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Author Topic: 2019 build for the Ringmaster Fly-A-Thon  (Read 1351 times)

Offline Mark Mc

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2019 build for the Ringmaster Fly-A-Thon
« on: October 06, 2019, 12:42:47 AM »
Okay, the Fly-A-Thon snuck up on me this year.  Someone mentioned it over on the CEF last Monday, and I realized that I hadn't built a plane for the F-A-T this year.  So, I threw this together real quick.  Due to family and work, I didn’t get to play much with this other than throwing it together.  Due to weather and stuff, I wasn't able to fly today, and probably won’t tomorrow, so I have a couple of things I didn’t hurry to finish off.   But I should find time to fly next weekend for the rain-out date for the RM Fly-A-Thon.

This is for a Cox PeeWee engine, so it's smaller than your Mother's Beginner's Ringmaster.  Initially, I drew out a wing with a wingspan of 16 inches.  That looked too small.  So I drew out a wing with an 18 inch wingspan.  Well, maybe for a TD .020 engine, but I don’t think for a PeeWee.  So 17 inches it is.  That gives a wing area of just under 70 sq.in.

First I cut out all the wood and made a kit:




Fast forward about four hours, and you get this:








I still have to calculate where I want the leadout guide, but that’ll only take a few minutes to install.  I just got my CEF .020 backplate yesterday evening, so I initially built this with one of my Skycopter conversions, but now I’ll go back and retrofit with the CEF Cox .020 backplate before I fly it.  Man! I LOVE these little backplates! (see the thread here: https://www.coxengineforum.com/t12638-pee-wee-horseshoe-back-plate).  I may even have some time to make a checkerboard trim for the wing.

Oh, what is it called?  Since a Beginner’s Ringmaster is .049 powered, I call this my “Beginner’s Little Brother’s Ringmaster”.  I plan to fly it on 20' lines for a start, and adjust as necessary.

Mark

Offline 944_Jim

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Re: 2019 build for the Ringmaster Fly-A-Thon
« Reply #1 on: October 06, 2019, 05:57:00 AM »
Mark, that's awesome!
So how do you get the iron on coating to closely follow the edges of the plywood doublers so tightly?
What size tank is that...1/4 oz?
What length lines are you planning on?
I'm looking forward to a flight report.

Offline goozgog

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Re: 2019 build for the Ringmaster Fly-A-Thon
« Reply #2 on: October 06, 2019, 06:55:40 AM »
Looks fun Mark. y1

If you called it the
"Beginner's Little Trainer Ringmaster"
It would be a BLT.

Hold the mayo.

Cheers! - K.
Keith Morgan

Offline 944_Jim

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Re: 2019 build for the Ringmaster Fly-A-Thon
« Reply #3 on: October 06, 2019, 08:41:24 AM »
If you called it the
"Beginner's Little Trainer Ringmaster"
It would be a BLT.

Cheers! - K.

That's funny!

Offline Dave Hull

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Re: 2019 build for the Ringmaster Fly-A-Thon
« Reply #4 on: October 06, 2019, 10:48:22 PM »
McMark,

If 16" is too small and 18" is too big....man, that's cutting it close! I might be off that much just from sanding....

How you could get it together that quick is pretty amazing. If you handed me the finished wing, I might be able to install the bellcrank in those same four hours. As long as I didn't have to bend the pushrod, too...

Nice job!

McSlow

Offline Allen Eshleman

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Re: 2019 build for the Ringmaster Fly-A-Thon
« Reply #5 on: October 13, 2019, 06:43:04 PM »
Did you fly it this weekend?  If so, how did it go?

Offline Mark Mc

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Re: 2019 build for the Ringmaster Fly-A-Thon
« Reply #6 on: October 18, 2019, 12:29:13 AM »
Did you fly it this weekend?  If so, how did it go?

Allen,

Unfortunately, it was a bad weekend.  No rain, but lots of wind at the field.  Windy enough that no one else showed up at the field.  Even if there were someone there to give me a running hand launch, I doubt that I would have tried to fly it.  At a finished weight of only 3.35 ounces, the slightest breeze would have tossed it, let alone the gusty wind we had.  If I'd tried to fly it, it would have come home broken.

Mark

Offline Mark Mc

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Re: 2019 build for the Ringmaster Fly-A-Thon
« Reply #7 on: October 18, 2019, 12:42:37 AM »
So how do you get the iron on coating to closely follow the edges of the plywood doublers so tightly?
What size tank is that...1/4 oz?
What length lines are you planning on?

Jim,  the ply doublers are only 16" ply, and the edges are feathered pretty well.  To iron the covering, I first iron down the Monokote to the middle of the fuselage side, then run the iron aft to the back of the fuselage.  Then I iron the covering down, pulling the covering forward and pushing the iron tip firmly against the joint of the balsa and the doubler.  Once the covering is tight against the edge of the doubler, I wait a couple of minutes to let the covering cool thoroughly to ensure it's adhered to the balsa.  Then I just work the iron forward over the doubler. 






The tank is one that just happened to be sitting on the bench, left over from a cleaning kick I was on.  Probably the smallest tank I have, but I don't know what the capacity is.  The lines I have made up are 20' lines.

Mark


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