CL-415 winter project.

[wollins]

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!

[electroflyer]

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

   Glenn

[piker]

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 

[wollins]

   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 

[wollins]

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!    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

[wollins]

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

Colin

[piker]

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

[wollins]

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) 

Colin

[wollins]

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.     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".  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

[wollins]

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.

[wollins]

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.

[piker]

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

[wollins]

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

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

[wollins]

Another pic of one of the beacons.

C.

[piker]

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   

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.