I'm in the final steps of my Balsa Build Along Extra 300S, so while paint dries and the weekend is still young I started on another "quick" (?) project. This P-47 Jug was found at a swap meet in Green Bay a week ago, yet another plane I just couldn't pass up. The seller had it priced a little higher than I was willing to pay. It came with an OS .61 glow engine, but no receiver or battery. At the end of the show he still had it and was willing to deal a bit so we agreed on a price and I walked out with it.
The plane isn't perfect, and it needs some work, but it's solid and this should be a quick project. I'm focusing now on getting as many small projects done on my various planes so they're ready for Spring flying season.
Here's what I'm starting with, a solid and complete airframe.
Strange thing to fix #1, the previous owner left all of the screws for the ailerons full-length instead of using shorter screws or cutting the excess off.
There are a few spots where covering is coming loose, such as this invasion stripe. This is normally a quick & easy fix. There are a number of wrinkles that also need a little touch-up.
These are the new parts going into the plane. The fuel-stopper kit was also purchased at the swap meet. It's my favorite type, made with metal instead of plastic. The battery is a standard 6 volt receiver pack, which will be monitored by the VoltWatch2. A new power switch is also going in as the original was cracked. It was also glued in instead of using the normal screws and backing plate, so old glue will be removed and extra holes around the switch will be covered.
The plane came with retracts which work nicely, however the gear struts are bent backwards slightly so the tire contacts the wheel well housing, keeping it from moving easily. This should be a quick & easy fix as well.
Two cowl mounting blocks are mounted too far in on the firewall, causing big dimples in the cowl when the screws are tightened. A couple spacers and epoxy will take care of that problem. You can also see the cowl has a fair amount of grime on it. This is AFTER I cleaned most of it off!
Turning to the inside of the plane, the fuel tank is going to get some attention from me. It was wrapped in two thin layers of foam and pushed into the nose. While this may work, it's not very secure and the tank could slide around a bit. I'll go through it and decide if I want to re-use this tank or I may try and fit a larger one since there is plenty of space.
Tons of room for the wiring, battery, and receiver needed to get the plane finished up.
Since it won't be started for a while I pulled the glowplug to feed some oil into the cylinder and carb. The engine has plenty of compression and the original glowplug works well, so I'm very optimistic about it firing up for me.
I opened the tank and found the previous owner ran the lines the same way I like to do them - with dual clunks and a dedicated feed/siphon line. The clunks may get re-used, but the rest of the fuel line pieces are getting tossed out, even though they're in decent shape. They're cheap to replace and I don't want to pull the tank again any time soon.
The OS .61 is mounted sideways and included a Pitts-style muffler. I need to adjust the silicone exhaust tubes so they're aiming out the bottom of the cowl evenly, and will add a few zip-ties for extra security so they don't fall off in flight. The muffler will be pulled so I can run it through my antifreeze Jacuzzi which will clean it nicely. The engine could use a little cleaning, but it's not too bad at this time. The big reason for pulling the muffler is so I can check the muffler gasket. A bad gasket will cause a big mess over time and will keep the engine from running properly.
The plane isn't perfect, and it needs some work, but it's solid and this should be a quick project. I'm focusing now on getting as many small projects done on my various planes so they're ready for Spring flying season.
Here's what I'm starting with, a solid and complete airframe.
Strange thing to fix #1, the previous owner left all of the screws for the ailerons full-length instead of using shorter screws or cutting the excess off.
There are a few spots where covering is coming loose, such as this invasion stripe. This is normally a quick & easy fix. There are a number of wrinkles that also need a little touch-up.
These are the new parts going into the plane. The fuel-stopper kit was also purchased at the swap meet. It's my favorite type, made with metal instead of plastic. The battery is a standard 6 volt receiver pack, which will be monitored by the VoltWatch2. A new power switch is also going in as the original was cracked. It was also glued in instead of using the normal screws and backing plate, so old glue will be removed and extra holes around the switch will be covered.
The plane came with retracts which work nicely, however the gear struts are bent backwards slightly so the tire contacts the wheel well housing, keeping it from moving easily. This should be a quick & easy fix as well.
Two cowl mounting blocks are mounted too far in on the firewall, causing big dimples in the cowl when the screws are tightened. A couple spacers and epoxy will take care of that problem. You can also see the cowl has a fair amount of grime on it. This is AFTER I cleaned most of it off!
Turning to the inside of the plane, the fuel tank is going to get some attention from me. It was wrapped in two thin layers of foam and pushed into the nose. While this may work, it's not very secure and the tank could slide around a bit. I'll go through it and decide if I want to re-use this tank or I may try and fit a larger one since there is plenty of space.
Tons of room for the wiring, battery, and receiver needed to get the plane finished up.
Since it won't be started for a while I pulled the glowplug to feed some oil into the cylinder and carb. The engine has plenty of compression and the original glowplug works well, so I'm very optimistic about it firing up for me.
I opened the tank and found the previous owner ran the lines the same way I like to do them - with dual clunks and a dedicated feed/siphon line. The clunks may get re-used, but the rest of the fuel line pieces are getting tossed out, even though they're in decent shape. They're cheap to replace and I don't want to pull the tank again any time soon.
The OS .61 is mounted sideways and included a Pitts-style muffler. I need to adjust the silicone exhaust tubes so they're aiming out the bottom of the cowl evenly, and will add a few zip-ties for extra security so they don't fall off in flight. The muffler will be pulled so I can run it through my antifreeze Jacuzzi which will clean it nicely. The engine could use a little cleaning, but it's not too bad at this time. The big reason for pulling the muffler is so I can check the muffler gasket. A bad gasket will cause a big mess over time and will keep the engine from running properly.