duncan_rtfm

Hi, I haven't opened my Bote Cote yet - so I'm actually going to ask if I can return it (only arrived a few weeks ago). Thank you very much for the info. Regards, Duncan

That's interesting about the thermal softening point of Bote Cote. I wonder if I can return mine? 😀

Beautiful plane, and STUNNING colours! The glue is T88. It's great stuff, but is very thick. Mixed, it is like cold condensed milk. So it is great for bonding smaller pieces - you can't paint the stuff on or use a roller. Strictly tongue-depressor use only. I have quite a lot of it, and started using it - only to find that the parts I bonded almost fell apart. It has a shelf life of about 6 months. Mine was at least four years old. And it is bloody expensive, to boot. So I am sticking to West System, which paints on very easy, and a roller is perfect for larger surfaces. My West System stuff is brand new. Another epoxy I like, because it is half-way between T88 and West System in viscosity is Bote Cote from Boatcraft Pacific. But no good epoxy is cheap. Even crap epoxy is expensive. Ha ha. Regards, Duncan

I cut all the ribs for the rear wing today. Every rib is a different size, because the wing is tapered. Next job: cut the jigs for the wing panels (tomorrow's job).

Mmmm OK, I'll give it a go. Not sure how I got the first photo in portrait...

Hi, Please excuse the side-ways pictures, but until I figure out how to rotate pictures, you will have to stand on your head to see them properly. Here is the airframe bonded to the skin. I mounted both sides upside-down in their cradles, so that I could fit the belly. As you can see, I favour a concave aft section. With the assistance of my trusty collection of bricks, I fitted the front half of the belly, applied lots of West System epoxy and waited for it to cure. Followed by the aft section Back on it's feet as it were, I trial fitted the outer bulkheads (Cowl base, both control panels, seat seat back and turtledeck. Total construction time so far: 16 hours This does not include all the time sitting round waiting for epoxy to cure, or sitting at the laptop re-drawing pieces or actually cutting the pieces.

Hi Scott, This is something I didn't think of doing. Excellent idea. Fortunately, I have plenty of pieces from two "failed" attempts at building the fuselage, forcing me to return to the CAD package, redesign pieces and start again. I'm using West System BTW.

Hi, Using a Generac 990cc prepared by Valley Engineering. 50hp, 53kg Duncan

Hi, After much deliberation, and not a few false starts, I decided to build a Flying Flea. Not one of the usual HM-varieties, but a brand new design, which I'm calling the "Fleabike" because the pilot sits a-straddle the airframe, just like he would in a bike. Of course, there are other designs using this concept, like the Aeromax, the Airbike and so on. But this one is a Flea. The airframe consists of CNC-cut Gaboon ply with a 3mm Gaboon skin. Having a cnc-router helps, of course. These are all the airframe pieces. When all put together, I'm hoping it will look quite attractive. The plane is very small, but no smaller than the HM293. Construction is very simple. Just line up the correct parts, add epoxy and set aside. The skins are jigsawed together (my router can only handle half a sheet) and clamped to the airframe. And before someone asks, the odd-shaped pieces in the photo below is the seat doubler, to address the potential weakness at the point under the pilot's bum. Next job is to bond the firewall and the tailstock, so that the two sides can stand upright. Then invert so that the two bellies can be bonded. The bellies are crucial to getting the fuselage square. Once back upright, the addition of the final bulkheads completes the construction of the fuselage. There are 12 bulkheads in all (Firewall and tailstock of course, the two bellies, six "external" bulkheads (cowl base, two control panels, seat, seat back and turtledeck), and then four internal bulkheads. But they all fit together quite easily, and with each successive bulkhead, the squareness of the fuselage is enhanced, as is the stiffness of the fuselage, which is essentially a pretty-shaped box. I've actually completed the fuselage already (five days of building, and about 20 hrs of actual construction) the rest of the time was spent waiting for epoxy to cure, and on the computer finalising the wing design. However, I can't find a way to rotate the images on this forum. If someone can help me out with this, I'll post the remaining pictures. The forum seems only to like landscape oriented photos, and most of mine are in portrait. That's a pity. I start on the wings tomorrow. Duncan