BBA/Winter Build 2017/18 - Top Flite Corsair

[willsonman]

Thanks fellas. One of the perks of doing these builds/build logs is that from time to time I get to be the inspiration to others to build. It's quite rewarding and humbling that others are watching what I do and the thought ignites in them... "I can do that!" I truly believe anyone can build at the highest level if they take the time, learn the skills, and make the memories along the way. Building then becomes the real passion in the hobby.

Flights are momentary rewards for making memories from an ambitious building experience. Your level of ambition will make the memories greater.

 

[willsonman]

I managed to work out a part in Fusion for the stalk of the tail gear. Its going to be a tricky part to print but what I may end up having to do is print the flange separate from the main stalk. I did two test prints and support material is needed any orientation I use and the part is not cleaning up well after all the support is removed.

 

[rockyboy]

Maybe reorient so it's vertical and then printing as two parts split in the middle of the flange as the easier/more secure place to reattach. Could do a small locating pin in the print at the joint too.

 

[Andre]

Meh, Andre knows this from me. I'm a builder and he is not there YET. One day there will be that ONE model he HAS to have that nobody makes and he will start to get interested.

Progress today even though I was STUPID busy. The leaves are falling and the inside and outside of the house are disgusting. Made some progress on the tail gear assembly in Fusion... More to come on this.

Between you and Karl I know where I want to go it is simply setting myself up for success and time.
Really been crunched lately but I completely do want to try and building something for sure.

Once I get my ducks in a row with the basement and the garage. Game on.

Andre.

 

[Joker 53150]

I managed to work out a part in Fusion for the stalk of the tail gear. Its going to be a tricky part to print but what I may end up having to do is print the flange separate from the main stalk. I did two test prints and support material is needed any orientation I use and the part is not cleaning up well after all the support is removed.
View attachment 97998

That part looks like it'd be easy to turn in a small lathe. Some day I'll pull the trigger and get one...

 

[willsonman]

Maybe reorient so it's vertical and then printing as two parts split in the middle of the flange as the easier/more secure place to reattach. Could do a small locating pin in the print at the joint too.

As you can see from Chad's render, the metal stem of the tail wheel goes through this part so any split in it weakens it. I'm trying to keep things simple yet strong. In Chad's design, this is a couple of brass tubes that overlap so it is very strong.

 

[rockyboy]

Might be a good place to keep a brass tube looking at how it's used. If it stands on end to print, it will be much weaker on the horizontal shear line - and on it's side supports will be a real challenge to get a solid looking part.

 

[willsonman]

I think you may be on to something here. I took time to separate out the flanged bit and the stalk. Both printed ok but the main stalk part is a difficult print for sure. I am considering using a piece of 8mm cf tube for this now since it is the right size and will be much stronger. I can cap off the tube with the printed discs and print the flange separate and epoxy in place.

Moving along I started more work on the tail control surfaces using the included 3-views from the build instructions. On the right elevator there is a boost tab situated directly next to the trim tab. These boost tabs are fixed tot he stab so when the elevator goes down the boost tab will deflect up. They are designed to take the mechanical load off the pilot and large models use them to use smaller servos to save weight. In this case, I'm just using them because they are scale and I've never incorporated them into a model before. So I added some balsa to where they go and I scored the balsa behind them prior to gluing. This way they will be easier to cut away. Lots more little bits to add on the surfaces but that will come in a bit. I'll have to lighten them up a bit as well with all the added stuff. I'll do holes between the ribs. Any loss in rigidity will be gained back from the solartex covering. the stuff is really strong.

 

[willsonman]

Ok, so I've been able to complete the mockup of the tail gear. I ended up going with the 8mm CF tube for the wheel stalk and it works perfectly. I quickly made a couple of printed pieces that hold the metal stalk centered and secured using CA. After doing some shaping of the edges of the parts, the support pieces were installed and now looking at it and feeling it, it is very robust. The parts themselves are a little flimsy but once assembled it is not in the slightest over-engineered. This is why I trust the seasoned veterans of the hobby like Chad Veich. Hope to get my bi-weekly update video shot later today so I'll post that here so you can see how the mechanism works.

 

[lrussi750]

Hey Joshua, I have to admit when you made the announcement for this build I was a little, meh. I love the Corsair but after the Bugatti build the Corsair seemed a little plain. But after reading through the posts, seeing what you're planning, and knowing your skills I'm really excited to see another Orchard masterpiece! I should have known better from the start but we all have our brain lapse moments :black_eyed:! Rock on brother!

 

[willsonman]

LOL, Thanks buddy! Yeah, it was a problem I stated at FFEast. The Bugatti is difficult to top but I'm doing it in other ways with this build. It is an entirely different animal with so many more things to provide a different challenge. Mostly I wanted to get another kit off the shelf

 

[nhk750]

Amazing work with the 3d print parts. This is so beyond my skills I really admire your engineering. Looking forward to seeing this in action.

 

[willsonman]

 

[willsonman]

Wow, Has it really been a month with no update? Let's change that!

I was able to wrap up the tail control surfaces today. Little wood inserts required a bit of labor but the scale effect will be subtle. The covering is Solartex. It has a slight weave to it but once primer and paint is applied it will be very subtle. The full scale used fabric covering on these parts and I wanted to here as well but did not want to sacrifice the weaight penalty of this covering so I made a few holes to compensate.








The elevator boost tab was separated, sanded, and covered. I used a small piece of floppy disk material for the hinge. It is not permanently glued in just yet... paint and such yet before that.




A little more work with glass and a hair dryer on the stabs and I will move along to the wing. The stabs will get a little bit of detail work but there is not much in terms of panel lines or rivets to do.

 

[nhk750]

Finally some more balsa building! looks good, does the trim tab function?

 

[willsonman]

It is not a trim tab but a boost tab. It will function but only once mounted permanently to the stab.

 

[willsonman]

No real pictures to update with. I just glassed the H-stab and V-stab with WBPU. Since the parts are wood I was able to really accelerate things with a hair dryer. I got 3 coats on and its ready to be sanded back. I will depart from them for now and will come back when I likely get bored with something else.

MOVING ON!

I'll be clearing a spot on the table for the wings. There is much to go over with these as they are not complete and they may have had mistakes or broken glue joints. Lots cover but I'll be methodical and outline it all here.

 

[willsonman]

Merry Christmas to all my fellow builders out there!

Santa brought me an air speed sensor. Since I am planning on keeping this one around awhile, I wanted to add this doodad to warn me if I am about to stall.


I moved onto the wing. As stated previously, the wings were constructed prior to me getting the kit. The years have not been too bad to them but they needed a couple of careful hours piecing together parts and checking things over. These pictures are mid-process but the main structure is there now and the retracts need to go in next before I move along to the sheeting.




I also took time to sand back the WBPU on the tail planes. Nice and smooth finish and they are ready for some primer.

 

[SlingShot]

Watching. Liking. :applause:

 

[willsonman]

So, hate me or love me... I decided to not do a folding wing. I cut some CF rods and made some inserts and used epoxy to seal the deal. First installed with CA and then epoxy pile on top.








Then, I added more ply for the retract mount.


And retracts installed.