Top wing

I started with building the top wing then the bottom wing, and included some picture and comments as I progressed with this first step. I followed the exact same process when building the bottom wing.

For each wing I traced and cut the set of four LE and four TE sheeting according templates. I made the templates out of packaging cardboard. The top-wing templates are visible in top right of this picture. The bottom sheeting (3 pieces) of each wing panel include the LE, TE, and wing root sheet that I glued together to form a single piece. 



Closeup of magnets holding 1/16" balsa sheeting.



Spar and ribs.



Left wing with-top sheeting attached with clothes pins. The top sheeting was glued in three stages: TE then LE, and finally wing tip. I used water to dampen the the top sheet, mainly LE and wing tip, to help form and curve the sheet to the ribs. The plans call for the top sheeting to have the same dimensions as the bottom sheeting. I found that if I extended the overall width by 1/8" to account for the top curvature, then it was easier to manage the task and trim/sand later.



Right wing panel getting ready while left wing panel top sheeting dries at the back. The plans only have the left panel, so I mirror-printed the wing section of the plans to get the right panel. Outerzone also posted the mirror images.



A 10 degree dihedral is in place, after which the right wing panel sheeting will be glues in place. I built the wings around the dihedral brace because I did not find a good method to insert and glue the brace after the wing panels where completed and covered.


Complete wing ready for sanding.


I am fairly happy with the results. The instructions for constructing the wing were a bit vague, but after rereading them carefully it was apparent that I missed an important point: the bottom sheet of a wing panel must be firmly pinned to a flat surface while the top sheet is glue on. I managed to develop a small warp in the wing tips because when the top sheet dried it pulled the wing tips up a bit. This will not be an issue to fix, but I could have avoided it in the first place.

Anyway, I'll start the bottom wing and this time I'll change the build process a bit. First, I will remember to pin the bottom sheet down while gluing on the top sheet. Second, I am going to glue the top sheet in sections: LE, TE, then wing root. I'll be fitting each section into place individually, holding them magnetically, instead of gluing it as one piece held with clothes pins.


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Covering

Image
Fuselage The fuselage received two coats of Sanding Sealer with light sanding using a 400 grit paper before each coat . After the first two coats I applied the orange Silk Span trim patterns. I wet the orange Silk Span with water from a spray bottle, positioned it carefully, and removed any trapped air bubbles. Once satisfied, I applied Sanding Sealer to the orange Silk Span to fix it in place. When dry, I ran another light sanding of the entire fuselage and applied the final coat of Sealer. Battery compartment cover. I added a "CH"emblem on the right side of the fuselage made out of black iron-on covering. I printed a template with the size and font I wanted and cut the lettering with a sharp hobby knife. Wings I followed the test covering process I did on the balsa frame and covered the wings with clear (white) Silk Span. Once the edges where dry, I followed with light sanding and a coat of Sealer. I added the orange color trim following the 1963 patterns. Just like the fus
Read more

Fuselage, part 1

Image
Before setting out to build the fuselage I decided to do some planning and lots of reading. My Chicken Hawk will be powered by an electric motor so I had to make some changes to the fuselage in order to accommodate a battery, an ESC, and a different motor form factor. The plans also depict a control mechanism that I will replace with two 9 gram servos and a receiver. Because I don't have access to the plans of the modern kit, my only option was to closely examine picture on various build logs and articles, as well as draft some ideas before starting to cut any balsa. My modifications were simple. I replaced the bottom covering between former F1 and F3 with a hatch and an opening for the battery. I also refashioned former F2 with a larger opening. Moving former F1 forward by 3/4" gave me more space for the electronics and eliminated the need for any extension to the motor backing. Heeding the advice of others, I was very careful marking and cutting the fuselage sides. I used tw
Read more

Flight!

Image
  AUW of 416 grams or 14.7 ounces Powered by E-MAX CF2822 1200Kv motor, 30A ESC, 2S 1000mAh LiPo, driving an 8x6 propeller Wing loading 8.95 ounces per square foot, and Cubic Wing Load of 7.0 Outerzone plans: https://outerzone.co.uk/plan_details.asp?ID=2632 Maiden flight video: https://youtu.be/I8XRX7J8edI Webpage: https://sites.google.com/site/eyalabraham/rc-planes
Read more