. That should help. You can even start with adhesion promoter then the epoxy, then paint, that is what we do at work for plastic bumpers.

What is the surface scuffed or sanded with? I havent used the SLC but probably a Red Scotch Brite pad would be enough to scuff it as long as the shine is gone. One more thing are you wiping the surface down before paint? Because if not then that could be part of the problem, there could be some grease or even oil from your hands that you dont see that could cause the peeling. Some kind of wax and grease remover should work. Im not sure if a regular auto parts place has that or if you might have to go to a automotive paint store.

Well hope this helps, GREAT looking plane cant wait to see some "in action " pictures. Good luck!

David

Bob Reeves · « **Reply #83 on:** December 02, 2009, 02:47:39 AM »

Thanks David,

Used a green scotch bright and wiped it down with acetone before I painted. Discovered you can't use any form of prepsol or degreaser on the primer, it will take it right off. Just careful not to touch or use Windex before painting.

david smith · « **Reply #84 on:** December 02, 2009, 02:58:09 PM »

Yeah usually prepsol will take off spray paint, I forgot to say that earlier. The green should be fine.

Quote

Just careful not to touch or use Windex before painting.

Same goes for anything with silicone, I have seen that ruin a paint job a few times.

Bob Reeves · « **Reply #85 on:** December 08, 2009, 10:28:40 AM »

Been a little while, filling and sanding doesn't justify posts so waited till it was starting to look like something. This morning I masked off everything that needed black and shot it with an air brush. I'm lucky enough to have a small vinyl cutter purchased in another life so cutting all the masks was fairly easy but time consuming.

Have quite a bit of detail work yet to do and have to fix my screw up.. Had my air brush hose where it shouldn't have been, tripped over it and pulled the airbrush along with a jar of lacquer thinner off the bench, no harm except the thinner splashed on the airplane leaving spots all over it. The good part is they sand right out with 1200 and once the clear is on probably won't be any major buggers.. Just a PTA having to deal with something that shouldn't have happened.

Douglas Ames · « **Reply #86 on:** December 08, 2009, 04:05:40 PM »

Lookin' good Bob.
What are you using for fine masking tape? ..or is in a sheet form you cut out?

Bob Reeves · « **Reply #87 on:** December 08, 2009, 04:31:08 PM »

Most of it was done with vinyl specifically for cutting masks with a vinyl cutter. Comes in rolls and for my cutter it's 8 inches wide. The cutter will only cut 6 inches but that's fine for what we do. For general masking I like the green fine line masking tape made by 3M, have to get it at an auto paint store. I try to keep 1/4 and 1/8 inch around for things like the canopy.

I bought a roll of 1/4 blue 3M but don't like it as well as the green. It's probably better for going around corners but the roll has shriveled up from the summer heat in my shop. Never had that problem with green, next time I'll go back to green.

Larry Fulwider · « **Reply #88 on:** December 09, 2009, 12:20:01 PM »

Quote from: david smith on December 01, 2009, 06:04:51 PM

The adhesion promoter should help the paint stick just follow the directions if it says wait between coats then wait, dont try to rush it. I have not used the duplicolor brand but it should work like any other. . . .

. . .

David

Great thread! I'll probably never fly carrier, but I learned two very valuable things here that have nothing to do with carrier.

Bob's method of punching out foam wings for graphite rods is a lot slicker than the way I was doing it. Thanks!

Dave's tips on painting SLC are brand new (at least to me). And, applies to other things (painting wheels, prop tips, and more).

Thanks to you both

Larry Fulwider

Chris McMillin · « **Reply #89 on:** December 09, 2009, 02:58:20 PM »

Great looking finish there, Bob. I like this model a lot, really has the flavor of Navy carrier.
Chris...

Bob Reeves · « **Reply #90 on:** December 25, 2009, 08:01:47 AM »

Finally almost finished.. With all the hardware, 2 ounces of tail weight and an ounce of tip weight it's 47 ounces. I knew it was going to be heavy (compaired to a stunt ship) but I didn't hold any punches on trying to make it strong enough to take a pounding.

Don't think I'll be doing any more panel lines. Spent 5 days on what looks like it might have taken a couple hours and finally just said that's enough and squirted clear on the durn thing. Still have to work on the carb to get the engine running without pressure, hook up the fuel lines and make the flying lines.

Looking forward to seeing if it will fly...

Douglas Ames · « **Reply #91 on:** December 25, 2009, 09:13:07 AM »

That's Gorgeous!! Look forward to seeing it fly.
Hope it inspires other Carrier Modelers to try different designs an engine combos.

How did you figure the CG? Swept wings can be a head scratcher.

Bob Reeves · « **Reply #92 on:** December 25, 2009, 09:30:36 AM »

First time I figured the CG, I drew the wing in autoCAD and let it calculate the area, then I just started drawing triangles on the wing at the root till I had one that was 20% of the area. This put the CG about 7 1/4 inches behind the leading edge at the root.

Second time I used the calculator here http://www.palosrc.com/instructors/mac.htm to find the actual MAC and CG of the wing. Both figures were withen 1/2 inch so I split the difference. It's a little behind my guesstimate and a little forward of the calculation. Final location yet to be determined...

Wayne J. Buran · « **Reply #93 on:** December 25, 2009, 08:11:25 PM »

Very nice Bob. Will look great coming or going on a deck.
Thanks
Wayne

Paul Smith · « **Reply #94 on:** December 26, 2009, 04:49:05 AM »

Great looking plane. Too bad it doesn't really fit into any event. The Jet Age began in about 1944. That's about 60% of the history of aviation. We need a classs just for "jets with props on the front". Your plane is a good start.

Douglas Ames · « **Reply #95 on:** December 26, 2009, 07:55:07 AM »

Quote from: Paul Smith on December 26, 2009, 04:49:05 AM

Too bad it doesn't really fit into any event.

Don't understand the above quote. This model "fits" within the rules of AMA Carrier-Profile. Nothing in the rule book that says "Model must be powered by the same type engine as original".
The guys flying XF5U Flapjacks are entering in Profile even though it could be considered a Class I model, and this prototype aircraft never left the ground?
What about the A2D Skyshark? It may be prop driven but it had a Turbine driving it!

Will a Jet engine strapped on a Guardian meet the 4# limit? (Rule 1 & 3.4.1)

You could at least wait till we at Tulsa Gluedobbers finish our Carrier deck before you fire a shot across our bow.

-Just kidding...

john e. holliday · « **Reply #96 on:** December 26, 2009, 11:44:35 AM »

Bob, I hope it flies as well as it looks. Just don't beat me too bad in profile. As in racing it is not the fastest that always wins or even the slowest as in carrier. I beat Melvin one year when he couldn't get a landing. Need to get my planes out as soon as the snow disappears and the temps come up.

skyshark58 · « **Reply #97 on:** December 26, 2009, 11:47:50 AM »

FYI Most people don't realise that the A2D Skyshark was powered by a power pack consisting of two Allison XT40 turbines mated to a common gear box to turn the two counter rotating Aeroproducts prorellers.It was actually a twin engine aircraft! Mike

john e. holliday · « **Reply #98 on:** December 26, 2009, 11:52:12 AM »

Didn't have the money for the one kit that went on the bay. Too bad Sterling didn't wait until final rules for the profile version. Also does this mean the Skyshark didn't have a piston engine?

Bob Reeves · « **Reply #99 on:** December 26, 2009, 12:21:02 PM »

Quote from: Paul Smith on December 26, 2009, 04:49:05 AM

Great looking plane. Too bad it doesn't really fit into any event. The Jet Age began in about 1944. That's about 60% of the history of aviation. We need a classs just for "jets with props on the front". Your plane is a good start.

Ya I really wanted to build an A4 but just couldn't justify an electric ducted fan for an airplane that might get flown 6 times a year. I don't care for jets with props either but it's the only affordable solution when your only hands on experience was with jets and you want to build a model of something you actually worked on. Bet very few carrier entries are something the pilot actually has first hand experience with the real thing.

When I started this project I didn't plan on being competitive, if I wanted to win I'd built an MO1 like everybody else. It's too big, it's too heavy, it won't prop hang but it's what I wanted and certainly cool....

I appreciate all those that help me make this a reality, Lee Thiel who made it possible for me to get a TT 36 for 60 bucks. Tom Martin who donated 4 pound balsa used to sheet the wing all those on the forums that answered my silly questions.. Thanks...