All the excess flashing trimmed from the mould ready to be joined and fuselage alignment pins installed.
Just need to cut the shear webs to size when cured and she is finally ready to go together...update soon.
Thursday, 26 March 2009
Progress Update
Shear webs have been laid up and under pressure and internal carbon horns in press.
All the excess flashing trimmed from the mould ready to be joined and fuselage alignment pins installed.
Just need to cut the shear webs to size when cured and she is finally ready to go together...update soon.
All the excess flashing trimmed from the mould ready to be joined and fuselage alignment pins installed.
Just need to cut the shear webs to size when cured and she is finally ready to go together...update soon.
Wednesday, 25 March 2009
Tuesday, 24 March 2009
Words Of Wisdom by Randy Spencer
For many people the ultimate goal in learning a new task, whether in your job or in your hobby, is to be better than the next person and to reach the pinnacle of success. This success can be in the form of more pay, plaques for your alls, winning the Nats or the World Championships.
How do you reach this level of success? For me, success has been the result of two specific actions. The first, and probably most important thing that I could pass along, is PRACTICE. As with any sport, hobby or task the more you perform the better you get. Fly your model as much as you can. Fly it in the calm mornings, the sunny afternoons, the cloudy, windy days. Get to know your model and what it will do given different flying conditions. There is no substitute for "stick time". If you know the performance envelope of your model, you will be able to make it perform better than others with "super ship" who do not have the same familiarity with their models as you do. I have seen people with Paragons beat people with Falcons simply because they flew nothing but the Paragon, and they flew it all the time.
The second thing I have found to be important to me is to try and do the best that you can on each flight you make. Always strive for the best performance possible from your model and yourself. I found when I tried to "beat" another pilot in a contest, I really ended up hurting myself. I would concentrate so intently on what he was doing I got out of synch with myself and my model. Use the other pilots as guides. Where do they go? What do they do with the conditions they are in? Where is, or isn't, the air? Let them indicate but not dominate your decision making. Use your own skills to attack the task, not the other pilot. When the task becomes the focus of your flight, you end up flying against the conditions. If you have been practicing as much as you can, you should be able to master the task and be successful in the contest. -- Randy Spencer
How do you reach this level of success? For me, success has been the result of two specific actions. The first, and probably most important thing that I could pass along, is PRACTICE. As with any sport, hobby or task the more you perform the better you get. Fly your model as much as you can. Fly it in the calm mornings, the sunny afternoons, the cloudy, windy days. Get to know your model and what it will do given different flying conditions. There is no substitute for "stick time". If you know the performance envelope of your model, you will be able to make it perform better than others with "super ship" who do not have the same familiarity with their models as you do. I have seen people with Paragons beat people with Falcons simply because they flew nothing but the Paragon, and they flew it all the time.
The second thing I have found to be important to me is to try and do the best that you can on each flight you make. Always strive for the best performance possible from your model and yourself. I found when I tried to "beat" another pilot in a contest, I really ended up hurting myself. I would concentrate so intently on what he was doing I got out of synch with myself and my model. Use the other pilots as guides. Where do they go? What do they do with the conditions they are in? Where is, or isn't, the air? Let them indicate but not dominate your decision making. Use your own skills to attack the task, not the other pilot. When the task becomes the focus of your flight, you end up flying against the conditions. If you have been practicing as much as you can, you should be able to master the task and be successful in the contest. -- Randy Spencer
Monday, 23 March 2009
rolling a fat one
Just demouled the latest fus, as expected it is not good because there was a hole in the bladder so the pressure could not be maintained during the cure. However on the bright side the new method of making a pre rolled blank before placing the material in the mould worked really well. This means there is only one seam in the moulding making it stronger and lighter. This one came out at 165g ( how does the compare to other model rear fus, comments please?) . Think I will now scrap the bladder and make a new one.
Photos new template shape of prepeg sheet and pre rolled blank before curing
Sunday, 22 March 2009
Shear Webs
The balsa and my new saw ready for the construction of the shear webs for the main spar and the shear web forward of the hinge line.
The plan is cut into smaller pieces and glue all together end grain of course, then using a template which is currently be constructed, run them through the saw and job done!
Saturday, 21 March 2009
Spars and inner laminate completed
290 UD carbon for the spars, 93g carbon reinforcing for the wing root /joiner box and servos, then two layers of 25g glass on the inside.
Monday, 9 March 2009
More Materials
R & G order came in record time as usual, 290g UD carbon for spars and epoxy pigment to add colour for knuckle hinges.
Friday, 6 March 2009
Tailplane #2
Tailplane number two out of the moulds, we are starting to perfect the technique, this a few grams heavier but is considerably stronger, has stiffer elevators, better depth of colour and a perfect surface finish, a reasonable trade off for the extra couple of grams?
Strapped to the all carbon pre-preg fuselage you get the impression of what it will finally look like.
The UD carbon arrives next week from R&G Composites for the wing spars so the wing lay up can be finished.
I am now the proud owner of a DEWALT band saw so the shear webs for the spars can be made with ease.
Watch this space for more updates next week.
Happy landings, Harry.
Strapped to the all carbon pre-preg fuselage you get the impression of what it will finally look like.
The UD carbon arrives next week from R&G Composites for the wing spars so the wing lay up can be finished.
I am now the proud owner of a DEWALT band saw so the shear webs for the spars can be made with ease.
Watch this space for more updates next week.
Happy landings, Harry.
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