Fly-Boy balsa build

[cranialrectosis]

I have assembled the tail section and am waiting for all the glue to dry.

The rubber motor is installed. I took the forum advice and kept half the motor mount free to shim etc. The decals didn't come out great. I think the 'dope' I put on the tissue (I'll skip that next time) softened and mixed with the decal 'seater' fluid and dried at different rates causing the decals to shrivel a bit.



Still waiting on winder so if I try to fly it today I'll be twistin'.

 

[cranialrectosis]

The Fly-Boy is assembled.

I am just waiting for glue to dry and wind to die down for a maiden.

This kit was very simple with detailed instructions that anyone can read and understand. If you are just getting into balsa planes, I found Guillow's 4000 Simple Build-n-fly series to be a simple place to start.

 

[gabrielete]

Really cool that retro look! Nice build!

 

[cranialrectosis]

Thank you. I like that the plans are ancient and the techniques almost 100 years old!

This old style build was a TON of fun!

 

[cranialrectosis]

So yesterday's windstorm finally ended about 11PM and I tried a maiden this morning.

The plane kept pitching hard up and left, so I was balancing it out and it flew into a sprinkler head just as the system turned on.

No foolin'. When I launched, no water. When it landed, the sprinklers turned on and the plane is now soaked.

It took me about 30 seconds to get to it and it was subjected to a high pressure water stream as it was sitting ON the sprinkler head...

The water squirted the tissue hard enough to tear it and spray the inside of the wing frame with water.

I 'doped' EVERYTHING including ALL the balsa so maybe it will dry and I can just make some patches. But at this point, I have a lot of wet, sticky tissue paper.

 

[cranialrectosis]

In an unbelievable stroke of luck, the balsa and tissue are drying out and the tissue is re-stretching itself across the frame.

I think I will shim the prop to the right and try again..

 

[Zap brannigan]

i have found WBPU offers tremendous strength to just tissue paper and water resistance with little weight penalty.
dope doesnt have the resiliancy of the two,IMHO
i crashed my "areogull" 48" yesterday,hit the side of the house and broke it pretty good.
i was able to fix it as fast as foamboard and was flying again in an hour.
i like the plane you have there!
zapper

 

[JohnRambozo]

In an unbelievable stroke of luck, the balsa and tissue are drying out and the tissue is re-stretching itself across the frame.

I think I will shim the prop to the right and try again..

That's great to hear. I hope it dried straight. Its a great looking plane. Reminds me of the ones I used to build as a kid. My dad is 70 and just got himself and his older brother kits for these free flight balsa gliders. It was released the year he was born. 1945.

 

[cranialrectosis]

That is beautiful and elegant in ways the FlyBoy will never understand.

Someday!

I broke the motor shim and the plane now jumps left when under power. Thrown without the prop it flies well but under power it doesn't. I will be rebuilding the motor mount and shimming right to offset the thrust.

 

[JohnRambozo]

That is beautiful and elegant in ways the FlyBoy will never understand.

Someday!

I broke the motor shim and the plane now jumps left when under power. Thrown without the prop it flies well but under power it doesn't. I will be rebuilding the motor mount and shimming right to offset the thrust.

She's a beaut'! There are r/c mods for it but my dad's a die-hard for free flight. Its the engineer in him. He loves the challenge of a plane that's designed to fly predictably with zero input.

It seems the rule of thumb for rubber powered thrust angle is around 3 degrees down and 2 degrees right. Good luck, man. Keep at it.

Here's way too much info here: https://freeflight.org/DigestOnline/TechLibrary/RubbeModelAdjust.pdf

 

[FAI-F1D]

So what came of your work with the Flyboy? You sure are a meticulous builder. I could take a few lessons from your style.

JohnRambozo, is that a Thermic 100? I've always idolized that design...truly elegant. Dave Thornburg of course thought the same and gave use the BOT to remember it by.

 

[cranialrectosis]

So what came of your work with the Flyboy? You sure are a meticulous builder. I could take a few lessons from your style.

Thank you. I am pretty OCD and have been sleeving my copter wires with color matching paracord and using color matching frames, props and LEDs for a few years. I don't get to fly much so I focus on the build.

I still need to rebuild the motor mount on the Fly Boy and re-shim the prop to the right.

I have been busy with the P40 and my FT Tiny Trainer and flew my first Immelmans and Split S and Wing Overs this week!

SCORCH is doing their big fly this weekend, I am taking Bobbi (wife) fishing in the high country for the last big hurrah for the summer and we put the boat away on Sunday.

The Fly Boy will get more time but I am gonna have to wait for the wind and all the other 'stuff' to die down.