Nose Gear Retraction Mechanism Part 3

I finished the crank, just need to drill the hole through the dash and hook it up completely. Left is 2 rivets. I got to apply my first epoxy to the plane by floxing the Strut Cover in place. Also got to working on the practice wing from the manual (Yes, some people actually try out the practice projects first). The hot-wire cutting worked very well for us with our experience making RC combat plane wings. I can't wait to finish the nose gear retraction system so I can crank the nose up and down so I feel like something was actually accomplished.

Nose Gear Retraction Mechanism Part 2

Made the two TAIS tabs that keep the rudder pedals from falling under their own weight. They make me feel good because they are the first parts I made without my dad's supervision. Of course they look better now, the picture was taken before I buffed them. Also did a check to see my progress on building the retraction system found here and here. I should now have the full amount of hardware required to finish the chapter. Worm and gear have come in to. So far the single most expensive part I've bought for the Long is the universal for $100. It was the same price everywhere I looked. Last, not even mentioned here are all of the stupid little bushings that took forever to make. I will say that I expected there to be more composite work in a composite airplane. My goal is to finish chapter 13 before the summer ends. Much more to come.

Nose Gear Retraction Mechanism

Worked for 5 hours and was rewarded with the 2 ng51s. The original retract mechanism was missing and must have been lost or taken along the way. Ordered the other parts from spruce and they should be in a week. Also got most of rear nose gear door built. Will finish it tonight.


Check out the pics!

New Home!

After a full day of work, I was able to move the project to its proper place, a larger single-car garage. Special features include a folding cloth stand, hardware bins, and plen

Publish Post

ty of shelving.

Making the Workspace Work

I didn't accomplish too much this weekend, but things add up. Hopefully my dad and I can get the floors coated next weekend. The plane will be a nice fit without wings on and should be able to squeeze through the small garage door at an angle. Notice the hanging cowlings; we didn't want to step on them. Getting them down will be tricky but will be awhile. I'm working on assembling a cloth cabinet to protect it from dust, and it just needs latches. I also set up multiple bins to hold misc. little items (rivets, screws, etc.). I try to look over the plans every night before sleeping to familiarize myself with them before getting to work. Next actual parts on the airplane are nose gear installation, canard, installation, and nose shaping.

Last but not least, the project came with some old radios, anybody know about these? The Dynair is super old, and the 2morrow has some screws missing. I don't exactly plan to use them, but I'm curious about them.

Confidence Layup

This layup was designed to make sure you build things tough enough. The part is supposed to handle at least 10g's, although I've tested mine at 11g's at an EAA meeting to show off. I am proud of workmanship on this piece and so is my dad. I tried very hard and gave very close attention to my work. If I ever have a nice desk at a future workplace, I will use it as a fancy name plate.




I plan to do the practice wing next, due to the leftover requirement of building the wings. I'm currently working on assembling a simple hot wire foam cutter. One of my buddies from the RC club has got a CNC foam cutter working. We believe that if we can get the files onto the computer and if we enlarge the size of the machine, we should be able to CNC cut the wings. This should allow for much less work and hassle.We might just attempt this with the practice wing.

Practice Layup #1

Here is my awful practice layup. It's pretty shameful, but I did alright for my first. The piece is 6 piles of BID and weighs right in the sweet spot. I actually started my practicing before I got the project because I was interested in the technique. Now, I will actually be applying it. I plan on taking a look at the canard soon to see what canard he built for it. He has the info on the Roncz, but I don't know for sure if he built it. Next is the confidence layup.