[gus]

I think I might need one of these. Subscribed,

And it's gonna last you . . . ? :lol:

 

[TriFlyer3D]

Cut the two lower 5/16" X 3/8" hardwood wing spars to length and place them over the wing plan.

Take the root rib assembly and place it over the wing spars lining it up square with the spars. Be sure the ribs are tight to the attach block. Glue the ribs to the spars taking care not to get any glue on the wing attach block.

If one is using CA glue for part of the build be very careful that the glue does not run down and accidentally glue the wing locating dowel in.

Place each of the 1/8" balsa ribs in its proper location on the wing spars, square them up and glue them to the spars. Check that the trailing and leading edges of the ribs line up, trim as required.

Cut the 2 5/16" X 1/2" trailing edge spars to the proper length and angle. Glue the trailing edge spars to the ribs in the notch provided.

Cut the lower wing spars (upper during the build) slightly longer than needed. Mount them flush with the root rib and glue them in the spar cutouts in each of the ribs. Let the excess hang past the tip rib. The extra will be cut off later with a razor saw. Do the same with the 3/8" square leading edge gluing it in the notch provided in the nose of the ribs.

 

[TriFlyer3D]

Will I get to fly one in South Kansas City? Please!!!!!!!!

Sure.

If it lives that long. :wink: :roll:

 

[TriFlyer3D]

Trial fit the aft 3/32" plywood spar shear web between the root and second rib, trim as required for a good fit.

Glue the 3/32" plywood hatch and 1/8" servo trays in place. The hatch can be located in either the top or bottom of the wing. Note that the servo trays are glued under the wing spar and angled slightly to match the angle of the ribs. If the plane is to be glow powered and it is desired to have the throttle servo in the wing rather than in the nose an additional servo tray can be glued in at the root rib.

Cut 4 pieces of 1/16" X 4" balsa 32 1/4" long then cut each one at an angle 4" on one end and 2 3/4" on the other for the leading edge sheeting. The remainder of each sheet is used for the spar webs.

Glue the 3/32" plywood aft spar webs in place to the spars, between the first and second rib and to the doubler at the root rib. Try not to get any glue inside the pocket formed by the wing spars and the ply spar webs where the wing joiner block slides in. Use epoxy or carpenters wood glue for all the wing joiner parts.

Cut each 1/16" X 4" wide balsa spar webs to length and angle with the grain vertical between the spars and glue in place between the ribs as shown on the plans.

 

[BALSABRO]

LOOKING good RON

 

[TriFlyer3D]

OK, if you are burning to have the batteries in the wings now is the time put everything in place to do it. Decide what size batts you want to use and make up the trays to hold them. Attached is a pic of a couple of batts placed between the ribs on the plans. The short 3000Mah fits nicely between the ribs, the long 3300Mah extends past the third rib, if you want to use a battery of this length or longer this nose rib will have to be moved outward.

Make a new nose rib and glue it in place. Extend the plywood fwd spar web out to the new nose rib. Use this spar web to attach the battery trays. If you are going to use a heavy battery you may want to make a new spar web out of 1/8" ply instead of the 3/32". This is just a suggestion right now as I do not know yet how the balance is going to work out. After I get it built I will try a few batteries and repositioning the tail servos to see what it is going to take to get it to balance.

The distance between the first and third rib is 5 1/8"

 

[TriFlyer3D]

Rip two 4" X 36" pieces of 1/16" balsa into strips to make four 2" pieces for the trailing edge sheeting. Cut two to length and angle and glue them in place to the ribs and trailing edge spar on each of the wings.

Spray the top side of the leading edge sheet with some Windex, wipe off the excess. Let it sit for a few minutes and it will curve to the leading edge shape all by itself. Glue the leading edge sheet from the center of the main spar to the 3/8" square balsa using pins and/or clamps to hold it in place.

Cut and fit the 1/16" X 1/2" balsa rib cap strips in place on the 4 outer ribs and the 1/16" X 1" balsa cap strip on the tip rib.

Sheet in the center section with 1/16" balsa providing a cut out for the servos and hatch. The builder may want to temporarily fit the wing servos in place first and cut the sheeting around them.

 

[TriFlyer3D]

When the glue has completely cured remove the wing assembly from the table and turn it over to access the top side, then cut the tabs off the ribs with a #11 blade.

Cut and fit the 3/8" hardwood tri-stock reinforcing fillet to the ply root rib doubler and the 3/32" aft spar web in each of the wings.

Fit the forward 3/32" plywood spar shear web between the root and second rib, trim as required for a good fit then glue it in place to the spars and ribs. Try not to get any glue inside the pocket formed by the wing spars and the ply spar webs where the wing joiner block slides in.

Sheet the top in the same order as the bottom starting with the trailing edge sheet.

 

[TriFlyer3D]

After the glue has cured separate the two wing panels.

Glue the 1/4" balsa triangle stock to the trailing edge of each of the wing panels with the widest side against the wing.

With a #11 blade and a straight edge carefully cut out the area in the root rib between the wing spars for the wing joiner block. Try the fit of the joiner block in the pocket formed by the wing spars and spar webs. Sand as required for a nice snug fit.

Carve the leading edge to the contour shown in the plans and sand smooth. A powered hand planer works well for this but be careful not to take too much off.

 

[TriFlyer3D]

Ailerons

The ailerons are built after the wing. This is just a simple cut and glue the sticks over the plan. Note that the ailerons are 3/8" thick.

Start by cutting the 3/8" X 1/2" leading edge spar to the length and angle shown on the plans. Glue the 1/4" balsa triangle to the leading edge.

Cut the 3/8" X 3/8" balsa trailing edge to the length and angle shown.

Cut and fit the 5/16" X 3/8" ribs between the leading and trailing edges. Cut and fit the remaining 3/8" thick pieces. Note that the root rib is 3/8" X 1/2".

 

[TriFlyer3D]

Fin & Rudder

The fin is needed to complete the fuselage so it and the rudder should be built next. Cut the sticks and stick em together.

Start with the 3/8" X 5/8" fin post then glue the three 3/8" square pieces that make up the fin to it.

Mark the center of the 3/8" X 5/8" rudder leading edge where it meets the fin post and bevel the edges. Using the center line as a guide bevel the edges 10 to 15 deg back from center. This will allow the rudder to rotate through the full range of throw of 50 to 55 deg.

Cut the 5/16" X 3/8" spruce rudder bottom to the length and angle shown and glue it to the leading edge. Cut the 3/8" X 3/8" balsa trailing edge and bottom and the 3/8" X 1/2" balsa top to the length and angle shown. Glue in place.

Cut, fit and glue in place the 5/16" X 3/8" balsa ribs and diagonals and the rudder leading edge doublers.

 

[Zamfir]

What are your heavy weights made of and where did you get them?

 

[TriFlyer3D]

What are your heavy weights made of and where did you get them?

They are pieces of square steel keystock that are used to hold sprockets on shafts for power transmission systems as are used for conveyor belts, chains etc. They come in 10' lengths but any industrial machine shop will cut some short pieces for you. I use 3/4, 7/8, 1, 1 1/4 and 1 1/2 in widths, cut 3 and 4 in long. Since they are perfectly square they are real good to hold ribs in place. Just put one on each side of a rib and it is held perfectly square and is easy to slide around into position. I never use pins any more, just the weights on top of, or on each side of the wood parts to hold them in place.

 

[TriFlyer3D]

Fuselage

Glue the two 3/8" X 5/8" hardwood motor mount rails to the 3/8" balsa nose block material. Check that the width is correct for the engine/motor that is to be used. The cutout will have to be widened for the outrunner motor. Builders may want to cut and fit the aluminum angles for the electric motor mount at this time.

Place one of the 1/8" plywood nose block doublers in its proper location on the plans. Bevel the slot for the fuse tube with a razor knife enough that the fuse tube fits nicely. Place the 3/8" balsa nose block in place on top then place the top 1/8" ply doubler on it. Once again bevel the ply so the fuse tube fits well. Glue the nose block assembly together. Use some heavy weights to hold everything in place. DO NOT glue the fuse tube in.

 

[TriFlyer3D]

Cut the two 1/4" X 5/8" center fuse stringers to length. Do not forget to cut the 3/8" notch at the rear of each for the fin post.

Cut the 5/8" fuse tube to length. Trial fit the nose block and the 5/8" thick wing attach block, the stringers and the fuse tube together. Trim as needed for a good fit. There will be a slot left in between the nose block and the 5/8" attach block for the wing joiner block, check that it slides in nicely but do not install it yet. When the builder is satisfied with the fit, the nose block, fuse stringers and the attach block may be glued together. Leave the fuse tube in place as a gauge but DO NOT glue it in yet. Wrap some wax paper around the tube at the glue joint to keep it from getting glued in. Also be careful when gluing in the fuse sticks that it is not glued in accidentally. Use some heavy weights to hold everything in place.

Notch out the 5/16" X 5/8" upper fuse stringer for the fin post then glue it to the top of the nose block. Since this distance is greater than 48" a short piece will have to be added. It is best if the joint is made on the top of the nose block. Use a scrap piece of 3/8" X 5/8" in place of the fin post to hold the stringers in alignment being careful not to accidentally glue it in.

Cut and glue the 5/16" X 5/8" fuse vertical pieces in place between the stringers. Do not forget to cut the 3/8" holes for the servo wires in the 2 center pieces.

 

[TriFlyer3D]

Glue a piece of the 5/16" X 3/8" hardwood cut off from the wing spars to a piece of 5/16" X 1/4" balsa to make up the servo rails. Cut them to length and glue them in place spacing them correctly for the servos to be used.

Glue the 1/8" x 5/8" spreaders to the 1/4" X 5/8" stringer in between the verticals.

Cut and glue the 3/8" X 5/8" balsa stab support in place remembering to cut out the notch for the fin post. Use the 3/8" X 5/8" balsa filler block and a scrap piece of 3/8" to maintain the proper distance between them for the stabilizer.

Notch out the lower fuse stringer then glue the 1/8" plywood tail skid/wheel support in place then glue the lower fuse stringer to the bottom of the nose block and glue the 5/16" x 5/8" verticals in place. Glue the 1/4" X 5/8" diagonal braces in place between the verticals.

 

[TriFlyer3D]

Glue the 5/8" thick balsa top nose block in place.

Make the canopy bow. Cut 4 pcs of 3/32" x 5/8" balsa strips 24" long. Stack the pieces together, stand them on edge and clamp them lightly together. Wick some thin CA into the first 4" of the laminate. After it cures lay it over the plans and bend it to the canopy outline. Use some heavy weights and clothespins to hold it in place and wick some CA into the curved part of the laminations. After it cures trim the end to match the turtle deck stringer as shown in the plans. Fit the canopy bow to the top nose block and turtle deck stringer. Glue them in place then cut, fit and glue the vertical pieces in place.

Remove the fuse from the building board and carefully slide the fuse tube back, insert the wing joiner block in its slot and then slide the tube into the 5/8" hole in the block. Check that it fits together nicely. Slide the wings on the joiner block and check the fit as well. If the airframe was built correctly all should line up square and tight.

 

[TriFlyer3D]

Now the fuse tube can be glued in but first rough it up with sandpaper to help with the bond. Using slow curing epoxy coat the tube and the surfaces in the nose block, fuse stringers and wing joiner block to be glued. Slide the fuse tube between the fuse stringers, through the wing joiner block and into the fuse nose block.

Place the fuse on a piece of wax paper on the building board with the wing joiner block hanging over the edge. Use weights and clamps to hold the fuse tube tight to the fuse stringers. Check that the wing joiner block is square to the fuse in both directions. Wipe off any excess glue. Let the epoxy glue fully cure.

Glue the 3/8" wing locating dowel into the fuse.

Glue the fin into the slots in the fuse stringers and to the top of the fuse. It may have to be trimmed slightly where it joins with the turtle deck stringer. Glue some 1/8" x 1/4" balsa fillers to the fin post between the stringers to hold the covering in place. Glue the 3/8" balsa triangle to the back of the fuse and fin post. Trim the edges where it meets the fin. Glue the 3/8" thick fin fairing to the turtledeck and fin leading edge. This completes the fuselage.

 

[TriFlyer3D]

Horizontal Stab & Elevator

Once again this is just a simple cut and glue the sticks over the plan. Build the stabilizer first.

Cut the 3/8" X 5/8" balsa stab trailing edge to length then put it in place over the plan. Cut the 1/2" X 3/8" balsa leading edge to the length and angle shown then cut and glue in the remaining pieces. Note the location of the 5/16 X 3/8" spruce spar. Glue the 1/4" triangle stock on the trailing edge of the stab.

Cut out the 3/8" x 5/8" balsa elevator leading edges to fit the 5/16" x 3/8" hardwood joiner. Glue together with epoxy.

Cut the 3/8" square balsa trailing edge parts and the 3/8" X 1/2" tips and glue them in place. Cut and fit the remaining 3/8" thick pieces.

After completion mark the center hinge line of the elevator leading edge and bevel it 10 deg each side, this will give 55 deg of movement both ways which is the max required.

 

[TriFlyer3D]

Trial Assembly

A pattern for a flat sheet aluminum landing gear leg is shown on the plans sheet. A Williams or Tetherite gear may also be used.

Fit the wing over the joiner block to the fuse making sure the parts slide together nicely and the wing fits tight and square to the fuse.

Check that the stab and elevator slides into its slot in the fuse. Notch out the fuse stringers in the area of the stab joiner to insure full elevator travel.

Check that the servos fit in their locations then drill for the servo mount screws. Fit the wing hatch cover then drill for the screws.

Here is the completed airframe. Weight is 44.6 oz (2 lb 12.6 oz)
There is a lot of wood in this plane so wood selection is important if one wants to keep the weight down. The wood I got from Clay was pretty good. I would guess that there could be an increase of up to ½ a pound to the bare airframe with a poor selection of wood.