Scratch build plans don't line up?

tenpenny_05

New member
Hey everybody,
I have nothing but love for flite test and have scratch built just about everything they have put out. But it seems like no matter what plane I'm building, the plans never line up as nicely as they should.

I tend to be pretty meticulous in my builds, and it always stresses me out (more than it should) that sometimes no matter how hard I try, the plans I print off do not line up the way they should.

Please understand that I am not complaining, and am very grateful for what flite test provides to the community. But I was just curious if I'm the only person who notices this.
 

ranger351

Warbird Crazy!
I've noticed it but I just make slight adjustments here and there to make it work. It hasn't caused any serious problems during a build. I just assumed it was something with a printer settings. I figure as long as the 1" scale marks are right build on!
 

wedgetailaus

New member
I often find I need to shave a bit of foam off here or there, but it usually works out okay. I cut ou the template, trace it, then cut buy hand, so there's definitely plenty of room for error where things can get a little out of whack. If you're not using FT foam board then you might also have trouble with fitting wing spars and powerpods as the foam has to be a certain thickness.
 

SP0NZ

FT CAD Gremlin
Staff member
Admin
Moderator
Mentor
Have you read through this and tried the setting outlined here:

Printing Flite Test Plans

If you have followed everything in that article, and you still have issues then it is related to your printer. I have minor alignment issues from time-to-time as well. Most printers have a margin of error, some are better then others.
 

mikeporterinmd

Still Learning
I'm pretty sure my printer slips a bit every now and then. Most pages line up fine, but every once in a while, one doesn't. Depending on exactly what's on the sheet, I might reprint the page.

Mike
 

TEAJR66

Flite is good
Mentor
My printer always seems to put out plans as if it were viewing skewed.

When all else fails, default to the cut marks and get them as close as possible. Make up for any misalignment by splitting the difference during the transfer to foam. In the end, not much effect on the flying product.
 

tenpenny_05

New member
Sweet! I got a response from the sponz!
Like I said it's not a major issue, usually about 1/8th of an inch if any. I usually eyeball it the best I can.
 

Duck

Active member

Tench745

Master member
Yes, depending on the paper-feed method and general quality of the printer the image may come out skewed, or if the rollers slip part way through a print some lines can get longer or shorter.
I had an old, cheap Dell printer that would never print straight; it only had a few infeed rollers and was fairly lightly built, so it flexed and slipped as it printed. Now I use a higher-end printer/scaner that has more infeed rollers and a more robust structure that prints much more consistently. Something like a commercial grade/office printer would probably print even better.