Balsa Build Along 2017/2018 – Yankee Doodle Dandy, First Balsa Build

For my first balsa build I decided to go with the Mountain Models Dandy. I also purchased the “Dandy Sport Wing” which has ailerons and the “Dandy GT Wing” which has ailerons and a fully symmetrical airfoil. All the wings use the same fuselage so my plan for the Balsa Build Along is to build the fuselage with all three wings and have three planes in one. I plan on using a red, white and blue color scheme so I’m dubbing it the “Yankee Doodle Dandy”. I know, it’s a corny name….

Here are photos of the three planes as shown on the Mountain Models web site.

Dandy:
Dandy Trainer.jpg

Dandy Sport:
Dandy Sport.jpg

Dandy GT:
Dandy GT.jpg
 

Joker 53150

Mmmmmmm, balsa.
Mentor
It's a great flyer for calm days! I built one for my dad, and did a quick build thread on this forum for it. I highly recommend the motor I picked for it, from Hobby King. It's got plenty of power and is very cheap, plus it handles the stick-mount design used on the Dandy.
 
It's a great flyer for calm days! I built one for my dad, and did a quick build thread on this forum for it. I highly recommend the motor I picked for it, from Hobby King. It's got plenty of power and is very cheap, plus it handles the stick-mount design used on the Dandy.

Yep, I took your advice from a previous thread. I didn’t purchase the same Hobby King motor but I did purchase a similar Emax motor with a stick mount. Thanks.

http://www.headsuphobby.com/Emax-CF2805-1300kv-Outrunner-Brushless-Motor_p_1936.html
 

Joker 53150

Mmmmmmm, balsa.
Mentor
Good call. The stick mount is old school, but it works and your build will be MUCH easier as a result.
 
Here are the kits that I purchased from Mountain Models:
Dandy Sport Kit
Dandy Wing Kit
Dandy GT Wing Kit

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I ordered a Dandy Kit and Sport Wing but I received a Dandy Wing and Sport Kit. No big deal because they are the same price and I plan on building all the kits together.
 
Here are items that I purchased for this build from Heads Up RC:
Emax CF2805 1300kv Brushless Outrunner Motor (with stick mount)
Prop Adaptor Collet Type for 3.0mm Shaft
Sky Power 12A ESC with Switchmode BEC
Power Up RD410 2.4GHz DSM2/DSMX 4 Channel Receiver

img_0241.jpg

Here are items that I purchased for this build from Radical RC:
Solite Covering 2m Roll Red
Solite Covering 2m Roll White
Solite Covering 2m Roll Blue
2 - GWS Props 8040

img_0242.jpg

The items purchased from Heads Up RC and Radical RC were well packed and quickly delivered. I have had good experiences dealing with these two hobby shops and they also have reasonable shipping charges.
 
Here are items I plan on using from my personal parts stash for this build:
2 - Hitec HS-55 Feather Servos (for rudder & elevator)
2 - Hitec HS-65HB Mighty Feather Servos (for ailerons Sport wing & ailerons GT wing)
2 - Turnigy Li-Po 3 Cell 11.1V 20-30C 1000mAh

img_0245.jpg
 
I think that I have all the parts necessary for this build. I’ll set the parts aside and wait for the official Balsa Build Along start date. The timing works great because all my spare time from now until Nov. 1st will be dedicated to watching the World Series. GO GO ASTROS!!!
 
According to the instructions these are the tools and supplies required to build:
Xacto with #11 blades
Thin and Thick CA
Sanding block with 200 grit sandpaper
Smooth, flat work table
Wax paper to protect plans
Needle nose pliers
Wire cutters
Hobby Iron for applying covering

One of the reasons I picked this kit is because I am currently limited on build space. According to the instructions a building board is not required…just a “smooth, flat work table”. I will be building on a 2’ x 4’ folding table with a sheet of glass that was salvaged from the top of an Ikea dresser. Here is my work surface and the building items listed in the instructions. I’m sure I will be using many more tools and supplies during the build but this will be the starting point.

IMG_0246.JPG

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I was able to open the Dandy Sport Kit and inventory all the parts. Everything was included in the kit as it is listed in the instructions. There are not many pieces in the kit so I’m hoping for a quick build as advertised.

IMG_0249.JPG

There are two small pieces of wood in the parts bag that were not listed in the instructions. I’m sure these pieces will be needed once I get into the build. I’ll keep them in the parts bag until they are needed or until plane is done.

IMG_0253.JPG
 

rockyboy

Skill Collector
Mentor
Those two mystery pieces look like they could be landing gear reinforcements that clamp to the wire and then slide into the fuselage - definitely keep them :)
 
Overtime has started again at my job so I was not able to start the Dandy on Nov. 1st as planned. Everything has been just sitting for a couple of weeks since my last post. I revisited the worktable yesterday and I decided to get this project started. Looking at the wood it appears to be nicely cut and the pieces basically fall out of the sheets. The pieces seem so delicate…hopefully I can make it through the build without destroying something.

I have the tail pieces done…doesn’t seem like much but at least it's a start. The instructions call for painting but I will cover them with Solite film later. The instructions also call for using packing tape for hinges. I’ve read on the forums that 3M Blenderm tape works well for hinges so I’ll make a stop at the drug store and pick up a roll.

IMG_2321.jpg
 
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Joker 53150

Mmmmmmm, balsa.
Mentor
Both of your changes are excellent choices. Painting the tail would work, but paint could warp the thin balsa and it'll certainly be heavier than the SoLite. Blenderm is fantastic for hinges on a lightweight airframe like the Dandy.
 
Holy guacamole, it has been almost a month since my last post. Time has been flying with overtime, Thanksgiving, honey do’s…wish I had more time for fun stuff like building and flying model planes. I have been keeping up with the Balsa Builders and Breakers Forum and y’all are doing some amazing stuff. It makes me feel embarrassed to post on my little Dandy build after reading about people doing their own laser cutting from plans, printing 3D parts, building on metal boards with magnet jigs, mocking up and testing twin engines, bringing dead planes back to life, building giant sail planes and micro indoor flyers, etc., etc. Very cool stuff…

I was able to make some progress on the Dandy build last weekend by working on the wing and ailerons. Here is where I stopped.

Dandy 10.jpg

So far everything is coming together per the instructions without any problems. I did learn that balsa is very, very delicate and I did break a few pieces by being heavy-handed. Luckily, I was able to glue the pieces that I broke back together without any problems. I’ll try to be very gentle with the pieces for the rest of the build. Hopefully I can find some time to get started on the fuselage this weekend.
 

rockyboy

Skill Collector
Mentor
Don't be embarrassed one bit - all of us who have built a couple dozen balsa planes are envious of you starting down this journey with all the cool things ahead :) You couldn't pay me enough to relive middle & high school, but I'd love to return to the basement at 13 and the joy of learning to build with balsa again!

And from here it looks like your wing isn't crooked at all, and has equal dihedral on each side - so it's a win in my book!
 

Joker 53150

Mmmmmmm, balsa.
Mentor
The wing looks good, keep the pics coming! When you get to the point where you're ready to cover it, there are a couple things to remember.

First, it's a very lightweight structure and as you've seen it's easy to break. Once covered it gains a lot of strength. I assume you'll use SoLite (or similar) LIGHTWEIGHT covering and not a heavy Monokote type which will crush the airframe. Go very easy on shrinking the covering, and know that shrinking the covering can either add or remove twist to the wing. That is super common, especially on lightweight designs like the Dandy. Shrink the covering, check for warp, fix the warp, check for warp again, repeat until it's gone. After you do it a few times you'll get good at both building a flat wing and covering a wing that stays flat. It seems like my Switchback (essentially a low-wing Dandy) needed a little re-shrinking and un-twisting occasionally, but has been good for the past couple years.

Those ailerons are big and are also easy to warp with the covering, so go slowly. You'll see the covering start to pillow up as it tries to shrink over trapped air, so I'll often take a very tiny drill bit to add air holes in the structure. This allows the air to escape between ribs. An extra airhole drilled through the side, or where a hinge will go, also lets the air get out completely. Some ribs already have extra holes cut into them which does the same thing.

With all that said, assuming this is your first time covering a plane stick to the iron and don't bother with a heat gun. Don't expect it to be perfect and there WILL be wrinkles. Many can be shrunk out, but it takes practice. My suggestion is to make it look as decent as you have patience for, and know you can always come back and re-cover it later if you want. Don't over-do the heat! Too much can melt the covering, and if you use much heat near the edges the covering can come loose from the structure causing you to do it over.