Conference vmszoo::rc

		Weeeell, I've never actually flown a real trainer
	so I can't really comment. I started of with my Wot 4,an
	almost symmetrical,no dihedral wing tail dragger. It's
	very precise and a quick flyer... I feel very comfortable
	with it,it's capable of most aerobatic maneouvers,and with
	my 60 in it it will take off vertically and climb out of
	sight.I've just increased the aileron/elevator throws so it
	rolls and loops like crazy. My current favourite trick is to
	put it into a vertical climb,then when it gets to a 
	reasonable height put in full left rudder,throttle,up elevator
	and left aileron.
	
                         
	cheers

	bob

  This morning I ordered 2 Chris Foss Designs WOT 4 Mk 2 airplanes.  One
for Steve Smith and one for myself.  The description of the plane is below.
This seemed to be a better plane for me than the ACE 4-60 since the WOT 4
has the ability to 'grow' as my skills do.  Just add a larger 
engine (ala Panic) and you have what seems to be a totally different plane.

  When I get mine I'll let you know about the kit quality and building.

			Jim   'WOT' did I get myself into?
                                         
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(Please note that most of the strange spellings and wording are straight from
the fact sheet.  This is an English kit.) 

  The original WOT 4 was conceived following a design exercise to formulate
an ultralight highly manoeuvrable and versatile 'fun' machine powered by a 
.60 cu. in. size engine.
  Subsequent development and refinement, resulting in the Mk 2 version has 
produced an extremely practical aerobatic machine capable of being powered
by an unusually wide range of engines.
  When fitted with a .30 size engine the WOT 4 is ideally suited as an 
'aileron' trainer for the relative novice who has acquired the basic flying
skills on a rudder and elevator trainer.  Moreover, the power/weight ratio is
adequate for the more experienced pilots to exploit its aerobatic qualities
to the full.
  The additional power of a .40 engine puts real sparkle into WOT 4, giving
more advanced pilots a fast smooth yet highly manoeuvrable machine, with
superb log speed qualities, capable of performing the complete aerobatic
repertoire.
  The performance with a .60 engine will satisfy even the most extrovert
with vertical climbs out of sight, violent 'snap' manoeuvres, instant
take-offs and real slow landings.  An ideal 'tug' for glider towing and 
the ability to operate in and out of restricted spaces makes a perfect
demonstration machine for local fetes and public shows.
  Ultra simple and speedy construction is comprehensively covered in an
excellent full illustrated instruction manual.  Wings are foam and veneer
construction with straightforward fully sheeted fuselage and tail surfaces.
Engine is radial mounted on front bulkhead and enclosed with an A.B.S. cowling,
whilst the undercarriage simply clamps in position and is designed to pull 
free in the event of a crash.
  Total construction time 10 - 15 hours.
  Kit contains: Ready veneered foam wing panels : Selected pre-cut balsa
and ply parts : Stripwood : Pre-formed U/C components : Molded cowling : 
Hardware pack comprising control horns, rods, links, hinges, U/C clamps and
bolts, tailwheel leg and bracket, screws, wing joining tape : Self adhesive
decal sheet : Instruction manual.

  52" span universal aerobatic model - from aileron trainer with a .30 cu. in.
engine to expert 'fun' machine with a .60. a truly versatile design!

>>Are you building the Wot-4 currently or just psyching up to get started?

I get  the  strange  feeling  you  know  me  too  well. OK, I'll face public
humiliation  rather  than  lie,  unlike  Pres Bush who did BOTH when came to
taxes. Nope, I haven't got started building yet.

[Pause for deafening silence]

But I've  been doin' a helluva lot of flyin' lately, including 10 minutes on
Jim-the-Cavanagh's  WOT4  that's powered with a 40 size engine. Man, that is
real  nimble  compared  ty  my  FS! I did some inverted flying, and found it
climbing!  Guess I got too used to holding up elevator with an inverted flat
bottom winger!  Outside  loops  were  a  snap to do. My FS _barely_ staggers
through one, and that too, only if it doesn't fall out of it at the top! The
WOT4 rolled a lot faster too! Of course, for raw speed, with the OS SF 46 on
my  FS,  the  40  powered  WOT4  is  no  contest.  I  can't even imagine the
consequences  of  mounting an OS SF 61 on it!! I should try Steve Smith's 60
powered WOT4 next.

That apart,  I  have  been  flying everyday (nearly), including 18+ hours in
July,  14  hours  in  June  and  38 hours for this year! What a blast! I was
relieved  it  rained  last  evening  -  that way I could stay at home and do
errands  without  feeling  guilty,  or  suffering withdrawal symptoms! If it
keeps  raining,  I  should  get my WOT4 built real quick. I got everything I
need  except  for  the  engine.  I  am  expecting  my  T60  radio  back from
Airtronics, being converted from AM to narrow band FM.

You would think I could get the WOT4 built real quick, except for one thing.
Roommates. Mine  has got real interested in something call a girlfriend, and
will be moving in with her. So what's this got to do with RC? Well, as is, I
resent giving  the  landlord  2 OS SF 61's with pump EACH MONTH in rent, and
now,  I  am  faced  with  the  daunting  prospect of coughing up double that
instead! No Way! I'm gonna keep those extra engines each month. This means I
got to  MOVE. Gawd! Another of those 4 letter words that I have come to hate
with a  passion.  Moving  means  packing.  Packing  means  NO BUILDING MODEL
PLANES.  Gosh!  After I declare this the YEAR OF RC, you would think I would
be  treated  better,  but  nooo!  Doggone  it. There should be a law against
inflicting such pain!

I fared  much better in last Sunday's fun-fly, though I darned near broke my
plane. It was a Reno event. Roll die, do the number of loops and rolls, then
land, pick  up plane, and roll same number again. Clock stops. It was windy,
and as  I  came in for a landing too hot/high, I really wanted to go around,
but  with  contest  pressures  (!),  I figured I couldn't afford to lose the
time. In the meanwhile, my brain got overloaded, and I dumb-thumbed the FS 3
feet above  the  ground.  Cartwheeled. Tail wheel mount came off, and rudder
pushrod got bent. One wubber-band bwoke, while the west spwang off my model,
saving the wing. Minor damage that I fixed in 20 minutes and continued. 

Just last  Friday, I did 105 touch and go's from left to right in 44 minutes
and two  flights,  bettering  the 63 minutes I took 3 weeks ago. With nearly
500  T&Gs  logged  on  the  FS, I was sure I could land in my sleep, but the
contest  pressures  got me all fouled up. Bah! Anyhoo, I was mucho satisfied
to  learn  that I topped the 60 seconds to landing event, taking 62 odd, and
touching  down  within  the  marked square. Sorry, spot landings don't count
this event, I wuz told.

Wull, ther's always a nex time.

ajai

ps. almost  forgot - Just when I thought I was saying "I know that" mentally
to  yer  poin'ers,  I  found myself sayin' "I didn't think of that!" when it
came  to the rudder having 4 hinges because it takes a beating from the tail
wheel.  On  my FS, the tail wheel is not shock isolated from the rudder, but
will be on the WOT4.

    I know of at least two people - Jim Cavanagh and Steve Smith - who have
    buit this plane - a high wing, semi-symmetrical (the aerofoil "looks"
    symmetrical to the eye at a glance, though) fun-fly/aerobatic machine 
    that takes 30 to 60 size engines. Others, including folks across the
    pond, who have built/flown this plane might consider adding to this
    note...
    
    I had been sitting on the templates for the fuselage and tail feathers
    for over a month, that I had got from Charlie Watt, as I was busy with
    moving (shifting), attending a friend's wedding at Kansas City and
    incidentally playing official photographer, doing a 200 mile bicycle
    ride for a cancer fundraiser, and settling down in the new place.
    
    Anyhow, the impetus to start building came when Steve wanted to have
    the templates back to build his second, lighter WOT4. I begged that
    American aid to my third world building efforts not be withdrawn for a
    few more days, while I trace out and cut the parts, and luckily, Steve
    relented! 
                                  
    I am using balsa from Tower Hobbies for the plane. I could cut out all
    the parts for the fuse sides, top and tail feathers from 2 1/2
    1/4"x3"x36" sheets and 3  1/8"x3"x36" sheets. It took me 5 hours to
    decide the layout, choose the best sheets, and cut the parts with a
    knife. I have yet to sand down the excess that I left to get down to
    the exact dimensions. The fuse sides have been tacked together so they
    are identical after I am done shaping them.
    
    I still have to trace out the plywood parts, and make copies of the
    "plans" - an instruction book, really, with _some_ full size drawings.
    
    Gee, all I told Steve when we were talking about the current Gulf
    crisis was, where was America (and the world) when China decided to
    swipe Tibet, which is only a thousand times the size of Kuwait, forcing
    hundreds of thousands of Tibetan refugees into India, and why was it OK
    to invade Panama.
    
    All that Steve then said was he wanted his templates back, and was
    withdrawing all US support for Injun model aviation efforts!
    
    ajai
    
    ps. yeah, OK, so I lied about that conversation. :-) :-)
    

    Actually, I have no thoughts what-so-ever on impeding Injun model
    avaiation. I just don't think our transplanted Injun should be
    waiting for Ghandi to be resurrected before he starts building.8^)
    
    I'm glad Ajai created this note. There has been little said about
    this fantastic airplane. It is designed and kitted by Chris Foss,
    the creater of the "Panic". How could I describe it. Well, it's
    a trainer, no, it's a stunt flyer, no, it both airplanes in one.
    
    How many ads have you seen where its stated that such and such an
    airplane is a great trainer, BUT WILL ALSO DO ALL THE AIROBATICS
    YOU WANT. Yet, here you are looking at a plane with a flat bottom
    wing. Well, in the case of the WOT-4, it performs as advertised.
    With a 30/40 size engine, it is a very stable, slow flying plane
    that is great for training. With a 60, it will snap roll so fast
    you can hardly follow it. Knife edge, 4 or more point rolls, inverted
    flight, outside loops, anything you can think of. It's as fast as
    you'd ever want an airplane of this type to go, yet you can almost
    hover it into a landing with a fair head wind. The last person to
    see the WOT-4 for the first time, Jean-Paul, was very surprised
    at how slow it landed after watching it do it's thing in the air.
    He thought I was going to loose it for sure when I was just doing
    a normal landing.
    
    Jim Cavanagh is running a 40 on his WOT-4 and fly's at about 1/2
    to 3/4 throttle. I gave it it's check ride and it was so slow compared
    to my 60 it took me a minute to get adjusted so that I wasn't always
    ahead of the plane. The flexibility of this ship is truly amazing.
    
    I've also been using the WOT-4 as my fun-fly ship. I've flown it
    in 2 fun-fly's and it's gotten me a 1st and a 3rd. Actually it's
    been in 2 1/2 fun-fly's and never made it through the third one
    which is why I'm now building another fuse. I built the first one
    totally stock and did some beefing besides. I never even weighed
    it. This time, I'm going for a weight reduction for even better
    performance.
    
    Eric the Evil recommended this plane to me and he couldn't have
    been more on the mark. I would recommend this plane as a first solo
    ship and as your skills increase, all you have to do is put a bigger
    engine on the front. The cost is about $60 dollars American which
    is cheap for wot you get. Ajai is making a wise choice in building
    this plane and he will enjoy it tremendously.
    

	Since there are a number of kits by Chris Foss why don't we put em 
	all in here. I have two Acro-Wot's one with a OS46SFABC (not completed 
	quite yet) and the other with an OS90 Surpass 4-S. 

	Eric();

    I've added a new keyword, PLANE_WOT4, and I'll move to this topic some
    of the notes that discussed this model. (They were under obvious topics
    like "hinges", "winter projects", and "rambling".)

    I have mixed feelings about the ACRO-WOT.  I have the impression that
    the WOT4 with appropriate power is a reasonable first plane and should
    be considered by a beginner.  I don't recall that the same can be said
    of the ACRO-WOT, so I have not moved over the ACRO-WOT notes.  If
    someone strongly feels that the commonalty of designer is an
    over-riding consideration, I'll go along with that; you do have the
    alternative of creating a PLANE_ACRO_WOT keyword if that is desirable.

    I got another 6 hours of work done in the past 2 days. I got the tail
    feathers sanded down to the right profile after glueing together the
    various parts; this being done whenever a 3" wide sheet was inadequate.
    I also sanded the surfaces smooth, so what is left is to mark and drill
    the holes for the hinges, and taper/round the elevator and rudder.
    
    While I have a picture of the WOT4 for reference, and have even
    seen/flown one, I am amazed that I kept putting the rudder on backwards
    onto the fin, whenever matching up to check if the hinge line had no
    gap!! I would always wonder why it looked so yucky, and figured there
    might have been a design change or some such thing that hadn't been
    undocumented!! last night, I fipped the rudder (exchanging l.e. and
    t.e.), and  lo, behold, what a difference it made! I was looking at
    clean lines again!! Never mind...
    
    Well, it is a pleasure to get back to scratch building again, after
    over a decade, since that is how I used to build 1/2 my planes back in
    India. Of course, the one difference is that I have an "infinite"
    supply of balsa, and can actually afford to be picky about what I use.
    
    Every model I build seems to be with new tools added to my set. It was
    the Magic (magnet) builder last time, and this time, it is the Mitre
    Master by Fourmost products. This is a tool that lets you sand precise
    angles, especially invaluable for stick and glue construction. I had to
    sand some bulkheads made of 4 balsa "sticks" glued together, so it came
    in handy. Once I got the hang of it, it was easy to use to make
    precision fitting joints ideal for zapping.
    
    Basically, it consists of a slider with vertical face that rides in a
    slot on a wooden "table". The vertical face has sandpaper stuck on it,
    and the table has pieces of plastic that help you jig the job at the
    right angle (pun intended). There is a slight slop in the slot in which
    the slider rides, so the vertical face that does the sanding can move
    laterally 1/32" or so. I thought this was a manufacturing defect, but
    in reality, is key to the "technology" involved. In effect, it gives
    you the ability to sand off material from the job 1/32" at a time.
    Great stuff. highly recommended. Can be home made if you have a router
    for carpentry, and a routing table...
    
    I wimped out of the plywood cutting job, in favour of using a band saw
    at Charlie Watt's place tomorrow. Shaping the tail feathers (cross
    section wise) should keep me busy this evening.
    
    ajai
    
    PS. The Acro-WOT is plane with   D Y N A M I T E  looks. I was drooling
    over the photo, and later, Evil Eric's glassed version with a super
    sexy finish job. Yeah man, that is a must-have for me, and my next
    project. Will probably stick in a pumper OS SF61 ABC tho...
    
    I say we should have separate note for it, since it is a low winger...

    RE. .5
    
    Just out of curiosity, how much does your WOT-4 weigh and what make
    60 are you running on it???? While were at it, what size prop are
    you turning??? Mine will climb out of sight with a head start, but
    not from the ground. I'm building a new fuse now to try and get
    it lighter. I never did get around to weighing the original but
    I'd estimate it came in about 6/6.5 pounds.
    
    Steve

    The WOT4 I am building has elevators and ailerons that don't extend all
    the way to the tips. I suppose that is to keep them out of the vortex
    at the tip, and prevent/reduce the possibility for control surface
    flutter.

    Question - how do I finish the end of the elevator or aileron nearest
    the tip? Round it or keep it square (cross-section wise)? What about
    the elevator/aileron side of the immobile tip?

    Me thinks I should leave them square, but seek benediction of the local
    gurus (Gods?) before proceeding.

    ajai

    Ajai,
    
    	If I understand your question, I think you left the wing
    trailing edge stock too short. It should extend out beyond the
    end of the wing aprox. an inch and a half. When you put the wing tip
    in place, it curves back to meet flush with that piece. Then, the
    space between the end of the aileron and the wing tip is filled in
    with a piece of aileron stock glued to the trailing edge, and extending
    back the same distance as the aileron. It's like the piece you put
    on the trailing edge center section that holds the aileron push rods.
    I suppose you can always add a piece to make up the distance.
    
    As for the elevator, there are supposed to be two tip pieces for the
    stab that extend back the same distance as the elevator. The elevator
    then fits inbetween them.
    
    If any of this isn't clear, give me a call.
    
    
    Steve

    Ajai,
    
    knowing nothing of the Wot-4's specific construction, I bow to Steve's
    comments in .-1.  However, in ANY case where the ailerons and elevators
    (even flaps) are configures as you describe, keep the surface end and
    the corresponding tip piece SQUARE!
    
    Aerodynamic effects of rounding one or both are unknown to me but,
    bottom line, it'd look damned foolish!  :B^)  Keep 'em nice and square
    to each other.
						 __
				|      |        / |\	   	       
      	         \|/		|______|__(o/--/  | \	   	       
      | |        00	       <|  ~~~  ____ 04 ---- | --------------------
    |_|_|        (O>o		|\)____/___|\_____|_/	   Adios amigos, Al
      |     \__(O_\_	        |	  |___/	 o	   (The Desert Rat)

    Aw'right, jes' lik ah' suspected in da furs' place. Ah'll keep 'em
    square.
    
    Over 4 days in the past coupl'a weeks, I got another 10 hours of work
    done on the WOT4. 
    
    Marked out where the hinges would go on the rudder and elevator. I put
    in 3 per elevator half, and 4 for the rudder. Drilled out the holes
    with my brass pipe drill "set". I think a jig and drill press would
    have been a LOT faster, and saved me from having sore thumbs turning
    that 1/8" brass tube.
    
    Also drilled for the elevator joiner, grooved the elevator l.e. to
    recess the joiner, and used a knife to widen the holes to accomodate
    the "fat" hinge joint. 
    
    At laaast, I got the fun part of using my plane to "vee" the l.e. of
    the rudder/elevator, and also to give 'em a tapered cross-section. I
    always love the crisp sound/feel/sensation of the plane shaving the
    wood, and besides, gives my bedroom cum workshop  the look of a
    carpenter's den.
    
    A couple of the holes (the longer ones I drilled for the joiner) got
    exposed by the tapering process, but that will get covered with
    monokote/filled with epoxy.
    
    I really like the look/feel of the Robart hinges. Besides, I won't have
    to worry about whether the flexible plastic hinges are going to be held
    securely by the epoxy going through the few holes they come with for
    anchoring.
    
    I should be done with the fuse rather quick, now that the [slow] tail
    feathers are done.
    
    ajai
    
    

    I had to taper the rudder, which is about twice as wide as the
    elevator. Upon finishing the taper to 1/16" at the t.e. of the rudder,
    I found that it would flex under finger pressure. Wouldn't be much good
    with an OS SF 61 pulling it along on a knife edge, I mused.
    
    Sooo, rather than feel uncomfortable about it, I used some 1/16" balsa,
    and stuck it on cross grain to form balsa ply, so-to-speak, along one
    side of the rudder. Sanded it down flush, and voila, I had a super
    strong rudder.
    
    I had rough cut the fuse side skins, and tacked them to-gether so I
    could later sand them to identical size. Using a try-square
    (set-square), I sanded the sides down to the marking I had made. It is
    awfully hard to keep the block perpendicular to the side-skin, and even
    so, your hand rocks as you sand away, so you don't get a crisp,
    perpendicular, flat surface to glue the top/bottom of the fuse on to.
    Again, I was wondering how I could do a better job - a la factory
    precision cut/sanded parts.
    
    Sooo, after some mulling, I went back to the mitre master. I took off
    the jig in the middle of the block that allows you to position parts at
    angles, and did 6" sections of the fuse. Mmmmmm. Boy! Was I happy with
    the results. More power to the Mitre Master. I even vowed to build
    myself a bigger one in the future. They say a good workman never blames
    his tools. I say you can judge a good carpenter/builder by the tools
    that keep him company!! :-)
    
    With all the transfering of templates, etc.., some of the dimensions
    were off, so I had to, based on how things fit together, re-do some of
    the outline. Sanding the ply wing saddle pieces, was, to quote Charlie
    Watt, like sanding steel. I persisted.
    
    I have yet to cut the slot for the tail plane (stab), and mark the
    other side of the fuse before sticking all the reinforcing pieces on.
    I find that I have to put in time to get the quality in the model that
    I want, rather than rushing along with a that's good enough attitude.
    Hell, this is _MY_ hobby, so why be hassled if I take more time, if it
    gives me pleasure? Yeah, so what if others can do it in half the time,
    huh? :-) :-)
    
    I am thinking of sticking some 1/16" sheeting cross grain, on the
    inside of the fuse, to prevent splitting in the event of a crash. I
    should think the weight penalty will be minimal - a few 10s of grams?
    (Sorry, I don't understand ounces!)
    
    The design asks you to use a 1/4" sq longeron as a strengthening member
    along the fuse side-skin, from wing t.e. to stab l.e. (approx). One of
    hardwood for a 60 size engine. I was thinking of using a 1/4" x 1/2"
    balsa strip, figuring it would be _just_ as, if not _even more_
    stronger. Isn't the strength of a beam proportional to some power of
    its cross sectional area?
    
    Gimme another 10 hours for the fuse box to be done.
    
    ajai
    
    

    More WOT4 ...
    
    I marked up the other side of the _temporarily_ joined fuse skins, and
    slotted it for the stab, making  sure to keep a tight fit for now.
    Later, depending on how level the stab sits, I have room to sand down
    the slot and not have a sloppy joint.
    
    I also stuck in the bracing members, and the triangle stock that
    supports the firewall and landing gear plates. Using a scale that
    Charlie Watt lent me, I piled on the fuse skins, noting the weight.
    Then, I added a sheet of 1/16" balsa, and noted the difference - about
    10~20 grams!! Sooo, I decided to add it in cross-grain on the insides
    of the fuse side skins. Not the entire length, but in 3" strips every
    6"~9".
    
    Again, I used the mitre master to sand all the protruding reinforcing
    members flush _AND_ perpendicular. Worked great. Felt good _inside_
    when I was done, if you know what I mean!! Man, if it was in my hands,
    I'd give whoever designed the mitre master a Nobel Prize. The thing is
    awesome!
    
    I was talking to Steve Smith and Charlie Watt at the flying field
    yesterday, and concluded that I should construct a balsa wing for the
    WOT4 as it will be lighter than a foam type. Took out my T60 plans to
    look 'em over, and begin cogitating on how I would "design" my WOT4
    wing. Since it will take me the same time to build a foam wing as a
    balsa wing  (approx.), and since I won't be able to beat ole man
    winter, I might as well take my time and do it right. Besides, Towers
    wants me wait until Jan 1991 for my OS SF 61 ABC with pump. The non-
    pumper is currently available though.
    
    Can't help feel that Al, who dislikes pumps (actually, likes
    simplicity in hardware), might have told his buddies at Tower *NOT* to
    sell me a pumper :-)
    
    ajai
    
    ps. If I want to build a wing like the T60, with the spars for the
    l.e., t.e., top and bottom interlocking with the ribs, what's a good
    techinique for slotting the spars once I have marked them? I used to
    scratch build NON-INTERLOCKING wings before - i.e. rib did not sit in
    slot in spar(s). As for the ribs, I figured I would cut two ply
    "formers", sandwich all the blasa sheets for the ribs in between them,
    and sand down to get them all identical. Then use a band saw
    (Charlie?!!) to slot them for the top/bottom spars.
    
    
    
    and a 1/16" sheet of
    balsa

    I would not recommend slotting the spars since you'll loose strength
    provided by spars. There's really no need for doing this once you
    slotted (sp?) the ribs. The marks on the spars will help equal spacing
    of the ribs.
    
    Bernd
    

    Bernd,
    
    Your remark that slotting the spars will weaken them is true based on
    how deeply  you slot them. On the T60, the spars are 3/8" x 1/2", and
    it was slotted to 1/16", so I would say the loss in strength is
    minimal.
    
    Btw, I pulled out my T60 wreckage, and the T60 plans, and was looking
    it over for construction techinque, and loading my my brain with the
    3D picture of what I want to build for the WOT4. Used a measuring tape,
    ruler, and calculator to decide the building supplies I needed.
    
    The T60 wing is built _real_ strong. Too bad it had to argue with a
    tree trunk. Wasn't a fair fight, if you ask me!! I'll probably pick up
    the wood at the new hobby store that  is to open tomorrow (courtesy
    Jim Cavanagh).
    
    Sooo, *ATTENTIOn* scratch builders, how dO I go about slotting the
    spars, l.e., t.e. to take a given thickness of rib - say 3/32" or
    whatever? Use a band saw, jig the part on the table for cutting to a
    certain depth,and make repeated cuts spanning the width of the slot or
    what?
    
    C'mon, c'mon, c'mon, stop arguing over ARF's 'n gimme an answer or two.
    Other notes seemed to confirm my ply template at each end of a stack of
    ribs idea.
    
    ajai
    

Ajai,

The answer, strength aside, is still don't bother. Of the 9 kits I've built in
the last 18 months only one, the Trainer 40, had slotted spars. Its a nice
touch that in truth serves no useful purpose other than to space the ribs
properly. If you're building over a plan just be careful and your alignment
will come out correct. If you are not building over a plan mark the
spars where you want the ribs. You'd have to do this anyway to slot them. Then
be careful about aligning the ribs over the marks. I've done 4 scratch built
wings this way and not a problem among them. I now use an Adjusto-Jig and
build the starightest wings you could ask for, with very precisely placed ribs
and not a spar slot in the bunch.

If you insist on slotting your spars you're probably going to have to do it by
hand with a razor saw. A bandsaw won't work unless you've got a good sized one
because you won't be able to reach the middle of the long piece.  I suppose a 
scroll saw will work, but you'll have to be very careful. Each slot must be
of a precise width and depth. You must insure that each slot is a tight 
slip-fit over the rib or it serves no purpose at all. This will be a long 
tedious process at best. 

Good luck either way. Scratch building is very rewarding, but don't make it 
more difficult than it has to be.

Randy

    I agree with Randy.  Don't bother to slot the spars or L.E. or T.E. 
    It's done this way in kits to make it easier to build.  BUT if you
    have to cut the slots yourslef, I think it's more difficult in the
    long run.  I too have scratch built wings and have never slotted
    the spars.  

    I do have to agree though that the Great Planes slotting does make a
    *KIT* go together easier.  Just don't waste your time when scratch
    building.  It'll work just great without the slotting.

                       _____
                      |     \
                      |      \                          Silent POWER!
      _        ___________    _________   |            Happy Landings!
     | \      |           |  |         |  |
     |--------|-  SANYO  + ]-|  ASTRO  |--|              - Dan Miner
     |_/      |___________|  |_________|  |
                      |       /           |     " The Earth needs more OZONE,
                      |      /                       not Castor Oil!! "    
                      |_____/

Got in  another  3  hours  of  building done. I also spent a couple of hours
mulling  the  scratch-built wing project, coming up with a parts list, etc..
Other than that, I had to clean up my wkshop cum bedroom.

Well, it  appears  as though no one is in favour of slotting. I was thinking
there might be some benefits of increased strength in doing so, though, I do
realise   that  kit  manufacturers  did  it  partly  to  make  the  building
goof-proof.

I got  the last cross-grain sheet stuck on the fuse sides, and separated the
two halves  after sanding down excess material. Apart from the ply firewall,
the other  two  bulkheads don't seem to give much strength, much of which, I
suspect,  is  derived  from  the  1/4" sheeting on the top and bottom. The 2
balsa  stick  bulkheads  are  flimsy,  and  seem  to  be  there  only to aid
in construction until the top/bottom gets done.

I was  mentally  trying  to  figure  out  how  to jig the fuselage to ensure
maximum  accuracy in building the fuse, though instructions give Chris Foss'
version of going about it. It was getting late, and I sleepy, so rather than
risk bungling in my stupour, I decided to postpone the work until tonight.

I should  be  getting  my  engine  by  the end of the week, so I can plan on
building  a  balsa  block  cowl around it. The engine is supposed to be side
mounted. Any guide lines on building the cowl? Back in India, balsa is gold,
and  I  didn't  waste it to build cowls, since you would break the plane and
need the wood to repair/build another plane anyway!

ajai

    Re: .-1, Ajai,
    
    You might consider using the bottom of a 1 liter(?) soft drink bottle
    as an easily obtainable/replaceable ring cowl.  With a 2-3" spinner,
    this would yield a fairly clean nose area, almost as clean as an
    in-line type cowl which fairs right into the spinner.
						 __
				|      |        / |\	   	       
      	         \|/		|______|__(o/--/  | \	   	       
      | |        00	       <|  ~~~  ____ 04 ---- | --------------------
    |_|_|        (O>o		|\)____/___|\_____|_/	   Adios amigos, Al
      |     \__(O_\_	        |	  |___/	 o	   (The Desert Rat)

    You mean I got to drink that awful tasting coloured sugary water, with CO2
    fizzing [belch] out of it, before I can [belch] have suitable cowl
    material? He[belch]ck. 
    
    [belch]
    
    If I was around before COKE happened, I'da sworn it wouldn't make it,
    leave alone become one of the biggest companies in the world! Gee, why
    do people drink the stuff when there are great juices like OJ? I always
    find the darned CO2 gets in the way. Then again, folks the world over
    have, for 1000s of years, been drinking fermented [read: ruined] 
    juices and grain and calling it great liquor. Maybe I am just not 
    [hick] up to figuring such things out, and should stick to building 
    my WOT4 instead. Maybe I should tell you my secret about
    drinking/eating curdled milk and calling it great yoghurt. :-)
    
    Well, I was a lot more sober last evening when I got back to the work
    bench [read:discarded junky dresser]. I stuck on the firewall to one 
    side, using a try square to keep it vertical. I then jigged the other
    side parallel to the first one, by raising it off the table with 3"
    balsa/ply sheet pieces, which, conveniently for me and the designer,
    was the width of the firewall. To ensure the second side was directly
    over the first, I checked at different points around the periphery with
    the try square. My magnet builder table included some magnetically held
    plastic pieces that gave me a vertical edge that I could move around. I
    positioned a number of these around the periphery of the side skin, so
    the second one could be "dropped" in from above.
    
    Then got my first bulkhead glued - things were not as simple here - If
    you imagine a rectangular box shape for the fuse, and triangular stock
    glued to the inside bottom corners, then you know that the bulkhead
    must have 45deg beveled corners at the bottom. However, in the WOT4,
    the bottom of the rectangular box is not parallel to the top, so the
    triangular stock runs at an angle, meaning that you have to make the 45
    degree beveled corner of the bulkhead at an angle also, if you want to
    have a flush joint. My sanding was accurate, and the joints flush, so I
    could glue using hot CA instead of the slow/gap filling CA.
    
    Then clamped the tail end of the fuse sides together, making sure that
    one side didn't project beyond the other. Then slipped in the second
    and only other bulkhead. No triangle stock here, and no funny angles.
    Easy goin'. Finally, the tail end had to actually be separated by a
    1/4" piece of balsa, that I put in, ensuring it was big enough to take
    the entire length of the Robart hinge. 
    
    The plans/instructions tell you to used 1/8" scrap pieces at the tail
    when you are building the sides (so the 2 pieces add to 1/4"), but that
    would have messed up the hinge hole [to be drilled], since the two 1/8"
    pieces would be joined with a "V" shaped gap in the middle. Soooo,
    instead, I put in a 1/4" piece of balsa in the middle of the converging
    sideskins at the tail, leaving a "V" gap on either side that I
    filled/braced with gap-a-zap.
    
    Then put in the top sheet going from wing t.e. to tail. I had cut the
    piece to size, but things would have been more comfortable had I left
    an extra 1/16 (or less) extra. I just pushed in the sideskins a tad to
    match the profile, before zapping in place.
    
    ajai
    

    Yesterday was my turn to cook, and since my roommate had swung a free
    months rent (lease to be signed anyday) taking advantage of the
    beleagured New England housing/rental market while bargaining, I
    stirred up a feast.
    
    That meant no time to build. Spent what little time I had ordering more
    goodies from Tower, and then playing with the glass (arrow shaft?)
    pushrods I had got, figuring out how I would drill under the English
    Channel so the pushrods have as straight a shot as possible to the
    rudder/elevator control horns. Given the bracing longeron that runs the
    length of the fuse (1/2"x 1/4"), and under the stab as support, I find
    it is a little crowded in there. The kwik-klip wire sticking out the
    back end of the push rods will have to bend a bit.
    
    I say, how does one do the crossing pushrods technique to get more room
    for them to run straight? Is the elevator servo mounted inverted
    and the rudder servo the right side up (or vice-versa?) Hmm. Can't
    mount a servo inverted, as you can't drive the servo mounting screws...
     You would need
    to have the servos separated vertically, so there is room for the push
    rods to cross w/o touching. I'd appreciate if someone would let me know
    the technique, and tell me if it is worth the trouble. Hopefully that'd
    be before I drill the holes for the push rod exits this evening.
    
    I was also thinking about the colour scheme. Tom T's hot pink is
    definitely too girly-girly for me :-) I was thinking I would try the 
    scheme used on the Spectrum electric, that is featured on the cover of
    the latest Tower Talk and the 1991 catalog. It had blue, red, orange
    and yellow on it. Looks real nice, though it will mean more work. Heck,
    what better way to spend a winter's evening, anyway?
    
    ajai
    
    

    Re: .-1, Ajai,
    
    There's not too much mystery to the crossed-pushrod setup.  You merely
    mount the rudder and elevator servos on opposite sides of the fuselage,
    then run each pushrod diagonally such that it exits on the opposite
    side at the rear.  I've never staggered the servos' height but that
    would probably help is required.  Generally, there's enough difference
    in the height of the elevator and rudder control horns that the
    pushrods will clear each other with minimum fuss.  Bear in mind that
    the pushrods will cross somewhere back in the aft fuselage, _NOT_ right
    where they come off the servos so it only requires 3/8-to-1/2"
    differential in the height of the horns to provide adequate clearance.
    Also, remember that a "slight" amount of rubbing of the pushrods really
    doesn't hurt anything as long as it doesn't put too much drag on the
    linkage.  I strive for clean clearance of the rods but, when the engine
    is running, it's not uncommon to be able to actually _hear_ the
    pushrods vibrating against each other to no ill effect.  However, to
    prevent transmitting this vibration to the servo(s) (even in an
    uncrossed installation), I always install a guide an inch or two behind
    the servos which bears the weight of the rods and provides a bushing
    (made of inner nyrod) for the wire portion of the pushrod to slide
    through.  This is unnecessary at the other end as the exit slot in the
    fuse side serves this purpose if carefull cut.  Simply slide a piece of
    nyrod over the wire before Z-bending, soldering on a clevis or whatever.
    Then, when everything's hooked up and working to yer' satisfaction,
    install an upper and lower false former across the fuselage notched to
    capture the nyrod bushings...works slick!
    
        ________________________________________
        |    nyron bushings 2-plcs             |  upper false former
        |         /                \           |
        |--------O------------------O----------|
        |                                      |  lower false former
       	|______________________________________|
    
    One trick (if you want to call it that) is to mount the elevator horn
    on _top_ of the elevator (like the Ugly Stik does) rather than the more
    conventional location on the bottom.  This provides even more clearance
    for the pushrods where they cross.  It also gets the horn up out'a
    harms way where it can't be bumped/snagged/knocked loose/damaged by rough 
    terrain.
						 __
				|      |        / |\	   	       
      	         \|/		|______|__(o/--/  | \	   	       
      | |        00	       <|  ~~~  ____ 04 ---- | --------------------
    |_|_|        (O>o		|\)____/___|\_____|_/	   Adios amigos, Al
      |     \__(O_\_	        |	  |___/	 o	   (The Desert Rat)

    Re: .23 Ajai,
    
    I had a similar goal when I built my Amptique.  The inside dimensions
    of the fuselage at the stab leading edge are only 3/4" high and 
    perhaps 5/8" wide.
    
    My solution was to use balsa pushrods, and add the wire which attaches
    to the servo on top of one pushrod and on the bottom of the other.  The
    "Z" bends are opposite so that one sits under the servo arm and the
    other sits on top.  That way you begin with the rods separated by the 
    thickness of the servo arm plus two wire thicknesses at the servo end.
    
                    _____________                  _______
          _________|____________ Upper Rod (Rudder)_______|_______clevis
      ___|                       
      ====== Servo Arm
      ____
         |_____________________                    ______________clevis
                   |__________ Lower Rod (Elevator)_________|
    
    In my installation the Rudder horn is just under the stab, and using
    the full 3/4" length of the elevator horn for the other pushrod left 
    plenty of clearance.  I wasn't able to eliminate the bends at the horn
    ends, but crossing helped to minimise them.
    
    Good luck...

    As always, this notes file is a gold mine!
    
    re -1, Bob, on my FS, though I haven't crossed the pushrods, I did
    exactly what you mention - i.e., put the wire on top of one pushrod,
    and the bottom of the other, to create more room. However, since I used
    the EZ connectors, I couldn't duplicate your z-bend and reverse-z-bend
    idea. Good point though! Will keep it in mind.
    
    re -2, Al, thanks a ton. Yeah, I had figured on putting the elev/rudder
    servos next to the fuse sides. What had nixed my mental simulation was
    the fact that I ignored the fact that the rudder and elevator horns
    attach to the clevis at different points, giving the needed height
    differential! Hence the gymnastics with servos being possibly inverted,
    etc..
    
    I suspect the reason I forgot /ignored the difference in how the
    elevator/rudder horns are positioned, is that the plan showed slots cut
    at the l.e. of the stab in the same location for both the left and
    right fuse sides. I have't cut the slots yet though.
    
    Now, dumb as the question may be, I gotta ask now rather than regret
    later - Given that the aim of the game is to get a straight shot from
    the servo horn to the control surface horn, and given that we want to
    take advantage of the 3/8"~1/2" height difference in rudder/elevator
    horns, does this not mean that the slots cut on each fuse side be at
    different heights?
    
    Also, would I cut a SLOT, or drill a HOLE, in which I insert a nyrod
    outer and sand flush? While the latter would look neater than a slot, I
    suspect I'd have a hell of a time snaking the wire end of the push rod
    through the projecting nyrod outer within the confines of the rear of
    the fuse, once the fuse box is all sealed up.
    
    And finally, I suppose it might help to have the servos installed so
    the horn of one servo is closer to the tail than the other, helping to
    add (subtract) to the height differential if done right (wrong).
    
    The throttle servo sits in the middle of the other two and you use a 
    throttle cable, right?
    
    Boy, was I right when I figured I was doing more material science in
    India, than aeromodelling. The light/strong arrowshaft seems to be
    ideal tail boom material. 
    
    Some other project, some other time...
    
    ajai-the-gold-miner
    
    

    Re: .-1, Ajai,
    
    1. Yes, the exit slots in the fuse sides will be at different heights.
    
    2. The exit is usually a slot.  But, you can easily duplicate the
    bushing trick I mentioned for the other end, i.e. slide a length of
    inner nyrod over the clevis wire BEFORE terminating the end.  Once you
    have the slot located anf the pushrod operating satisfactorily, you can
    then CA the nyrod bushing into the slot, then fill the excess slot area
    with scrap balsa then filler to blend it nicely into the fuse.  I do
    this on models I intend to fly from water to minimize the amount of
    water than can migrate into the fuse through the normal slot-type
    exits.  However, I seldom bother with it on a normal model.  You wind
    up with both ends being bushed and the pushrod suspended in between
    which is fine.  But, yer' pushrod runs must be close to perfect as the
    rods normally run through a slight arc at both ends and binding can
    result if'n you get it set up too tight.
    
    3. Yeah, I suppose that'd work if necessary but I've always put the
    servos at the same location, sharing the same set of servo rails.  The
    throttle servo can either be placed in the middle, using cable for the
    pushrod or set just ahead of one of the servos against the side keeping
    the cable run near the side where it can be easily supported. 
						 __
				|      |        / |\	   	       
      	         \|/		|______|__(o/--/  | \	   	       
      | |        00	       <|  ~~~  ____ 04 ---- | --------------------
    |_|_|        (O>o		|\)____/___|\_____|_/	   Adios amigos, Al
      |     \__(O_\_	        |	  |___/	 o	   (The Desert Rat)

    Are there any standard techniques that are used to locate the slots, or
    does one just guesstimate, and let the flex in the pushrod/wire lead
    out make up for any goof up in slot location?
    
    Some quick thinking tells me that I could use the side view and top
    view on the plans, draw lines representing the pushrods from servo to
    horn, and transfer these on to the side skin to locate the slot. i.e.,
    side view on fuse side tells you orientation of slot, and top view
    gives you the fore-aft location. Does this meet DOD standards, or is
    there a better way?
    
    Boy, now I am really wringing out info!!
    
    ajai
    
    ps. About -.1, -.2, point #3, I would use the same servo rails for
    rudder/elev servos, but merely flip on servo around 180 deg (about a 
    vertical axis), and drop it in. Anyhoo, Al, you approve of the general
    idea _if_ necessary, so I'll keep it in mind.
    
    I had to do this on the FS as I wanted to keep the throttle servo next
    to the fuse skin, so the elev/rudder servos sat next to each other,
    making things crowded.
    

    Ajai,
    
       In tight glider fuselages I've done just that and that puts the
    servo arms at differen ends so the width is minimal. With the micro 
    servos I've done this and then had the horns hang over the end of the 
    other servo so they don't bind with the fuselage sides. Generally I
    need maximum rudder throw so that hangs over and the elevator can go 
    on the fuselage side so they aren't both on the "center" side. This
    works out well when your trying to put three abreast and the center 
    one is the throttle as Al mentioned.

    Re: .-2, Ajai,
    
    I know of no scientific method for precisely locating the pushrod exit
    slots.  The approach you mention is one was of defining the approximate
    location for the slot and, occasionall, you'll even hit it dead nutz!
    However, if you miss a little (and the error should be slight if you
    work carefully), don't rely on pushrod flex to accomodate for the
    misalignment!  Move the slot!!  That is, open the slot as necessary to
    provide a completely drag free throw of the pushrod.  Then, if you
    opted to slip a nyrod bushing over the rod prior to terminating the
    clevis end, slide it in place in the slot and secure with CA.  Then, fill 
    in the any gaps with scrap balsa and or filler and yer' all set.
    
    BTW, I should remind you to check, double and triple-check that the
    crossed pushrods are free of binding and/or hanging up by stirring the
    elevator and rudder sticks (simultaneously) in every imaginable
    direction and combination of control inputs.  A slight rubbing at some
    extreme is acceptable but excessive rubbing/binding is not good and
    must be corrected.
						 __
		      		|      |        / |\	   	       
      	         \|/		|______|__(o/--/  | \	   	       
      | |        00	       <|  ~~~  ____ 04 ---- | --------------------
    |_|_|        (O>o		|\)____/___|\_____|_/	   Adios amigos, Al
      |     \__(O_\_	        |	  |___/	 o	   (The Desert Rat)

Thanks for  your  replies,  Jim  and Al. I got home last night, and did some
more  poking  with  the  pushrods  in  the  fuselage. Due to the 1/4" x 1/2"
reinforcing  longeron,  there  just  isn't enough room at the back for me to
apply  the  crossing  techinque,  without  having to do hack out some of the
longeron.   This   would  also  effectively  reduce  the  length  of  usable
arrowshaft, while increasing the wire end length!!

But, but,  if  I  put the elevator horn on top, voila! Al's "trick" made all
the  difference.  This  way,  there  is oodles of space between the crossing
pushrods,  while the elevator rod exits *ABOVE* the longeron, the rudder rod
exits  _BELOW_  the  longeron  on  the other side!! No drilling/hacking, and
everything  is  clean.  The only bit of reconciliation I had to do was about
the elevator horn sticking out from the top. Won't look as purty, y'see?

Well, question  -  can't the elevator horn come out from the bottom, and the
rudder  horn  be moved up? Will this look better? Or is there a need for the
rudder horn to be as close to the tail wheel as possible?

After nearly  an hour of pokin' 'n' swearin' 'n' mullin', ah fig'ged one way
or  another,  the  pushrod  installation/slotting  was  a done deal. I could
proceed  to  sheet  the  bottom of the fuse and seal it off, with my mind at
peace with the rest of the world. :-)

First, I  had  to  get  the ply plate for the l/g epoxied in place. As I had
been  using  this  piece as a support during construction, I had to sand off
stuck,  remanent balsa on the faces. Then I squared/smoothed the sawed edges
on  the  mitre master, and using some epoxy stirring sticks with rubberbands
as  a  clamp that I set up first, glued the l/g plate in place. I wish I had
remembered to rough up the to-be-glued surfaces first.

Stuck in  one  3"  strip of balsa, and was in the process of getting another
ready,  when  I found I had been sleeping for a while at the foot of my bed.

It was 1:00 AM. I turned off the lights and hit the sack.

ajai

ps. Do  you  guys  always mount the horn with its "surface" perpendicular to
the  hinge  line,  or  at an angle to accomodate an angular exit by the push
rod?  Angular  placement  still  won't  hold proper alignment as the control
surface  is  moved though, necessitating a ball and socket joing at the horn
end  -  found out the hard way on the FS, with its raked back rudder, that I
needed  such a horn on it. Not having put it, I had the clevis pin show wear
with all the flights I have put in! 

I could  mount it perpendicular, and let any misalignment be taken up by the
flex in the wire end of the push rod.

Now, and  off  to  Crow  island for the "end of the season" bash! Its 70 deg
out...!!

    Re: .-1, Ajai,
    
    Is makes no difference I can think of which rushrod you route above the
    elevator...whichever you feel is better aesthetically better ought'a
    work just fine.
    
    Compromising the angle of the horn (relative to the hinge line) and the
    angle of the pushrod as it exits from the fuse should produce a
    sufficiently bind free attachment of clevis-to-horn.  I, personally,
    recommend AGAINST using ball links on critical control surfaces, i.e.
    aileron and elevator...remember Murphy's Law about things failing if
    there's the remotest chance of them doing so.  I've seen any number of
    crashes caused by ball links popping off critical control linkages
    and, therefore, refuse to use them, EZ connectors or the like to
    connect to either servo or control horn.
						 __
				|      |        / |\	   	       
      	         \|/		|______|__(o/--/  | \	   	       
      | |        00	       <|  ~~~  ____ 04 ---- | --------------------
    |_|_|        (O>o		|\)____/___|\_____|_/	   Adios amigos, Al
      |     \__(O_\_	        |	  |___/	 o	   (The Desert Rat)

I slid  the  stab  into  the  slot  in the fuse, and was dreamin' on, when I
realised  that  with  the fin in place (the bottom of the fin sticks through
the  fuse  and  sits on the stab), I would have little or no room that would
let me put one pushrod go above the stab, and one below!!

Anyhow, I  decided to continue and sheet the bottom of the fuse, leaving out
the area  under  the  stab  for  any  surgery I might have to perform during
pushrod installation. This would also help me glue in the stab better!

I had  some scraps of 1/4" sheeting lying around. For instance, the elevator
is  only  2" wide, so when I cut it out of a 3" sheet, I had a 1" strip left
over.  Again,  when  I cut out the trapezoidal piece for the fuse top, I had
two triangular pieces, about 1" wide and 18" long left over.

Sooo, having been used to a balsa starved third world diet (no, I didn't say
food, and no, that's not my secret to being thin:-) ) for nearly 20 years, I
instinctively figured  on  using  the  different pieces to finish the bottom
planking. That would help reduce wkshop clutter, too!! The mitre master came
in _reeeal_  handy once again, in squaring up the sides of the planking that
would butt against each other, while the overhang beyond the fuse sides were
rough cut and to be sanded down later. 

Things went  quickly.  The pieces mating with the ply l/g plate were epoxied
in  place,  while  the  rest  were  hot CA'ed. I had about 10 strips in 10",
before  I  was  out  of scrap wood, and began using a fresh 3" sheet. Again,
like  on  my previous planes, I used my old trick of flipping the plank over
for  every adjacent 3" section of the bottom that I planked. I cut the plank
at the  fuse taper angle, and use the rest of the plank for the next section
by flipping over, with minimum of wastage!

I forgot  to  mention that I put in the t.e wing hold down before commencing
planking.  There  is a strip of ply reinforcing the wing saddle on each fuse
side,  and  the  t.e. wing hold down butts against the saddle so it can't be
pulled  out.  While it had been sanded/cut to mate w/o a gap, unfortunately,
the  excess expoxy from glueing the ply saddles formed a fillet which proved
too  hard  to  remove,  even  with a dremel tool, without wrecking the balsa
side  skins.  I  gave up and filled the 1/8" gap between the hold down plate
and the saddle strips with lots of epoxy.

To get  back  to  the  planking - once done, I sanded the sides flush to the
fuse contour, and then the bottom. 

And therein  lay  the  gotcha!  When  I got done, the bottom surface, though
smooth,  was  like  a  roller coaster, going up and down!! Closer inspection
revealed  the cause of the problem to be due to the varying densities of the
scraps of  wood  I  had  used!  Soo,  instead of using the 3M rubber sanding
block,  I  wrapped  sandpaper  around  a piece of wood, mustering my sanding
skills  gained building numerous chuck (hand launch) gliders during my early
years  in aeromodelling (I still want to build some), and paying a hell of a
lot more attention to what I was doing, worked out the bumps. 

That, at  any rate, made for a few moments of consternation. Next time, I'll
settle for  playing  rich  American,  and used a fresh plank all the way!

Of course,  there  too, you can get bitten if the wood density varies across
the width of the plank. Then again, you DO come across the kind of problem I
faced, routinely,  though  in an extreme sort of way, in so far as the super
hard ply l/g plate amidst all the balsa planking is concerned!!

Since the  bottom  of  the fuse is curved, and the top is the only flat part
(on  which  Chris Foss suggest you build), I checked out that the sides were
vertical,  with  the  fuse  flipped over, lying on its top. Not that I could
have  done  much  at  this  point if it looked dicey, but I checked any way.
Thumbs up.

The edges  are yet to be rounded - I want to cut out the slot for the fin in
the top  sheet  before  that (so my measurements are easier to make with the
squared  edges).  I  have  also yet to plank the top section of the fuse, in
front  of  the  wing  l.e. I want to fuel proof it first, as also put in the
blind  nuts in the firewall for the engine mount. I would also have to drill
the holes  for  the plumbing, the Du-Bro kwik-filler, and check out that the
tank sits in fine.

The OS  61  pumper  has a tube going to the pump, and and excess return from
the pump from/to tank. The third line to the tank is the overflow/vent line.
On  the Trainer 60, which also had a pumper on it, I had put the kwik-filler
on  the  clunk  line  (=  pump  inlet).  Currently, I am thinking of using a
sintered  bronze  clunk as it is supposed to offer the ultimate in filtering
(comments?).  I  figured  that  if  I filled via the pump excess return line
(instead  of  the  clunk  line),  I  wouldn't  have to pump _through_ such a
filter.  The  only  advantage  I  can  think of pumping through the sintered
bronze  clunk,  is  that  it would help unclog at each fill up (not to imply
that the fuel being filled will not be prefiltered). What do people say?

Dan-the-Miner lent  me  his  ajusto-jig for the wing yesterday, at the CMRCM
meeting.  It  seems  the  UN Security council, comprising of representatives
from  Germany  and  the  US,  have  vetoed  the  Indian proposal to slot the
spars/l.e./t.e.  The  proposal  arose  from  WWII  observations  made during
construction  of  the  T60, an American kit, since building w/o slotting has
been  the  traditional  Injun practice all along! I have since been informed
that  this  was  done primarily to yield a self-jigging kit, rather than for
strength.

800 million people can be wrong. Injun accepts UN resolution.

ajai

Give me an interference fit, or give me death!

I had to slot the top of the fuse to accept the fin. I deliberately left the
edges square while sanding the fuse, so making measurements to mark the slot
would  be  easy.  That  thinking certainly paid off. I cut the slot a little
narrower  than  1/4", so the fin had a friction fit. It sat perpendicular to
the  stab,  which, I checked was skewed by 1/8" when measuring from stab tip
to  table  top. I flipped the fuse over and used the flat side for reference
when I did this.

Then, after some discussion with Charlie Watt, I traced out the rib pattern,
allowing  for the 3/32" sheeting/cap strips, onto the cardboard backing of a
depleted letter pad, and cut it out. Then, traced the ribs onto 3/32" x 3" x
36"  sheeting.  I  did some juggling to see if I could do better than just 4
ribs/sheet,  by  staggering  the  layout,  but the best I could do was 4 1/2
ribs,  which didn't make sense, so I went with the 4/sheet. Besides, I got a
1"  strip  that  I could use for te sheeting. 9 ribs in all for each 2' wing
half. One of the 9 was cut from 1/4" sheeting. 

I want  to  use  this  1/4"  rib  itself  as the aileron servo tray, perhaps
reinforcing  it with 1/16" ply around the servo well. I plan on using 1 mini
servo  per aileron, so that I am not plagued by flutter problems like on the
T60, and yet retain clean lines.

I cut  the  remaining 2"x36" of 3/32" sheeting into four 9" sections for the
ribs,  but didn't have time to cut them out to the outline with a knife. Off
to Charlie's  to  use his drill press to stack drill 'em for the ajusto-jig.
We figured it would be better to cut out the ribs before stack-drilling, for
better alignment.  Drilled  and  bolted  them  together for sanding later. I
wanted  to use ply end plates to speed up the sanding, but Charlie figured I
could put the ply to better use. 

Finally, I  seem  to  have  done this just like I used to in India. The kits
there  don't  come  with  die cut parts - just wood with the parts to be cut
printed  on  them.  I  used to cut them oversize, then pin them together for
sanding to identical shape.

While at  Charlie's  immaculate  and new workshop (he has built a new centre
table,  and  his wkshop exceeds my bedroom in area!), I decided to drill out
the  firewall  for the engine mount. Turned out that the engine mount that I
had  was  too  small,  with too much material needing to be removed from the
bearers,  which  would  weaken  them. I had _specifically_ asked Tower while
ordering for a mount for my OS SF 61, and _yet_ they goofed. Bah! Now I have
to  return  the  Dave  Brown  mount.  Btw,  the bearers are NOT parallel, as
advertised!!

Since the  fw drilling got scuttled, I decided to bend the piano wire for my
l/g. I  used my new Mighty bender from K&S for the 5/32" wire - with Charlie
sighting to  ensure  that  all  bends  were  made  in the same plane. It was
child's  play.  No  more  grunting with pliers, or whacking a wire held in a
vice  with a hammer, going twwwwaaaaang, twwwwaaaaang, every time, while you
lean back  with  fright  at  the  thought  of  launching  a  broken piece as
shrapnel. The tool is great. Bending the second 5/64" piece was even easier.

Sanding the  stacked  'n'  bolted  ribs  to final shape took me a total of 3
hours.  I  used  a try-square to monitor progress. I got into trouble when I
used   the   two  ends  of  the  stack  interchangeably,  drawing  different
conclusions  on  what  side  to sand down. I had forgotten the old carpentry
rule about having a REFERENCE SIDE from which to base all measurements! 

The ribs  at  one  end  of the stack had got skewed a bit with pressure from
tightening  the bolt! I have to next "notch" the ribs for the top and bottom
spars -  if  you  can call a 1/2" x 3/8" cut a notch. Then to ajusto-jig and
wing  it.  The fuse is stalled until I get the mount, as I can't work on the
built-up cowl until then. I could make the push rod slots though...

ajai

-.1 should  have been posted yesterday, but I forgot to stick it in before I
left...

Last night, I marked the ribs to take 1/2" x 3/8" spars on top and bottom. I
used 3"  sheeting  as a guide to mark where the le sheeting would end (along
the  rib),  so  I  could  position  the spar such that it projected a little
beyond, so the cap strip can sit on it.

Since the  aerofoil is near-symmetrical, the curvature of the top and bottom
of the  rib  is different. This means I would have to locate the spar on top
at  a different distance from the l.e. than the the spar on the bottom, if I
am  to  use the same 3" wide le sheeting. Or I could settle for trimming the
sheeting.  However,  if the spars are not located one on top of the other, I
can't put in shear webbing.

I finally  settled for having the spars at the same distance from le, and no
trimming the  sheeting - the cap strip on the bottom spar will have to start
at a different location on the spar, that's all.

Using an Xacto saw, I made multiple cuts to clear out the first notch in the
ribs. Then  sanded down to final size, checking to ensure that I had a tight
fit with the spar. 

For the  second notch, I grew bolder, and cut much closer to the final line,
so  I could reduce the sanding I had to do. Besides taking *much* less time,
it  turned  out to be the better fitting one. The first notch got sanded too
deep,  leaving a slight gap between bottom of spar and rib, while the second
notch fit snug on all 3 sides.

The t.e.  of  the ribs wasn't absolutely flat, so I put it back on the mitre
master and fixed that problem in 5 mintues.

Then adjusted  all  the  rib-holders on the ajusto-jig to give me an even 3"
spacing,  so  I  get a 24" wing-half with 9 ribs. I'll have to re-adjust the
rib-holder for the single 1/4" servo rib I have, though...

ajai

    Question time, being posted separately, so all you lazy
    I-can't-read-ajai's-long-postings don't have an excuse to not share you
    knowledge/experience :-)
    
    1. Where do I stick the aileron servo in each wing-half? i.e., how far
    from the centre?
    
    2. Given that I am mounting the servo for each aileron flush with the
    rib, using it as a servo-tray of sorts, I would expect to mount it with
    the servo wheel/horn axis away from the aileron, rather than towards,
    so the steel pushrod for the aileron moves more "axially" rather than
    with a pronounced "up/down" motion. This will allow me to make a
    cleaner exit.
    
    Correct?
    
    Anyone out there who has done this kind of setup before? If so, any
    gotcha's?
    
    3. Rib lightening holes - Kits do 'em. Should I? I do need to put a
    hole to snake out the servo wire, though the ajusto-jig alignment holes
    will take care of pressure equalisation within the rib bays.
    
    4. I need to make the t.e. piece (1/2" x 3/8") wedge shaped, so it will
    follow the contour of the rib for good contact to the t.e sheeting. Any
    nifty tricks here, other than trying to plane/sand it to shape by
    eyeballing, prior/after glueing?
    
    5. What do you use for the wing bolts to rest against (at the le) -
    hardwood or ply? The T60 used a 1/2" x 1"  x 3" hardwood block. Is this
    easily available at a hobby store? I saw some engine mount hardwood
    yesterday...
    
    
    I'd like to get the wing jigged and glued this wkend, so I'm an eager
    beaver...
    
    ajai
    
    

Another 5 1/2 hours.

Having final  sanded the ribs to shape, and cut out the slots, I was all set
to  unstack  the ribs and put them on the ajusto-jig. Let me check just once
again before I do that, I said.

The end  ribs followed the template closely. I then used two 3/32" sheets on
top  and  bottom  of the rib stack, near the te, to simulte the cap strips +
t.e.  sheeting,  to see if the 1 1/2" x 3/8" aileron stock would butt flush.
There  was  a  1/8"  step going from wing te to aileron stock!! The stock is
glued  in  the centre section and towards the wings tips, and moves, forming
the aileron elsewhere.

Dang it!  This  would  definitely not do. It wasn't _even_ close! Chris Foss
does  not  give full size plans, no doubt making it as difficult as possible
for  scratch building, and I would do the same were I in his place. There is
no COMPLETE full size wing cross section diagram, soo...

I dug  through  the  instruction  manual  for  the full size le and te cross
sections,  that I then xeroxed and cut out. I first checked that the machine
copied to  full  size, w/o reduction, though. I also had to get the chord of
the  wing.  As a first approximation, I measured the saddle on the fuse, and
found  it  to  be 11" approx. I then dug through the instruction book again,
and  found  measurements  for  the  saddle (given in connection with placing
bulkheads, etc..), and computed the wing chord to be *exactly* 11"

With the  xeroxed  wing  le  and  te  cross-sections,  I could re-create the
cross-section,  and  thence  the  rib-pattern.

I used  the  chord  lines  drawn through the partial le/te sections, and the
pattern  that  had  been  traced  out  from  the  kit (that has served as my
template  thus  far),  and  the wing saddle to help come up with a composite
wing x-section!

Then, retraced  taking 3/32" off to allow for the sheeting/capping, and also
the  extra  inches at the le/te, to come up with the final rib pattern! This
was  longer,  besides  being  narrower  than the original pattern I had been
using.

I re  sanded the rib-stack to the new pattern, and decided to compensate for
the  reduced  length  with  a  wider  te piece. Sanding to the first [wrong]
pattern,  and  then  again  to the second [right] pattern wasted a lot of my
time.  I'll  remember to check all this out ahead, the next time, since this
is the first time I am scratch building w/o full size plans.

I then  re-cut  the slots for the main spars a little deeper, and un-stacked
and numbered the ribs.

Just to check , I put the two end-of-stack ribs against each other, and they
are identical. Then, inserted the 5/32" rods that are used on the ajusto-jig
to check  again.  I find the left-wing end rib sits lower than the right rib
in  general, and also the left wing-tip's te will be much lower (1/8"?) than
the right  wing-tip. This means I would get a wash-in on the left wing and a
wash-out on the right wing.

My choices, given that all the ribs are identical in shape, are:

1.  Prop up  the  rods  that  are  used  in the jig (that go
    through  all  the ribs) at one end to compensate for the
    wash  in/out.  Since  I  can't support the rod(s) at the
    right height at each rib station, they will tend to sag,
    giving me bowed wings.

2.  Ditch the  ajusto-jig and build on a flat surface, using
    a  strip of wood as a shim to keep the te of the ribs at
    the  same height. I could use my magnet builder as I did
    on  the  T60.  Remember,  all  the ribs are identical in
    shape.

3.  Use the rib-holder-cum-hole-template that comes with the
    jig, and re-drill a new pair of holes I need in each rib
    to use on the ajusto-jig.

I am beginning to get sick of ribs :-)

ajai

    Choose #3.
    
    Redrill the holes offset from the current ones. The adjusto-jig is
    great when you want to rotate the wing 180 degrees and sheet the
    underside of the wing without changing you alignment. Pulling the rods
    out is one of the last things you do to the wing and that's what holds 
    the alignment so well.
    
    You've taken this long, what's another set of holes?

Ajai,

You are without a doubt the most persnickity model builder I have ever heard of.
Don't, I repeat don't try scale. None of us hackers could ever hope to compete
with you, if you ever got finished that is. (lots of :-) ) Now, I know of a
medication that can help you with this problem. I know you don't imbibe, but I
strongly suggest that you try a beer or two, strictly for medicinal purposes
you understand, before each building session. I think you'll find that these
little 1/8 inch problems shrink quickly to insignificance. Who knows, you
might even get to where you can build two models in one year! I personally
recommend Watney's, but I'm sure the Rat would argue for Colorado Cool Aid -
take your pick.


Tongue firmly in cheek,
Randy

Oh yeah, the info I had which prompted me to start this was:

That 1/8 inch difference between the T.E. and the aileron stock in your
original ribs would probably have had  *NO* effect on the performance of the
airplane. On my Panic the T.E. is damn near a half an inch thick. The ailerons
are .25 inch sheet - no taper. The only problem with them is that they're
so darn sensitive that I have absolutely minimum mechanical throws and 40% 
throw on the dual rates to get it flyable.

    ... building according to them pictures.
    
    Randy,
    
    The thought of ignoring the fractions of inches here and there does
    cross my mind, but the thought of having to deal with this little voice
    in my head that keeps saying - And you couldn't build it right? - is
    too terryfying a prospect to ignore! Ya gotta feel good inside, y'know!
    
    Nonetheless, everytime I do something, the little voice says - This
    won't do! After a few attempts, I finally hang tough, but the little
    voice always seems to have the last laugh - You can improve on
    this, This, THIS and T H I S  the next time!
    
    Maybe the beer silences the little voice, from what you tell me.
    But I run into another problem. It's my tongue, which insists on 
    tasting everything that I eat/drink, and has to pass unsolicited
    comments. A true story from my bicycle ride across the Rockies in the
    summer of 1986 - I was huffing and puffing up a mountain, when I heard
    someone yelling at me
    
    Man-in-car  : Hey Man, want a drink? [holding out a cold can of beer]
    Me[Thinking]: Oh! It's another darned motorist yelling at poor ole
                  bicyclist me.
    Man-in-car  : Hey Man, wanna beer? [still stretching hand from window]
    Me[Thinking]: Gee, it'd rude to refuse jes 'cos ah don' dwink.
                  Besides, he is bein' reeal na'hce ta me. This is the Wild
                  West, you know...
      [Say]     : Yeah, thanks a lot.
    [Take a sip in the setting Utah sun, grunting along another impossible
    slope]
    My Tongue   : What's that horrible tasting liquid you are drowning me
                  me with?
    Me[mumbling]: Why, that's beer, of course.
    Tongue      : It tastes yucky, and don't you dare do that to me again.
                  Besides, it is a diuretic, and you are going to get
                  dehydrated.
    Me          : Aw, c'mon. Be nice. Loosen up. Why do you have this
                  high'n'mighty snooty attitude.
    Tongue      : One las time, I'm tellin' ya. Gimme Coconut water, OJ or 
                  plain ole water. None of this hanky panky stuff.
    
                 ...I finished the beer...
    
    I was again offered beer when I pulled into a campsite in N.W.
    Colorado, and drank that too, saving both cans as souvenirs! I have
    tried all kinds of liquors, with Scotch being the worst of the lot. I
    sipped some neat (straight), and spat it out in less than a tenth of a
    second, with my mouth "ablaze". Swilling model plane glo fuel comes a
    close second to that feeling...
    
    Sooo par'ner, it isn't for lack of trying. Sometimes, I wonder why I
    am built sooo complicated.
    
    The good news is, I'm enjoying myself and the hobby thoroughly, with
    memories of painful crashes fading into the distant past...
    
    ajai
    
    :-) :-)
                            

Ajai,

As long as you enjoy it then thats the way to do it. I enjoy reading about
your exploits, this time I just coultn't help myself and had to respond.

Randy

    Ajai,
    
    I'm still wondering why you didn't go with the foam wing (or am I
    mistaken in the belief that Wot-4's are flying back there with foam
    wings?).  Of course, I admire you wanting to do a built-up wing as I'm
    not terribly crazy about foam but it sounds like a foam wing would
    save you a lotta' time and aggravation.  :B^)
						 __
				|      |        / |\	   	       
      	         \|/		|______|__(o/--/  | \	   	       
      | |        00	       <|  ~~~  ____ 04 ---- | --------------------
    |_|_|        (O>o		|\)____/___|\_____|_/	   Adios amigos, Al
      |     \__(O_\_	        |	  |___/	 o	   (The Desert Rat)

On my BJ's second set of ribs (I had to throw away the first 150) here is
what I did.

After cutting ribs (no holes or spar slots) then I used the Adjusto-Jig
to hand cut all the Jig holes.  Then I put all the ribs on the Jig but
bunched them up to each other.  Then I sanded till they all were the same
(with my few plywood ribs on the outside edges.  Then in the Jig I filed
and sanded the slots for the spars.

Then I repositioned all the ribs on the Jig at the correct spacing and
rubber banded them to the plastic alignment things.  Then...

The secret to the Adjusto-Jig is to make the Jig holes early in the game
and to make the holes in places that are convenient to building.  That
is the aft hole will not be so close to the trailing edge that it is
easy to break the rib.  I placed my spars at locations that were convenient
to work around on the Jig.

Bye          --+--
Kay R. Fisher  |
---------------O---------------
################################################################################

    re -.2,
    Al,
    
    The Wot4 uses foam wings, and Charlie had a set to spare. That was the
    intended route, when I heard Steve Smith say he was going to dump his
    foam wing in favour of a built-up wing, as the latter would be much
    lighter.
    
    Since I didn't see myself finishing the WOT4 before winter set in (too
    busy flying, to be building :-) ), I figured I might as well got the
    built-up wing route and do it (r/l)ight the first time.
    
    So it is clearly Steve's fault for sending me on this trip :-)
    
    re -.1,
    
    Kay,
    
    I believe I have already done what you mentioned. The ribs were rough
    cut, stacked together, and drilled on a press for the ajusto-jig holes,
    keeping the obstruction to work the ajusto-jig that you mention, in
    mind. Two holes were also drilled to bolt the stack together. After
    sanding the bolted stack, I cut the slots.
    
    What went wrong? I hand sanded the rib stack (no ply rib templates at
    end), using a try square to keep checking. However, the wood musta' got
    bowed with the bolts holding the stack together. Soo, even though the
    ends of the stack match the template, the stack has been sanded skewed
    wrt the holes drilled for the jig.
    
    End result is the wash in/out I see leading to subsequent grief :-(
    
    ajai

I had  to  go out last night, but this is what I found - no, I didn't take 3
hours to re-drill the holes :-) - in a few minutes.

I placed  the  left  and right most ribs on the 5/32" rods, and placed it on
the  jig  and  re-measured.  (The  night  before, I had merely eyeballed the
thing,  holding the rods in my hands - as it was getting late).

Here are the new numbers...

drift in datum line        = 1/64" (negligible)
skew in datum line at t.e. = 3/64" (i.e. slightly less than 1/16")

I think this happened as my hand sanding w/o end templates wasn't perfect.

Now, heeeeere's  what I figured (pat. pend.) I could restack one half of the
ribs  (for  one wing half) in *REVERSE* order. This would have the effect of
changing 

1. any  drift  in  datum  line  to  a  dihedral  (or  anhedral if you did it
   backwards).

2. any  skew (twisting) in datum line to a washout (or wash in) in each wing
   half.

I submit  this  to  the DoD for approval so wing construction of the F25 may
begin  without  further  delay  or  added  labour. Additional labour will be
provided if DoD feels proposed plan is in violation of agreed upon contract.

ajai

ps. Randy,  I  do  have  this  dream of building and flying a scale Spitfire
someday,  but  like  you said, let me get done building with my "scale" WOT4
first :-)

ps2. Charlie's idea was to stack alternate ribs, so things would even out.

    How about stacking them 1st, last, 2nd, last-1... and then lightly
    resanding them. This would even them out further and any deviation 
    would end up being noise level

Inspite of  the  reverse-stacking  half  the  ribs  idea, I did not like the
thought  that  I  was using a fancy-schmancy ajusto-jig only to build a wing
that  wasn't  flat. Why, pray, use the jig with its advertised 0.01% jigging
accuracy? 

Sooo, I  resolved  to  drill a fresh set of holes in the ribs, using the rib
indexing tool that is supplied with the jig. After all, if all the ribs were
identical  in shape, and the indexing tool does it's job, I _ought_ to get a
straight  wing!!  Worst case, I'd end up with an extra pair of holes in each
rib, and be none the wiser.

I used a 5/32" brass tube to first mark the holes, then drill them out. Took
me 45  minutes to drill 38 holes at the approximate rate of 1/minute, and in
the  process  getting  a blister on my thumb from twirling the brass tube. I
don't  think Jim Reith could have fared better, unless you mount the tube in
an  electric  drill. Regular twist drills mess up the balsa, tearing out the
wood...

Put the  stack  back on the jig with the two rods going through, and all but
one  rib was out of line. Sealed up holes, and redrilled. Looked great! Then
for the acid test of butting the left and right most ribs against each other
- Voila! They lined up near perfect!!

Now that  I  have triumphed over the battle of the ribs, I need to cut holes
in  two  ribs  to take in the aileron servos, and drill holes in the rest in
between  to  snake  out  the aileron wire. Then, I'll be all set to stack 'n'
glue, as the ole Rat would say.

To night.

ajai

    Re: last several,
    
    Sheeeesh, Ajai!  I never hoid'a someone having soooooo much trouble
    operating the simplest of devices!  Tell me, do you also have
    difficulty using a Crescent-Wrench, otherwise known as an "Injun Socket
    Set?"  :B^)  :B^)  :B^)
						 __
				|      |        / |\	   	       
      	         \|/		|______|__(o/--/  | \	   	       
      | |        00	       <|  ~~~  ____ 04 ---- | --------------------
    |_|_|        (O>o		|\)____/___|\_____|_/	   Adios amigos, Al
      |     \__(O_\_	        |	  |___/	 o	   (The Desert Rat)

    
    ajai,
    
    You say that..
    
>Now that  I  have triumphed over the battle of the ribs, I need to cut holes
>in  two  ribs  to take in the aileron servos, and drill holes in the rest in
>between  to  snake  out  the aileron wire. Then, I'll be all set to stack 'n'
>glue, as the ole Rat would say.
    
    Why do you need to drill more holes for the aileron wire??  You already
    have two holes in each rib!  Do you feel you need to make the hole
    large enough for the connector??  If so, don't bother!  All you need
    are 3 pig tails for the radio, and some 3 conductor wire...  I found
    some *great* 3 conductor wire the other day...  In the model train 
    section of the hobby shop!  The stuff is the same gauge wire and each
    conductor is a different color.
    
    So, feed the wires through the holes used for the wing jig then solder
    on the connectors..
    
    Tell us more about why you are cutting ribs for the aileron servos...
    I can't say that I have ever been very close to a WOT-4, but I can't
    imagine that the wings are so close that you can't fit a servo between
    the ribs...
    
    cheers,
    jeff
    

    re -.2,
    
    OK Sheriff Al,
    
    >>I never hoid'a someone having soooooo much trouble
    >>operating the simplest of devices!
    
    Before ya arrest me, wuja tell what the charges are?  :-)
    
    Seriously, dunno if we are on the same frequency here - What device are
    you talking about? Me thinks ya's might have taken a left toin some
    where.
    
    ajai
    

    AHA!  _NOW_ we know the problem: you don't even know what device it is
    that'cher usin'!  I was referring to the Adjusto-Jig, seen-yore.  ;b^)
						 __
				|      |        / |\	   	       
      	         \|/		|______|__(o/--/  | \	   	       
      | |        00	       <|  ~~~  ____ 04 ---- | --------------------
    |_|_|        (O>o		|\)____/___|\_____|_/	   Adios amigos, Al
      |     \__(O_\_	        |	  |___/	 o	   (The Desert Rat)

Me thinks  the Sheriff's doin'a frame-up job so he can keep his prison cells
full, and  fool  the  citizens  of Phoenix into thinking he is doin' a great
job.  Ya  should  be  goin'  after  *REAL*  gangsters  instead of tyin' poor
innocent injuns to yer favourite saguaro cactus, Chief.

:-)

Well, Al, I did  not  have  problems  with  using the jig as intended by the
manufacturer.  Once  I  had a stack of identical ribs, and used the indexing
tool to mark and drill 'em out, I was all set in an hour or so.

Where I  *DID*  get  nailed,  is when I tried to stack and drill on a press,
_then_  sand  the  ribs to final shape. Here, due to hand sanding, the stack
got  sanded  skewed,  so  the  drill-press  jig  holes appear in a different
location  on  each rib when you hold them stacked unskewed. Lemme untwist my
tongue...

The instructions  for the ajusto jig warn against using a drill press, but I
figured  that  applied to pre-shaped ribs only. I don't believe ply/aluminum
end ribs would have helped prevent skewed sanding either.

ajai

						 __
				|      |        / |\	   	       
      	         \|/		|______|__(o/--/  | \	   	       
      | |        00	       <|  ~~~  ____ 04 ---- | --------------------
    |_|_|        (O>o		|\)____/___|\_____|_/	   Adios amigos, Al
      |     \__(O_\_	        |	  |___/	 o	   (The Desert Rat)

    Now that I have got my name cleared at the local county office, lemme
    report las'night's pwo-gwess, or lack thereof, as most people see it
    :-)
    
    I cut out 2cm x 4cm holes just aft of the main spar slots in the 2 1/4"
    ribs I have for supporting the mini-servos. I had to make sure that the
    servo wheel would clear the shear-webbing when I put it in. Then, stuck
    1/16" balsa cross grain on both sides of the rib around the servo hole,
    and cut holes in 'em as well. Had to re-drill the jig holes, as they
    got covered by  the veneer.
    
    Anyhoo, boy, did *that* stiffen up the rib big time compared to the
    rest of the wimpy 3/32" rib stock! I'll glue two 1/4" spruce servo
    rails on the rib after I build the wing and get it off the jig, as I
    don't want to drill the jig holes in the rails by glueing them on now.
    
    I also drilled all the ribs with a 5/8" brass tube, to allow for the
    connector end of the servo lead to pass through. Sorry Jeff, your idea
    came too late! Also, to answer Jeff's question - while there is enough
    space between the ribs to mount a servo platform, the wing section
    isn't thick enough to take in the servo completely - I'd have to have
    the servo wheel/horn stick out the wing. I am trying to conceal
    everything, so all you see is the 1/16" piano wire push rod coming out 
    the bottom of the wing to the aileron horn.
    
    I realise having clean lines is unnecessary, but am using the
    opportunity to learn the ins and outs of such a setup, so I am armed
    with info/knowledge/experience should the need arise on my scale job n
    years down the road. 
    
    Then, I got everything onto the jig. I had all the rib holders set 3"
    apart, so I had to re-adjust the ones for the thicker servo ribs so
    that the centre lines of all the ribs are 3" apart - so that with the
    cap strips on, the rib bays look equal on the covered model.
    
    It was - what' the amerikanski e pression - neato,to be able to 
    lean the partly jigged wing up against one corner of my room when I
    hit the sack. the only time wings I worked on have gotten vertical, has
    been _after_ I finished glueing, so it felt funny. I can see the
    advantages of being able to sheet the wings (almost fully) before I 
    get it off the jig.
    
    To-night, I'll get the spars, le, and te in place and glue 'em. I have
    to plane the spars to follow the rib contour though, since cutting 
    angled slots for the spars was out of the question, given that I 
    want to put shear webbing (that has to sit flat on the spar sides).
    
    Things should be smooth sailin' from now on...
    
    ajai

See, I  am  being careful not to post the incremental hours worked, just the
total,  so  the  RC-notes-file-cops waiting for a chance to give me a ticket
for over-parking, will get foiled!! Devious, eh? :-)

I did  not  have  much time this past wkend to progress the WOT4 wing to the
extent that I would have liked, but I did get in a couple of hours...

I glued on the 1"x1" triangle stock for the l.e., as also the 1/2"x3/8" t.e.
stock. Initially,  I  was  debating  as  to  how  I should hold these pieces
against  the ribs. I could have used clamps, clamping the le/te to the 5/32"
rods running through the ribs, but I felt rubber bands would be better.

Initially, I  wasn't sure how I should use the rubber bands to clamp. Should
I used  the  bands  around  the entire jig and wing? Or should I make little
s-hooks  from  wire,  to  hook  the  rubber  bands from the rods? What about
putting  the ribs alternating with rubber bands onto the rods, then mounting
on the  jig,  and  finally using them (having to cut the rubberbands to take
them  off)?  I  must'a  been  blind,  for it took a while before realisation
dawned  that  I  could  use  the same "hooks" provided on the ajusto jig for
banding  down  the  wing,  to  band  down  the  le/te.  I had to make bigger
rubberbands  tying  two together though, so the tension wouldn't be so great
as to mash through the soft balsa le/te.

After banding  the  le/te, I lifted off the le/te at each rib station to let
the  rib spring back to its normal flat self - putting on the rubberbands to
clamp down  the  le/te  inadvertantly  bowed all the ribs. I checked all the
ribs for straightness before zapping in place. All joints came out snug, but
anyhoo, I  went  over  the hot zapped joints with gapping CA, so I would get
the  added benefit of strength from the glue fillet - perhaps an unnecessary
precaution.

While cutting  out the slots in the stacked ribs, I had used a SOFT piece of
1/2"  x  3/8"  balsa  to  check out the interference fit. I had not used the
actual spar, which is much HARDER. This way, the umpteen insertions/removals
of the soft piece to check the slot width/depth in the stacked ribs resulted
in  it  getting  squished a bit. Sooo, when, on the jig, I put on one of the
regular,  hard[er]  spars, I had a *nice*, TIGHT fit. I do have to plane the
top  of the spar a tad to get it to follow the rib contour.

While cutting the slots in the stacked ribs, it had been impossible to get a
clean rectangular  cut,  short  of using a router. The inside corners of the
slot  got  rounded  with sanding. However, with the ribs being separated, it
was  easy for me to push on the spars at each rib, to "cut" into the rounded
spar slot corners.

ajai

    I got the spars glued in place, after taking off material to make it
    match the rib contour. Interestingly enough, my own ability to take off
    the material improved with each succeeding spar.
    
    I also cut out the balsa blocks that will be used to sandwich the wing
    hold down hardwood pieces between the centre section rib bays. Ze Mitre
    master was used to square up the ends in a jiffy. I had left the
    hardwood stock at work (brought to cut on a band saw and save me work -
    never did get around to it), so I couldn't progress there. I _have_ to
    have the wing hold down piece glued before commencing sheeting.
    
    Sooo, I decided to cut out the shear webbing - finished the pieces
    needed for one wing...
    
    ajai
    

Well, the WOT-4 is finally complete and ready to go. Finished it up
night before last. It took at least twice as long as it should have, but
building was interrupted by building the Ninja, the wife, loss of motivation,
the wife, money, the wife, etc, etc. I'm happy with the way it came out,
but a little disappointed with the weight. All up weight is sitting almost
dead on 5 pounds. I never got around to weighing the first WOT-4 so I'm not
exactly sure how much I managed to save, but I'll estimate maybe a half
pound. It should still go pretty good with a 61 hanging off the nose and it
can't be any worse than the original. Trouble is, I'll probably have to wait
till spring to test it.

I found while building that the thinner wood, 3/32 as opposed to 1/4, needed
beefing up in certain areas which eliminated the weight savings. For instance,
when I went to test for flex in the rudder push-rod assembly, the rudder
itself was bending in my hand. So, I ended up sheeting the rudder in order
to eliminate the flex. I also found that the large open area under the wing
(fuse sides) was very weak. I ended up having to put some braces in that area 
on both sides of the fuse. I made a mistake when I installed the landing gear
block (put it in the wrong place) so now I have a 1/4 inch piece of ply as
part of the fuse bottom that should be 3/32 balsa. I'm also going with a
14 ounce tank rather than the original 12. I think if you really want to save
weight on this plane, you have to do what Ajai is doing and build a built up
wing. I also shortened the nose on this version in order to be able to install
soft mounts. After all was said and done, I ended up needing to put about 2
ounces in the tail to get it to balance at 30% of cord. I figure it's worth
it to be able to keep the soft mounts.

This new version also has the new X347 installed. I have it set up so that I
can fly with aileron and rudder coupled, elevator and flap coupled, flaperons,
and some other things I haven't figured out yet. Should be interesting trying
to keep track of all the switches.

    
	  Getting married   (and   still   remaining   squawless),
	  travelling  over  25,000 miles, and putting the Gulf war
	  behind,  I resumed building my new hoss last night after
	  a 5 month intermission!

	  These past  few  months  after  my return had been spent
	  attending  to  chores - wedding photos, umpteen letters,
	  giving  Uncle  Sam  a  share of my spoils from last year
	  (actually, telling HIM what he *owed* ME), fixing up the
	  car, and on and on and on.

	  Soon after  my  return,  I had to INVADE and colonise my
	  11'x12' room, to make habitable by the injun. I mean, if
	  I couldn't conquer my _own_ room, how could I _possibly_
	  invade  and  conquer America, to return to the Injuns to
	  whom it rightfully belongs? :-) :-)

	  I had  boxes  and  packing  material from gifts and more
	  gifts  that  I  had taken to India, that I got rid of. I
	  also  came loaded with most of the wedding gifts that my
	  wife  and  I  had  been given! Space was at premium, and
	  even  after  storing  boxes  of  my  things at a friends
	  house,  I  had to stick 18 of 'em under my bed to create
	  floor  space! Cripes, I would think even the Japanese in
	  Tokyo must have it better!

	  I spent   an  hour  staring  at  my  WOT4  fuselage  and
	  unsheeted  wing  (still  on  the a-justo-jig), trying to
	  "link up" with the soul of this incomplete machine, so I
	  would know what was left, and where to begin.

	  It took me another 3 hours to install the l.e. wing hold
	  down  blocks  -  this  is  the  hardwood piece that goes
	  between  the ribs at the wing root on each panel, and is
	  sandwiched between filler balsa blocks.

	  The hard  maple  was  surprisingly  easy to cut with the
	  x-acto  saw,  but  took  a  while  to  square  up on the
	  mitre-master.  I had already got the filler balsa blocks
	  ready,  but  had  to  shape  them to the wing profile. I
	  decided  it  was  easier  to  do  this *before* glueing,
	  rather  than  after,  so I marked the rib outline , then
	  planed  and  sanded  to  shape.  This way, I wouldn't be
	  inadvertently sanding the ribs!

	  Now to sheet the l.e., and put in the shear webbing.

	  Ahh!... for  it  is  time to meditate and mend the body,
	  and soothe the soul with this great hobby ...

	  ajai

    Just goes to show you that there is life after a "balsa-slow" (TM of
    Jim Cavanagh Industries) overdose!

	  Gimme another 3 hours! 

	  Last night, I sheeted the l.e. of the wings. Since I
	  used 1" x 1" triangle stock for the l.e., I had to bevel
	  the edge of the sheet so it would butt snug against the
	  triangular stock. Also, even if you ignore the bevel,
	  the edge of the sheet isn't always straight. Depending
	  on how poorly the lumber had been dried before the
	  sheets were cut, it can be bowed along the plane of the
	  sheet.

	  Sooo, I used the edge of the steel plate that comes with
	  the Magnet Builder board I have as a straight edge to
	  sand against, giving the sheet a beveled AND straight
	  edge.

	  I wasn't too happy with how the sheeting came out - I
	  couldn't get the sheet to butt flush against all the
	  ribs, and some times had gaps up to 1 mm! Sure, I used
	  glue fillets, and the wing is strong, and it won't
	  matter much that the wing doesn't have the exact
	  cross-section intended, but I don't feel good inside, if
	  you know what I mean!

	  I even tried the Zap University /Exam technique of using
	  Slow Zap on the ribs, and shooting up the sheeting with
	  kicker before glueing in place, but I couldn't avoid a
	  gap at the l.e. Literally every other joint on this
	  plane has zero gap, so I could use Hot CA (unless I
	  wanted to use epoxy). Perhaps I should try jigging the
	  sheeting in place, and then dribbling hot CA in the next
	  time...

	  I also put in the shear webbing on one wing - my first
	  time ever - and man, does it make the wing muucho
	  strongo! Guess it'll end up being built like a baseball
	  bat!

	  ajai

	  I'm still aching all over from the mega-progress made on
	  the WOT4 this wkend...

	  FRIDAY, I spent 2 hours cutting the shear-webbing for
	  the remaining half of the wing, and glued them in place.

	  SATURDAY was a wash-out, and literally too, for I had to
	  do my laundry among my other household chores.

	  Sunday was an 8 hour day. I had to shape the t.e. to a
	  wedge (trapezium) shape, BEFORE I could glue on the t.e.
	  sheeting. I planed the t.e. stock most of the way, but
	  the plane kept smacking into the ribs making horrible
	  sounds and splinters. While I was doing this, I managed
	  to _ACCIDENTLY_ "tap" the t.e. and it broke clean off
	  the ribs!! Great, now I could shape the t.e. stock off
	  the wing, and glue it back in place! It worked out
	  great, so I *DELIBERATELY* knocked off the t.e. stock of
	  the REMAINING panel, shaped, and re-glued in place! 

	  The t.e. sheeting was cast-off pieces from the sheets I
	  used for the ribs. Again, the original sheet (and now
	  t.e. sheeting) edges weren't straight, so I clamped each
	  t.e. sheet strip on to the magnet builder board, and
	  sanded the edges flush with the steel sheet's machine
	  cut edge forming the template. Then, glued the t.e.
	  sheets in place.

	  Cap strips! I love doing cap strips, but didn' have any
	  3/32"x3/8" stock, so I cut them out from scrap pieces
	  left over from building the T60. The mitre master came
	  in real handy in sanding the ends of the cap strips so
	  they would sit snug. I marked the cap strips and
	  l.e./t.e. sheets for alignment, so the strips would be
	  centred over the ribs. (What? You don't do that? No
	  wonder your plane flies funny! Oh! You got a foam wing
	  and no cap strips? Those won't fly at all :-) :-) ). 

	  I decided to use the technique of spraying kicker on the
	  cap strips, and placing them by hand over the pre-glued
	  ribs, and it worked with amazing success. The alignment
	  marks came in handy, as you don't have the time to fuss
	  with positioning - the glue grabs and hardens real
	  quick! Last time I glued cap strips, on the T60, I
	  messed around by first tacking with CA. The kicker
	  technique is faster, and goes to show you need to *know*
	  your tools to do a good job. I guess my Rip Van Winkle
	  days aren't as yet over!!

	  I could get the cap strips on the top side of the wing
	  panels, as the a-justo-jig came in the way on the
	  bottom. So I got the panels off (for the first time in 6
	  months!), flipped them around, and re-banded them back
	  to the jig, before capping the bottom.

	  Gee, doesn't sound like a lot got done in 8 hours, eh?

	  MONDAY was a back busting 11 hour day. I sanded he ends
	  of the wing panels flush, and glued them together,
	  BEFORE sheeting the centre section of BOTH panels at
	  once. Also, while glueing the panels together, I decided
	  to use one arm of the jig to support both panels, and
	  provide my 0 degrees dihedral. To do this, I slid out
	  the 5/32" jigging rods in one panel, and half slid the
	  rods from the other panel into the first, and banded the
	  "wing" onto ONE arm of the jig. Of course, the rods
	  being 3' long, and the wingspan being 4' meant that the
	  ribs at the tips of the wing would be unsupported, but
	  that was still better than laying the panels on the
	  table for glueing together...

	  The night before, I had got this brainwave to
	  incorporate GLIDER-TUG features into the WOT4 during
	  construction. I am talking about attaching a tow line to
	  the WOT4 here. Of course, the glider will have it's own
	  release, but as an added safety measure, I am providing
	  a tow line release on the WOT4 as well.

	  Since I have the ailerons controlled by individual
	  servos in each wing panel, the centre section of the
	  wing, that normally has the aileron servo well, is
	  vacant. I decided to put in a piece of hardwood (1 1/2"
	  x 3/4" x 3/8") butting against the back of the top main
	  spar, and the root rib of the left wing panel. I braced
	  this with balsa on all sides (the top is of course the
	  sheeting) for added strength.

	  The idea is to anchor the glider towline "hook" in this
	  block, which is pretty close to the CG. I will drill a
	  hole through the block, going through the entire
	  thickness of the wing, through which a servo operated
	  plunger rod will slide. The servo can be taped to the
	  aileron-servo-free bottom centre of the wing. On top of
	  the wing, where the plunger rod sticks out, it will rest
	  against an inverted "U" shaped rod that is also anchored
	  in the hardwood block. The Glider tow line will be held
	  between the "U" and the plunger, with the "U" taking the
	  towing load. Also, by angling the holes for the "U", and
	  ensuring a friction fit, I can hand-insert the "U" when
	  tug-duty calls, and yet not have the "U" slip out under
	  tug load, which means my WOT4 can retain a 'clean' look
	  for non-tug flights!

	  The block was sized not to extend beyond the fuse, when
	  the wing is mounted on the wing, thereby reducing
	  unnecessary weight. Also, I mounted the wood on the left
	  side to keep away from the engine exhaust.

	  All this takes more to explain, but merely an hour to
	  do. I then sheeted the centre section of the joined
	  wing, using the balsa sheeting to add strength to the
	  joint. Of course, the FG tape will come later... Again,
	  due to the jig coming in the way, I was forced to sheet
	  the bottom off-jig.

	  Then, it was major sanding time. I used the plane to
	  rough shape the 1"x1" triangular stock l.e. and GOOFED!
	  By the time I checked with the aerofoil template, it was
	  too late! My "eye-balled" reasonable shape actually
	  turned out be unreasonable! So I cussed and moaned and
	  bitched. Luckily, the damage was limited to having
	  beveled the corner of the triangular stock l.e., so it
	  looked like a trapezium, instead. I got out of trouble
	  by glueing a 1/4"x 1/2" strip, and paying more attention
	  the second time around, sanding mostly with 40 grit
	  paper!

	  I got the l.e. and one side of the wing sanded smooth,
	  but after 11 hours, I was beat, and stopped rather than
	  risk botching up.

	  ajai

	  Tue May 28 13:26:39 1991

ps.	  weighing all the pieces of the plane/engine/radio etc..,
	  I expect my WOT4 to weigh 5 1/4 lbs (Aaargh! Pounds!) or
	  2.4 Kgs, giving a wing loading of approx 22 oz./sq. ft.
	  (huh?) or 66 gm/sq. dm. The instructions talk of a 40
	  size plane being 18.75 oz./sq. ft. typical, so with a 61
	  pumper, I guess I am not doing too bad.	  

	  In my  pervious  note, I forgot to mention that I goofed
	  up on the aileron servo location.

	  You see,  at least mentally, I had figured on having the
	  aileron horn located in the middle of the aileron, which
	  is  20"  long. So, I chose the rib that is 10" away from
	  the  centre  of the wing to embed my servo in - my servo
	  installation  is  concealed, with the servo output shaft
	  axis being parallel to the l.e.

	  Hah! I  complete  forgot  that  I  have 4" of fixed t.e.
	  going  out  from  the  wing  centre,  before the aileron
	  'starts'.  Consequently, the horn will now be located on
	  the  aileron  6"  outboard,  instead of the planned 10".
	  This  is  roughly 1/3 of the aileron length, so I should
	  still be fine.

	  If I  had  realised my mistake earlier in the game, just
	  by  joining  the other ends of the panels (that form the
	  wing tips now), I could have 'moved' the aileron horn by
	  3", which is the rib spacing.
 
	  ajai

	  Wed May 29 13:32:09 1991

    
	  With all the sanding I have been doing, I seem to have
	  discovered some muscles that I never knew existed! I
	  wake up each morning with sore arms and shoulders!!
	  Groan!!

	  I might bicycle 2500+ miles a year, but my upper body
	  sure ain't strong! Perhaps I should have done a few
	  weeks of laps at the pool, or some rope skipping like a
	  boxer, to train for the sanding session!

	  I stopped off at the hw store on my way home, last
	  evening, to pick up some sticky-back sandpaper, to
	  innaugurate my new, 20" sanding "Tee". I seem to have a
	  new tool to try with each new plane I build. With the
	  T60, it was the Magnet builder board and Fast fingers.
	  Now, with the WOT4, I have used the A-justo-jig, the
	  Mitre Master, and finally the Tee.

	  I first sanded the t.e. of the wing flat. Initially, I
	  tried holding the wing vertical on my building table,
	  and worked the Tee by holding the T. Pretty shaky
	  arrangement, that I had little control over! Then I
	  pushed one end of the wing against a box by the wall,
	  still keeping it vertical on the table, but I couldn't
	  keep the Tee from wobbling. Finally, realisation dawned
	  that I could exercise more control by clamping the wing
	  down on the table with one hand, t.e. sticking out
	  beyond table edge, and hold the Tee like a sanding
	  block, sanding in the vertical plane!

	  I also sanded the cap-strips - especially the joints
	  where they meet the l.e./t.e. sheeting. The 20" Tee
	  allowed me to sand with CONFIDENCE, instead of having to
	  pussy-foot around, being eternally AFRAID of breaking a
	  cap strip, or gouging one edge of a capstrip with the
	  end of the sanding block. Or worse, sanding a depression
	  into the capstrip(s) that you have to fill with
	  microballoons.

	  With the Tee, I could sand one ENTIRE panel at a time,
	  using the 20" sanding swath to follow the wing contour.

	  Also, using a sanding mask (instead of a kerchief) and
	  goggles, plus putting my industrial shop vac to frequent
	  use kept the sawdust level low, so I was relatively
	  allergy free.

	  Yeah, just think of a masked injun, in a room with open
	  windows, and a 500W halogen lamp blazing well past
	  midnight, for all to see from the street, attacking a
	  hunk of balsa with a ferocious look, and the vacuum
	  growling into life ever so often... 

	  I'll say that mega-whomper halogen lamp instead of a
	  wimpy 100 W incandescent jobbie has certainly eliminated
	  the need to *peer* at my work.

	  ajai

	  Eeeks! Look at all the American I have liberally
	  sprinkled my note with! My English teacher would
	  definitely frown!

	  The family owned, third world sweat shop stayed open the
	  weekend with no respite, supplying more cheap labour
	  while the Amerikanski's were out enjoying themselves
	  [and rightly so!], getting their *much* needed rest
	  flying their model planes! :-) :-)

	  I toiled for another 14 hours. 

	  First, I sanded the *other* side of the wing. Then,
	  epoxied the fixed t.e. to the wing center, using the
	  wing saddle in the fuse as a jig to get the angle right.
	  Then, after sanding, tacked on 6" Fiberglas cloth with
	  hot CA, keeping it stretched taut in the process.
	  Brushed on diluted Epoxy - I used 5 minute stuff like on
	  the T60, but it jelled up after I got just one side
	  done, so went to the 30 minute stuff instead. Normally,
	  diluting with alcohol slows down the kicking time, so
	  dunno what changed since my T60 days. I am using a
	  different brand of 5 minute epoxy, for sure! I also
	  glued in the sheet balsa wing tips, plus the gussets.

	  Then, it was aileron servo installation time. The 2 ribs
	  that take the 2 servos are 1/4" thick blasa, with 1/16"
	  balsa cheeks stuck cross grain to form a "ply". 

	  I had already cut the holes for the servos in the ribs
	  before assembling the wing, so I could simply drop the
	  mini servos in both the ribs. I screwed each servo to a
	  ply bearer stub, and _then_ glued the bearer with epoxy
	  to the rib, with the servo acting as a jig. 

	  Having to deal with the servo mounting screws in the 3"
	  space between the ribs, using an offset screwdriver is
	  doable, but painful, so I chose to avoid it altogether.
	  I did work the screws a couple of times before gluing,
	  so when the time comes to remove them, it will be
	  easier.

	  The dual servo route, besides reducing the possibility
	  for aileron flutter, will allow me to use a programmable
	  radio to mix aileron and flap functions, by merely
	  unplugging the "Y" harness, and plugging each servo into
	  an individual channel on the RX. When the time comes for
	  an "upgrade", it won't take blood and tears - merely a
	  few minutes!

	  That, is the difference between designing to please a
	  manager (for short term gain and obsolescence), and
	  DOING THE RIGHT THING! :-) Luckily, when I build
	  aeromodels, _I_ am the boss, so things get done right.
	  :-)

	  Next, I have to hinge the ailerons. Then I have to glue
	  in a balsa sheet over each of the "servo" rib bays, to
	  provide support for the covering where the aileron
	  pushrods exit the wing.

	  ajai

	  Mon Jun  3 14:02:06 1991

	  I got to do the aileron - the left aileron to be precise
	  - last night. I debated a bit over how many hinges to
	  use, and finally settled for twice the density on the
	  T60 - about one hinge every 4 inches or 11 cm. After the
	  lessons on aileron flutter I had on the T60, I wanted to
	  apply ALL that I had learnt.

	  I wanted to have a hinge as close to the end of each
	  aileron. The original WOT4 design comes with a fixed
	  outboard t.e., so the aileron is 'inset' and out of the
	  wing tip vortex. I also wanted to have the aileron horn
	  centred over a hinge, locking it in place, adding a
	  measure of safety in case all the other hinges fail.

	  Finally, I settled on 5 hinges for the 20" aileron. If I
	  wanted even hinge spacing, and also a hinge in line with
	  the servo horn, I had to sacrifice being able to locate
	  a hinge at the very extremities of the ailerons! I put
	  the outboard hinge about 1/2" from that end of the
	  aileron, and the inboard hinge about 1 1/2" from the
	  other end of the aileron. I figured the inboard hinge
	  distance shouldn't be much of a problem.

	  I don't have a drill press, and hand drilled the 1/8"
	  holes for the Robart hinges using a sharpened brass
	  tube. I got blisters twirling the tube - my fingers kept
	  slipping. I finally stuck strips of masking tape with
	  the sticky side facing alternately in and out, to give
	  me a sticky-grip to twirl the brass tube drill with. My
	  thumb is still sore from doing just one aileron! This is
	  the part I _detest_ about using the Robart hinges!! I'm
	  waiting for the day when I have my own drill press, and
	  can jig the ailerons/wing and do the job in a few
	  minutes, and without pain!

	  Then I planed the l.e. of the t.e. to a bevel - this
	  being the part I most enjoy! Trial fitted the left
	  aileron, and stood back to evaluate my work...

	  The dreadful thing is, I still have the other aileron to
	  do! Bah!

	  ajai

	  Wed Jun 5 15:52:55 1991

    Ajai,
    	Five's a good number.  that's what I usually use on most pattern
    ships.  I usually set one hinge 1/2" from each end. Then one in the
    middle and then one hinge in between on either side of the middle
    hinge spaced evenly.  I think the hinge at the tip 1/2" away is very
    important to help prevent flutter.  Also stiff control rods.  I embed
    the servos in the wing (2 servos for ailerons).  I then use 4-40
    rods to connect the servo to the control horn.
    
    
    Tom

    Yeah Tom,
    
    Glad to hear I am on the right track. In case you haven't read my
    earlier notes, I too have embedded 2 servos in the wing, one per
    aileron, and will be using 4-40 rods.
    
    I am assuming that aileron flutter will be more of a problem at the
    outboard ends of the wing, where the hinge is just 1/2" in. The inboard
    hinge is 1.5" from the aileron end near the wing root.
    
    ajai
    

      Ajai,
    
    		If you've install a hinge 1/2" from the outboard
    end of the aileron and if the control rod linkage is slop free,
    the only other simple thing to do is seal the hinge gaps with clear
    plastic packing tape.  I've even used Scotch brand 3/4" wide
    tape with success.  I'd suggest that you use the Dubro styled
    horns that use a 4-40 bolt and a strip aileron connector tab
    as the control horns.  They work mint and provide infinate
    adjustment.
    
    		One of the hot pattern pilots in New England has
    gone to using a 4-40 bolt and tab set up with a little twist.
    Most pattern kits face the ailerons with 1/4" thick stock. This
    guy cuts the aileron back anough to use 1/2" stock.  Then after
    the bevel is carved he drill a hole through the remaining 1/2" stock
    and floods the hole and area using thin CA.  then the bolt it screwed
    in from the top until the head is flush with the top surface.  The
    length of the bolt extending through the bottom of the aileron.
    that all the support used. No hard points,fiberglas etc..  And it
    works.  I haven't seen one yet pull out or for that matter show
    any signs of play coming loose.
    
    
    Tom
    
    P.S. I'll use this on my next foam winged bird
    
    
    

	  Bad Credit?    Loans    denied?    No    problem!   Call
	  1-900-EZE-LOAN...

	  Hell, this  is  America,  land  of  opportunity, so if I
	  don't  have a drill press, borrow! Besides, my thumb was
	  so sore from blisters that my brain was working overtime
	  thinking  up ways to reduce, if not altogether avoid the
	  painful hand drilling for the Robart hinges...

	  Sooo, I stopped off at the lab during lunch today, to do
	  a "government job" with the drill press located therein.
	  Rather  than risk the entire aileron, I cut out 3 pieces
	  of   2"  length  aileron  stock  (1.5"  x  3/8")  for  a
	  prototyping test run.

	  On one of the 3 pieces, that I designated the "alieron",
	  I  pre-drilled (using a 1/8" brass tube) the hinge holes
	  (that   I   centred  using  the  Goldberg  tool)  a  few
	  millimeters so I would know where to drill on the press.

	  I  then  sandwiched  this  between the other two pieces,
	  that  I  turned  around,  so  the  l.e. and t.e. of each
	  aileron stock alternated, allowing me to jig the aileron
	  vertical  to  the  press  table  for  drilling.  Picture
	  this...

			   AILERON, drill here
  
				    |
				    V
                                - ----- -
                               / \\   // \
                              /   \\ //   \
                              ----- - -----
                                ^       ^
                                |       |
			   Additional stock for
			 jigging aileron vertical
			     to drill press.


	  The results  were  simply  grrreat!  In a few seconds, I
	  drilled  out  a  couple of holes, going nearly 1 1/4" of
	  the  1.5"  stock,  without  showing  through the aileron
	  surface  on  either  side!  Only  3  out of the 5 I hand
	  drilled  two  nights  ago came out properly aligned. The
	  remaining  2  were skewed, making unsightly holes on the
	  top/bottom of the aileron.

	  Tomorrow, I'm  going  to  drill  out  the  'real'  right
	  aileron!  I  haven't  figured out how to jig the wing to
	  drill  out  the  t.e.  holes,  though,  but  I  know the
	  blisters on my thumb will be happier...

	  ajai

    re .70
    
    Tom,
    
    The 4-40 bolt with the aileron tabs (so that's what those little
    white things are called) for a control horn, is what the Legend
    kit uses for a rudder horn. It was a snap to install, just drill
    a 3/32" hole with my DREMEL DRILL PRESS (eat your heart out, you
    know who you are), thread on one tab, insert bolt in hole, thread
    on opposite side tab.
    
    After reading your note it dawned on me that this will work for
    the flap and aileron horns on the Legend. It uses a 3/8" aileron
    l.e. backed up by a 1/4" piece in the area where the nylon horn
    mounts. The nylon horns are bigger than necessary and the screws
    and plate look goofy. I was going to use my usual horns cut out 
    from circuit board material with my DREMEL JIG SAW, but the bolt
    method is even better. 
    
    Of course I will finish off with a few passes from my T-BAR SANDER.
    
    Terry

    
    Tetra of Japan sells a slick set-up for pull/pull including cable but
    they usually run about 6.00 a piece.  I've used the dubro set-up a
    number of times with great success.  The LA-1 I'm now finishing will
    have pull/pull on the rudder and elevator halves.  I've got three
    of the Tetra set-ups so it's getting them.  The molding on the tetra
    is a little more streamlined but for the money I'll go 100% with the
    Dubro in the future.
    
    
    Tom

	  I drilled out my other aileron at work on Friday in 20
	  minutes. It was painless.

	  Saturday, I installed the aileron horns, and Z-bent the
	  threaded rods from the aileron servos. I could have done
	  a much nicer job with a Z-bend tool, but I made do with
	  a pair of long-nose pliers. I also planked the bottom of
	  the wing - just the two servo bays - cutting slots for
	  the steel pushrods to exit. I was careful to glue only
	  from "inside" the wing, and let the planking protrude
	  beyond the capstrips (which I had already been sanded)
	  just a tad, so I didn't have too much sanding to do to
	  get the new piece flush. I also squared up the dinged
	  wing tip t.e.

	  Got carried away, playing with the ailerons, stirring
	  the stick on the TX. Perhaps the personal-first twin
	  servo aileron setup mesmerised me, or maybe I was simply
	  too tired, and entertaining myself? I figured I could
	  get differential throw if I wanted, but didn't need it
	  with a near-symmetrical aerofoil.

	  At hour 147, I was done with the wing (minus the
	  covering). What a relief? :-)

	  Sunday, I woke up with my body aching all over - just
	  like good ole times... I jigged up the l/g (u/c) for
	  binding with tinned wire, and soldering. Of course,
	  sanded the parts where I would be soldering them, and
	  "fine tuned" some of the bends. I didn't have tinned
	  wire to proceed, so I put that aside temporarily.

	  Onto my T60 wreckage... Pulling it out from the body
	  bag, I extracted the fuel tank. My Du-Bro kwik-filler
	  was still on, although corroded. My idea of a thread
	  locker had been CA(!!), so applying debonder didn't help
	  as quickly as I had hoped. So I hacked out the
	  kwik-filler from the fuse side of the T60 that I had so
	  lovingly :-) sanded 2 years ago, and used debonder from
	  _behind_ the nut. Worked like a charm!

	  Time heals all wounds, and I was surprised I could play
	  surgeon with the carcass of my baby, WITHOUT flinching.

	  Spent some time disassembling the tank, to clean out the
	  green deposit from the Tower fuel I had used in it.
	  Finally had to resort to using a tooth brush, detergent,
	  and even a rag wrapped around a pencil to remove the
	  green residue.

	  I also planned out the plumbing for the OS 61 SF ABC
	  pumper. This time, I plan to use a sintered bronze clunk
	  pick-up, to give me the "ultimate" in filtering (per the
	  ad, anyhow). To fill the tank, I want to use the Du-Bro
	  kwik-filler on the return line from the pump, so I don't
	  have to fill through the clunk. 

	  Also, the fuselage isn't wide enough to let me use a
	  12-oz. Sullivan tank in the usual orientation. I'll have
	  to turn it through 90 degrees, so the narrowest
	  dimension of the tank sits across the fuse width.

	  I am planning to build up a cowl around the engine, just
	  to get some experience under my belt - never having
	  build a cowl before - back in India, I would skip on the
	  cowl to save the balsa wood for making a more critical
	  part of another model!

	  I also stippled the area under the aileron horn with a
	  pin, and soaked it with CA, to provide a hard base. The
	  holes for bolting the horn got clogged, and trying to
	  drill the hard CA with a hand drill, I wasn't too
	  successful. The bit veered off the original hole, and
	  made a big mess, drilling into the hole I have made for
	  the robart hinge!

	  How do you spell   F I A S C O? 

	  I plugged the horn-mounting holes, taking care not to
	  plug the hinge hole. Not that I succeeded. Re-drilled
	  the hinge holes today on the drill press at work, but
	  messed up the horn mount holes again! Aaaarrrrgh!!! Bah!
	  Got to take the ailerons back home to plug up, and bring
	  back tomorrow! Next time, I am going to drill these horn
	  mgt holes *AFTER* I harden the balsa.

	  Heck! Nonetheless, I am getting that feeling you get
	  when a model nears completion! I am beginning to see
	  light at the end of the tunnel. It might still be too
	  soon for me to say this, but perhaps, _just_ perhaps, I
	  might end up SCRATCH building the WOT4 in 200 hours,
	  versus the 300 I needed to build the T60 from a KIT!

	  AT LAST.

	  ajai

	  Let me catch up with what I have been up to, before I
	  forget...

	  I jigged and bound the landing gear for soldering. I
	  couldn't find tinned wire, so I stripped some 7-strand
	  22 gauge wire, and used a strand to bind with. I
	  used silver soldered for the first time - low
	  temperature stuff - melts at 490F. Apart from having to
	  use zinc chloride for flux, the actual soldering process
	  was no different from using the regular solder. I had to
	  wait a while to let the joints heat up before I could
	  melt the solder on the joint though...

	  I also marked the wing for drilling the wing hold-down
	  bolts. The l/g will be held by 2 f/g strips (old pc
	  board) that has a pair of parallel notches cut in them,
	  so the l/g wires will be 'recessed', and so immobilised
	  against the fuse. The two f/g strips are bolted to the
	  ply fuse bottom, by two 1/4" nylon bolts. While the f/g
	  can flex and absorb some l/g movement in a lousy landing,
	  the nylon bolts will shear off if the landing is really
	  bad. Anyhow, all this is per the original WOT4 kit - not
	  my idea...

	  As with the Trainer 60, Charlie Watt donated a couple
	  hours of his time, energy and tools to drill and tap
	  the wing and l/g bolts, plus holes in the firewall for
	  the engine mount. My WOT4 with the OS SF 61 looked tiny
	  in comparison to his nearly finished Giant (?) Super
	  Hots, that uses a Zenoah G38 mega-whomper gas engine,
	  that was sitting on his workbench!

	  The engine is mounted with the cylinder about 45 degress
	  below horizontal, so the snuffler runs directly beneath
	  the fuse, between the l/g. This installation gives my
	  WOT4 a zany look, compared to the usual vertical or
	  somewhat rarer horizontal mount for engines. We figured
	  the problem of flooding the engine and dousing the plug
	  wouldn't be as bad as when the engine is inverted,
	  though I still have to watch out for hydraulic lock...

	  The mount will be drilled and tapped once I get the rest
	  of the plane done, so I can balance the plane w/o
	  additional weight being added.

	  At the June DECRCM meeting, Eric made the valid comment
	  that scratch building is so named, because you spend a
	  significant amount of your time scratching your head,
	  figuring out what to do next! Of course, you could be
	  doing some of that even with a [unfamiliar] kit, or if
	  you are scratch building for the n'th time, breeze
	  through the building process... In general though, I'll
	  readily admit that I have indeed been spending quite
	  some time pondering my next move, much like a chess
	  player!!

	  Eric also commented on not having to lug around an
	  additional servo (meant for the emergency tow line
	  release when playing glider tug) ALL the time, since the
	  weight penalty would affect the vertical climb, for
	  instance. 

	  Some more scratching my head :-) after I got home, and
	  it dawned on me that I could attach the towline release
	  servo under the wing with velcro when tug duty called,
	  and simply pull it off at other times! 

	  Now to install the elevator/rudder/throttle servos...

	  ajai

	  Fri Jun 14 16:18:41 1991

	  I used a hacksaw to cut two strips from the green FG
	  pcboard material, which is about 4mm thick. This clamps
	  the l/g onto the fuse bottom. The nylon bolts that hold
	  these strips can be tightened more or less depending on
	  how easily you want the l/g to 'let go' in the event of
	  a bad landing. I also sanded the hacksawed edges, as the
	  FG burrs threatened to shred my fingers as I handled
	  them. Overall, this scheme seems to have worked out
	  really well.

	  I then cut the l/g bolts, made of nylon, to size. I
	  figured I could use the crashed T60 wing mount bolts for
	  this non-critical application. I also cut the new wing
	  mount bolts to size. Likewise with the bolts that hold
	  the engine mount to the fueslage - I used my Dremel tool
	  for this (as I have no vise at home to clamp the bolt
	  while I saw). The sparks flying off the cutting wheel
	  looked colourful as I worked late into the night.

	  Then, spent some time loading up the fuselage with the
	  servos, radio, battery, foam, and placing the tail wheel
	  + assy. on the stab, while I checked out the balance
	  with the wing bolted on. I had to unbolt the wing a few
	  times, and juggle the order of things, to compensate for
	  the nose-heaviness. 

	  I find I have to put the battery and servos as FAR BACK
	  as I can. In fact, I located the battery just AFT of the
	  wing t.e.!! I couldn't get the WOT4 to balance level
	  whatever I tried, so it seems evident that I will have
	  to mount the engine as close to the firewall as I can,
	  and count on needing some tail weight.

	  It would be too much work to cut out the fw, and move it
	  back. Besides, the CG, while off, is not off by that
	  much.

	  ajai

	  Wed Jun 19 13:25:55 1991
	  

	  The building drug must have been coursing in my veins -
	  I was up until 2:30 AM working on my WOT4! Earlier in
	  the evening, Dan Miner and Leo (of CMRCM) had stopped by
	  to pick up their fuel - I had ordered a 54 gallon drum
	  of fuel, and filled 50+ jugs at considerable savings.

	  Dan made a very encouraging comment when he toured my
	  shop cum room - "Gee, your WOT4 looks not much different
	  from when you brought it for the DECRCM meeting" [that
	  was 10 days ago]! Obviously, getting the engine mount
	  on, and the l/g bolted, as also the wing, didn't count
	  :-)

	  Of course, fact of the matter is that there has been
	  little or no "woodwork" done - mostly installation,
	  which isn't as obvious to see. 

	  Anyhow, last night, I got the tail wheel assembly done.
	  I had to measure the length of the tail wheel wire on
	  the tiny drawings accompanying the WOT4 instructions,
	  and scale it up to get an idea of how long to make it.
	  3" long, surprisingly enough!

	  Then, I wrapped the battery with foam, and wedged it on
	  the fuse floor, aft of the wing t.e. To secure the
	  battery from falling on the pushrods [guess what
	  happens?] during negative G manoeuvres, I hot zapped a
	  couple 1/4" square pieces of balsa. I really didn't
	  bother restraining the battery from moving backwards in
	  the fuse - merely relying on the fuse taper to 'wedge'
	  it. Besides, the plane has to fall on its tail before
	  the battery gets incentive to move backwards! Just in
	  front of the battery, is a fuse former, which will hold
	  the battery from moving forwards. Working within the
	  confines of the fuse was time consuming. Good thing I
	  have long, bony (efficient radiators designed for 100
	  deg temperatures) fingers!

	  I also installed the wood servo bearers plus the servos.
	  I usually drill the holes for mounting the screws AFTER
	  I glue the bearers in, which is inconvenient. This time,
	  with the aft-ward installation of the servos, I wouldn't
	  be able to get a drill in the fuse, so I marked and
	  pre-drilled the bearers before glueing in place. It was
	  much quicker and hassle free - I'll adopt this method
	  for future planes... Well, I mean reeeealy waaay out
	  into the future planes... :-)

	  Now, to install the elevator and rudder pushrods, plus
	  the throttle cable... 

	  ajai

	  Thu Jun 20 12:01:57 1991

ps.	     Jim Reith stopped by my place at 6:30 this
	     morning, per our earlier plans. I was surprised
	     to find I got up a minute before he arrived,
	     and my own alarm went off while he was in!

	     He must have talked to Dan Miner, because he
	     too didn't notice much difference in the WOT4
	     since the meeting:-).

    I did notice that it was still uncovered and unflown 8^)
    
    I think Jim C. has played a cruel joke with another variant of
    "Balsa-slow" tm. I think he has come up with a new version which
    doesn't reduce the desire to build, just thwarts the process by
    reducing progress to the microscopic state. 8^) 8^)
    
    Jim (^8 who scratch built half a 2 meter wing last night - to be flown
            sunday 8^)

    Wow! So your wing building speed can actually be measured in an integer
    number of meters per day! Amazing. I should come by and watch.

    Stock size Gentle Lady wing using S3021 ribs in the center panels
    transitioning to S3014 on the tip panels. The spar system consists of a
    3/16"x1/8" spruce spar, .007 CF laminate on top, 3/16" balsa vertical
    grain shear webbing between the ribs and topped with another layer of
    CF laminate and spruce spar. Ribs all cut out individually using a
    plywood template and a sharp knife and then stacked and touched up with
    a sanding block. Stacked and sanded the tip ribs (two sets) to shape
    and helped my son finish up his GL tail and attach them to his
    fuselage. I started during the Red Sox pre-game show and went upstairs
    when the game was over.
    
    Now that I think of it I'm working in the building across the street
    from Dan Snow so maybe it's something in the Littleton water that
    counteracts the "Balsa-slow"?

  Re: Balsa-slow (tm)


    Actually Jim I've been amazed at how well this new formula works.  I 
wasn't going to announce this newly improved version until I had the final
test results (when/if Ajai finishes the Wot 4).
   I did find that certain compounds found in the drinking water could
serve as an antidote to old formula.  I had originally thought that the
only cure was sniffing old crusty sweat socks that can't be washed because
they're your good luck charm at fun flys (don't ask how I found that cure).

  I also came up with a variant of Balsa-slow called Balsa-go-slow.  This
curbs the urge to fly fast.  I slipped some to Bill Lewis and Charlie Watt
which explains their interest in gliders now.  The Balsa-go-slow doesn't
last very long though and I expect both of them to be tearing up the skies
with REAL airplanes soon. 


                   Jim

re Note 1244.78 by HPSRAD::AJAI
    
>>	                                      I really didn't
>>	  bother restraining the battery from moving backwards in
>>	  the fuse - merely relying on the fuse taper to 'wedge'
>>	  it. Besides, the plane has to fall on its tail before
>>	  the battery gets incentive to move backwards!
    
    Until the time you hold it up to adjust the throttle and then the
    vibration of the running engine will set it back --- thereby moving
    your CG.
    
    This happened to me a couple of years ago.  The plane crashed.
    
    Alton who now restrains his battery pack even in a glider

    
	  Got the holes drilled for the pushrod exits for the
	  elev/rudder. My idea was to have the pushrods cross over
	  in the fuse, with the left servo being hooked up to the
	  rudder via the right exit, and the right servo being
	  hooked up to the elevator via the left exit.

	  However, as I had strenuously argued about gotchas with
	  pushrod placement in the X configuration, sometime late
	  last year, in this same note, I found my ponderings to
	  be true. Namely, I had said that you would need to have
	  the servos staggered and at different heights above the
	  fuse floor, and if clearance wasn't adequate, to
	  vertically stagger the exits also.

	  I had considered the latter, with one exit BELOW the
	  stab, and one above, but rejected it from space
	  considerations. Anyhow, I found that the pushrods had to
	  flex by half their diameter, and given their short
	  length on the WOT4 (15"), this made for considerable
	  friction!

	  Given the left exit is for the elevator and the right
	  for the rudder, I had planned on a Rud/Throt/Elev servos
	  keeping the X configuration in mind. Now, I will have to
	  go with Elev/Rud/Throt, as the friction from the
	  threaded rods rubbing against the plastic tube exit
	  bushing (T60 memorablia) with the pushrods parallel, is
	  negligible compared to the friction when the rods rub
	  against each other in the X configuration. 

	  I guess this X configuration is really meant for planes
	  which have a wide fuse area under the stab, assuming the
	  servos are all located at the same height above the fuse
	  floor. One might consider the 2" of fuse under the stab
	  adequate for staggering the exits, but a bracing
	  longeron under the fuse skin reduces that width
	  considerably.

	  Of course, even if room permitted me to stagger one exit
	  above and one below the stab, it would detract from the
	  appearance of the plane. After much mental and physical
	  gymnastics, the X configuration has successfully eluded
	  me again!

	  Before drilling the holes for the elev/rudd horns, this
	  time, I first hardened the area with CA, after stippling
	  with a pin. Came out right, much nicer, and took just
	  one attempt.

	  I am using the Dave Brown [yellow] fg pushrods. They
	  come with end plugs for the wires, but, man, I had one
	  heck of a time inserting the wires through them. Perhaps
	  they were deliberately made slightly undersized, to
	  realise a slop-free fit, though, I should think epoxy
	  would fill any gaps.

	  Progress on my plane nearly got wiped out last night, as
	  I was woozy from the previous nights 2:30 AM stint, and
	  a mere 4 hours of sleep. However, an hour of shut eye in
	  the evening plus dinner, got me all recharged, and I
	  kept goin' until 1:30 AM. I am looking forward to
	  keeping saner hours again!

	  Incidentally, today, it is one month since I got back to
	  building this year. At that time, the WOT4 had 87 hours
	  on it. I put in another 90 in the interim.

	  ajai

ps.	  Al Ryder - that was a good observation about engine
	  vibration making the battery slither down the fuse when
	  the plane is vertical - a point that had escaped my
	  attention.

	  However, as I said, the battery really doesn't move back
	  to finger pressure - maybe a couple mm at best. However,
	  I will recheck. Thanks.

    The Dave Brown pushrod ends are sized to take 1/16" diameter music
    wire. If you used the threaded-on-one-end wire from
    Dubro/Goldberg/etc., they are slightly larger than 1/16" diameter.
    Nobody knows why. This explains your insertion struggles.
    
    Terry

    Well, the instructions with the Dave Brown pushrod ends said that two
    were drilled for 1/16", and two for the fatter, threaded-on-one-end
    wire, for the two pushrods in the bag.
    
    I checked that the fat threaded rods could be inserted into NEITHER
    kind of end. I had some 1/16" music wire, that I could insert into one
    kind of end only. Soooo, it seems Dave and his cronies seem to have figured
    in the relative difference in dia for the two, but not absolute dias,
    as getting each on was a struggle. 
    
    Lacking a drill press, and loving my fingers, I didn't have
    the temerity to re-drill with a bit. Instead, I had to settle for the
    safe, but arduous twist-on-by-hand approach, and watch the
    teensy-weensy spirals of plastic come out.
    
    ajai

    Rather have them too tight than too loose. Some plastic parts I used to
    use required soaking in hot tap water to expand them for installation
    and then once cooled they were locked tightly together.

    Yeah Jim, but the epoxy used to glue the ends would have filled out any
    spaces!

	  I was thinking Jim C/R's Balsa Slow (tm) was all a joke,
	  but realised they were really serious, when I woke up
	  Friday morning with a red swelling on my neck!!

	  Something had bitten me!

	  It hurt big time! By the time afternoon rolled around, I
	  was feeling cold. In the evening, I was feeling
	  exhausted, and my head also hurt. I hit the sack for a
	  15 hours snooze, eliminating progress Friday night!

	  Geeze Jim(s), I didn't thing you guys would stoop to
	  biological warfare - the kind you didn't want Saddam to
	  engage in!! I guess your radio controlled, stinging
	  insect made it way into my room, guided by the 500W
	  halogen lamp, as I toiled into the night on an earlier
	  occassion! That's a low blow!

	  Friday evening, despite my distressed state, I stopped
	  off at Ray's RC using directions posted in the notes
	  file. Ray must be one helluva TOUGH businessman. His
	  neighbourhood is a dump, and there is NO CLUE outside as
	  to the existance of his RC shop. No sign. No display
	  windows. Nothing! I braved a "BEWARE OF DOGS. NO
	  TRESPASSING" friendly sign (after first knocking on the
	  wrong door of the wrong building), to let myself in
	  through a gate to read the tiny label on a mailbox that
	  said 'Ray's RC Specialities' that you can't see from
	  more than 6' away. Those who get through all 36 chambers
	  of Shaolin, get to do business with the man! What a guy!
	  He did mention the problem of fortnightly visits by
	  prowlers...

	  I picked up my 16 oz. fuel tank and left [escaped?], as
	  Ray latched on to another customer to shoot the
	  breeze... As someone in the shop said, the sign outside
	  should read BEWARE OF THE OWNER!!!

	  I also bought some goodies [tools] at Spags. To the
	  uninitiated, this is a crowded store that is an
	  institution in Central Mass that you go to, and has a
	  huge following. The prices are usually on the low side,
	  and assorted goods cram the shelves from floor to
	  ceiling, and you have to elbow your way through people.

	  Every trip is a challenge. It is like discovering the
	  world again and again. Great fun if you are Injun like
	  myself, used to the company of 800 million plus
	  countrymen, but can be claustrophobic for the average
	  westerner...

	  Saturday, I woke up noontime to find I still had the red
	  welt on my neck, though reduced in swelling, but I
	  wasn't feeling cold or feverish any longer. I was
	  getting over the sting - so nothing like some
	  aeromodelling to convalesce and recuperate!

	  I began late afternoon, and kept goin' until 5:30 AM
	  Sunday. What a blast! And now for the details...

	  I sanded the pushrod exit tubes flush, and sprawled on
	  the floor to figure out how much the lengths of the
	  threaded rod, the fg arrow shaft, and the music wire end
	  should be. Basically, I pulled out the threaded rod a
	  ways, and hooked it up to the elev/rudder horn, and kept
	  pushing it in, until the arrow shaft hit the fuse side
	  with normal control throws, when I backed off a bit.
	  Then, it was easy to cut the arrowshaft to length to
	  allow for a 4" length of music wire 1/16" dia.

	  Assembled and epoxied the lot together. For a 23"
	  pushrod, I have 13" of fg arrowshaft. About 50%. Not a
	  lot, but it makes for more positive controls than using
	  threaded wire for the entire length...

	  Then, installed the throttle cable, which actually
	  turned out to be sloppy. So, I switched the cable for 
	  1/16" music wire, as on my other planes, and it made all
	  the difference. Due to the 45 deg below horizontal
	  location of the engine cylinder, the throttle cable has
	  to be routed from the fuse right side to the firewall
	  bottom, and yet not eat up room in the middle of the
	  fuse, where my fuel tank will be located.

	  Despite the 5:30 AM bed time, I woke up at 10 AM Sunday
	  to resume the battle. The red swelling was still there,
	  but I wasn't worse for it, UNLESS I happened to touch
	  it! @#$@%@#%*%^

	  I then assembled the 16 oz. tank, which is mounted
	  sideways in my plane. I really don't prefer a slant tank,
	  but Sullivan doesn't make a rectangular above 12 oz.,
	  and I don't want to carry spares for umpteen brands of
	  tanks to the flying field... 

	  The tank has 3 lines - a OVERFLOW/VENT, that goes to the
	  'top' of the tank [which is sideways - rotated 90 deg] a
	  RETURN that goes nowhere in particular, and a CLUNK
	  line. I used a sintered bronze clunk this time. I
	  notched the top of the OVERVLOW/VENT line, and also
	  ensured that it doesn't touch the tank, and break from
	  vibration as happened 30+ hours flying into last year.

	  I didn't have the patience (surprise!!) to get the
	  RETURN line to the 'bottom' of the tank - it is hard
	  enough trying to snake a 2 armed 'anchor' in through the
	  narrow tank mouth, leave alone a 3 armed version, and
	  then get the prongs alinged right!! 

	  The end result is, that should I wish to pump the tank
	  empty, I must flip the model over, and use the
	  OVERFLOW/VENT line to pump out via. And to let air in
	  via the RETURN line. Since the RETURN line is hooked up
	  the pump return on my OS SF61 via a kwikfiller, I will
	  have to activate the filler valve to let air in.

          Complicated? Here is a crude "word" picture, that gives
          the spatial relationship.


  Tank top
            OVERFLOW/VENT

           
            RETURN  <----------+-------------<  OS SF 61 RETURN         
                               |KWIK
            CLUNK              |FILLER
  Tank bottom                  |
                               ^
                            Normally
                            fill fuel here.
                            Let air in while
                            defuelling from
                            OVERFLOW/VENT with
                            upside down.


	  It is not the most elegant method for defuelling, but it
	  works, and I don't have to make new holes to get at the
	  clunk line. Having the sintered bronze clunk filter
	  means you can't fill via the clunk line, or all the junk
	  will collect inside the clunk line, and be sucked into
	  the engine!

	  I flushed the tank and all the fittings with fuel before
	  assembly, and checked out operation.

	  Getting the tank into the fuse took some nimble fingers.
	  I haven't got the fuse top glued in, in front of the
	  wing, so I can see what I am doing, but I practiced a
	  dummy attempt at getting the tank in place with the
	  plumbing in place. I found that one tube had a tendency
	  to slip off - I have twisted on some copper wire as a
	  hose clamp on a test basis, to see if it will cut
	  through the silicone tubing...

	  The tank CG is located just ahead of the model's CG,
	  under the wing - the idea being to install everything as
	  far back as I can to compensate for the nose heaviness.

	  This left just enough room between the tank back and
	  servo rail to insert the receiver in sponge vertically.
	  I put in the switch aft of the servos, and the charge
	  jack under them.

	  The installation is very tight, and as far back as I
	  could make it. The end result is that there is a big
	  empty 'hole' just behind the firewall, where you would
	  normally find the fuel tank!!

	  I also sealed off the last 5" of fuse bottom that I had
	  left open to allow access during pushrod installation.

	  With all this, I find the plane balances level with 2
	  oz. ( a 2.75" Du-bro wheel) weight on the tail. Not too
	  much dead weight.

	  Before I forget, being the second pumper I have owned
	  (first one? - sob! sob!!) I licked the problem of
	  locating the hole position for the pump lines that go
	  perpendicular to the backplate and the firewall, and
	  inside the 'ring' of the engine mount, where is no
	  space to see what's going on...

	  I simply pushed on a 1/2"length of silicone tubing onto
	  the pump nipple, and heavily painted the end with
	  correction fluid. Then placed the engine on the mount
	  rails, and slid it back until the silicone tubing
	  touched the firewall, leaving a nice round, white ring.

	  Drill for perfect alignment with no fuss/muss.

	  ajai

	  Mon Jun 24 17:02:52 1991

	  Another 4 hours flew by doing some minor stuff.

	  I normally tack the servo rails with CA, and then put
	  epoxy around as a 'fillet', but with the tight
	  installation, I couldn't afford the space to let the
	  epoxy ooze. So this time, I glued the rails in with gap
	  filling CA. As a safety measure, I added some gussets in
	  the form of 1/4" triangle stock.

	  I also had to sand oneside of the fuse to allow the
	  throttle servo breathing space - the original design
	  fuse skin is 1/8" balsa, but I had put in some 1/16"
	  cross grain sheeting. I ended up sanding out some of
	  this sheeting in the vicinity of the throttle servo, so
	  I could 'rock' the servo by hand, when mounted, on its
	  rubber bushings.

	  Sanded the tail end of the fuse flush, that I had sealed
	  up Sunday. I also actually mounted the tail wheel assy
	  on, and found that the end that is supposed to be hooked
	  by a rubberband to the rudder bottom, interfered with
	  the rudder bottom, which meant that I had to put a shim
	  under the tail wheel bracket, and increase the
	  clearance. Dug out a scrap piece of 1/8" ply, and cut
	  and sanded it to size, then drilled it for the mounting
	  holes.

	  Then I realised that I had forgotten about routing the
	  antenna out the fuse. Drilled an exit hole just aft of
	  the wing t.e., and another in the fin l.e. to take a
	  hook salvaged from the T60 wreckage. The antenna hw is
	  the standard Du-Bro stuff.

	  I had noticed that the 'new' 102 servo output shaft has
	  a lot more slop than the 'old' 631, so I called up Jack
	  Albrecht at Airtronics, to confirm this. He agreed. I
	  had also noticed that my 72 MHz and 53 MHz radios had
	  Tx/Rx antennae of identical length, despite operating on
	  different frequencies. He again confirmed this, and said
	  that they tuned the loading coils in the Rx/Tx to take
	  this into account.

	  ajai

	  Fri Jun 28 16:38:46 1991

    These past few days haven't been too good for me - or more
    specifically, the WOT4. Progress has all but virtually stalled. Better
    the progress than the WOT4 in flight, me thinks :-) I have been invaded
    by guests Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday! This evening will be no
    better, since I got to write my weekly report to the 'boss'. Tomorrow
    is laundry day (postponed that one too long) and I get invaded by
    guests again for the July4th weekend!! Hooray! That means no more
    progress for a while! Yuck.
    
    There should be a law or sump'in' against guests, especially when I am
    so close to finishing !
    
    I did manage to stop by Charlie Watt's place for a quick half hour
    drilling-tapping session with the engine mount, now that I have
    determined that the plane is nose heavy, and will need tail weight!
    
    Also, some of my guests arriving this July4th wkend, want to 'taste'
    some rc flying, so I am dusting off my First Step. Putting the TX
    through some charge-discharge cycles, as also the RX, for which I use a
    100 Ohm resistor stuck in the battery jack overnight...
    
    ajai
    

	  Last night, I got another 2 1/2 hours of work done,
	  including some pictures taken to record the progress
	  made, and to prepare the wife for how we breath life
	  into pieces of wood and make 'em fly :-) :-)

	  The visa "queue" moved again today. To put things in
	  perspective, 4 months ago, my wife was 8 months from
	  reaching the Green Card serving counter. Now, she is 7
	  months from reaching the head of the queue. If you
	  extrapolate, that means I have a 28 month wait!

	  I   l o v e   this! 

	  ALSO, they won't let her visit me! Can you BELIEVE that?
	  People of the same and opposite sex COHABIT without the
	  benefit of marriage in this country, but legally
	  married, LEGALLY-AND-PERMANENTLY-RESIDING yours-truly
	  has to part company with his wife for years after the
	  FIRST month of marriage! This is sheer LUNACY!

	  Not only that, the TERRORISTS who are holding my wife
	  hostage, are getting weekly RANSOM payments through TAX
	  dollars.

	  Boston was famous for spreading the idea of NO TAXATION
	  WITHOUT REPRESENTATION. This is also known as negative
	  to an EE. After 5 years of Taxation without
	  representation, I think it is high time for the Indians
	  to hold a Boston Tea Party, and dunk the halfa**ed
	  politicians and bureaucrats from DC in the Boston
	  Harbour until they sober up, and think straight with
	  their heads! 

	  The Numbskulls should take a dose of their own medicine,
	  split up from their wives after their first
	  month/day/week of marriage, and tell me if they like it.
	  If it is too late for them, then perform the experiment
	  with their kids.

	  I am taking active part in stirring the Injuns to riot
	  in Industries and Universities nationwide - serious! The
	  pen is mightier than the sword, and it time to put it
	  to work.

	  Bah!

	  Getting back to the more gentle art of aeromodelling -
	  specifically my WOT4 - I cleaned up my 'workbench' and
	  proceeded from where I had left off 2 weeks ago.

	  Cut off the excess bearer lengths of the engine mount.
	  At first, I tried my dremel tool, but finally resorted
	  to hand sawing. I should get one of those circular saw
	  blades for the tool and try again...

	  Then, it was time to get started on the holy cow-l.
	  First, I had to cut out a circular 1/16" ply plate that
	  goes right behind the spinner.

	  I rough cut the plate oversize, using a fret saw (that
	  you'd use for fret work, but dunno whacha call it in
	  'merican, but let me quit fretting over my English, or
	  more precisely, the lack of yours :-), then drilled a
	  hold in the centre and bolted it on to a mandrel - much
	  like the cut off wheel of a dremel tool.

	  Running my dremel tool at the lowest RPM, I ran some
	  sandpaper against it and it rounded out the disc
	  beeeutifully, much like turning wood on a lathe!

	  By holding the rotating disc at an angle against
	  sandpaper, I got a bevel - to match the flare of the
	  conical spinner! Then, cut out a smaller disc from the
	  inside to end up with a ring. I sanded off the burr on
	  the inside with the cylinderical sanding "drum" mounted
	  on the dremel tool. 2 more uses for the tool!

	  Then, I tacked on spacer ply pieces to the ring that I
	  tacked to the spinner back plate. Mounted spinner onto
	  engine. Fixed Mount to FW,and engine to mount. 

	  Now to glue in the pieces of wood around the engine and
	  sand the holy cow-l to shape.

	  ajai

Better enjoy model aeroplaneing while you can Ajai!  If your wife
doesn't quench it, the kiddies will.

    
	  Last night was a marathon 8 hour session, as I was
	  determinted to get the holy cow-l done. Dan Miner had
	  wagered that I would not be able to make the balsa holy
	  cow-l in the 4 hours that I claimed, and he was right!

	  What the hell, it was a character-building exercise at
	  worst!

	  It sounds wierd that slapping on 4 blocks of balsa
	  around the engine should take so long, but besides being
	  my first attempt at cowling an engine, I had to keep
	  bolting and bolting the engine and mount, constantly
	  checking for clearances and interference and how to
	  remove/insert the engine and mount as I progressed!

	  Also, the fact that the engine is mounted at 45 deg
	  below horizontal, added an interesting twist :-) Least
	  someone think that the cowling fits around the engine
	  like a glove - it does not! I have left plenty of space
	  around, managing t 2 sides fully, and 2 partially. Also,
	  the joints are sloppy compared to the rest of the plane
	  - I will be relying on microballoons (Goldberg Model
	  magic) to fill gaps...

	  I didn't final sand the cowl - the easiest part - as I
	  didn't want to run the vacuum in the wee hours of the
	  morning.

	  I estimate the entire cowl project has taken 10 hours -
	  some people build a few gremlins in that time :-). To be
	  fair I had been warned, but it was fun. What the heck.

	  ajai

	  I did the final sanding on the holy cow-ling, after
	  taking some pictures to record the before and after
	  effect of adding a cowl! 

	  Initially, I used the Dremel tool to sand, but then
	  figured a sanding block would give me a better feel for
	  shaping the holy cow-l.

	  Boy! What a difference it makes! (Adding the cowl, that
	  is!) While the mount goes on without much manoeuvring,
	  the engine is inserted easiest if I remove the carb.

	  I also got the wing centre section filled and sanded.

	  Meanwhile, I was thinking of my conversation with Jack
	  Albrecht of Airtronics - he had mentioned routing his
	  antenna through the fuse, so I decided to investigate
	  the possibility of running a 1/8" tube. A concealed
	  antenna seemed intriguing, and good exercise for a
	  future scale project!

	  After contemplating running the tube to emerge on one
	  side of the fin, above the stab, I finally decided upon
	  getting it out the rear end of the fuse, at the rudder
	  hinge line (and route it through a hole in the rudder).

	  One problem with this setup, is having to deal with the
	  fin sitting on the stab making a "T" joint, leaving
	  room for little else. Drilling a hole through the
	  length of the bottom of the fin was too tedious, besides
	  weakening the structure, so I filed a beveled notch into
	  the "te" of the fin that disappears into the fuse.
	  Hardened with some CA. This helped deflect the 1/8" tube
	  as I pushed it in from the rear.

	  I failed at threading the antenna wire through the tube,
	  so I inserted a throttle cable, and glued one end of the
	  antenna to it, and pulled it through w/o problems. Then
	  pulled it all out, as I have yet to glue in the tail
	  feathers...

	  I am on the verge of beginning covering, but spent some
	  time flying my FS instead.

	  ajai

	  Tue Jul 16 16:18:14 1991

    Glider guiders route their antennas this way also. Being concerned with
    tailweight, I use light, clear soda straws taped together with scotch
    tape as an antenna tunnel. This also allows me to slip an inner nyrod
    into the tub which I then slip the antenna end into and gently pull it
    through to the tail. I like the bigger diameter for the ease of 
    removal/rerouting when I swap out Rx's.

	  I had sanded the wing centre section during the weekend,
	  but held off sanding the model magic applied to smooth
	  the transition from the glass cloth to the wood. Last
	  night, I found out that sanding the dried model magic
	  took a good deal of time. 

	  Also, my WOT4 wing is held on by 3 bolts, with 2 up
	  front, and one at the t.e. I wanted to glue in a ply
	  washer at the t.e. to reduce wear and tear, and improve
	  support, and was wondering what to use, when it occurred
	  that I could utilise the cut off inner disk from the ply
	  ring I made for the cowl. Again, the Dremel tool came in
	  handy. I held it at an angle to get a 30 degree bevel,
	  so the covering would make a gradual transition from
	  glassed wing top, to washer.

ajai
Wed Jul 17 15:09:48 1991

Got the wing saddle sanded to make the wing and stab parallel. It was
already very close, so I had to remove less than 1/32" of material on one
side. Didn't sand the other side, as I could see no gaps.

Incidentally, I have some Goldberg wing bolts, that have a hemispherical
head with a slot in it (pan head?). Absolutely horrible idea. Don't know how
the designer got away with that one! The slot has got chewed! Hey Jim,
didn't you get into the nylon bolts business a while ago? Where do I get
some decent 1/4" jobbies? Charlie gave me one for the t.e. bolt, but I need
longer ones (2.5") for the l.e. bolts. I'll check out the local hardware
store...

I also stuck in the wing centre fairing, that blends it with the cowl, and
sanded.

Now, all that is left is to glue in the tail feathers, and final sand before
applying Nitrocellulose dope, that's s'posed ta' make the monkeycote stick
better.

ajai
Thu Jul 18 13:40:22 1991

PS. Previous note, I forgot to insert the :-) :-)

    Talking of shearing - when my T60 ploughed into THE tree, it took off
    the right wing section completely! To the right of the glass cloth
    that, is!
    
    None of the nylon bolts sheared off, and infact TOOK OUT THE HARDWOOD
    BLOCKS WHICH HELD THEM! These were Great Planes original nylon bolts
    
    At least the 2 1/2" bolts should lean back a bit :-)
    
    ajai

	  Here comes the Bride...

	  Jeeze - I'm getting delirious from the 1AM building
	  sessions. Aeromodelling can be sooo disruptive to ones'
	  life:-)

	  Last night, I got the fuse edges sanded - using the
	  dremel tool drum sander to attack the nasty ply in short
	  order. Also, final sanded the fuse and tail feathers.

	  Then glued in the empennage (Yahoo! I actually got to
	  use the darn' word!) and then inserted the 1/8" tube for
	  the aerial=antenna. I had to cut the end at an angle, to
	  ease insertion. Anchored the end in the fuse in a block,
	  stretching it taut, so hopefully, I won't get a rattle
	  induced by engine vibration!

	  Then I final checked the wing/stab alignment, and had to
	  sand the wing saddle a wee bit more. Vacuumed the fuse,
	  and put on the second coat of epoxy to fuel proof the
	  cowl/firewall, and hung up the plane.

	  Tonight, I get to begin covering, after painting with
	  Nitro dope, per the John Smith demo at CMRCM. It has
	  been a long 232 hours to get to the covering stage -
	  perhaps as much as I spent on the T60 - with the
	  difference being that the WOT4 is scratch built.

	  Last evening, as I bicycled home, the vegetarian injun
	  picked up some freebies - fresh vegetables from a
	  strangers bountiful garden - left under a sign by the
	  sidewalk. It is time to shamelessly extend the third
	  world begging bowl again - say Jimbo - do you have any
	  1/4" dia nylon bolts 2" long? I stopped off at two of
	  the local hardware stores, and could only find them in
	  1.5" lengths - the same kind I got from Charlie. Boy, I
	  never knew they carried zillions of kinds of fasteners
	  of every size and shape. Washers. Grub screws (= set
	  screws). Allen bolts. You name it! I should check it out
	  at leasure.

	  I did pick up tack cloth to pick up all the sawdust off
	  the model, though.

	  ajai
	  Fri Jul 19 12:12:27 1991
	  

    Bolts:
    
    I've got a few 1/4-20 bolts but they have the big hexagonal tops so
    unless the heads are recessed into the plane they might cause too much
    drag/be too unsightly. If I have some that are 2" long I'll try to
    remember to bring them sunday.
    
    BTW: If you end up going to Annapurna(sp?) in Worcester on a weeknight,
    Ray's just up the road has them (that's where I got mine originally) At
    a $1 for 4 nylon 4-40s I started looking elsewhere...

	  It has been a while since I entered a note. WOT4?

	  What with the rain last Friday and Saturday, I was able
	  to work on my plane without feeling guilty about losing
	  weekend flying time.

	  Hinging all the control surfaces took 4 hours - the time
	  being limited by the 30 minute epoxy that I used to glue
	  the robart hinges! While hinging the rudder, I had
	  already filled up the hinge holes with epoxy using a
	  toothpick (great tool for this job!) and had to 'stake'
	  the rudder on, when the wife called from India! Gawd! I
	  didn't fancy redrilling all the holes, so I asked her to
	  call back 15 minutes later - the first time I have done
	  that for an internation call! - by which time the glue
	  would have set! I expected to get a *firing* for asking
	  her to call back, but I got lucky!!

	  I used liberal amounts of epoxy thinner to get the
	  excess epoxy off the control surfaces. I find it helps
	  to separate the surfaces after pushing them all the way
	  on, to give you the room to swab out the epoxy that
	  overflows onto the hingeline. You can then push back the
	  control surface on all the way.

	  By far, the Robart hinges HAVE to be the EASIEST I have
	  ever had to glue. It works grreatt, and is highly
	  recommended!

	  The rest of the 13 hours went off in installing the
	  pushrods, attaching the control horns, installing the
	  fuel tank and plumbing, installing the radio + switch
	  and charge harness, snaking the antenna out the rudder
	  and installing the engine plus spinner-prop assy. Tail
	  wheel assy too. Having done all of this before hand,
	  with the model uncovered, I had no problems.

	  I even remembered to put in my name, address, AMA# and a
	  "REWARD" note! Took a few pictures, and cleaned up the
	  bedroom-cum-workshop.

	  My first, completely scratch built RC plane (4th RC
	  plane to date) was all done in 310 hours. (How does that
	  compare with RC plane #2 - the Trainer 60 - that took
	  300 hours being built from a kit?)

	  Having got used to sleeping late - between 1 and 5:30
	  AM, my body rebelled at the thought of having to go to
	  bed at 10 PM Saturday night!

	  Life can at last return to normal.

	  ajai
	  Thu Aug 8 12:22:40 1991

ps.	  Next, the test flight.

	  It should come as no big surprise that Charlie WOTT
	  turned out to be the test pilot for the WOT4.

	  Initially, Charlie had indicated he might be out sailing
	  the wkend, and I had asked Steve Smith to do the
	  honours, being an ex-WOT4 owner and test pilot himself!
	  We had everything set for Saturday, but got rained out -
	  besides my not finishing until that night.

	  Sunday AM, the rain continued to pour! The RC Gods
	  *KNEW* I had finished my plane, didn't they!!

	  While the afternoon wasn't bright and sunny, the rain
	  cleared. I arrived at the field carrying my share of
	  nervous baggage that you get with a new bird.

	  I ran two tanks full of gas through the engine, and was
	  relieved to note that my 'complicated' plumbing job (see
	  an earlier note) *DID* deliver fuel to the engine! It
	  would have been awful to rip things apart to set right!

	  I was complimented on the covering job on the WOT4 by
	  just about every one who saw the plane. Apparently, the
	  53 hours spent on the 5 colour scheme showed enough for
	  all to tell. Charlie called it the Master's quality
	  WOT4, and even asked me to cover his SuperHots! Now,
	  when you consider that *everyone* asks _Charlie_ to do
	  the covering job for them, I felt honoured!! I still
	  want to get in touch with John Smith, who did the
	  covering demo at CMRCM, and whose recommendations I
	  followed, and ask him for additional pointers.

	  Charlie helped (as usual) with the tuning process. We
	  couldn't get it to run at the same mixture setting for
	  different throttle positions. IF the top end ran fine,
	  then the mid range was rich. The engine would finally
	  drown and quit. We finally decided to proceed with a
	  cantankerous engine.

	  The first 3 take-offs had to be aborted as the engine
	  quit with the WOT4 clearing the far side of the field at
	  3' altitude, and coming down in the tall grass.

	  I was a bundle of nerves and glad that Charlie was there
	  to deal with that FIRST flight for me. Finally, we got
	  it up.

	  The plane is a rocket ship, said Charlie, needing just a
	  touch of up-trim to fly hands off. He did a few rolls
	  and split-S's before declaring the airframe airworthy. I
	  got to fly 4 minutes, before handing back the TX for a
	  landing. The engine died prior to touch down.

	  The light breeze made for ideal test flying conditions.
	  After more fussing with the engine, I took it up myself.
	  The exponential rates on the ailerons made the plane
	  touchy, so I changed that back to linear rate.

	  It seems to take a lot more elevator to do a loop -
	  compared to the flat bottom trainer I have been used to
	  flying. Also, it moves extremely fast compared to my
	  First Step - even at 1/4 throttle! I made a few passes,
	  coming lower each time, yet scared to leave the engine
	  idling too long, before finally landing. I did try
	  hovering - it behaves just like the FS! The engine again
	  quit on finals, but the landing was not too bad.

	  On a subsequent flight, the engine quit while I was
	  downwind. Not being used to the glide characteristics of
	  the WOT4, I decided to land downwind. The plane flew the
	  entire length of the field, and finally settled atop a
	  pricker brush! I had to use a machette and a friend to
	  hoist me (leg lift) to retrieve the plane.

	  My FS has always emerged unscathed from such encounters,
	  but I suppose the extra speed of the WOT4 made for
	  greater energy to be dissipated. The covering over the
	  l.e. was nicked at a few places, and some balsa
	  splinters showed through! Luckily, the damage was
	  limited to single colours of monokote, and did not cross
	  a multi colour boundary, which take a lot more time to
	  fix. (I nicked the rudder twice with the cut-off wheel
	  on my dremel tool, while cutting the excess lengths of
	  the control horn bolts! Had to patch!)

	  The plane an covering was no longer a virgin, or
	  pristine! I could now breath easy. Like the first needle
	  prick of an injection, nothing bothers you as much as
	  the first ding in the plane. The rest raise nary an
	  eyebrow.

	  I had one more flight, and returned home with some minor
	  cosmetic repairs. All landings have been deadstick so
	  far - I am sure I can do a better job learning landing
	  symmetrical wings if power assist was available to let
	  me go around for a better approach, instead of having to
	  get it right on the one and only chance I get to land
	  per flight with a balky engine!

	  Then again, I shouldn't be flying with an unreliable
	  engine.

	  ajai
	  Thu Aug 8 13:06:35 1991

ps.	  My thanks goes out to Eric Henderson for introducing the
	  WOT4 to the Boston crowd, with Jim Cavanagh and Steve
	  Smith being the others who have built it locally.

	  I also wish to thank Steve Smith (and Charlie Watt?) for
	  having traced out the parts, from which I could scratch
	  build the plane.

	  And last, but not the least, another thanks to Charlie
	  for giving freely of his time and tools while building
	  the plane, and again as test pilot.

	  Well, everyday I have been flying since last Sunday, my
	  engine has been giving me trouble - and every single
	  landing I have done has been dead stick!

	  A couple of evenings ago, Edward Prentice approached me
	  at the flying field - he was a read-only noter from DEC,
	  though I new see a few postings from him today - and
	  having followed nearly a year's worth of notes on the
	  WOT4, he was familiar with the plane! Barely 5 minutes
	  after we had met, when I mentioned my engine problems,
	  he said he had a OS SF 61 non-pumper version, and
	  offered to loan me his brand new carb - which is the
	  suction (standard) variety! 

	  He is building a T60, and will not need the carb for a
	  couple of months, so I was free to borrow it! I was
	  flabbergasted at how quickly things had proceeded given
	  that we were relative strangers! As Al Casey has often
	  remarked, this notes file has made friends for all of us
	  without a face-to-face meeting!

	  That evening, I followed Ed home, and borrowed not only
	  the carb, but also the stock OS muffler (I have a
	  snuffler) ! Ed showed me the wings he had finished for
	  the Trainer 60. From my experiences with aileron flutter
	  on that plane, I recommended that he install two servos
	  - one per aileron - and save himself future grief. His
	  current progress on the wings have not eliminated that
	  possibility with minimal work.

	  I tried the muffler at the field last night, not really
	  expecting it do anything for me. As expected, it did
	  not. Earlier, I had tried bypassing my qwik-filler with
	  a brass tube, just in case it was restricting the pump
	  return, and making my engine run rich/hard to adjust.
	  That failed to produce results.

	  I also called up OS to get advice, but learnt nothing I
	  did not already know. It seems like they have some
	  clowns up there, who don't listen to you carefully. Even
	  after telling their expert I had a 61 pumper, I was told
	  to use a tachometer as it is hard to tell the rpm on
	  4-strokes. Moron! The 61 is a 2-stroke, dummy! He
	  corrected himself, but the conversation was infructuous.

	  At any rate, last night, I spent 2 hours removing the
	  engine and tank, swapping carbs, bypassing the pump, and
	  replumbing for a muffler-pressurised-tank suction-fed
	  carburettor - without drilling any new holes, and
	  retaining the kwik-filler. Here is what I did.

	  The clunk is hooked up to the carb via the original hole
	  in the firewall. The pressure line from the muffler is
	  hooked up to the overflow line that enters the fuse via
	  the hole in the fuse-bottom. The 'pump return' on the
	  tank is hooked up the kwikfiller, with the other nipple
	  on the filler being blocked off (silicone tube with knot
	  in it :-)

	  I also had to do some minor cleaning up, and make a new
	  throttle 'wire' from 1/16" music wire, which is
	  relatively slop-free compared to cable.

	  Anyhow, coming to the meat - or as I would prefer,
	  vegetable - of it... I flew lunch time today with nary a
	  problem. My initial setting on the needle valve of 2 1/2
	  turns proved to be too rich, but I didn't have to fiddle
	  with the idle-mixture screw. Suddenly, my 61 was infused
	  with the reliability of my 46.

	  The ability to use the throttle meant I had to thaw my
	  left thumb! But the dependable engine instantly lowered
	  my average flight cieling. I did my first "powered"
	  landing, as also a few T&Gs. At last, I am having FUN
	  with this plane!

	  I tried some knife edges at elevation, as also slow
	  flight and hover. The plane seems *MUCH* easier to land
	  with power, than without, which is just the opposite of
	  my experience with the FS. On my last flight, I tried
	  some inverted hover, and the engine quit, and I landed
	  downwind, dumping my plane in the mowed grass at the end
	  of the field!

	  Last night, I spent nearly an hour looking for Jim
	  Reith's downed Gremlin. I was flying my WOT4 when it
	  went down, so I didn't see it disappear. I hope he has
	  found it.

	  Fun and games this weekend will have to wait, as I am
	  doing a 200 mile bicycle ride for charity - for my 5th
	  consequitive year.

	  I also flew an LTA gremlin last night - smooooth plane!
	  I *DREAD* the thought of building so soon, but given
	  that it will be non-WOT4-quality, and given I need to
	  salvage my flying season while in India for September,
	  the weary elves will back at work at North pole.

	  ajai 
	  Fri Aug 9 17:07:19 1991

ps.	  My public, and heartfelt thanks to Ed Prentice for the
	  loaner carb. At least, I can get some hassle free flying
	  in before my trip. I plan to send my engine while I am
	  away to OS fwiw [zero cost, no down time], but if they
	  don't fix the problem, I'll tinker with the pressure
	  adjustment screw on the pump.

ps2.	  The pumper puts out oodles more power than the suction
	  carb!!

ps3.      I have about 5 hours of air-time now...

ps4.	  I keep forgetting to take a fresh jug of fuel every
	  other trip to the field. This thing is a guzzler!

	  I got to the flying field after some minor work on the
	  WOT4 this morning, after a 192 mile bicycle ride
	  fundraising this weekend put a dent in my flying
	  calendar, making me miss the fun-fly.

	  Per Eric's recommendation, I installed 3" Du-Bro wheels
	  instead of the Sullivan Skylite 2.5" jobbies, that used
	  to make my plane bounce on landings like a scalded
	  beast! I pulled these fresh off the T60 wreckage from 2
	  years ago, that I disinterred last night. One of the
	  tires had come off the rim in the impact, so I had the
	  challenging job of putting it back on!

	  I also re shrunk the covering over the fuse between the
	  wing and empennage, as also on one elevator. I got to
	  find out what I did wrong, since the monokote on the
	  rest of the plane hasn't bubbled from storing in a hot
	  car! 

	  Using a 'chicken stick' on my prop, I had scoured the
	  cowl. Re-heating the affected Monokote made the 'scar'
	  disappear. The engine backfire on occassion, and I need
	  to find out a way to start the engine without getting my
	  finger whacked - maybe I should pull out my starter!

	  I also applied foam tape to the wing saddle. Until now,
	  I had not used any, confident that no fuel would make
	  its way from the exhaust, located below the fuse, all
	  the way to the top! I found out that the monokote on the
	  fuse saddle, and the monokote on the wing that it came
	  in contact with, had melted from the heat created by
	  friction + vibration!

	  I got in another hour of flying time today, with the
	  engine continuing to be a pussy cat - or should I say
	  Pissy cat? Ever since I changed to the pressure fed
	  suction carb, the fuel in the tank gets all black and
	  cruddy, though it works just fine! Is absolutely clean
	  with the [currently bypassed] pump though!

	  The wheels made a difference to my landings, and I did
	  about a dozen T&Gs. I find I can land the plane *real*
	  slow, at near FS speeds, using a lot of up elevator,
	  finally touching down when I run out of up elevator!

	  I am still getting comfortable with the plane, flying it
	  much lower given the reliable engine, but the 'bonding'
	  process is far from complete.

	  Man and machine have yet to become one.

	  ajai
	  Wed Aug 14 18:56:07 1991

    Ajai,
    	The gunk in your tank is comming from the pressure tap on the
    muffler.  It probably means you have something wearing in either in the
    muffler or in the engine itself.  Check the muffler for loose parts. 
    You could add a filter in the pressure line.  I've done this on my
    4-strokers because I get carbon in the fuel from the muffler.
    
    Charlie
    

	  Well, after my recent trip to India to see the wife, and
	  leaving her teary-eyed and distraught when I hopped on
	  the plane back, and suffering the intense separation
	  depression that comes as a consequence right after I got
	  back, it is time to get back on the [elusive] RC notes
	  saddle and make life worth living...

	  I did take my Gremlin to India and try to fly it there.
	  A local test hop a few days before I left the US,
	  resulted in a vicious death spiral from 3 trees high.
	  Surprisingly enough, my OS SF 46, that has over 100
	  hours of air time on it, survived, merely needing
	  disassembly to remove the dirt from the corn field where
	  it landed. The severity of the crash will become
	  poignant if you see the hub of the Graupner prop that
	  remained. 30% of the hub is missing! Inspite of a 2 1/2"
	  spinner!! Caramba!

	  Moving the CG forward for the 2nd flight in India, was
	  the only change I made. That flight too lasted 3
	  circuits of the field, and crashed in similar fashion,
	  so I decided to seek out the Boston Gurus, and brought
	  back the wing - which now has over 20,000 miles on it!
	  Thanks to vacuum bagging technology supplied by Dan
	  Miner Composite Materials, Inc., the wing basically
	  survived, save a few 'wrinkles' on the surface and a
	  broken pine l.e. section that I didn't fix.

	  Now that the same plane is flying like a pussy cat
	  thanks to Charlie Watt playing test pilot, I can only
	  conclude that the high rate ailerons were too much for
	  me to handle.

	  OOh! Well, besides feeling stupid and embarassed at not
	  having been able to fly a perfectly flyable plane while
	  in India, and transporting it around the world, there
	  were some lessons learnt, including the fact that the
	  Gremlin is, when vacuum bagged, the ultimate
	  transportable RC plane. People even put their hand
	  baggage on it (when I had fallen asleep, and didn't
	  notice until I disembarked from the plane) and it was
	  none the worse from the experience!

	  What's all this Gremlin talk doin' in a WOT4 note? Let's
	  make this post legal by writing about what I had
	  intended to initially...

	  Remember my OS 61SF ABC pumper was plagued with problems
	  - ran too rich in the mid-range, and would sputter and
	  die? As a consequence, all of my landings with the WOT4
	  for the first week were dead stick, until I put in the
	  suction carb!

	  Well, I sent it back to OS, with a looooong, 2 page
	  letter, telling them that I had bought a 61 SF RINGED
	  pumper 2+ years ago [now lost in the T60 tragedy] with
	  which I had no problems ... repeat customer ... others
	  with similar pumped 61s could not adjust it right ...
	  combined RC experience over 50 years for all those who
	  got their hands on the engine and gave adjusting it a
	  shot ... engine runs just find with a suction carb,
	  bypassing pump ... don't hesitate to spent top $$, but
	  expect merchandise to deliver advertised performance,
	  ... test the engine out as mounted 45 deg below
	  horizontal in WOT4 ... used 12% Red Max ... etc.. etc..

	  I got it back from OS in 2 weeks. The clowns didn't pack
	  it right - they had left the needle + carb on, making it
	  susceptible to bending during transit, but luckily, that
	  didn't happen. In an enclosed letter/invoice, they
	  mention - "Technician ran engine under normal operating
	  conditions, and could not find any problems. Engine
	  tached at 11,200 RPM and 2,600 RPM with a 12x7 prop".
	  Labour $10. Waived as a service to the customer.
	  [Morons! The engine is under a 2 year warranty]!

	  Drat. So they didn't touch the engine, huh? I was
	  getting frustrated, when I decided to check out the 2
	  fuel pump pressure adjustment screws on the back of the
	  engine. There was evidence of tampering :

       1. Brass screw slots had burrs from their having to break
	  it loose from the paint sealing the threads.

       2. Original OS paint dab to seal/lock the screws occupied
	  just a quadrant. Now, the ENTIRE screw top had paint on
	  it.

       3. Paint at periphery of recessed brass screws had bubbled.
	  Original was bubble free...

	  In retrospect, I should have xeroxed the pump on my
	  engine before sending it off - a thought that had
	  occurred, but been forgotten. That way, I could have
	  PRIMARY evidence to compare against, instead of sifting
	  through the clues...

	  Anyhow, clearly, they had changed the pressure settings
	  - something I could not do myself for fear of voiding
	  the warranty - SO IT WAS WORTH MY WHILE TO TRY RUNNING
	  THE ENGINE.

	  I mounted it on my WOT4, with original plumbing and
	  clunk filtered tank - the works. I had to redo some of
	  the plumbing that had been changed to accomodate the
	  suction carb that Ed Prentice had been kind enough to
	  lend me. As our CMRCM field is closed for the hunting
	  season, I took the plane out to the parking lot for the
	  engine check.

	  I had a 11x8 prop on it, and it started up without a
	  fuss. Idling was OK for short durations, but the engine
	  would quit when I opened up after idling for a while.
	  Darn! Same ole problem again? I leaned out the low end a
	  bit.

	  Second run. Idle to wide open response good. So, decided
	  to run the engine at 1/3rd throttle for a while. A
	  minute later, the engine quit. Damn! Maybe they didn't
	  really fix it? It pissed out some fuel from the near
	  inverted (45deg) carb. I leaned out the low end again.

	  Third run. Idled great! Top end, I got 2 horses pullin'
	  my WOT4, so I got to lean back and hang on!! I get
	  instantenous response from idle to wide open. Idle for 5
	  minutes. Opens up thereafter without missing a beat! Ran
	  at different intermediate throttle settings for extended
	  periods. Eureka! It works!

	  And thereby ends yet another tale of mystery in this
	  ever perplexing hobby of ours...

	  ajai 
          Wed Nov 6 13:07:01 1991

      ps. Actual flight testing of WOT4 with readjusted OS 61
	  will have to wait until I can free up my Championship
	  radio from the Gremlin's tentacles. The CS7P radio has
	  elevon mixing, that I will now have to hardwire into my
	  VG4R as a dedicated Gremlin radio.

      ps2. Dunno why, but it seems like OS doesn't want to admit
	  to having fixed a problem - in writing.

           <<< CSVM14::SYS$SYSDEVICE:[NOTES$LIBRARY]DECRCM.NOTE;2 >>>
               -< Welcome to the High Tech Air Force conference >-
================================================================================
Note 172.75                      WRAM SHOW '92.                         75 of 75
HPSRAD::AJAI                                        150 lines  25-FEB-1992 16:06
     -< WRAM 92 - another example of Americans doing things in a big way >-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
	  The WRAM show was simply fantastic, and re-affirmed my
	  faith in these United States being choice numero uno for
	  aeromodellers the world over. The amount and variety of
	  stuff on display was simply incredible. Not only did I
	  get to SEE all the great stuff but could also BUY some
	  of it - something that I would not have been able to
	  even see in India!! As the guy running the Major Decals
	  booth was telling me, "We Americans don't know what we
	  got!"

	  I got to White Plains at 1 AM Saturday, and stayed with
	  a friend from IBM country, to shake off his blues, renew
	  mafia ties, catch up on happenings, and reminisce on key
	  events from our undergraduate school days.

	  Despite going to bed at 4 AM, I was up at 8, and drove
	  down to the WRAM show just 4 miles away by 9. Just 2
	  days prior to the show, I had seen their ad in MA, and
	  realised they had a static contest, so I decided to take
	  my WOT4 along to bring some third-world representation
	  from the sub-continent.

	  We were asked to fill out some forms, and display the
	  plane in the appropriate area. Even at 9 AM, I couldn't
	  find enough space in the sport aircraft section, and
	  squeezed in the WOT4 at the back end of the display
	  section. The chopper/gliders/old-timers sections were
	  reletively unoccupied, but the organisers said no
	  rearranging until all the models come in. I left to
	  check out the booths by 10, when they opened.

	  I was going on adrenalin until 6 PM when they closed.
	  Lots of people were present in the morning, and the expo
	  floor - a basket ball court? - was jam packed, with
	  people breathing down your neck! Talk of tropical
	  weather! The Westchester County Community Centre where
	  the WRAM show is held, is a showpiece for IBM's wealth
	  having permeated the White Plains area.

	  Primarily, my goal was to see what the WRAM show is all
	  about, being my first time. I did not intend to buy rc
	  goodies, since I want to fly my WOT4 this year, and not
	  spend more time building planes. Notwithstanding all
	  this, I managed to part with $350, readily succumbing to
	  the capitalist's gentle art of persuasion and thought
	  control :). I was proud to do my bit for the slumping
	  economy.

	  My purchases were mostly odds and ends - micro servos
	  for the PREDATOR, a 250 MAH battery pack, long drill
	  bits from Mr. Harry Higley himself, locknut washer
	  substitutes for my 61 and 46 so the prop doesn't fly
	  off, #11 blades, decals, shrink wrap tubing in case I
	  decide to make my own batteries, dremel router bits at
	  $0.50 a pop (normally go for $7), catalogs and brochures
	  that some demanded payment for, nylon bolts for the
	  Gremlin, 1/64" birch ply going for $0.20 for a 4"x6"
	  piece, a Higley book, some chuck (hand launch) gliders
	  to remind me of my humble beginnings in this hobby when
	  I was 8, Graupner props, the infamous tube of PFM, AMA
	  patches. I also got all the freebie mags. the M.A.N.
	  stand seemed to be a dumping ground. Every hour, they
	  were changing the issue they had for grabs, and by the
	  end of the day, I had picked up nearly 6 back issues!
	  The Zap stand wanted $7 for a 2 oz. bottle, and was more
	  expensive than Tower, so I held out. He didn't give me
	  any freebies like y'all, either.

	  I completely forgot that the WRAM is a show case for the
	  RC industry, and that I should be looking for
	  not-yet-in-the-stores-or-ads items here. Instead, I was
	  more a kid in a candy store. I did see that Heli
	  simulator demo running on the PC, but didn't have the
	  courage to expose my non-existant heli skills in public!
	  Finally, when I spotted a fixed wing simulator in a
	  lower level stall, I asked for the TX box. The guy
	  pointed to a sign that said "$1/minute". Even my gas
	  guzzling WOT4 doesn't cost me that much to fly, so I
	  moved on. This guy should be running a video games
	  parlour, not a WRAM demo stall.

	  I did spend time at different stalls listening to the
	  sales pitch. Wrt NiCds, it seems the best approach is to
	  purchase your own individual cells, a connector, some
	  shrink wrap, and solder 'em together. I also
	  contemplated on replacing the 600 mAH pack on my WOT4
	  with a 1000 mAH pack that seemed only slightly
	  bigger/heavier, to give me a greater safety margin, but
	  I didn't yield to lucifer's wishes to acquire more
	  material wealth.

	  Sunday, 23rd Feb, I stopped in at 3 PM to pick up my
	  plane, and also witnessed the awards ceremony. Kay
	  Fisher won third place in the Glider category with his
	  superbly finished HLG. I was the first HTA to
	  congratulate him as he stepped of the stage, but he
	  lamented "Coming Third - that is the story of my life!"
	  Mine too. I am a third-worlder. :)

	  The competition among the scale aircraft was stiffer -
	  there were far more entries in this category than any
	  other. The best of show went to a twin engined aircraft
	  - darned if I remember the name - but I talked to the
	  owner who had spent 4000 hours building it, in 18
	  months. He is retired, and worked on it full time, he
	  said. My 310 hour WOT4 is like a gremlin in comparison!
	  It was awesome, and I knew it would win hands down. He
	  knows Charlie Nelson and Jack Buckley, and asked me to
	  look him up at the qualifiers at Orange.

	  Among the Pattern aircraft, there was a Karl mumble who
	  entered two aircraft with multicoloured paint jobs. Both
	  had a glass smooth, killer finish (multi-color) and
	  looks. I don't know if he used DuPont's killer Imron
	  paint :), but this guy knew his building, and I promptly
	  added him to my list of RC gurus/hall of fame, to seek
	  his guidance when opportunity next permitted. Not
	  surprisingly, he got the first place in the Pattern
	  category.

	  Oh! Yes, there were boats and boats and boats. Many
	  scale jobs, that reminded me of model railroad dioramas,
	  except that these floated in water! I also saw
	  mega-whomper RC cars, powered by what looked like
	  quadra's to the untrained eye. I examined and played
	  with an exposed suspension and learnt a few tricks that
	  might come in handy with a/c l/gs.

	  There was a bipe with a 'flame job' in monokote. Another
	  with a speckled paint finish. Amazing what people come
	  up with! I also learnt a thing or two about displaying
	  planes - you got to use a tripod; Some people had
	  write-ups on their creations, stuck on foamcore. One
	  car dude had a flashing bike light to attract the
	  crowd's attention, while another played music from a
	  radio!

	  I left regretting not having discovered the WRAM earlier
	  - for I have always been within 200 miles of it all my 7
	  years in the US of A. Next year, I'll be back with
	  vengeance. And more money to spend. And yes, most of the
	  items didn't seem cheaper than mail order, but it was a
	  lot of fun spending with thousands to give you company.

          ajai
          Tue Feb 25 16:12:52 1992

	  Sorry to hear about the Connecticut toll ya had to pay,
	  Jim. I always figured ya wuz safe in a crowd, but now I
	  know better.