Oriental Plus building (New pics 11/30)

[Matt Colan]

Matt can you post some pics of the pipe tunnel. That is very interesting idea.

Yeah, I'll try to post pics tomorrow, since once again, I had to get back home for dinner.

Today, we cut off the excess plywood, and now have a nice looking pipe tunnel.  We spent about an hour thinking of ways to mount the landing gear because in order to clear a plastic tank, we had to go from a 1 inch header to a 1 1/4 inch header, and now the normal landing gear mount isn't any good.  We thought of trying the chipmunk landing gear, but that wasn't any good, the normal landing gear is too narrow because we widened the fuselage for our original plan to power this plane with an OPS 40.  We ended up deciding to use SV-11 landing gear from Vic Macaluso's SV-11.  It has a wider stance and is wider where you mount the landing gear.  I'm also going to use the fiberglass SV-11 wheelpants for this plane also, so it'll have an original twist to it.

I also got the tail block on and am somewhat ready to glue the rudder on.

[Matt Colan]

Ok here is a couple pics of the pipe tunnel, I'll provide more details when I get home after dinner but they should be pretty self explanitory

[Matt Colan]

Ok here is how I made the pipe tunnel.  1/64 plywood flexes very easily so you can wrap it around into a tunnel with very little trouble.  We marked the length of the pipe tunnel, and cut the plywood.  Then we just wrapped it around nothing, placed it in the fuselage and tack glued it in the front former and a piece of wood we glued on the wing.  When the glue was dry, I ran Elmer's white glue where the plywood joins the fuselage sides, let it dry and cut the excess off.  And there you go, a pipe tunnel.  Grandpa got this idea from Vic Macaluso who passed it on to me.

Today we spent quite a while making up the landing gear platform, where we have a hole for the pipe and then 3/8 clearance from there up.  Didn't get to mounting the gear yet since it actually took quite awhile.

[steve pagano]

Hi Matt


   Lookin real good !!!

[Bryan Higgins]

Looking good Matt , It should be a good flyer.

[john e. holliday]

Ditto on the looking good.  It is amazing how much time can be spent on something simple.

[steve pagano]

     Makes me wanna start building again!!!!!  But im drowning in work and school
Any chance you'll be at Flushing next season ?

[Matt Colan]

     Makes me wanna start building again!!!!!  But im drowning in work and school
Any chance you'll be at Flushing next season ?

Hi Steve,

We may go to Flushing if the contest falls on the same weekend as the Jones Beach Air Show, which is how we went last year, but didn't go this year.

Hopefully the contest is on the same weekend as the airshow, then chances are we'd make a trip down there.

[Matt Colan]

Spent tonight working on the landing gear, aluminum shavings were all over my hands.  Just trying to dress up this one bad spot, got it pretty good now.  Also I watched, Beyond the Sea, the Bobby Darin story.

[Matt Colan]

Update: mounted the landing gear, cut the canopy and slid the rudder on and took some pictures.  I'm at home now, so I can't post them unless Windy fowards them to me so I can post them.

[Dennis Adamisin]

Keep pluggin away at it Matt!  and keep those pix coming...

[Matt Colan]

On Saturday, I estimated the weight of the Oriental Plus and the mainframe weighs 27 ounces.  Figure 8 ounces for the motor, another 3 for the header and pipe, 1 for the plastic tank, and ~2 ounces for the landing gear would put the weight of this airplane at...

41 ounces!!!!!  That is with everything covered in silkspan (on the mainframe that is).  Still need to do the fillets and make the cowl.  I am so excited that the plane is that light, I would definitely be able to put a great finish on that airplane and not worry much about weight.  I've been aiming for 48 ounces, and think 46 ounces is easily attainable!

[Matt Colan]

Ok New pics finally!!!  Since these pictures were taken, I've made the tailwheel, and got the bottom together, the fillets are on, and I was starting to work on cockpit detailing yesterday.

I apologize for the pictures to be a bit on the blurry side, but it is the way it is.

Enjoy the pics  

Edit:  I will be starting a new thread on the finishing of this airplane in the painting and finishing section since I'm not building really building the airplane anymore if you know what I mean

[stephen hollier]

Looking good!! Keep up the good work!!

[Matt Colan]

Looking good!! Keep up the good work!!

Thanks Stephen, any update on yours?

[stephen hollier]

I just returned working on it. I broke my foot so I have been down for quite a while. I will keep you posted on my progress.

[Derek Barry]

Looks good Matt, Very impressive building skills.

[Matt Colan]

Looks good Matt, Very impressive building skills.

Thanks Derek, still learning but I'm getting there!!