She's a beauty, bro! You inspire me to be a better builder.
1/4 Scale Peitenpol
- Thread starter Joker 53150
- Start date
Thanks! Based on the Cub's last flight today I may be a better builder than flier.
No pictures yet, but I installed the ailerons last night and also added some of the dark blue trim along the leading edge of the wing. I've seen a number of full-scale Piets with this kind of minimal trim and it looks good. I also found some blue vinyl that is very close to the trim color so I'll be making my own ID numbers for the plane. Seems like a lot of the full-scale birds use ID's similar to "G - F L M D", I'm not sure if this is just what they did back then? Many had it spread across the entire top of the wing, so I'm thinking of doing the same with mine. The tentative lettering would be "G - J B B R", the first letters of the first names of me, the wife, and the kids. I'll need to work out the details on letter size, but that should be pretty quick & easy. Smaller ID lettering will be on the fuselage and tail.
Hopefully by the weekend I'm covering the fuselage, which may be started before I build the cowl. Right now the big push is to get it into the sky, and the cowl is going to take some time to fabricate it, and I can't wait!
Hopefully by the weekend I'm covering the fuselage, which may be started before I build the cowl. Right now the big push is to get it into the sky, and the cowl is going to take some time to fabricate it, and I can't wait!
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After doing some more work yesterday I was finally far enough along that I could start checking the CoG. If the plans are right (that's a BIG "if"...) I may only need one of the 5S 5000mAh packs to balance the plane instead of two. I still have to do the covering at the tail and offset that with fabricating a cowl for the nose, but I'm liking the thought of using a lot less weight up front. The huge wing should handle the extra weight if the 2nd pack if needed, so I should be good either way. Some preliminary calculations show I should get around 6 minutes of WOT with a single battery. If that single battery ends up giving me 7+ minutes of scale flight (plus emergency reserve) I'll be thrilled.
I also ended up cutting the vinyl for the wing lettering. If it's the right size and fits well it can be installed tonight. Having a vinyl cutter available is a HUGE help with making the planes look "finished".
I also ended up cutting the vinyl for the wing lettering. If it's the right size and fits well it can be installed tonight. Having a vinyl cutter available is a HUGE help with making the planes look "finished".
I cut a couple different sizes of text to test, and went with a 10" block-style font. This vinyl has a lot of area, so it's easy to trap air-bubbles under it during the installation. Not a big deal, the air slowly works through the vinyl and the bubbles go away. I'll put the wing out in the sun when time permits, which speeds up the process. A narrow roll of electrical tape was used to provide a straight edge to line up the letters, and then they were spaced out evenly across the wing. One by one the backs were peeled off and the vinyl attached.
With all letters installed the level line was removed and the wing vinyl is done. I'll have to do some measurements to do the pieces for the fuselage and tail next. Overall I'm very happy with the design. It's odd compared to how planes are numbered today, but it looks good on this wing.
With all letters installed the level line was removed and the wing vinyl is done. I'll have to do some measurements to do the pieces for the fuselage and tail next. Overall I'm very happy with the design. It's odd compared to how planes are numbered today, but it looks good on this wing.
While applying the bigguns like that, I like to spritz the surface with a little windex. This allows for you to position the vinyl just right without it sticking, then using a paper towel, squeegee the windex out and the vinyl sticks with ZERO bubbles. Takes a little practice but it does work. Picked that tip up from my youth when I was tinting my own windows.
Does that work with sticky vinyl being applied with the heavy transfer paper like this? I've used the Windex trick with covering trim before, but not tried it with the vinyl. Normally once this stuff is a bear to install in humid weather so I'm wary of too much moisture.
FWIW, I tried the Windex trick and unless I'm doing it wrong it doesn't work with the heavy duty transfer paper and vinyl I'm using. It got a little soggy and even after removing the excess with a squeegee it seemed to lose all its stickiness.
Huh, it may be the particular vinyl brand I was using that allowed me to do it. I did not use transfer, or "frisket", paper. Just peeled off the back part to expose the adhesive and laid it down on the wet surface. I guess I need to be more careful in the future!
The stuff I use is designed for applying lettering, fleet numbers, DOT numbers, etc to trucks and buses so it may just be a different type of process with different materials. I do have to be careful with it when peeling off the transfer paper as it pulls hard on the covering. It's stronger than I'd like when covering over a balsa structure, but as long as I'm careful it works well.
The fuselage and tail lettering was cut and prepped this morning, so the vinyl is done and ready to install. The plan is to finish the construction by Friday night, and then start covering on Saturday. The electronics also need a little work still, such as installing a battery voltage sensor, setting up a BEC for the receiver, etc. A battery tray needs to be installed and magnetic latches for the battery access door need to be fabricated. A little trim work is also needed, windscreens should be added for a proper look, etc.
All small projects that can be done fairly quickly, and some stuff will probably wait until after the maiden.
The only big project left is making the cowl. I've got some ideas on how I want to do it, but will hold off on it for now unless the weather is bad this weekend, then I may just get it done instead of going flying.
The fuselage and tail lettering was cut and prepped this morning, so the vinyl is done and ready to install. The plan is to finish the construction by Friday night, and then start covering on Saturday. The electronics also need a little work still, such as installing a battery voltage sensor, setting up a BEC for the receiver, etc. A battery tray needs to be installed and magnetic latches for the battery access door need to be fabricated. A little trim work is also needed, windscreens should be added for a proper look, etc.
All small projects that can be done fairly quickly, and some stuff will probably wait until after the maiden.
The only big project left is making the cowl. I've got some ideas on how I want to do it, but will hold off on it for now unless the weather is bad this weekend, then I may just get it done instead of going flying.
One of the details in the construction of the Piet is the use of stringers to hold the covering off of the main structure, which mimics the look of the full-scale plane. While not required, it just makes the covering look more authentic. I added some additional structure around the strut and cabane bolt holes to bring it up level with where the covering will be, otherwise the bolts would pull the covering in and probably rip it. This pic is from just prior to final fuselage sanding.
Fast forward a couple hours and the covering is almost complete. The struts are covered with the same blue covering used on the fuselage, and the cabane struts will be done in silver. The entire bottom of the fuselage is done with blue and I trimmed it so the blue overlaps the silver sides slightly. The decals turned out well, and the blue is almost a dead-on match to the covering.
Some additional trim work is needed, the pilot needs to be mounted securely, windscreens and cowl need to be made, but it should be ready enough for a maiden by end-of-day tomorrow. Final weight should be just under 10 pounds. Maybe just over if I have to use a second battery for balance, but I'm trying to avoid that if possible.
Fast forward a couple hours and the covering is almost complete. The struts are covered with the same blue covering used on the fuselage, and the cabane struts will be done in silver. The entire bottom of the fuselage is done with blue and I trimmed it so the blue overlaps the silver sides slightly. The decals turned out well, and the blue is almost a dead-on match to the covering.
Some additional trim work is needed, the pilot needs to be mounted securely, windscreens and cowl need to be made, but it should be ready enough for a maiden by end-of-day tomorrow. Final weight should be just under 10 pounds. Maybe just over if I have to use a second battery for balance, but I'm trying to avoid that if possible.
Thanks, I'm pretty happy with how it's turning out considering I get impatient when it comes to the final detail work.
Today was just more of the detail work, and it's been very nice outside (although windy) so I haven't spent as much time as planned working on the plane. I built a battery tray that will hold one of the 5000mAh 5S packs and the plane is just slightly tail heavy. Adding the cowl will eventually help, but in the meantime I'll just strap a few ounces of lead to the nose.
With the tray built, the plane was taken outside and assembled for a little testing and of course some pictures. Everything appears to work properly so I'll program the transmitter, put lock-tite on the screws, and wait for some good weather for the maiden. Before it flies I'll probably take delivery on some larger wheels. Plans call for 6-5/8" wheels which is fairly scale for a Piet. I went with 5-1/2" instead and will swap them when they arrive.
Oh, and my dad cleared up what the "G" in the plane ID stands for - Great Britain. So I guess my Piet now has to take off from the wrong side of the runway!
Today was just more of the detail work, and it's been very nice outside (although windy) so I haven't spent as much time as planned working on the plane. I built a battery tray that will hold one of the 5000mAh 5S packs and the plane is just slightly tail heavy. Adding the cowl will eventually help, but in the meantime I'll just strap a few ounces of lead to the nose.
With the tray built, the plane was taken outside and assembled for a little testing and of course some pictures. Everything appears to work properly so I'll program the transmitter, put lock-tite on the screws, and wait for some good weather for the maiden. Before it flies I'll probably take delivery on some larger wheels. Plans call for 6-5/8" wheels which is fairly scale for a Piet. I went with 5-1/2" instead and will swap them when they arrive.
Oh, and my dad cleared up what the "G" in the plane ID stands for - Great Britain. So I guess my Piet now has to take off from the wrong side of the runway!
hackofalltrades
Rocket Surgeon
Wow! She is a knockout!
roversgonemad
Member
Love it! Your scale build is beautiful! I can't wait to see a video of the maiden! Nice work!
I have been looking at homebuilts, and the Pietenpol is one of the more affordable. I didn't know all the history of the Pietenpol until just a few weeks ago. A full scale camper might be the perfect thing to get into full scale aviation at an affordable price (after I pay for all the training for a full scale license.....)
I have been looking at homebuilts, and the Pietenpol is one of the more affordable. I didn't know all the history of the Pietenpol until just a few weeks ago. A full scale camper might be the perfect thing to get into full scale aviation at an affordable price (after I pay for all the training for a full scale license.....)
Thanks!
A full size Piet would be fun to fly, although I wonder if the age would create a maintenance nightmare. Some day I'd love to fly, whether it be in a Piet, Cub, or even an ultralight.
So the plans for the Piet call for an all-up weight RTF at 10.5 pounds. With the single battery and no cowl I'm currently at 9.5 pounds. Even adding a few ounces to the nose for CoG it should be lighter than expected. Hopefully that translates to slower flight and longer run times.
A full size Piet would be fun to fly, although I wonder if the age would create a maintenance nightmare. Some day I'd love to fly, whether it be in a Piet, Cub, or even an ultralight.
So the plans for the Piet call for an all-up weight RTF at 10.5 pounds. With the single battery and no cowl I'm currently at 9.5 pounds. Even adding a few ounces to the nose for CoG it should be lighter than expected. Hopefully that translates to slower flight and longer run times.
roversgonemad
Member
Age is not a concern at all! It would be brand new! http://www.aircraftspruce.com/catalog/kitspages/pientenpolaircamper.php
It only needs one servo; me!!
It only needs one servo; me!!
PsyBorg
Wake up! Time to fly!
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