Brian Taylor Cessna 120 build

[octagon]

I finally got the graphics from Callie today and applied them. As usual they were scaled perfectly. She and her husband really do fine work. I have detailed the interior with a dash and control wheels and a pilot. It has been a fun a rewarding build and the plane flies very well to boot. I decided to go with separate ailerons and 50% differential. Looking forward to seeing the result.

[River]

Wow, what an excellent build, you have done a great job, looks great!  How did you find the plans and the laser cut kit, did all go well? Any issues?  Would love to know what you think, please, as I am thinking of following in your footsteps 😀

[octagon]

Hi River, don't know if I actually know you. The 120 was a build I did from a short kit from a company in England called Sarik. In fact you can buy it in 3 or 4 ways. Just the plans. the plans plus the cowl and windshield or the entire short kit. Even with an entire short kit you still have to supply sheeting and landing gear and so on. I would not say it is a beginners kit. What Sarik did was take Brian Taylor's plan and lazar cut the parts, so it saves you cutting out ribs and formers and all. But it is not a nice interlocking type of kit like say Top Elite or Alien kits are. I would say it requires intermediate skill, certainly not a first build. Now saying all that, it was very a very rewarding build, took about 3 months and it flew very well right from the first flight. Sadly, I had a coming together in the air with another plane, neither of us saw each other until we hit, and the 120 angered in from about 100 up. Wing broken, fuse written off ahead of the back of the wing, cockpit vaporized. I have started the long road back to repair and have ordered a few parts from Sarik. I hope to have it back in the air this year, but the weather has not cooperated as it has been nice a lot and in the summer I find it hard to spend a flying day building in my workshop. Winter and bad weather comes soon enough. If you have some building skill I encourage you to give it a go. There is a concise building thread on the forum, and the guy converted it from gas to electric. I used his idea to build the belly hatch to install the battery. The plane is excellent as a first scale model.

[River]

Hi, thanks for such a quick response, really appreciated. No we don't know each other.  Great to hear it was a good build and flew well, but really sorry to hear about the accident, never easy, but it sounds like you have the skills to put it back together.  Hope that goes well.  Is all the information needed available on the plans, so if I was not to buy the laser cut parts I could make/ cut them out myself?  Just trying to decide what to do, I quite like the process of making all the parts from plans, but the laser cut would be quicker, but then there is the cost. If the plans are detailed I would probably do all the cutting myself, as I am retired I have plenty of time and in no rush.  Is that right that the plans come with a Magazine article on the build?  Thanks again for the response really appreciated.

[octagon]

Hi River,
Yes, the plans are typical Brian Taylor plans, very detailed, and if you like cutting out stuff yourself it is all that you need. My plans are a bit cut up and missing a few little areas where I used them as templates for some parts, but if you want to borrow them and have them copied I am good with that. They are fully detailed and have drawings of how to assemble the fuselage, as it is built in two pieces and then joined. I think the cowl and windshield might be a challenge and worth the investment, the windshield in particular.The plans did come with the magazine article, full colour and well detailed. It was a project article that was in Model Airplane News some years ago and I found it very helpful. There is a mistake on the plans that they point out. Can't remember at the moment, something like the plans saying some of the sheeting was 3/16th when it should be 3/32, but it is obvious and well documented. Here is a link to that build  on the web I was telling you about. https://www.modelflying.co.uk/forums/index.php?/topic/42085-building-brian-taylors-cessna-120/page/4/
I am happy to help if you need it or have other questions
Rob
416-985-5401

I'm retired to so whenever

Cheers

[River]

Hi Rob, thanks for the additional information, really appreciated, and also thanks for the offer of the plan loan.  I am actually in the UK so I will get a set from Sarik. The advice on the windshield and cowl is definitely good! I will certainly get them, but as I said I will probably do the cutting out I think.  Can you remember what year the article is, I may try to look it up, certainly sounds useful and interesting. 

[River]

Rob, just thinking if you had a copy of the article you could send me that would be really useful, be great to read it, and as I said I can then order the plans, all the best