Toronto Electric Model Aviation Club Forum

Well, after about ten years of very persistent nagging ... err ... I mean encouragement ... from Rob, (Pike) I've finally bit the bullet and committed to actually building a balsa/ply model.  ;D  I'm excited and nervous at the same time ... nervous because I suspect that this is going to be my most challenging build to date ... simply because its just that ... an actual "build".  :)

The Typhoon which was my most complex build to date was a fiberglass kit which is basically made up of a ready made fuse and wings etc that you have to (in this case) sheet and fiberglass. I have fairly extensive experience with fiberglassing etc so that was not a huge challenge. However I have never build a Balsa model and have never really built anything off of plans.

Having said that I'm gonna call this my CL-415 accountability thread as opposed to a build thread.  This is strictly to keep me on track!  ;D  I'm also gonna use this as my practice build because after this is done I'm gonna be building the plane I'm really excited about! A Grumman HU-16B Albatross.   

I know building two kit planes over the winter is an ambitious plan (those who have followed my Typhoon thread may recall how long that took!) but hey nothing ventured nothing gained, right? Rob has kindly offered to help out with the CL-415 build in terms of advice and problem solving etc so if it turns out like crap ... its all HIS fault! lol!

Colin

P.S. This coming week I hope to button up the Typhoon's repairs so that from next week my workbench will be cleared in preparation for this build.     

P.P.S Pics show the actual planes (CL-415 and Albatross) that I'll be attempting to replicate with my models.  I hope to go super scale on the Albatross since it's my understanding that the kit is very true to scale.  The waterbomber will be 72 inch span and the Albatross 100".
 

Your Albatross will make you TEMAC's reigning Jimmy Buffet (or is his a Widgeon?)...very cool choices!..

We spent a couple of hours on Saturday night looking over the plans.  I think I pee'd a bit from laughing so hard.

I don't know what got into Colin's head, but I'm very happy to see that he wants to discover the immense satisfaction gained from building his own models AND he's chosen a couple of awesome flying boats.   I've brought him up well  ;D

Yeah that was fun even though the plans looked like complete gibberish to me! This will surely be "interesting". lol!  Anyways, found a cool vid with the Albie starting up etc ... kinda puts the scale of the beast into perspective.

Colin

http://youtu.be/mOBfR4jYoNc (http://youtu.be/mOBfR4jYoNc)

Dramatic!

Grumman Albatross on Lake Tahoe (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-_Vt9fOr3Hg#)

how about this ;)

Finally! I'm attempting to start.  ;D After a million other things got in the way and the desire to repair the Typhoon before starting something new, I've finally cleared the workbench and pinned the plans for the CL-415 to it. As you can see I've got my box of "bits" and my extra "wood". (which Rob had graciously helped me to select!)

I've decided that its either gonna be Tanker #272 (earlier pic) or #275 shown here. Don't have to decide that til the end though since the only difference for all practical intents and purposes is just the color scheme.

It's funny how after ten years doing this I STILL have NO sense of how long a project will actually take and I always make overly ambitious goals.  I remember Rob laughing when I told him that I intend to finish BOTH this plane and the Albatross in time for this coming season, and thinking that it was quite doable.  Then I remembered that I started the Typhoon back in 2010 I believe and it was on only last year that I got it to the "flyable" stage and it still has a lot of work (mostly cosmetic like painting/weathering etc) to be done!  :o

Having said that I would like to get this done by mid March so I have just under 8 weeks.  ;)  But here's the thing ... this is the first time EVER that I'm attempting to build a balsa "kit" and which one do I pick?  Not only is it a short kit but it has absolutely no instructions!  ::) lol! I look at the plans and its like looking at gibberish!  I have no clue how to read the three dimensional aspect of these plans ... thankfully Rob has been a great help in giving me some understanding as to how things should go.

Again just like any other thread that I've done, this is primarily for keeping me on track and accountable.  However I welcome ALL comments and suggestions cause I'm betting I'll need all the help I can get!  ;D

Colin     

P.S. Couldn't resist adding a pic of my 6 month old daughter's expression when she heard that Daddy was gonna be spending even MORE time on planes! For some reason her face does not jive with the apparent "thumbs up" that she's giving me! lol!

Was that a thumbs up, Colin? Or is she just imagining what it would be like holding the transmitter, flying your CL415!  I think the latter!  ;)

Beautiful daughter, way to go.

Start with something simple like a stab or rudder.
Check out another build blog to see how they tackled it .
Try RCCanada someone may have instructions and might scan them for you.

Jack.

That's a "Yes Daddy!  You can do it!!!"    ;D

Thanks guys! Here's a cool "unofficial" tour of Tanker 271.

Colin

http://youtu.be/kz5hW2y8tu8 (http://youtu.be/kz5hW2y8tu8)

Well, I might be slow but I'm getting some stuff done!  Hard to do stuff when you have to wait for kids' naps. ;)  Framed up the fuse and cut out my bulkheads.

Colin

Excellent!  I was just about to ask where the pictures were.  You promised to post last night  ;D

The frameworks looks good to me! Very nicely done.  The next step is the fun part where the flat structures start to take the shape of the fuselage.

Quote from: wollins on January 18, 2014, 11:55:48 PM
P.S. Couldn't resist adding a pic of my 6 month old daughter's expression when she heard that Daddy was gonna be spending even MORE time on planes! For some reason her face does not jive with the apparent "thumbs up" that she's giving me! lol!

She's beautiful Colin.  Very scale looking.  And the covering job is excellent.  I'd say she's your best work to date!!  Bravo! 
Your CL-415 should be a piece of cake now!!   Good luck on the build.   (Allow 9 months!) :D

Andy

While in the Navy, Fleet Air Arm at naval air station Shearwater, I had a flight in an RCAF Albatros, and water landing in Halifax Harbour, Eastern Passage. I was surprised at how low in the water the aircraft sat. Very exciting.

Matlow

Got a little more done tonight.  :)

Colin

Fascinating structure Colin.  I'm only just starting to build and have not encountered anything like this before.  It reminds me of the "strut & tie" suspension bridges that we used to build in high school Technology lessons.

I find it amazing that (please don't take offence) a rather stick like structure will eventually withstand the stresses and loads that flying and landing places on our models. It fascinates me, completely.

Please, please, please keep the photos coming.  I cant wait to see it become an aircraft.

S

Quote from: sihinch on January 22, 2014, 09:00:32 AM
Fascinating structure Colin.  I'm only just starting to build and have not encountered anything like this before.  It reminds me of the "strut & tie" suspension bridges that we used to build in high school Technology lessons.

I find it amazing that (please don't take offence) a rather stick like structure will eventually withstand the stresses and loads that flying and landing places on our models. It fascinates me, completely.

Please, please, please keep the photos coming.  I cant wait to see it become an aircraft.

S

Offense?  Not at all ... I share the same view!  ;) It has always fascinated me as to how these structures can withstand any force whatsoever.  Keep in mind this is my very first build of this kind as well!  I'm accoustomed to building/flying "flying bricks" ... big heavy planes that "plow" through the sky as opposed to float around.

This sort of structure is especially fascinating when you actually build it yourself because you experience first hand how flimsy it is at the beginning and then how it gains rigidity and strength as the process goes on. Its all the magic of engineering. 

I'm actually quite enjoying it even though its a bear (for me) to "figure" out the plans.  I have a feeling that it'll come out awesome though! I have enough experience messing around with building and modifying so that even of I don't stick exactly according to the "plan" I'm confident that it'll still come out great.  Any changes or fudges I make can only make it stronger (since I tend to over engineer) and I have a LOT of leeway as regards to adding weight. 

This model tends to come out at 4.5lbs at 702sq inches of wing area giving it a wing cube loading of a measly 8.2.  That sounds like a kite to me! (or at least a trainer! lol!) I'm sorta basing my AUW goal on Rob's 215 which if I remember correctly (he can correct me if I'm wrong) has an AUW of between 6 and 7 pounds at roughly the same wing area.  (The planes are almost identical in specs) 

I'd like to come in at 6 pounds or below.  That gives me a LOT of room to play with for "extras" so I'm happy.
When I say extras I intend to sheet the entire fuse (as opposed to 3/4 that the plan calls for) and add some scale flaps. (the plane has none cause its so light) That's it ... I can't see that adding a lot of weight so my 6 lb limit is quite reasonable. (I hope)

Colin   

"Over engineering" should make it lighter, not heavier.   Under engineering would be the process of adding extra structure and weight to compensate for the fact that the real numbers and design principles are not known.   ;D

It IS very surprising how flimsy and weak the structure will seem at this point, but be very careful about beefing it up.  The weight and strength will gradually increase as the various parts and layers are added.  I'm actually quite concerned about the structural design of my Stanraer as it's quite beefy already.

It is looking fantastic so far!  It almost looks like you know what you're doing!   :P

Quote from: piker on January 22, 2014, 10:34:39 AM

It is looking fantastic so far!  It almost looks like you know what you're doing!   :P

I don't ... but I've decided that I'm not gonna let that bother me.  ;D I was a bit stressed at first about the whole deciphering the plans thing but you know what?  I know what the end result should be so if I run into a snag I have no problem deviating a bit to get there.  At the end of the day it has to be strong and true, with a reasonable wingloading. It's just a model after all and I'm not gonna lose any sleep over it! lol!

I'm kinda liking working with balsa though ... its amazing how you can manipulate it.  There's a VERY difficult bend between the first and second bulkheads .... difficult because there isn't a lot of length to work with so the bend is somewhat acute (across the length that it has to bend) so what I've done was clamped it in (see pic in my last post) to the limit of its bendability (is that a word? lol) and then painted it with windex every half an hour or so ... then after a couple of applications I would tighten the clamp some more and then apply more windex etc etc ... after a few of these I got it to bend in quite nicely.  Kinda cool, still have a quarter inch more to go though so hopefully it won't break.

Colin

P.S. Turns out Jenna likes trains better ... when I try to tell her about the build this is what she does!  ;D

The reason this structure works so well is it's ability to spread a load throughout the structure by means of the interconnected pieces. That is why it is important to make all the joints well and have good contact where they are glued. The load will go to the weakest point and blow it apart rather than continue to dissipate throughout the structure.

Looking very good so does your model.

Jack.

I had a bit of time so I made a bit of progress. Still have a bunch to do on this fuse. Some cross bracing pieces, the cockpit area, (looks a bit challenging) the keel, the tail feathers and then sheeting.

Colin.

I know, I know ... another pic with my kids. It's only because they're "new" and I like em!  ;D

What a smile!!!  Good work there Colin and the plane is coming along too

Quote from: wollins on January 26, 2014, 11:45:08 PM
I had a bit of time so I made a bit of progress. Still have a bunch to do on this fuse. Some cross bracing pieces, the cockpit area, (looks a bit challenging) the keel, the tail feathers and then sheeting.

Colin.

I know, I know ... another pic with my kids. It's only because they're "new" and I like em!  ;D

She definitely looks like she is ready for the TEMAC Wings program.  (Now if we could just get Mike to come out to the field in winter we could start her next weekend!!)

Andy

Would you give over! You're like a frozen 'Pied Piper of Hamlin'.

We're wise to you. I'm calling you "Frostbite Freddy of TEMAC" from now on.

Anyone got a better name for Andy???

Jack.

You're brave trusting Mya with that delicate structure  ;D

It looks great!!!

How about "Arctic Andy"?

Quote from: piker on January 27, 2014, 02:03:23 PM
You're brave trusting Mya with that delicate structure  ;D

That's the thing though ... its not so delicate now.  I'm amazed as to how rigid it has become, and its not even sheeted yet!

Colin

P.S Besides Mya wouldn't damage my stuff ... she's a good kid.   ;D 

Quote from: Papa on January 27, 2014, 11:51:09 AM
Would you give over! You're like a frozen 'Pied Piper of Hamlin'.

We're wise to you. I'm calling you "Frostbite Freddy of TEMAC" from now on.

Anyone got a better name for Andy???

Jack.

I guess you can lead a horse to water (or ice), but you can't make him drink (or chew).   :D

The Ice Man Stayeth

Abominable Andy?!

Love the plane Colin, sorry we're vearing away from topic.  Seeing really makes me want to build something like that. It's so cool.

Quote from: sihinch on January 27, 2014, 03:09:59 PM
Abominable Andy?!

Love the plane Colin, sorry we're vearing away from topic.  Seeing really makes me want to build something like that. It's so cool.

Hmm.....  Abominable Andy ........   I think I kind of fancy that. 
It's sure to strike fear and trepidation in the very heart of Wolfman Jack!!

In your dreams. I like Robert Pike's "Arctic Andy"

Jack.

Igloo Andrew

You can't begin to know how very flattered I am that so many of you have invested the time and effort to demonstrate your considerable alliterative lingusitic talent in my honour.  I do hope to have the pleasure of your company at Rogo field this winter (Sunday's forecast is perfect!) so that I can show my deepest appreciation in person.   :D

Sincerely,

Andy "Ice Man" Hoffer

a.k.a "Arctic Andy", "Igloo Andrew"  (Mita really liked that one!),  "Abominable Andy" and "Frostbite Freddy"  !

Ok for all you BBs (balsa builders  ;)) out there ... what's the best method of gluing sheeting to an open frame?  I've only ever sheeted foam cores.  I've read that one method is to attach the sheeting to the main spars with wood glue, then once dry, use CA to attach the sheeting to the ribs. Additionally ... use wood glue for the leading edge where there will obviously be significant sanding and shaping going on.

But what/how do you guys recommend it to be done?

Colin

I used medium CA on the Northstar but it is tricky and you have to get it right the first time.

With a conventional wing I like to glue the sheet to the leading edge only to begin. I use wood glue. My glue of choice is a new LePage's Express wood glue. It drys in 10 minutes, is hard, clear and sands well. You can use weights, clamps or pins to hold it in place. My preference is for weights.

I like to leave it for a couple of hours or over night. I use a disposable brush, I buy them in packets of 20 in Princess Auto, to brush wood glue on the remaining areas and press the sheeting in place and then weigh it down until well dried. The label says 10 minutes but I like to leave it for a couple of hours. If the curve is excessive you can put a damp cloth on the sheeting, where it has to bend, for about 5 minutes before gluing to help it bend. Use a damp cloth not a wet one.

If possible cut the sheeting oversize and trim or sand to size after the glue has dried. I use a miniature block plane I bought in Lee Valley. It is set to a fine shave but it is amazing how fast it removes waste and saves an awful lot of sanding. http://www.leevalley.com/en/Wood/page.aspx?p=50232&cat=1,41182 (http://www.leevalley.com/en/Wood/page.aspx?p=50232&cat=1,41182)
The chisel plane is great for shaving wing seats etc.

Good luck.

Jack.

I use medium CA for sheeting, although it creates an urgent situation (ya gotta keep moving  :) )

For LE sheeting, I'll start at either the LE or spar and glue to that and the first inch or so of each rib,  after that is cured, I carefully peal back the sheeting and run CA down the rest of the rib edges and lay the sheet down.  Finally I glue along the last edge (either LE or spar) to finish off.  The same applies to full sheeted wings or, say, fuselage sheeting.  I glue an area of structure, with CA, that I figure I can handle within a reasonable period of time (say 30 seconds) then after the sheeting is started, I peel back and continue as usual.  Another option for your fuselage sheeting would be to attach the perimeter, then from the inside, wick in thin CA to the remaining frame pieces.

Quote from: piker on January 29, 2014, 01:27:58 PM
Another option for your fuselage sheeting would be to attach the perimeter, then from the inside, wick in thin CA to the remaining frame pieces.

Aha!  That's exactly what I was thinking! :)

Quote from: Papa on January 29, 2014, 12:39:12 PM
I use wood glue. My glue of choice is a new LePage's Express wood glue. It drys in 10 minutes, is hard, clear and sands well. You can use weights, clamps or pins to hold it in place. My preference is for weights.

Awesome info Jack, thanks!  Is the LePage Express a polyurethane glue? (does it foam/expand up when drying)

Colin

No it's a straight aliphatic white wood glue. It's almost as fast as some epoxies. Frank van Beurden has become a believer and is on his second bottle of the stuff.

You can use it on the fuselage sheeting but I hold it down with strips of rubber cut from old inner tubes from pedal bikes. They give you about 4 long strips about 3/4" wide which exert a considerable amount of pressure with just a small amount of tension.

Jack.

Ok got a little more done.  She's got her keel now and a wing saddle.

Colin

Starting to look like a plane. Looks really nice Colin.

Jack.

On gluing leading edge sheeting onto to an open framework.... similar to Jack, I typically use rubber bands at each rib fastened with pins at the front and rear and except for very robust frameworks, I do this with the framework pinned down to a building board so not to introduce a warp... not a lot pressure is needed... I use wood glue on ribs and like the open time wood glue provides to get all the clamping action in place.

Michael

Thanks Michael. 

Incidentally I popped what I've done so far on the scale and I'm blown away by how little it weighs. Obviously my astonishment is due to the fact that i'm not accustomed to this sort of build but hey it was a nice surprise.  To put things in perspective, the Esc alone in my Hawker Typhoon weighs almost as much! lol!

Colin   

Hey Colin,

That structure is looking great!  Good job.  Keep going.

BTW, I sent you a long text in answer to your plywood question, but it's not sending for some reason and I don't want to type all that on my phone again... so I thought I'd put the info here for you, and anyone else who may not be aware of the differences between Light Ply and Aircraft Ply.  Of course we're open to input with additional information and/or corrections   ;D

Light ply is that stuff that a lot of ARFs are made from and the stuff they make tangerine boxes out of... See below  :)  It has it's uses, but I never use it while building planes (unless it's part of a kit) because I prefer other, higher quality options.  I've only ever seen it in 1/8" thickness and it's that crappy plywood made up of only three ply's.  It's not very strong, but it's cheap and fairly light.  It's useful for making bulkheads/formers from, instead of balsa, as the problems associated with grain have been reduced (that's the point of plywood).  I say only reduced because it does still have a grain with the two primary, outer layers oriented in one direction with only the crappy middle layer at 90 degrees.  So it will still crack along it's grain with little effort.  I personally prefer to use either a home made balsa ply, with two layers of balsa at 90 degrees to each other, or a balsa core with very thin (1/64" or 1/32") aircraft ply on the outsides.  That way you get a strong, but fairly light former that also looks nice.   :)

Aircraft ply is the heavier, multiple layer, plywood that is made from much better wood, and it comes in many thicknesses.  You can tell the difference between it and the 1/8" light ply by counting the number of layers.  1/8" aircraft ply has 5 layers, Light ply only three.  Aircraft ply comes in various sizes, with the most useful sizes for us being 1/64", 1/32", 1/16" 1/8", and 1/4".  There may be other sizes in between, but I've never used them.  I never use the 1/4" ply.  If I need extra thickness, say for a firewall on a large model, or wing bolt anchors, or landing gear mounting plates, I simply double up the 1/8" that I always have on hand.  I use 1/8" for structural members like mounting plates, keels on flying boats, firewalls or supporting structures, etc.  It's quite heavy so only use it where you really need it.  I use 1/16 for doublers, to harden surfaces like the bottom of a flying boat hull (for belly landing on ground), and sometimes for doubling up balsa ribs for servo mounting or surface separation points (where balsa alone would get it's edges beat-up from use), like wing saddles, ribs where wing panels separate, etc.  Again, use it cautiously as the weight can build up.  I use 1/32 and 1/64 for former laminating and for general surface hardening.

Generally I use plywood as little as possible, but sometimes it's necessary in highly loaded areas or areas where every day use will damage the model.

In the case of the bottom sheeting on your hull, the 1/16" aircraft ply will give you that hard surface you're looking for, for belly landings on grass, and it'll form to the curvatures of the hull better than the 1/8" light ply.  You MAY even get away with 1/32" ply, but I know I used 1/16" ply on my CL-215 because I was tired of repairing the 1/8" balsa bottom after landing on rough ground.

I hope that answers your question.  Let me know if it didn't.

Quote from: piker on January 31, 2014, 12:02:19 PM
I hope that answers your question. 

And then some ... wow! Thanks!  I'm really enjoying this cause its actually educational. ;) Ok back to the build cause I have an inspector coming by tomorrow at 10 to critique my progress! lol!

Colin

I finally read Rob's really helpful post.....it just took me a few days and a few attempts!!!

Summary:
Aircraft ply has 5 layers and is better than light ply. ;-)

Simon, I only posted it three hours ago.  You need to slow down and smell the roses... and read my rambling.  Both are worth the time  ;D

Ya, Colin.  I hear the inspector had to leave in a hurry last week so he wasn't able to carry out the inspection.  I'm sure he'll have more time tomorrow.

I agree with Rob's comments entirely. I have made up 1/4" ply using light ply and two 1/16" skins. I have also used two 1/8' lite plys at 90 degrees. I think, now a days, the critical issue with ply is strength as apposed to weight as we have such powerful motors. Most are flying at half throttle anyway so we have power to spare.

Jack.

Ok guys, you know the drill ... had a little time ... did a little work. ;) She's almost a boat now.  Sheeting did add some weight huh?

Colin.

P.S. Hope you guys don't mind me posting about every little thing that's getting done cause its how I keep myself on track! :) 

Quote from: wollins on January 31, 2014, 04:58:29 PM
P.S. Hope you guys don't mind me posting about every little thing that's getting done cause its how I keep myself on track! :)

I encourage posting a lot.  I've been lazy about posting about my build, but I like it when we're kept in the loop.  It gives me something to check out while at work, when I need a mental break  :)

BTW guys, I was able to check out Colin build on Saturday.  We looked it over and discussed various aspects of the build while dinning on Popeyes chicken.  It looks really good and I think he's having a great time working through the challenges and enjoying the accomplishments, which is good because THAT is why we build things.  I tell ya, even though he's working from a detailed plan with laser cut parts, there seems to be a lot of mistakes in the drawings and fit of the parts.  It probably would have been easier to cut the parts out himself, to the plans, rather than trying to figure out how to use the incorrect parts he was provided.  Still.  He's moving along well and it'll be a fantastic model when he's done.

Yeah the inspector gave it a thumbs up on Sat ... we wrestled with trying to understand the plans regarding the vertical stab (which was next up to build) but I don't feel bad cause even the inspector was perplexed!  In any event, we comcluded that I'd just have to fudge what didn't make sense.  ::)

So put in some time on it yesterday and a little more today and voila!  I'm pleased with how my fudging turned out.  I even got it straight! lol! Next ... the horizontal stab.  ;D

Colin

Wow!  Looking great!  That's a serious fin on the 215, eh?

Ditto!

You're building fast, Colin!

Now it looks like a Waterbomber!

Thanks guys!  I'm doing my best to finish this thing as fast as I can.  I have four and half weeks to do it to meet my goal. Sometimes I think I can and then other times I think its no way it'll get done by then. We'll see.

The greatest challenge I've had so far (other than deciphering the plans) is getting things "straight".  The fin was a real challenge in that regard especially since I "eyeballed" things as opposed to jigging and shimming. ;) Like I mentioned before I'm really impressed that it came out so straight but I had to do a fair bit of "adjustments" to make it so. The "adjustments" is what really take up a lot of time, so to be honest because of this challenge I'm not particularly looking forward to the wing!

I also have a AUW goal of 6 pounds and with the following components that I intend to use, the actual airframe can be no more than 3lbs 3ozs (51ozs) if I'm to meet my goal.   

The following is its COMPONENT weights:

2 Omega 1100KV BL motors 5.5ozs
2 Turnigy Plush 40A ESC: 2.5ozs
2  MAS 10 X 7 three bladers 2.5ozs
2 X 1.75" diameter Aluminum 3 blade spinners: 2.15ozs
2 ZIPPY COMPACT 25C 3s 3700mah batteries: 19ozs
FrSky 2.4 Ghz 7ch Receiver: .35oz
Turnigy 7.5A UBEC : 1.5ozs
4/6 Corona 939MG servos: 2/3oz
Misc (nav lights, servo extensions, motor wiring, pushrods, pilots etc): 8.5ozs

TOTAL COMPONENT WEIGHT = 45oz OR 2lbs 13ozs

Colin

   Hey Colin,
  Are you sure you haven't built one before? I wish my airplanes were that straight ;)

   Well done!

looking good!

BTW i thought the trim pots on the radio help straighten out the plane ;)

Quote from: wollins on February 03, 2014, 11:39:19 PM
...The fin was a real challenge in that regard especially since I "eyeballed" things as opposed to jigging and shimming. ;) .

:-[  What am I going to do with you....

BTW, don't forget about the pound of wire in your weight estimate   ;)

Quote from: electroflyer on February 04, 2014, 08:20:21 AM
   Hey Colin,
  Are you sure you haven't built one before? I wish my airplanes were that straight ;)

   Well done!

Thanks Glen, means a lot coming from the veterans like yourself since I've always admired the balsa builds that you guys do. The builds that you, Michael and Rob are doing right now make this look like a butcher's work!

Colin.

Quote from: piker on February 04, 2014, 09:58:48 AM

Quote from: wollins on February 03, 2014, 11:39:19 PM
BTW, don't forget about the pound of wire in your weight estimate   ;)

A pound?  :o  I don't know what gauge wire you're using but I've calculated that the bulk of mine (14 gauge for motors) plus my extensions will come out to about four ounces tops.  ;D The wire you see on the scale here is 77 inches and I only need 90 ... but you're right, I forgot to list that weight. ;)  BTW, I just checked my notes and the Bird Dog (which can be a real floater) comes in at just about 7 pounds with LESS wing area so even if I get up to 7 pounds I'll be just fine.  ;D

Colin

Quote from: sihinch on February 03, 2014, 07:51:12 PM
Ditto!

You're building fast, Colin!

That's cause I can't wait to get to this!  ;D  I waited a YEAR to get this kit (their customer service is really bad) but I think it'll be worth it in the end.

Colin

Quote from: electroflyer on February 04, 2014, 08:20:21 AM
   Hey Colin,
  Are you sure you haven't built one before? I wish my airplanes were that straight ;)

   Well done!

Been a busy week this week but I got some time today so decided I'd tackle the stab next.  Check out the pics of my first attempt of attaching some formers to the leading edge. :o See Glen, prrof that I've never played with Balsa before!  ;D When Rob sees these pics I can see him cringing! lol! I'll have to break her down and start over. (I can just hear people thinking ..."is this the same guy who built that fuselage?"  ;D)

Colin

P.S. This is the reason the prospect of the wing scares the crap outta me!  >:( 

My second attempt turned out much better.  ;D Turns out I used the wrong sized wood for the LE. lol!

Question for you guys ...

Is there some trick to holding the piece in place/position for shaping /sanding these edges?  I'm trying to do it on/against the table but its a bit awkward ... so then I sorta brace it in my lap etc but that's not very stable.  I mean I'm getting the job done but there must be a more efficient way?

Colin

Do you have to do some sheeting at the leading edge?

If so wait until after sheeting and it will be much more stable.

I use a miniature plane set to shave a fine cut. It works very well
is quick and controllable and won't grab the wood when used with the grain.

The other alternative is to roughly preshape the L.E. before gluing.

Jack.

I just hold the piece to the table with one hand and shave/sand with the other.  With delicate structures like that you just have to be careful, and don't be surprised if you have to re glue the odd joint.  As mentioned in my text, I use the micro plane and use that to get very close to the final shape, then sand.  You can then admire your awesome leading edge and all the curly ribbons you made.

Quote from: piker on February 08, 2014, 01:44:53 PM
I just hold the piece to the table with one hand and shave/sand with the other. 

Thanks guys ... thought the was some cool trick to it.  ;D

Colin

A piece of soft "upholstery" foam, about 3/4" thick, the width of the wing chord and a bit longer than the half span of a wing (assuming some dihedral) makes a pretty "grabby"  base, resting on the workbench, to hold a half span of a wing while shaping the leading edge.

One trick for another time is to beef up the wing structure prior to shaping the LE,  where there is going to leading edge sheeting, by gluing on a thin (3/32" -1/8") "inner" leading LE (easy to shape the edges of such a thin piece), then glue the LE sheeting to the spar, ribs and this inner LE; plane the LE sheeting excess that hangs over this inner LE; glue the 'outer' leading edge stock to this inner LE/LE sheeting, and you have a much more rigid wing structure to work on as you shape that outer leading edge.

Use a female cardboard template to ensure the LE you are shape is as uniform as possible across the span.

What are you using to shape the leading edge?

good luck,

michael

Quote from: michaely on February 08, 2014, 03:56:58 PM
A piece of soft "upholstery" foam, about 3/4" thick, the width of the wing chord and a bit longer than the half span of a wing (assuming some dihedral) makes a pretty "grabby"  base, resting on the workbench, to hold a half span of a wing while shaping the leading edge.

One trick for another time is to beef up the wing structure prior to shaping the LE,  where there is going to leading edge sheeting, by gluing on a thin (3/32" -1/8") "inner" leading LE (easy to shape the edges of such a thin piece), then glue the LE sheeting to the spar, ribs and this inner LE; plane the LE sheeting excess that hangs over this inner LE; glue the 'outer' leading edge stock to this inner LE/LE sheeting, and you have a much more rigid wing structure to work on as you shape that outer leading edge.

Use a female cardboard template to ensure the LE you are shape is as uniform as possible across the span.

What are you using to shape the leading edge?

good luck,

michael

Great tips there Michael, thanks!  I use a mini plane and sandpaper and I think in the end it worked out quite well.  I was just having some trouble stabilizing the work while shaping and sanding.

Colin

Ok guys, finally finished (roughly) the tail feathers, (well still have the winglets to do but that's fairly minor) and am quite pleased with the results. ;D Crap, did it take long though!  ::)  Take a look, she's starting to come together now!  Next up ... the winglets and the cockpit/hatch.

Thanks for your continued support and suggestions guys as we continue this journey!  :)

Colin

Great progress Colin. Looking good and straight.
Starting to look like a water bomber.
Resist the temptation to finish sand at this stage, just do all rough sanding.

Jack.

You must read minds Jack! I've been sorely tempted to do just that every time I finish a piece.  However I've only done enough rough sanding to make things "fit" cause I've decided that I have to finish the entire structure first ... then I'll do all the sanding at the same time.

As some might recall I had an overly ambitious goal to finish this by first week in March but based on what's left and the pace that I've managed so far I'm thinking that it'll take another six weeks or so. (March month end to be safe.)  Here's what's left to be done:

Finlets
Cockpit/hatch

Wing

Nacelles
Tip Floats

Fuse sheeting and Nose block/planking

Filling, sanding. glassing and painting fuse.

Covering wing and tail feathers
Component installation (wiring, motors, lighting system servos etc etc)

Colin

Most models take 2.5 times your original most generous time estimate.

I do read minds.  Seriously it's been there and made the same mistake.

Jack

Quote from: Papa on February 09, 2014, 05:43:37 PM
Most models take 2.5 times your original most generous time estimate.

Jack

That's very specific   :)  Not 2 times.  Not 3 times, but 2.5 times   :D

Lookin' great Colin.  So have you been taking time to admire your work?  I bet you have  ;D

Aim for "Framed Up" by the end the Feb.

  Your build is looking great, Colin. Regarding schedules, I find I have enough of those at work, and don't want the stress in my hobby. I certainly have an idea in mind as to how long things MIGHT take (and then use Jack's 2,5 multiplier :)) but really my attitude is it'll take as long as it takes. The "deadline" for my current project is "spring"- March would be good but May is also possible. I spend as much time in the shop as I can, but it will still only be done when it's done.
Anyway, the way this winter's going unfrozen water won't be available 'till July, so no rush for your water bomber- she's going to be a beaut.
Tom

I am SO glad that Tom pointed out the anticipated longevity of this year's "White Water Float Flying" season.  This will give Colin all the time he needs to really savour and luxuriate in this fantastic build.

Way to go Colin.  Great thread!

Andy

Quote from: Tom M. on February 09, 2014, 06:56:21 PM
  Your build is looking great, Colin. Regarding schedules, I find I have enough of those at work, and don't want the stress in my hobby. I certainly have an idea in mind as to how long things MIGHT take (and then use Jack's 2,5 multiplier :)) but really my attitude is it'll take as long as it takes. The "deadline" for my current project is "spring"- March would be good but May is also possible. I spend as much time in the shop as I can, but it will still only be done when it's done.
Anyway, the way this winter's going unfrozen water won't be available 'till July, so no rush for your water bomber- she's going to be a beaut.
Tom

Tom, the only problem is that I have two ARFs and another kit to build for this season so time is of essence!  ::) I hear ya though ... no point getting all stressed out over it. After all we fly these things to get away from our otherwise stressful lives!   ;D  Andy ... thanks for the kudos!

Colin

Got the finlets (attached to the H stab) done today. One of the four things that distinguish the 415 from the 215.  The others are the engines (turbo props as opposed to radials), the winglets and the bullet fairing at the tailplane.  Next up is the access hatch and the cockpit.

Colin

That looks cool!  I hope you haven't already glued the finlets to the stab.  You should do that after covering.

Quote from: piker on February 13, 2014, 10:57:24 AM
That looks cool!  I hope you haven't already glued the finlets to the stab.  You should do that after covering.

No, figured that much out! lol!  Nothing that you see in these pics so far have been glued into place yet.  Heck, they haven't even been sanded. (that's not fully true, I did glue in ONE side of the hinges on the H stab and the rudder. ;))  Working on the cockpit/hatch now.

Colin

This hatch/cockpit build is the most frustrating part of this build thus far. There was so much fiddley stuff  to do just to get it to this stage. (grrrrrr) As you can see from my list at http://temac.ca/smf/index.php/topic,4354.msg26892.html#msg26892 (http://temac.ca/smf/index.php/topic,4354.msg26892.html#msg26892) I wasn't planning on doing the nose block/planking just yet but have to do it to complete the anchoring of the cockpit.

Colin

Another first for me today ... planking!  Finally she's starting to acquire some "lines" to her. (was getting tired of just seeing sticks!) 

Colin

These boys have been waiting for somewhere to sit for a long time! lol! I know progress has been slow but when I frame those windows and build and attach the nose and sheet this fuse she'll finally look like I've made some major progress.  ;)  All this will be completed this week!

Colin

Looks like she's already ready for the pilots, Colin!  ;)

Lookin' gooooooood!  Are you still enjoying the build?

I HATE EVERY MOMENT OF IT! Nah I'm kidding ... I've come to the conclusion that I like working with balsa. (CA glue is another story!)  I find it very forgiving in the sense that if I make mistakes I can splice, patch, adjust etc and then just smooth over my "fix" with some filler and nobody is any the wiser! lol!

So did a little bit more ... got the windows all framed up ... such a small detail but it makes a big difference. 

Colin 

Also got the nose done. First pic is of how it started out ... a few pieces of laminated balsa and then the grinding, chopping and sanding began.  ;D Pleased with how it turned out. Just have to finish off the hatch and sheet the fuse by this weekend and I've made my goal for the week!

Colin

Now that's a good looking nose job  ;D

Great work!  Keep going.  float flying season is fast approaching!

Ok guys, opinions/advice needed. As far as joining sheeting together what's the best method?  This is what I did:

1. Taped the underside of the sheets together
2. Flipped it over, opened the sheets along the seam so that inside the seam is somewhat opened (while still being held together by the tape on the underside) and laid down my glue in the seam.
3. Closed the seam and wiped off excess and the laid down parchment paper over the seam and "ironed" it with a block while it set. (10 minutes)

Originally I was going to tape the glued seam and then weigh it down (as opposed to step three above) but I was concerned that the tape would pull up the wood upon removal. However, I did just that method with my second "joining job" and it came away cleanly so both seemed to work just as well but the second method wasn't as labour intensive as I could do other things while the glue set as opposed to ironing it down.  ;D

In any event, which method is most used?

Colin   

I use the second method exclusively.

Because the glue is enclosed the curing time is much longer.
I generally leave it for 3 or 4 hours or preferably overnight.

because you are using a water based glue you will need the
weight(s) to contact almost the whole seam. with your system
I would use a straight piece of wood between the weights and the seam.

Another method is to use a caul and two clamps. a caul is a slightly curved
piece of wood that is used to clamp long glue joints. The high part is in the
middle and as pressure is applied to ends you get a uniform force over the
whole joint.

Jack.

Quote from: Papa on February 21, 2014, 04:15:31 PM
with your system I would use a straight piece of wood between the weights and the seam.

Yup, that's what I did ... look closely at the last pic. ;)  BTW, I'm loving that express glue you recommended!

Colin

Well not a heck of a lot to report ... its been a hectic weekend so didn't get to accomplish part of my week's goal of finishing the sheeting.  Got the Nose block/planking done not the sheeting. Anyway, I did do a little something.  I located and installed the battery and servo trays. (exciting huh? lol!) 

The good news is that the sheeting will get done by tomorrow night so these pics are the last of my "pics with sticks"! I also want to do a little covering job as well. (just some little bits to make me feel like some things are being actually completed!)  So I'll have some cool pics for you on the next update as I think things will look a LOT different! My plan may be a bit of a challenge though since we have guests from out of town for the next couple of days. (don't they know I'm trying to build a plane?  How rude! KIDDING ... I like these people! lol!)

In any event, I need opinions again.  I originally had picked the yellow on the left for my covering ... but then upon really looking at it I felt as if it was too "orange", so I ordered a different "yellow".  Well the yellow that came seems to me to be a little too yellow? (as in light and bright) 

So which in your opinion suits the full size color best? In the second "covering pic" you'll see it compared to the Bird Dogs yellow and in that one it looks not so bright but the full size seems quite a bit more orange to me .... or am I color blind?

Colin       

that first roll of covering does look orange-ish

The orange-ish is more school bus yellow while the prototype is more Department of Transport yellow. I think the colour you need is between the two you have.

jack.

Quote from: Papa on February 25, 2014, 04:48:54 PM
The orange-ish is more school bus yellow while the prototype is more Department of Transport yellow. I think the colour you need is between the two you have.

jack.

Crap!  Just as I thought ... the one I need is the one I don't have!  ::)

Well, I've decided I'm gonna go with the "orangeish" yellow cause it more matches C-GOGG than the more yellow yellow ... and besides this is not supposed to be super scale anyway.  ;)

Colin

Good decision!

Jack.

I didn't get a chance to reply yesterday, but I would go for the slightly more orange shade. 

Most of the CL415's I've seen (in pictures) have been more orange in shade with red trim.  The one that mine is modeled after (CL-215, Ontario 267) is very yellow compared to most, so I did go for the bright yellow with black trim.

Plus, if you go more orange, your plane will look less like mine  :)

Good, C-GOGG it is!  Besides orange is my favourite color. ;) Got the fuse all sheeted ... done the first sanding ... will put some filler in now ... then another sanding ... then apply some poly ... then another sanding ... 

Colin

You know the routine!  Pictures!

I'm glad to hear you're still moving along.  It's looking SO nice!

I'm really excited about today.  No more clients after 11am (started at 7am but a slow day) and the wife, house guest and kids are off to the science center which gives me at least five hours to do some work on this! WHOO HOO! Lets see what I can do ... update tonight for sure!  ;D

Colin

Oh Colin, you're so tempting fate for something else to come-up!

Quote from: sihinch on February 27, 2014, 10:59:25 AM
Oh Colin, you're so tempting fate for something else to come-up!

Well, we'll have to blame Simon for lack of progress.  :) Within a couple of hours of his post we experienced a prolonged power outage.  :( So didn't get half of what I wanted to get done, but there's always tomorrow! (actually today.  ;))

Colin 

Way to go Simon!  Great way to screw up Colin's plans!  It's all YOUR fault  >:(

I spent my day, yesterday, looking forward to getting home and sanding the filler on my plane, but then sat down with Tara for a minute and ended up watching a movie.  Ugh!  What a waste of good building time  ;)  Oh, and I had to drive my kid's girlfriend to the subway at 11:45pm.  Prime building time!

Was the movie a chick flick, Rob?

Actually no, it was pretty good.  That's why I got interested.   :)

Well this update has been a long time coming but I have made some progress.  The last time you saw this it was all sticks.  ;) Well, I managed to get the sheeting done and got some preliminary sanding done etc.  I also decided to get the tailfeathers done (covering and all) just to make it feel more like a plane, for my own satisfaction since its been a lot of effort but it seemed like there wasn't a heck of a lot to "show" for it.

Anyways, I will say this ... I hate covering with a passion.  >:( And it shows.  ::) Having said that it could have been worse I guess.  Anyway ... this is probably my last update for a little bit cause in a few days the family and I will be escaping this crappy weather for some sun and sanity! I will attack the wing when I get back. (I also have to fabricate the bullet fairing for the tailplane and then the tail feathers will be complete).

Colin

   Hey Colin,
  That is turning out really nice. You are making alot of progress. Well done!
  Where are you and the family heading too?

wow looking great

Thanks guys ...

Going to "the island in the sun" Glen .... Barbados! Woot woot! Can't wait ... this has been the crappiest winter that I can remember.

Colin

Hey Colin!  Awesome job!

You're starting to look like a builder... model airplane builder...   ;D

First float fly in just over a month!

Quote from: piker on March 04, 2014, 11:14:18 AM
First float fly in just over a month!

Count me in!  ;D

Quote from: wollins on March 04, 2014, 03:09:38 PM

Quote from: piker on March 04, 2014, 11:14:18 AM
First float fly in just over a month!

Count me in!  ;D

double up on the balsa up front ...we can use your plane as an ice breaker :)

Quote from: electroflyer on March 04, 2014, 08:17:09 AM
   Hey Colin,
  That is turning out really nice. You are making alot of progress. Well done!
  Where are you and the family heading too?

Sorry Glenn, spelt your name incorrectly in my earlier post.

Colin

Haha, no problem, one "n" or two, still sounds the same. 
Hope you have a wonderful vacation!
Cheers

Quote from: wollins on March 04, 2014, 05:32:26 PM

Sorry Glenn, spelt your name incorrectly in my earlier post.

Colin

You spelled spelled incorrectly.  ;D

Quote from: Michael on March 05, 2014, 06:45:08 AM

Quote from: wollins on March 04, 2014, 05:32:26 PM

Sorry Glenn, spelt your name incorrectly in my earlier post.

Colin

You spelled spelled incorrectly.  ;D

Not!  ;D Don't let my accent fool you cause believe it or not my major was in English! lol!

So I was gonna do the bullet fairing for the tailplane out of a block of pink foam but botched it up in my rush to get it done before leaving for holidays. So ... I've decided to really put this down until I get back.  ;D Working on this plane has become addictive but will carve it out of balsa when I get back.  Much easier to work with! (I had fun carving up the nose) 

Colin

The way some builders do it is to use scraps and clue them together to make a hollow shape and the carve and sand to final shape.

Jack.

Don't be too hard on Michael.  He's from Montreal  :)

Spelt is British.

Spelled is American.

I stand correct'd.

We speak the Queens english at TEMAC

We do, 'ey?

It's actually "Queen's English."  ;D

Sorry Michael,
It's "eh".....lol

I accidentally deleted this by Rob:

"Oh man!  For the past 40 years I've been using ...'s to denote possession.  Very recently (maybe a couple of months ago), we did this little grammar test online and one of the questions was about it's vs its, and I got it wrong because I used it's for possession.  I was devastated and embarrassed that I've been using it incorrectly for so long.  Now,  I know it is different with "it", vs say, "Queen", but I had a second thought as I typed that comment and "corrected" it to be wrong!  Ugh!  Oh, and I had a capitol E, initially, but changed that too   

Well, I do like to say I can't imagine being able to speak another language when I can't even speak (or spell) English properly   ;D"

So, THAT's how it's gonna be, eh, Simon?  Deleting my posts now.  I see how the "E"nglish play   ;D

.................

Oh, it's back now.  You're forgiven...

http://youtu.be/UXoNE14U_zM (http://youtu.be/UXoNE14U_zM)

Huh?

(Oh wait, that's American.)

 ;D

I wonder if Colin would like his build thread back.

Well, got back last night .... to two feet of snow in the driveway!  :o From 29 degrees to minus 13 degrees in five hours!  ::)  Anyway, a great time was had by all, even though Mya got sick for a couple of days cause she hung in there like a trooper. (she was really not feeling well in the pic hence the lack of her usual bubbly smile)

There is something to be said for an obsession ... when you're on vacation on a beautiful island and every "down time" moment you get you're thinking about the next step in your build! lol!  Having said that, I'm gonna try to do the bullet fairing for the tailplane at some point today. (after shovelling the driveway of course)

Colin   

   Welcome back! Why is it that a week goes so fast when you're on vacation?  ???
  Nice that you had time to contemplate your build. I do some of my best building when I'm 2000 miles a way from the project, sipping a Pina Colada!

   Glenn

Thanks Glenn, it was great to go but good to come back.  :) 

So made some progress on the tail bullet fairing. You can see my first attempt with the pink foam was a bit of a disaster so subsequently carved it out of a block of balsa ... much easier to do.

First pic is full size ... am getting pretty close in comparison ... just have to flatten off the top to make it more cylindrical and we're good.  At this stage we're at 28.05ozs which is not too far off from where I want to be at this stage ... I'm guessing I may end up closer to 7 pounds though as opposed to my goal of about 6.  However up to 7 pounds at this wing area is perfectly acceptable and it should still fly like a trainer.  ;D

Colin

Colin,
Nice work on that fairing. That is definitely a complicated piece to cut and sand.
Two thumbs up! ;)

Thanks Glenn, here it is in its final shape.  Had to make it a little more "cigar like" and I'm now satisfied that this is the closest I can get it to the full sized shape.  ;D

Well, the inspector stopped by last Friday and signed off on the work done so far and gave the go ahead for the work on the wing to get started.  ;)  So, here's my progress thus far. A bit of a wave in the middle but otherwise I'm pleased with how straight I got it considering that this is my first wing. This wing would have to come out to 22 ounces tops for me to get the 6lb goal.  ;D ;D  (and that's with the nacelles, winglets and tip floats!  :o) We'll see.

Colin

Progress is still being made but no pics because its one of those things where there is a lot getting done but it would look exactly the same in pics.  There will be pics by the weekend. :)

Even though the plans "suggest" that the builder should omit flaps (since the wingloading is so low) I have decided to build them in. Afterall, what's a water bomber without those huge signature flap hinges?  ;D  They do add quite a bit of additional work but it'll be worth it in the finished product! 

So far, I've got most of it framed up (wing, ailerons and flaps) and did an interim weigh in with the wood for the nacelles and winglets added in.  REALLY pleased to report that so far we're only up to 14ozs ... so I only have to add the tip floats, the servo support plates, the actual hinges, hinges supports, control horn hard points and covering to that total. I'm guessing 20ozs tops. 

I'll be so excited if I meet my goal of 6lbs all up cause of the fact that most of the flying done with this will be off grass and based on my experience in the past with a CL- 215 that I had ... it needs to be as light as possible to overcome that drag. 

That plane was a porker at almost 14lbs (more than double the weight of this 415) with only 264 sq inches more of wing area. It had to have a dolly to get off the ground and that eventually posed all sorts of problems. See a video of its maiden at http://youtu.be/IcIXaMmJ_vk (http://youtu.be/IcIXaMmJ_vk)

Colin       

Plus, with flaps you might even be able to carry some flour as a payload and strafe the field.

Funny you should mention that cause I was thinking it would be cool to rig up such a thing!  ;D Anyways, these flaps are taking longer than I thought. Since I'd never done these types of hinges before I did a "mock up" to see how they would look and how the geometry would work.  Turns out it works just fine ... so much so that I decided that I would keep the servo and the control rod within the wing.  (I have to figure out how to do the same for the ailerons.)

BTW, as this was just a mock up to check the geometry, the final version of the hinges will be quite a bit bigger and more robust ... somewhat like the disproportionally large full size ones.  ;)

Colin

Phenomenal to see the amount of prep and planning you're doing. A model of a model, to make sure you get it sorted. That's dedication!

Nice one Colin.

Thanks Simon!

Still working on those flap hinges but I thought these were some cool shots.  ;) I'll button up the wing tomorrow (hinging and servo install etc) and start on the nacelles and tip floats with the goal of finishing them by the 30th.

Colin

These pictures certainly do justice to the model. It looks fab.

But the best bit is that you already have pilots in! A very important detail!

I agree that it looks great all together.  My only complaint is that for slightly more time you could have built a second one for me!

Lookin' great Colin!  You're a real builder now!  I'm so proud  ;D

Quote from: piker on March 24, 2014, 05:59:01 PM
Lookin' great Colin!  You're a real builder now!  I'm so proud  ;D

I don't know about "builder", previously I thought of myself as a good "modifier"!  ;D  In any event, you should be proud cause if it wasn't for you this would never have turned out the way it's turning out. (Remember my comments that first night when we went over the plans? lol!) 

So ... finally got the hinges done ... took so long because they're fiddly PLUS I had to do them over because I was looking at a pic of the full size (first pic) and noticed that the hinges are so large they extend a bit below the top of the cabin. (I used that line for reference)

Turns out my first set were too small so I decided to do them over. (second pic shows size difference)  The last pic shows the final version relating to my point of reference. (the cabin roof line)

Okay enough with the hinges already ... moving on.  :)

Colin

Quote from: wollins on March 24, 2014, 09:55:41 PM

Quote from: piker on March 24, 2014, 05:59:01 PM
Lookin' great Colin!  You're a real builder now!  I'm so proud  ;D

(Remember my comments that first night when we went over the plans? lol!) 
Colin

I remember a lot of whining  ;D

Robert, Robert, Robert! What's up? Why so negative so recently? Getting at me and now getting at Colin.

Where's the love, Man?

I'll take Robert's negativity any day.

Robert's "negativity" is the happiest and most enthusiastic support simply disguised in humour.

;D

Quote from: sihinch on March 25, 2014, 09:52:33 AM
Robert, Robert, Robert! What's up? Why so negative so recently? Getting at me and now getting at Colin.

Where's the love, Man?

Ya know.  I thought about that as I was responding, but I couldn't let this one go.  You should have heard him!   ;D

Just having fun.  Don't take anything I say seriously   :)

Quote from: piker on March 25, 2014, 10:49:05 AM

Ya know.  I thought about that as I was responding, but I couldn't let this one go.  You should have heard him!   ;D

I must respond to that ...

:P

C.

Ouch! Ouch! My sides are aching! (I love it!!)   Robert's posts are the best!

Great view from the gold seats on the 50-yard line.

Andy

Quote from: wollins on March 24, 2014, 09:55:41 PM

Okay enough with the hinges already ... moving on.  :)

Colin

Did I say that? ;) Last two pics now with flaps/hinges installed.  ;D

Colin

Anyone know where I can find large clear storage tubes?  Need something to store things like pushrods, music wire etc etc 

C.

http://www.homedepot.com/p/Lithonia-Lighting-8-ft-Fluorescent-Tube-Protector-TGT12CL8-R24/100173242?N=5yc1vZc7pv (http://www.homedepot.com/p/Lithonia-Lighting-8-ft-Fluorescent-Tube-Protector-TGT12CL8-R24/100173242?N=5yc1vZc7pv)

You could also call Plastic World (www.plasticworld.ca (http://www.plasticworld.ca)) to compare.

Andy

Cool!  And they come with end caps!

I use cardboard mailing tubes cut in half lengthwise and screwed to the front of plastic shelving.


Jack.

Awesome! Is there anything you guys don't know!?  ;D I like the HD one Andy, (Plastic World is very expensive and you have to buy by the case) only trouble is I can't seem to find them in a Canadian HD?

C

Quote from: Papa on March 31, 2014, 12:03:18 PM
I use cardboard mailing tubes cut in half lengthwise and screwed to the front of plastic shelving.


Jack.

Hmmm Jack, I can't really visualize that ... Is it clear shelving?

Here's what I mean.


Jack.

Aha! Clever idea.  ;D

Not very fancy but I was recycling old stuff I had in the house.


Jack.

Well, I found EXACTLY what Im looking for! (http://www.uline.ca/BL_3651/Clear-Plastic-Tubes (http://www.uline.ca/BL_3651/Clear-Plastic-Tubes)) The obvious problem is that the least I can purchase is 25. Did a dummy order and it came out to $308. (including the end caps and shipping to me in Toronto.)  That works out to $12.32 per 3" X 48" tube.  Not bad IF I can get the remaining 23 sold! (I only need two) Any takers? :)

Colin 

Well, I spent an obscene amount of time this week on these darn flaps tweaking control horn geometry, throws etc etc.  Unfortunately I find it easy to get caught up in the minutia sometimes ... it's the nature of my sickness. (analretentiveness  ;D)

In actual fact on a subconscious level I think I was putting off tackling these nacelles because for some reason I thought they would be a PITA to build.  Well I finally got to it today and whaddya know, it appears to be the simplest thing I've done with this plane thus far!  Matter of fact the frame up (as seen in the pics) only took a relatively short time. 

I didn't like the supplied firewall/motor mount however.  They seemed quite flimsy and since I will be powering this with quite a bit more power than the kit maker intended I made some "sturdier" ones.  Besides the mounting holes in the kit mount were in the wrong spots for my motor so I used that to further justify my modification.  :) You can see the kit's motor mount on the far right of pic #3 and mine are the two on the left of it. 

I should be able to get this all done (framed, planked, cowls trimmed and mounted and motors installed) by Sunday so I should still be on track for a mid month completion.  ;D 

Colin

Really coming on a treat, Colin. Looks really good.


jack.

Well things have slowed a bit as I'm waiting on some wiring (shipment from HK) without which I can't close up my nacelles.  ::) Anyways they're all framed up, I've finished my motor mounts, mounted my motors, cut shaped and sanded my cowls, and run some wiring ... I even have the sheeting for the nacelles precut and shaped ... ready to go. I just need to get these wires and then I can button them up. In other words the "hard" part is done.  :)

While I was waiting I did some work on the my tip floats.  Just basically got them framed up.  Hopefully I can get them planked and sheeted tomorrow depending on my time availability. So after the nacelles and tip floats are done I'm pretty much done the "building" of this plane.  Oh I have the winglets to build but that should take no time at all since they're pretty much like the finlets (on the rear stab) ... a simple flat one dimensional frame that's then covered. 

Anyway, after these things ... then I have to do the "finishing". (installing my electronics, sanding, covering, painting etc.)  My goal is still April 15th!

Colin   

Wow!  You're determined!

You must be enjoying the build to be able to stay so motivated :-)

You'll have your water bomber finished before I finish mine!

Quote from: piker on April 08, 2014, 11:06:58 AM
You'll have your water bomber finished before I finish mine!

Hmmm ... that remains to be seen ... and if it does happen, its only because you're building/fixing about a dozen projects at the same time! lol!

   Really Realy nice work Colin! ;)
   Sure you haven't done this before?

   Glenn

I know.  He's making it look easy! 

Just goes to show what you can do when you give it a try.

For all you non-builders out there who are interested in learning another rewarding aspect of the hobby...  take note  :)

Quote from: electroflyer on April 09, 2014, 02:00:20 PM
   Really Realy nice work Colin! ;)
   Sure you haven't done this before?

   Glenn

Nope!  Just been watching the builds of you veterans over the last eleven years!  Something obviously stuck. ;)

Colin 

Quote from: piker on April 09, 2014, 03:00:04 PM
I know.  He's making it look easy! 

Just goes to show what you can do when you give it a try.

For all you non-builders out there who are interested in learning another rewarding aspect of the hobby...  take note  :)

I guess I'm a builder now huh!  ;D  Speaking of building ... shipment for HK still not here and its now been 25 days!  Gotta wonder at what point it becomes not worth the savings..  ::)  Anyway, got the tip floats almost done. (man do I ever HATE planking!)  I should have some pics up by tomorrow.

Colin

Two days late but better late than never!  ;) Tip floats done. (wanting for glassing and paint) Onto the winglets!

Colin

Looks great!  But why did you put pink lipstick on them?

That was Mya's idea.  :) Well, nothing much to report ... STILL waiting on the HK order, 27 days so far. In the meantime I finished the winglets. (roughly)  ;D

Colin

Well today was supposed to be my "finished" day but since I'm still waiting on those parts from Hobby King we'll just blame them for the delay.   ;D  In all seriousness it was wishful thinking cause there's still lots to do ... not big things mind you but lots of little fiddly things that take a whole bunch of time.  A good example: 

I decided to go a small as possible with my attachment bolts for my tip floats.  The theory being that upon a hard landing or "snag" I'd like the float to separate from the wing with the least bit of damage as opposed t being so strongly attached that it would take a chunk of the wing with it.

Along that line I thought I'd go with the skinniest nylon bolts I could find. Well found them but couldn't find blind nuts to fit them. (Home Depot) I'm sure I could have sourced them at Pinnacle etc but just couldn't be bothered to drive up there just for 8 blind nuts.

This all led to me making some "poor man blind nuts".  ;D Basic nylon nuts that were "braced" (to prevent them from swiveling) and then "covered" to prevent them from popping back into the wing as I pushed the bolts into them. Nothing would irritate me more than to have to open up the wing just to reattach a nut! 

Anyway looooong story short, that little operation took the better part of a few hours.  Maybe it's just me but everything seems to take soooooo loooong with this "building" thing!     

Anyway it turned out great and my floats are finally attached ... one more fiddly bit done.  Another fiddly bit that has to be done is to make my winglets detachable.  I could just see them being a nightmare to keep from hitting during transportation etc.  They're somewhat fragile so it wouldn't take much to break them off or at best damage them.

Colin

Now that I'm looking at the second to last pic with the float attached, I'm thinking that the lite ply attachment base on the float would probably go before those FOUR bolts go! Which is fine by me as that achieves the same goal. However it detaches from the wing ... whether by the bolts or the attachment plate etc serves the purpose of not taking the wing with it! lol!

C.

FINALLY got the LE shaped and some sheeting put on this wing!  I was getting tired of seeing ribs. Also got my landing lights installed.

C.

Nice!  Those light will look awesome as the sun sets over the water!  Very cool.

BTW, my tip float release mechanism is the glue joint between the ply plate and the vertical float pylon too.  Works just fine  :)

I won't have my CL-215 ready for this first float fly, and I assume you won't either, so perhaps we can debut both at the next one... on May 2nd ???

Quote from: piker on April 16, 2014, 05:58:14 PM
Nice!  Those light will look awesome as the sun sets over the water!  Very cool.

Yeah that's the plan.  Actually I'm gonna be installing ALL the lights that the 415 has ... and that includes the two beacons underneath the wings. (near the fuse just ahead of the flaps ... see video. ;))   

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z3ByawHknyA (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z3ByawHknyA)

Quote from: piker on April 16, 2014, 05:58:14 PM
I won't have my CL-215 ready for this first float fly, and I assume you won't either, so perhaps we can debut both at the next one... on May 2nd ???

That would be cool but I'm thinking I'll be doing the maiden off grass. Afterall I've never flown off water before so to maiden a plane by doing so might not be the best idea!

Colin

Another pic of one of the beacons.

C.

Quote from: wollins on April 16, 2014, 08:23:58 PM
That would be cool but I'm thinking I'll be doing the maiden off grass. Afterall I've never flown off water before so to maiden a plane by doing so might not be the best idea!

I understand that concept, but really, you'd be a lot safer test flying from water.  When things go wrong over water, the plane gets wet and is very likely to be ready to fly again the next day.  When things go wrong over ground, you're left with a major rebuild or complete write-off.  Consider my Sandringham as an example.  I've spun it into the water twice before with no damage at all, then you saw the damage that occurred at TEMAC.

BTW, I initially test flew my 215 from Lake Ontario without a retrieval boat.  Failure was not an option   ;D

But of course, go with your comfort level.

BTW, now I wish I had put lights on my 215.  I had wired up for them when I built the plane, but the light systems that we have now weren't available back then, so I never got around to hooking them up.  Oh well.

Happy Easter all!

Well I'm pleased with what I got done today. I finally got the wing attachment sorted out.  The kit had it with two bolts in front and one in back.  I thought that that was one too many bolts as anything I can do to reduce set up time at the field I'm willing to do.  I decided that I was gonna use the common (and simpler) dowel in front / two bolts in back. Speaking with Rob reinforced that decision since his 215 has that setup as well.

However after drilling out my holes for the dowels came to the realization that the wing is too thin (especially the LE) so that this may have been the reason for the original design!  ::) I could have made it work (using thinner dowels) but there were other alignment issues as well.  Ended up going for the original plan after all. 

However it was not as simple as it seemed.  Since this was my first balsa build, I had never tackled a hold down bolt install in an open structure wing before. Keep in mind that this kit came with absolutely NO instructions! The obvious challenge is that there must be some sort of supporting structure for the bolts etc. Anyway racked my brain in bed and came up with an idea that I didn't want to forget so got up and put it to paper. THEN I was able to sleep.  ;D (Again ... is this hobby an obsession or what!!!!)

Anyways, its done. One less finicky thing to do. Woot woot! I can't believe I'm actually seeing the light at the end of this tunnel! The only real building now left to do is the sheeting and planking of the nacelles.  I might actually get this done after all!  ;) ;D 

Colin     

Ok guys, it's SANDING time! whoo hoo! (not!) One thing I learned today ... if at all possible, sand in direct sunlight.  Shows every pinhole and divot that you miss in the shop. Luckily the skylight in my gym does the job quite well.

Ok need some opinions ...   when I built in the wing attachment set I should have recessed those guide tubes so that when bolted down the bolt heads would be flush with the top of the wing. I guess at the time I was thinking that I would lose some strength if I did that however it's the blocks that provide the strength not the sheeting/skin! Duh!  As my daughter would say ... "silly daddy"! lol!

Anyways was wondering if you guys think its worth it to fill in that "step" just in front of the guide tubes just for cosmetic purposes? (see pic)

Colin

Just paint the bolts yellow and they will disappear.


Jack.

Yeah think I'll just leave as is, after all they're only protruding about 4mm. More sanding today.  ::) But that just means we're getting closer to the end.  ;D

Colin

Looking wonderful, Colin!  Keep up the great work!

Have you started covering yet?

Nope. Still sanding and doing some fiddly bits.

Colin

Looking great! Don't rush to cover. To often, I have rushed to cover a plane only to find that things that I believed to inconsequential came back to haunt me when the shiny covering was applied. This is the time to sand and fill and repeat until you are happy. I would also suggest getting a tack cloth from Canadian Tire. You find them in the auto body section. This helps to get the final layer of dust off the fuselage and wing.
Cheers!
Glenn

Thanks Glen ... nice tip about the tack cloth. So ... took a break from my sanding routine when I realized that those winglets would totally get broken while transporting or even just moving the plane in and out of the house. (They're somewhat fragile)  Decided to make them removable.  Of course I decided this AFTER I sheeted the wing (the portion where the blind nuts would go) so I had to get creative to make my attachments. So here goes ... the tutorial of ...

                           HOW TO ENCASE AND ATTACH YOUR NUTS IN 10 SIMPLE STEPS!   ;D

Step 1. Find a suitably sized dowel and "core" it out.
Step 2. Slice the dowel into "rings".
Step3. Encase and glue your "nuts" into your rings.
Step 4. Glue on a lite ply backing to prevent your nuts from falling back into your wing.
Step 5. Glue on a lite ply "front" to prevent your nuts from pulling out of your wing as you tighten up your bolts.
Step 6. Drill out receiving holes in the wing to accept your "nutcases".
Step 7. Insert in glue in your "nutcases" flush with your wingtip. (Sand smooth to be perfectly flush)
Step 8. Drill corresponding holes in your winglets for your bolts. Make sure you recess your holes a bit so bolt heads sit flush with surface of winglet.
Step 9. Attach/bolt on winglets.
Step 10.  Congratulate yourself on now being a certified nutcase!  ;D

Colin

P.S. And I wonder why this plane is taking so long! Sheesh!  ::)

That's really cool!  Something tells me you're enjoying this building nonsense...

Or you're just going nutty.

Well, I have no excuse but to finish this now ... my last set of parts just arrived, woot woot! Ran up to Pinnacle and got some more CA and wood so now its a drive to the finish! Pics to come shortly.  ;D

Colin

Progress is happening, albeit slowly. Finally got a chance to put in some time on this today. (busy week) Should be able to wrap this up and get to finishing (covering and painting etc) by next week though so no worries. Finally been able to start closing up my nacelles because I finally got the balance of my wiring.  Decided to make my nacelles a no entry area for water since I'm guessing that in a dunking they would be the most common source of access.

Did this by making my wiring to my motors permanently installed to the firewall and sealed from the back.  This also makes swapping out/servicing the motors a matter of simply unplugging their wires from the front and unscrewing the motor/s. Pics will explain better.  ;D Sheeting and planking of the nacelles almost done.

Tomorrow and the weekend ...

- Install servos and run their wires.
- Install nav lights in winglets and run their wires.
- Install beacon lights in bottom of wing (near fuse) and run their wires. 
- Sheet middle bottom of wing (was waiting for all wires to be run)
- Continue final sanding.

I'll get pcis of the entire plane assembled (the last shot before being "finished") over the weekend. Next week ... glass, paint and cover!

Colin   


 

Nicely done Colin! Looking forward to seeing another outstanding water plane model in the TEMAC/PIKER water based air force!

Thanks Bill ... I think she'll look pretty ... sure hope she flies.  ;) ;D

Colin

Nice!  I like the plug in motor wire approach.  Very smart.

And YES, water can get in the wings through the wire holes in the nacelles.   :-[  I will be plugging mine for future dunkings...

Ta da! Here she is ... ready for covering/glassing/painting. (somewhat.  ;)) As she sits here she weighs 4lbs 5 ozs. A further 2 lbs of stuff needs to be added (batts, receiver, servos etc etc etc) which will bring her to 6lb 5ozs and THEN we have to add the weight of covering/glassing/painting.  I'm now hopeful to be 7 or under since I'm only glassing and painting the fuse.  ::)

Colin

Fantastic!  Very nicely done!  You must be proud   ;D

Sure am!  Have to admit though ... that very first night when we were looking over the plans I don't know if I felt it would actually turn out like this.  ;)

Colin

Pretty cool, eh?


If only we had more time for building  :)

THIS is why I don't throw away anything! ;) So here I was, scratching my head as to what I could use to make the exhausts and I was kinda stumped.  Thought I'd use a couple of toilet paper roll inserts ... but I felt they weren't firm enough.  So ... went into my TIMUS drawers ("Things I might use
someday!" ;)) and lo and behold, I found the perfect candidates ... Advil measuring cups! The pics tell the story best.

Colin

P.S. Fuse has been glassed and is drying as we speak! :)

   Very nice Colin! ;)
Really looking forward to your big day.
Do you have a tentative date that you are hoping to test fly on?
Glenn
P.S. I'm not rushing you.......lol ;D

I've had so many dates that I've given up! lol! My time availability is so unpredictable cause of my business so lets hope for month end at the latest.

Colin

There comes a time when you have to say ENOUGH IS ENOUGH!  >:( THIS is that time.  I've been sanding. filling and priming (hi fill primer) and sanding and filling and priming this fuse for the last week now and this is as good as it's gonna get I'm afraid.  ::) I'll let it sit for a few days cause it's time to do some covering.

Colin

Beautiful!  It looks like a battle ship!   ;D

It's so nice to see how dedicated and focused you've been through this project.  It's hard to stay on one project for so long. 

It looks like you'll have it ready pretty soon!

I've been working my way through my fix-up projects for the past several weeks and have now returned to my CL-215.  First up was to repair the damage from the soaking it received at the end of the season last year, and now I can finish detailing it.  It'll look O.K., but not as nice as yours.  Mine has 17 years of use and abuse under it's belt  :)

I'm really looking forward to flying the water bombers together!

Quote from: piker on May 14, 2014, 12:02:02 PM
Beautiful!  It looks like a battle ship!   ;D

Probably weighs as much as one now too! lol!

Quote from: piker on May 14, 2014, 12:02:02 PM
It's hard to stay on one project for so long. 

Tell me about it.  After this I'm done with any "building" until next winter. The poor Albatross has been relegated to next year's project cause I'm mentally burnt out.  :( (and I still have about three or four ARFs to "assemble" for this season!)

Colin

That's a good plan.  It's better to build during the winter and flying during the summer... for most of us...  :)

Plan to have the albatross ready for April next year.

Tomorrow will make it FOUR months since I've been on this.  Lets hope she flies!  ;D

It will be amazing Colin. Hang in there.

Can't wait to see it at one of Piker's Ponds!

Quote from: wollins on May 14, 2014, 12:54:06 PM
Tomorrow will make it FOUR months since I've been on this.  Lets hope she flies!  ;D

Only four months!  You worked on the typhoon for three years!!!   ;D

I was hoping you wouldn't remember that. Damn! :) BTW, still working on the Typhoon.  ;)

C.

Ok this is taking much longer than I hoped.  >:( There are sooooo many fiddly bits to this plane!  ::)  Anyways ... I've been stymied by this on and off weather. Because we have an infant in the house I've not been able to paint in the workshop cause of the fumes. This has set me back some since I can only do it outdoors now. Here's my current list of things left to do: (mostly fiddly stuff but I've found that this kind of stuff takes the longest time)

1. Install spray rails
2. Paint fuse bottoms.
3. Paint tip float bottoms
4. Prime and paint cowls
5. Poly, prime and paint hull handles
6. Install hull handles
7. Paint fuse yellow
8. Install windshield
9. Install nav lights in winglets (still iffy on this one since winglets are removable the lights have to be "disconnectable" so not sure if it might be worth it.)
10. Install beacon lights in mid wing
11. Install magnets to attach battery hatch
12. Sheet bottom wing saddle
13. Install rear wing attachment
14. FINALLY ... cover wing  ;D
15. Connect all electronics and test the system

MAIDEN!

16. Add stripes and decals
17. Install faux "wheels", windows and all the extra fancy stuff!  ;D
     
Colin

P.S. I've had to bag my fuse because of the off gassing of fumes. (It's in the workshop)  My family has had to put up with a lot with this build! 

Quote from: piker on May 14, 2014, 12:48:26 PM
That's a good plan.  It's better to build during the winter and flying during the summer... for most of us...  :)

Plan to have the albatross ready for April next year.

It is most gratifying to penetrate such a great psyche!  ;D

Andy

Next float flying is in just under two weeks!!!

Updated to do list: (Progress IS being made  ;D)

1. Install spray rails
2. Paint fuse bottoms.
3. Paint tip float bottoms
4. Prime and paint cowls
5. Poly, prime and paint hull handles
6. Install hull handles
7. Paint fuse yellow
8. Install windshield
9. Install nav lights in winglets (still iffy on this one since winglets are removable the lights have to be "disconnectable" so not sure if it might be worth it.)
10. Install beacon lights in mid wing
11. Install magnets to attach battery hatch
12. Sheet bottom wing saddle
13. Install rear wing attachment
14. FINALLY ... cover wing  ;D
15. Connect all electronics and test the system

MAIDEN!

16. Add stripes and decals
17. Install faux "wheels", windows and all the extra fancy stuff!  ;D
     
Colin

Nice! 


So what do you mean by paint fuse and tip float bottoms?  Are they a different colour or just so you can sit the parts while you paint the rest?


I hung my Sandy and painted the whole thing in one go.

Yeah the bottoms are red (fuse and tip floats) and the tops are yellow (apart from striping etc, but that's another matter all together!  ::)) so I want that to cure for a few days before I mask to paint the tops ... to reduce the chance of paint liftoff. You'll notice along the red line there are some filler patches, that's where I had some liftoff of the primer.  Easy fix though, just adds more time to re prime and re sand those patches. (I've learned from that mistake so that wont be happening again)

As I've mentioned before, there are many fiddly bits to this plane and to make it even more complicated there are the little "pieces" that are different colours. Good example is the nose ... there are ALL the colors bunched up in that little space ... the black, the red, the white and the yellow! This will make masking a nightmare. It all results in an inordinate amount of time to do. I'm still debating whether to do the striping in covering as opposed to paint.  What do you think?

Another thing that I found to be a huge challenge was to find the exact match of paint to the covering.  Both the red and the yellow have to be matched exactly.  Well, after MUCH searching I found some that I think matches it pretty well. (or close enough!) Figures I would choose THIS version for my first build! (the 215 would have sooooo much simpler.  ;))

Ok, enough griping!  Nobody likes a WHINER! ;D I've got some masking to do!

Colin

Pretty close color match huh?  :)

Colin

Excellent!  The bottom of the fuse is a perfect colour match for the top of the bar stool.   ;D

Andy

Adjust your screen color, Andy!  ;) ;) But seriously, you're right, the red is not a perfect match but that doesn't matter so much as the yellow which is the more important since it's the entire fuse's color.  Also, the red covering is for relatively small areas like the wing tips, winglets, and some bits going up the tail.  If push comes to shove and its VERY obvious I'll just paint those parts red.  ;D

Colin 

Nice work!

I hope I'm able to get this info to you soon enough...

I've had problems painting Kryon (H2O) over Krylon (H2O), believe it or not.  In a few area's (tail of my Macchi M-33, tail and lettering on the Sandringham, I've had the second coats crackle and flake off.  I was surprised since the paints were the same make, just different colours.  I've learned since, that you either need to recoat within a few hours, or wait a week before applying the second colour.  It MAY say something to that effect on the can.  I haven't tried it yet, but it's something you may want to keep in mind.  I can show you the results of the problem if you're interested.

I'd be even more concerned about using different brands.  Maybe do some test pieces.   :)

Quote from: piker on May 23, 2014, 05:12:50 PM
In a few area's (tail of my Macchi M-33, tail and lettering on the Sandringham, I've had the second coats crackle and flake off.

Hmmm ... interesting.  How long after being applied did the second coat fall off? Long time (months) or relatively quickly?

Colin   

I'm actually pleased with the paint job so far .. turned out better than I thought it would.  Just have to add the black on the nose now and do some minor touch-ups on the red and I'm done with painting. (stripes etc after the maiden. ;))

Updated to do list: (Progress IS being made  ;D)

1. Install spray rails
2. Paint fuse bottoms.
3. Paint tip float bottoms
4. Prime and paint cowls
5. Poly, prime and paint hull handles
6. Install hull handles
7. Paint fuse yellow
8. Install windshield
9. Install nav lights in winglets
10. Install beacon lights in mid wing
11. Install magnets to attach battery hatch
12. Sheet bottom wing saddle
13. Install rear wing attachment
14. FINALLY ... cover wing  ;D
15. Connect all electronics and test the system

MAIDEN!

16. Add stripes and decals
17. Install faux "wheels", side windows and all the extra fancy stuff!  ;D
     
Colin

Lookin' good (and yellow!)  ;)

Yeah I don't think I'll have any trouble seeing it in any conditions! lol!

Colin

Yes!  That looks fantastic!! 

Test flight tomorrow evening?

Quote from: piker on May 30, 2014, 03:00:45 PM
Yes!  That looks fantastic!! 

Test flight tomorrow evening?

Still a couple weeks away for that. ;)

Haven't had an update for awhile but things are moving (albeit very slowly) in the background.  ;D Finally got to covering the wing and like a lot of things in the build it's a royal PITA because of all the fiddly bits. An example ... EACH of the eight flap hinges have to be individually covered and each hinge has five coverable surfaces.  That FORTY itsy bitsy pieces of covering!  :o Some would say "just paint them" but I want these to travel as smooth and bind free as possible and painting may possibly introduce some binding. 

Having said that  I think the wing will look really good when its done.  I'm also not looking forward to  the wiring ... with six lights in the wing alone (two nav lights, two landing lights and two under wing beacon lights) its a rats nest of wires in there and since I intend to incorporate MPX plugs (six pin) to minimise the connections I have to make, soldering the twelve mini pins will be a real challenge. 

Anyways, it'll all get done ... and it'll be worth it in the end! I was hoping to get her at least "maidenable" by the 15th (this coming Sunday) and I might just make it. Why the 15th?  Well, that will be exactly five months that I've been at this and ... it's Father Day!  This would be a super gift from me to ME! lol!

Colin   

Oh I forgot ... I did do something else to the fuse. I added a couple of stripes. ;)

Colin

How about on Saturday... only one day early... at Tavares Pond Float Fly!!!

I KNOW you want a crowd for your test flight   ;D

In case that doesn't work for you, I'll be ready with my boat whenever you're ready for your test flight.  Sunday?

Ok, lets aim for Sunday. (Now I MUST finish it in time!)

Colin 

All the fiddly covering bits are done! YAY!!!  I've made my covering templates for the wing bottoms so tomorrow I just have to cut out my big pieces based on the templates, slap them on and flip her over and slap on the top pieces. Then I will be DONE with covering. That gives me three days (Thursday, Friday and Saturday) to get her to the flyable stage!  I'M STOKED cause I can finally see the light at the end of the tunnel!

Colin

P.S.  BTW, I thought I'd pass on a tip. Every now and again I come across a post enquiring about sources for motor stand offs.  Well, for "smaller" motors (600 size and below I guess?) I've been using the ends (or "mounting heads) of some zip ties that I'd bought awhile ago. (I think at Can tire or HDepot) I'd always snipped them off and discarded them in the past but at some point it occurred to me that they could make standoffs in a pinch!  See pics. (apologies for the pic quality)       

Well all the covering prep work paid off.  I'm extremely pleased with how the covering of the wing came out.  There were a few blemishes where the actual covering color sorta rubbed off a teeny bit (damn cheap HK covering!) but nothing you would notice unless I pointed it out. lol! 

Anyways, I'm a day late on this but still hoping to maiden Sunday. Got all that wiring to do, got to  install the windshield and I have to hook up/install and test the actual power system etc. 

Colin

You can do it, Colin!  8)


It's looks amazing - build of the year?  ::)

Wow!  Nice!

What about a picture with the two major bits together, or are you waiting for the grand unveiling?

Quote from: sihinch on June 13, 2014, 08:20:24 AM
It's looks amazing - build of the year????

Ha ha! Don't think so ... made too many boo boos on this one but that's alright cause I love how its coming out! Besides its my "practice" build leading up to the Albatross.  ;D

Colin

Quote from: piker on June 13, 2014, 11:07:15 AM
Wow!  Nice!

What about a picture with the two major bits together, or are you waiting for the grand unveiling?

I'll see what I can do ... however as I said in my text I think I found a major boo boo, so I have to fix that first. ;) In any event, because of that it looks like this Sunday's maiden is off.  :( Maybe I'll just go to the field and put a dozen packs through my Nooner to take a break from this. Then I can come back and finish strong next week! ;)

Colin

As Colin's workbench is always so disgustingly clean I'm relieved to see SOME clutter and signs of work on it.  The plane looks great Colin and watching along has been better than TV these days.

Quote from: sihinch on June 13, 2014, 08:20:24 AM
It's looks amazing - build of the year?  ::)

Simon, when you see Glenn's plane then you will see a FANTASTIC build IMHO.  Saw it today at the field and the fit and finish is as good as it gets. Now THAT'S a candidate for build of the year! (Don't get me wrong, I think I did a pretty good job too ... so thanks for the compliment! ;))

Thanks Ed for your comments too!

Colin

Almost there!  ;D

Updated to do list.

1. Install spray rails
2. Paint fuse bottoms.
3. Paint tip float bottoms
4. Prime and paint cowls
5. Poly, prime and paint hull handles
6. Install hull handles
7. Paint fuse yellow
8. Install windshield
9. Install nav lights in winglets
10. Install beacon lights in mid wing
11. Install magnets to attach battery hatch
12. Sheet bottom wing saddle
13. Install rear wing attachment
14. Cover wing
15. Connect all electronics and test the system

MAIDEN!

16. Add white stripe and decals
17. Install faux "wheels", windows and all the extra fancy stuff!  ;D
     
Colin

Colin, I'm dying to see this plane flying!  when are you planning to fly it for the first time?

Quote from: piker on June 13, 2014, 11:07:15 AM
Wow!  Nice!

What about a picture with the two major bits together, or are you waiting for the grand unveiling?

Ask and you shall receive!

Quote from: frajolex on June 18, 2014, 11:52:17 PM
Colin, I'm dying to see this plane flying!  when are you planning to fly it for the first time?

Well, she's ALMOST done but regardless ... this WILL fly this weekend!

Colin

Looks fantastic Colin!  Way to go.

And I like the hangar you built for it int he back yard (photo 2)!!

Andy

Fantastic!

What day maiden?

......after the race on Sunday?!?!
I'll have the camera ready

Wow!  That's one heck of a "first build"!  Awesome!!!!

But that one pilot looks suspicious.  I don't believe that goatee is real...

Thanks guys!

Quote from: battlestu on June 20, 2014, 01:03:24 PM
......after the race on Sunday?!?!
I'll have the camera ready

Unfortunately I have the girls' birthday party on Sunday so I won't be able to "represent".

Quote from: piker on June 20, 2014, 01:41:52 PM
But that one pilot looks suspicious.  I don't believe that goatee is real...

That goatee is as real as a sharpie can make it! ;)

Colin

SUCCESS! After five months (and three days) she flew!  ;D It was an amazing night weather wise so I decided to give her a go. Special thanks to Rob who on somewhat short notice was kind enough to meet me down at the bay with his boat ... just in case.  ;)

After a couple of minutes taxing around to get a feel for my differential thrust setup (never used this before since this is my first ever water plane) I opened her up and up she flew!  Few clicks of aileron trim and a few of down elevator and she was on rails.  Landing was uneventful, a few hops and she was down. Couldn't be more pleased with how she flew. Few minor adjustments like maybe reducing the wing incidence (she wanted to climb on throttle changes) and increasing the throws all around.

Now the fun part ... fancying her up to make her look as close as possible to Tanker 271.  However the first order of business if to tidy up the rats nest of wires that I have going on in the fuse! (see pic)

Colin 

P.S There was video taken by Rob so you can bug him for it! lol!

I'm so glad for you that everything went well.


Looking forward to the video.


Jack.

Congrats Colin!

Congratulations!

Thanks guys! Good luck with racing today.  I'm at a kids party.  :( ;D,  Rob, win something wil ya?  ;D

Colin

    Way to go Colin!
  We knew you had it in you.

   Glenn

Hey Colin!  I would have won if it wasn't for Simon!  Ugh!

As the only TEMAC witness to the awesome test flight, I can say that it looks like Colin has been flying and building large, complicated, multi-engine, scale, flying boats for years.  The plane is beautiful and flies perfectly.  The take-off was excellent and the landing... very good for a first landing with a new plane. 

You guys will see a lot of this plane at the upcoming float fly's, and even at the field!  You could see it this weekend, in Kingston, if you came out to that great event.

I hope to get the video up today... even if just in it's unedited form.  Really... it doesn't need any editing other than to maybe add some music to quiet the constant talking throughout  ;)

O.K.  You'll have to put up with the chatting, or turn the volume down...

Here it is!  Colin's test flight of his CL-415 Water Bomber!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bTIIbhIDCII&feature=youtu.be

way to go Colin, what a beautiful maiden. No drama at all.


Jack.

Quote from: piker on June 23, 2014, 01:16:31 PM
O.K.  You'll have to put up with the chatting, or turn the volume down...

Here it is!  Colin's test flight of his CL-415 Water Bomber!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bTIIbhIDCII&feature=youtu.be

Holeee Rob ... you kept that plane on focus the whole time!  ;)  BTW, I didn't realize how fast I was flying until I saw that vid.  :o ;D Thanks again for the help and thanks guys for the congrats. :)

Colin

Glorious.
You should be so proud, Colin!

I am glad you did not put music to this one and drown out the discussion.
It is great learning for all of us.

I really look forward to seeing it "live".
Congratulations!

A great video of a great maiden flight!

Congratulations on your maiden flight.   :D

Thanks guys!  I'm now feverishly working to get her all dolled up and ready for Kingston.  ;D

Colin

For those who haven't yet seen her in person, I've added the black in the nose and made connecting my gazillion wires easier by doing two things.

First ... I used a couple of MPX connectors for the twelve individual wires of my lights.  ;D

Second ... I made connecting everything a one handed affair by affixing the female receiver side connectors onto the airframe.  This means I can now hold the wing with one hand and easily plug all its connectors into their corresponding female connectors. (affixed to the frame) Notice I've also made my motor wires connectable in this way. (see each motor's ESC wires affixed to each side of the airframe)

Now this still means that I have to plug in twelve individual connections, but at least I can now do it all with one hand.   ;D

Am continuing on finishing touches. ;)

Colin

Yes!  Looking better and better every day.

Too bad you didn't get it in the air at the Kingston float fly.  We should have stayed a bit longer and enjoyed a flight.

That's O.K.  We'll be float flying again in less than two weeks!

Well, I had to do some surgery on the wing cause I burnt up one of my motors doing some ground testing at TEMAC last weekend.  >:( Anyways everything happens for the best because the motors I was using were too small to begin with and at a limit of 500watts each I was taxing them something fierce.  Turns out that even straining them to their limit (hence the "burning") she wasn't even able to taxi on the grass. Since I intend to fly her primarily off grass that just wouldn't do!  ;)

In any event, the problem is that the plane was somewhat built around the original smaller motors so now with my larger motors (which are significantly longer and heavier) I had a dilemma. After much head scratching and consulting with Rob, (who was kind enough to drop by to see the issue first hand) I decided to shift the firewalls back since these motors would have made my CG difficult to achieve because I was nose heavy to begin with.  Not only that but being over an inch longer the new distance between the leading edge of the wing and the props didn't look very scale. (in the full size about 35% of the nacelle's length is forward of the LE ... see pic. Mine was about 45%) Besides, they actually couldn't fit within the spacing between my cowls and my firewalls anyways.

Anyways, long story short I've had to cut my original firewalls out of their respective nacelles and shift them back about an inch or so. Scary to cut into a beautifully finished plane (if I may say so myself) but hey it had to be done.

The other concern I now have is that the firewalls are not going to be as strong as the originals because of the "reglue". Oh well, hopefully they'll hold up because with my new power of 174 watts per pound methinks I'll now be able to get off the grass without much trouble.  ;D

On an aside, it was ironic that even though I had consulted with Rob constantly throughout this project he only saw it really close up in detail on this visit. :)
 
Colin

Nice surgery. Not really a nose job, but with 2 new implants......

If you can use some 1/4" triangle stock around the edges of the firewall that will give extra glue surface and strengthen the glue joint a great deal.


Jack.

Good suggestion, Jack.

Good observation, Simon  ;D

Great work, Colin.  Will it be ready for tomorrow's float fly?  The answer is "YES"...

Unfortunately the answer is no. :( I have Mya's and Jenna's "family birthday party" on Sunday and my wife's birthday is today but we're gonna celebrate it tomorrow as she subtly reminded me that the Kingston funfly was on our anniversary. Needless to say all modifications came to an abrupt halt.  ;D

Colin

Well this turned out to be a real PITA of a project. I thought I was done with "construction" on this plane!  Sort of thought it would have been a relatively simple affair ... just move the firewalls back and increase the spacing between the cowls and firewalls (by increasing the nacelle/cowl attachment points) to compensate for the longer motors.

Well, not so simple.  ::)

Because of the curvature in the nacelles moving the firewalls back resulted in a different sized nacelle perimeter to mate with the cowls. (or so I thought ... but read on!) There was somewhat of a large gap (about .75 of a cm) now between the cowling and the nacelle if the motors were to line up properly with the cowl's prop opening.  >:(

I briefly considered building up the tops of the nacelles to meet the cowls but then decided to shift the motors (and subsequent thrust lines) down the .75cm instead.  That way when the cowls sit flush with the top of the nacelles (as they should) the motors will line up with the prop openings of the cowlings.

Keep in mind that all this was after the firewalls had already been moved back and reglued into their new positions so the nacelles were once again sealed. So I had to cut open the bottom of one nacelle and do the PITA work (working within a two inch square hole) of adding new T nuts into the new positions.  As I was finally finished doing this, something told me to check the other nacelle.

Turns out one of the nacelles was "higher" than the other by that .75cm! Of course THAT was NOT the nacelle that I based all my measurements on! In other words, that nacelle lined up perfectly with its cowl but of course since I assumed that their "curves" were both exactly equal, I had ALREADY cut into the "lower" one and added the T nuts etc etc. CRAP!!!  >:( >:( >:(

Anyways, the good news is that I discovered this before I had cut into the "good" nacelle.  Long story short, got the situation fixed by adding some balsa on the top of the "lower" nacelle to bring it in line with the other and thereby evening up the cowl spacing which was the cause of all the work in the first place.

Another piece of good news is that I didn't have to change the thrust lines after all since I was a little concerned that the adjustment might affect the flight characteristics in some adverse way. (even though I was assured not by good authority.  ;))

So, in the end I had cut into the nacelle unnecessarily, wasted a few hours and acquired a few more grey hairs ... but all's well that ends well.  ;D ;D

Colin

Pics to come later.

Excellent!  Does this mean you'll be flying it at Bramalea?  I will probably take my CL-215.

Wow, the devil really is in the details!

Quote from: sihinch on July 16, 2014, 09:56:38 AM
Wow, the devil really is in the details!

Only for the analretentive!  ;D Most would consider much of what I do to models a waste of time and completely unnecessary. lol!  ;)

Colin

Pic#1
Fabrication of an "extension box" to make up the difference in space between the nacelles and cowls.

Pic#2
Rough sanded, shaped and attachment tabs attached.

Pic#3
Rough trial fit of cowls

Pic #4
Spackled and blended ... ready for recovering. ;D

Colin

Done!  ;D I'm pretty bad at covering and even worse at patching but it doesn't look too too bad. (even though the patch seams are more obvious in person) That's the good news.  The bad news is that now one of my brand new motors, IS A DUD. So now I have to get a replacement which should take at least a week and a half. Anyways at least I'll aim to get the rest of the plane completely finished by then.

Colin

Looks great!

But that motor thing sounds like an excuse for not flying it this weekend.   :P

BTW, I just ordered a new motor today at lunch, and should have it on Monday or Tuesday... but I buy local   ;D

Well, for the past few days I've been TRYING to acquire a couple oif replacement motors form a guy off of RCGroups. Man, what a disaster! Guy reneged on the deal once ... claimed the shipping was more than he quoted me and refunded my money. After I offered to pay the "extra" shipping he re accepted (is that a word? lol!) my money and then reneged AGAIN after claiming that the PO or UPS or whomever was gonna ding him another extra charge. So he refunded my money again.

Who makes a deal and then renegs?  >:(

I was hoping to get her completely done (and flyable) for the scratch built fun fly but this is a setback. Anyway, I've ordered some replacements from HK using their Purolater shipping option so hopefully it'll get here within the YEAR.  ::) 

Meanwhile I've been putting the finishing touches on the plane and it's looking good if I may say so myself so I may just bring her to the FunFly anyway.  ;D

Colin 

It deserves to be at the fun fly Colin!

Final bit of paint finally put onto the plane, thank goodness.  All that masking just for one white stripe! lol!

Colin

Very nice!


Hey, you can fly it on a single motor tomorrow.  You should have enough fin area.   :P

Nah ... that motor has already been reassigned to the Dart which I WILL be bringing tomorrow! :)

Colin

Quote from: wollins on July 23, 2014, 11:35:07 AM
Well, for the past few days I've been TRYING to acquire a couple oif replacement motors form a guy off of RCGroups. Man, what a disaster! Guy reneged on the deal once ... claimed the shipping more than he quoted me and refunded my money. After I offered to pay the "extra" shipping he re accepted (is that a word? lol!) my money and then reneged AGAIN after claiming that the PO or UPS or whomever was gonna ding him another extra charge. So he refunded my money again.

Who makes a deal and then renegs?  >:(

I was hoping to get her completely done (and flyable) for the scratch built fun fly but this is a setback. Anyway, I've ordered some replacements from HK using their Purolater shipping option so hopefully it'll get here within the YEAR.  ::) 

Meanwhile I've been putting the finishing touches on the plane and it's looking good if I may say so myself so I may just bring her to the FunFly anyway.  ;D

Colin

Make sure you give the guy a poor rating on RCGroups. It'll help others to avoid him.

Funny thing about that "dud" motor ... on a whim I decided to use it in my newly acquired Culver Dart yesterday and it seemed fine!  For some reason it seemed fine before hand by just spinning it up by hand and without a prop so I decided to chance it in the Dart for its maiden.  :o

I figured what better way to test it than in a real world situation.  ;D Another reason that I installed it in that plane is because I didn't pay much for the plane so I didn't have that much to lose if the motor seized and I couldn't save it.

Well, it performed great and after three back to back flights came down just luke warm and there was no sign of the former bearing problems that were apparent before. So ... I might just use it in the 415 IF my replacement motors don't arrive with in the next week or so.  I'm tired of waiting to enjoy this plane!  ;D

I know one thing that I've learned in this build is to start earlier for my Albatross build this coming winter. Actually on second thoughts maybe I'll just sell the Albatross kit to Michael since he had expressed an interest in buying the same kit. The last thing I need is for a master builder to build the same kit that I'm building thereby exposing all my building inadequacies! lol!

Colin

Don't be afraid of Michael.  Just do a better job than him.   ;D

I can understand not wanting to have two identical planes, but they will be very cool, and can be made to look very different.

Colin, in my opinion you are a more patient and better builder than I am.

I'd happily buy the kit from you for the full amount you paid, but if you choose to build it, and if I build one, I promise to use a different finish.

Quote from: Michael on July 28, 2014, 08:42:11 PM
Colin, in my opinion you are a more patient and better builder than I am.

I'd happily buy the kit from you for the full amount you paid, but if you choose to build it, and if I build one, I promise to use a different finish.

Sent you a PM, Mike.

Colin.

Ok, I've finally received my replacement motors, installed them and we're ready to fly again! Whoo hoo!

Colin

BTW, while I was waiting, I did the striping on the vertical stab.  First pic is the full size plane (obviously! lol!) and the other two pics are mine.

Colin

Looks like it will be ready for Saturday!!!

Beautiful!

I'm looking forward to seeing it fly on Saturday.  I hope you can make it to the float fly!

Ok, we're on the homestretch now! Got my leading edge striping done and my landing lights lens installed.  All that's left are my decals and the grey striping on the top of the fuse and beside the nacelles. Since I decided to order my decals from Callie Graphics, I decided that I'd get in a flight first ... just in case. ;)  Afterall I was yet to fly her off grass. Matter of fact she had only flown once ... the maiden at FB. On my attempt to fly her off grass about a month or so ago, she didn't have the umph to unstick herself from the Temac grass and in the process I had burnt out a motor. 

Well, with the more powerful motors and subsequent increased wattage (now at 135w per pound as opposed to the former 105w/lb) she scooted along the grass no problem and was up in the air with no more than a fifteen foot rollout. (or should I say "scoot out"? ;))

Just like the maiden, felt real light in the air, even though at 8.5lbs AUW now she's at least 1/2 a pound heavier than on the maiden. Had a nice comfy flight and a smooth non eventful landing.  Landed as slowly and softly as a foamie trainer!

NOW I can order my decals! lol!

Colin.

P.S. This plane should win an award no problem at the Temac funfly. "Longest recorded build in Temac's history"!   ;D

Nice work, Colin.  It was great to see it fly again last night.

You should be very proud of this building project... especially considering it was your first scratch build.

This first build of yours, of a good size, scale, twin, flying boat, is made even more impressive when you consider that the plans you had to work from were vague and inconsistent, the short kit didn't always match the plans, and what little instructions you had were pretty much useless.  And then you figured out ways to modify the design to make is better in many ways and to make it "your own"

Awesome!  Congratulations!

Thanks man ... means a lot coming from you! Decals on the way.  Gonna fly her some more on Friday. :)

Colin

Well I got out today and was able to put another couple of flights on her. Man, is this plane ever sweet!  ;D

Wanted primarily to do a stall test and a full flap test. Passed both with flying colours. Matter of fact it really didn't even want to stall! When it eventually did it just gently dropped the nose and mushed forward. There was not even a hint of dropping a wing! 

Full flaps were a beautiful thing to watch, like Robert's CL-215 there was no pitch change as has happened with any other plane with flaps that I've ever owned. Actually it did change pitch, it pitched DOWN slightly, because I had programmed in a down elevator mix when flaps are deployed to counter the usual ballooning.  ;) So. I took out the mix and upon flap deployment it did not change pitch even one iota. Just slowed nicely.

SO PLEASED WITH THIS PLANE!  ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D

Colin   

I'm thinking of going counter rotating props ... anyone know where to source counter rotating spinners? (When I say counter rotating spinners, I mean those that have cutouts to cater for the pitch of the counter rotating props of course! )


Thanks!


Colin

Nah!  I don't know where to get that fancy stuff.  MY water bomber ain't worthy of fancy spinners.

BTW, I'm glad you're liking your CL-415.  That HUGE sense of accomplishment and pride is what you get when you build and fly your own plane.  The hobby is SO much more rewarding when you do.

Don't mind that philistine,Robert.


Here's where you can buy matched pairs. The pusher are contra rotating.




[size=78%]http://www.maxxprod.com/mpi/mpi-291.html[/size]
[/size]
[/size][size=78%]Jack.[/size]

Awww shucks!  Those would have been perfect Jack ... if only they were three bladers.  Maybe if I can find some "blank" spinners and do my own cutouts that would solve the problem. Funny that these are so rare cause contra rotating props in the RC world are not that uncommon.

Colin

For all of those who have had the patience and fortitude to hang in there on this marathon build I have a question for ya! :)  What do you think I'm gonna use this "thing" (see pic attached) for on this plane? 

Hint: I spent nearly two hours in the dollar store yesterday looking for something like this so it must be important! ;)

By now if you've followed any of my build threads you know I use the darndest things sometimes to make a "scale looking" part or two! lol! Here's an example:

http://temac.ca/smf/index.php/topic,4354.msg28354.html#msg28354

So, give it your best shot!  ;D

Colin

It's a "Phantom Scoop"


Jack.


LOL Phantom PIC?

Ooops! Forgot to add the pic! Now THAT would make it hard to guess huh? lol! Pic added now.

Dropping on to pretend forest fires, with water in them?


Or maybe a little observation bubble, for the little people to look out of?  ;D ;D

The little curved, observation windows on the side of the fuselage...

Still can't see the picture??Jack.

It's there Jack, attached to post 295.

Sorry did not look that far up.


I know. You're going to drop squinkies instead of water and have them blow the fire out.


Ingenious.


Jack.

Ah you guys are good!  ;D  I'm gonna make the bubble windows with that packaging.

Colin

Ok so I was looking the plane over and realized that I hadn't yet blended the TE into the fuse.  See the plans just called for the wing basically to just sit atop the fuse. See pic #1 and 2 below.

As you can see there was no smooth transitions between the wing and the fuse both front and back. (LE and TE) So what I had done to rectify this was I added a "fairing" or "lip" at the front of the wing saddle to create a more seamless transition from the wing to the fuse. This "lip" created a couple of positives but also a negative.  The positive was the blending and it also served as a partial attachment point that helped to hold the wing down even if I didn't have wing bolts.  :) See pic #3 below. 

The negative was that the angle of the lip caused the wing to sit further back on the fuse, (about a quarter of an inch) so that it now overlapped the back of the wing saddle by that amount. See pic #4.

It looked fine like that and made no difference in flight (since I adjusted the CG point to allow for this) but it always bothered me cosmetically.  :-[  After all, the full size has that blended/smooth transition from wing to fuse! (see pic #5) So, I decided to fix it.  ;D

Check back for my simple fix.  ;)

Colin

The suspense is killing us!

Pics won't be uploaded for another hour ... I'm working as fast as I can! lol!

Here ya go. Now doesn't that look better?  ;D

Colin

Still waiting on my decals from Callie Graphics.  If I get them tomorrow, the plane will be 100% completed for Sunday's funfly! Whew!  That would make it 7 months and 1 week from start to finish.  :o  Applying striping, windows, doors, wing fences and possibly faux wheels as we speak!

Colin

Wow!  You're getting fancy.

I'm glad we'll be able to fly together, finally, on Sunday.  Too bad it's not from water  ;D

Ok as promised ... TANKER 273 is FINALLY 100% DONE. As true to scale as within my capabilities. Walk around video to be uploaded within the hour. ;)

Colin

That looks amazing Colin! Congrats.  :)

I love the mock wheels.


Great looking!


jack.

Thanks guys! Here's the vid. http://youtu.be/bkELuPZqEQc

Colin

Nice to have recognition from your peers! :) Well, this is the official end to this build thread. Thanks to everyone who have contributed their encouragement, comments and suggestions (especially the veterans ... you know who you are!  ;)) throughout the last seven months ... they certainly have helped me to create this bird.

Thanks to even the "lurkers" who I would only know of when they would come up to me at the field and mention the 415 in some way or another. SPECIAL thanks to Robert (Pike) for without his support and encouragement this would not have even gotten off the building board! Robert has truly been a mentor to me in this hobby from the time we met almost twelve years ago at a funfly in Richmond Hill.  As such it was especially exciting to have a formation flight with him and his CL-215 today. Sort of a fitting climax to the build I thought.  :) 

So ... what have I learned in my first ever balsa build?  A LOT! Here are my main mistakes and what I'm gonna do to rectify them in my next build ...

- Use CA accelerator judiciously! (Makes for a cleaner build! ;))
- ONLY fiber glass the bottom half of your tip floats! (save yourself LOT of headache and WEIGHT!)
- Don't fiber glass more than is absolutely necessary. (makes for a lot lighter plane!)
- Wet out the surface FIRST when laying down heavy weight fiber glass, THEN lay down the glass. (no air bubbles this way)
- Make clean cut pieces of your glass cloth for glassing large areas. (eliminates ragged overlaps which cause a LOT of problems getting it smooth ... and even later in the filling and sanding stage)
- Plan your build two to three stages ahead so as to avoid costly (time and money) "rectifications" later on.
- Use a sanding block as opposed to a flexible sander like a sanding sponge.
- Build AS LIGHT AS YOU CAN AT EVERY STAGE of the build, even if you're ahead of the game (weight wise) and any one stage.
- Resist the temptation to rush the build.
- Resist the temptation to rush your paint job.
- Don't be lazy ... take the trouble to match your color properly if your trying to match painted surfaces to your covering.
- Don't write on the wood ... with lighter covering colors, it might show right through the covering!
- Plan at least 6 months for a build. (At MY pace that is! lol!)

And last but most importantly ... DON'T PICK A COMPLICATED PLANE FOR YOUR FIRST EVER BUILD! lol!
     
Colin.

P.S This was awesome practice for my "real" build later this year.  :) The Grumman HU-16B Albatross! I invite you to follow along with me again ... if you have the stomach for another marathon! lol!  ;D

Super job Colin.  Can't wait to see it in person.  And I'm really looking forward to the retracts on your Albatross amphib!! ;) .

Bravo!

Andy

I'm just so glad you decided to build a flying boat, and you're planning for another one!  The float flying cult is growing!

Very well done, Colin.  I hope many others, in the club, are inspired by your accomplishments and consider creating their own masterpieces.

I certainly hope you can make it to the float fly this coming Saturday!

Quote from: wollins on August 24, 2014, 10:11:40 PM
This was awesome practice for my "real" build later this year.  :) The Grumman HU-16B Albatross! I invite you to follow along with me again ... if you have the stomach for another marathon! lol!  ;D

Well, there has been a slight change in plan ... ok fine .... a BIG change in plan. Turns out that there are at least a couple of planes that I like better than the Albatross!  ;D  Since I can't afford the time (or money for that matter) to build both (the Albatross and the "mystery plane") Michael had graciously offered to buy the Albatross kit off me for the full price that I paid ... cause that's just the kind of guy he is!

So ... it's off to a good home (and still in our club) and I know that Michael will do it justice.  So the Albie will still make its presence felt next year ... only with a different owner! ;)

Will update when I decide which of my shortlisted models will be its replacement for my winter build. Rest assured that it will be just as imposing (if not moreso) as the Albie would have been.  ;D

Colin

We look forward to hearing about your next project, and as long as you're still planning to build a large flying boat, I'm O.K. with it :-)


Man, if I can get MY builds done this year, we will have an impressive showing at the float fly's next year.  I know Glenn is planning to build a new Schneider racer too...

Quote from: piker on September 01, 2014, 07:56:02 PM
We look forward to hearing about you next project, and as long as you're still planning to build a large flying boat, I'm O.K. with it :-)

Oh its gonna be a flying boat all right ... and large.  ;)

Colin

Ok guys ... this video is really for my reference ... it's just a way for me to see all the pics I took and the sequence I took them in to help me with my next build. It summarises the whole seven months of the build in sixteen minutes.  I kinda like it because it shows the build in one smooth flow but if you're tired of this plane already feel free to pass. ;)


http://youtu.be/D4sD-owykeg

Colin 

Well done, Colin.

Nice.

A very nice documentary of the build, Colin!
And the music gives me flashbacks to a carefree vanished time.

Just curious, how many hours do you figure you put into it?
I admire your skill, patience and ingenuity to overcome the various hurdles encountered.

Wonderful!
Graham (aka "lurker")

Great video!

Thanks guys!  Graham, I can't begin to estimate the hours ... it was pretty much every free chance I got.  Of course with two small kids there were LOTS of limitations cause someone is always "napping" at my house ... which interferes with my time to make noise! lol!  So yes a LOT of hours but had I not had small kids it would have been done a lot faster I think.

Having said that ... A DECISION HAS BEEN MADE REGARDING MY NEXT PROJECT. See you all over at http://temac.ca/smf/index.php/topic,4888.0.html  :)

Thanks!

Colin

So I've been meaning to fit counter rotating props on this baby for a long time and a couple of hairy takeoffs (she likes to pull HARD to the left so you have to be on the differential thrust steering 110%) made me finally get it done. 

Boy! What a difference in ground handling! First vid shows with regular props without me trying to correct any swerve ... in other words just throttle. See the swing?

Second video ... same deal only now with counter rotating prop installed. Woot woot, there's some stress gone from a takeoff run! lol!

Third vid is just me farting around in the backyard trying to discharge my battery while playing with my differential thrust steering.  (You know this won't end well with a big plane in a relatively small space! Not to worry though, sounds worse than it was ... no damage. ;))

Colin


https://youtu.be/fva65RPKqEI

https://youtu.be/q2bp5F1x5t8

https://youtu.be/gfbGfUmUx-M

Loved the donuts video...Colin, you're gonna wear it out before it gets to the water!
Spectacular build and model!

Thanks Bill ... incidentally this model has already flown off water several times. ;)

Colin

CL 415 flight TEMAC 14 6 2016

Sorry about the shakiness, the distance shots and the out of frame shots ... it was a hat cam.  ::) If you want you can skip to around the 4 min part for the landing. :) (of which I barely got in the frame!  :() 

Colin


https://youtu.be/2j8bKElGIbQ

They say that when you're doing a scale project, you're never done! :) Decided to do something about that exposed servo. My fix is not exactly scale but looks a darn sight better than before. ;)

Colin

Having fun at the float fly with the two water bombers. (Rob's CL-215 and my CL-415)  Excuse the running conversation. ;)

Colin

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UATOZamGLk8

Fantastic flight!!  :D