Saturday, February 27, 2010

Vic Smeed Popsie part 4










More construction photos of The Little Fat Sucker.
I install a piece of 3/32 plywood at the CG location on the wing center panel. Then you can screw an eye screw into the plywood at the CG point. As you can see from the photos you simple hang the model from the eye screw and check the CG fore and aft and side to side.
The wing mount was changed from using rubber bands to a bolt on wing mo
unt. The installation of triangular gussets in the top corners of the fuselage for the bolt on installation increased the strength of the cabin area. The plans called for no gussets and using flimsy plastic for side windows and the windshields.
I used Scotch Packaging tape to mount Velcro on. No need to dope or varnish the balsa surface. You put a piece of tape on the balsa wood. Then remove it to pickup balsa dust and loose slivers of balsa wood. Then put on a fresh piece of tape to mount the Velcro. This works fine for light weight articles such as the Spectrum receiver and the ESC unit.
The battery is mounted on plywood and the Scotch Packing tape is used to remove wood dust and plywood slivers. The Velcro is applied and CA around the edges. The battery is a heavy item (about 5 to 6 ounces). In a crash or rough landing you do not want that weight breaking loose and causing more damage then is necessary.
To be on the safe side, hooks were added to restrain the battery with rubber bands. The hooks are made with Stem Wire 20 Ga. It is soft iron wire and bends easily. Stem wire can be obtained at florist shops.
Remember - There are two types of airplanes - Those that have crashed and those that are going to crash!
Bucky

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