Jsknockoff EVA Build Thread

[jsknockoff]

Did some covering today. It was my first time using Solite, have to say I wasn't crazy about it at first but after a few panels I kinda like it. I don't really care for how it sticks to itself but I do like how easily it shrinks. Unfortunately you can see through the cream color so I'll have to add a wide pinstripe where it overlaps the green.

 

[rockyboy]

Looks great! Nice job on the covering - now I'm getting inspired to lay some film down on mine this week

 

[jsknockoff]

Thanks, this plane is really growing on me now that it's coming together. I'd love to be able to take a test flight soon before the weather turns too cold here. The tough part is finding a day that isn't too windy for something like the EVA.

 

[Joker 53150]

That transparent green is one of my favorite covering colors, and looks great with silver accent.

 

[jsknockoff]

Worked on the cowl today. I have been at a stand still on finishing until this was out of the way. I've been feeling a little lazy on the EVA lately and almost caved and used the plastic one. My first attempt was way too complicated and looked odd on such a basic airframe. I'm happy with how this one turned out. It's permanent but has enough clearance to get the motor box out if need be. Still needs some finishing work.

 

[rockyboy]

Looks nice! Are you going to leave the top open like that?

 

[jsknockoff]

I'm going to leave it the way it is till after the test flight. Assuming it flies well I'm going to build a magnetic cover for the top.

 

[rockyboy]

Sounds like a good idea. Like the simple shape too. If I try one of these I might make the cowling solid all around and magnetically attach the whole thing to the firewall, just remove the prop to pop it off.

Course if it comes off in flight the prop is guaranteed to make a heck of a mess of things... maybe a magnetic hatch on top is better after all....

 

[CaptBill]

Sweet. Seeing a balsa wing covered make me nostalgic. I use to build balsa when I was a young teen,,,long long ago. The memory of those build is what drew me back to planes and ultimately turned me on to foam.
Thanks for sharing

 

[jsknockoff]

I had originally planned to attach the entire cowl with magnets as well but had the same thought about it moving while in the air without having some elaborate way to keep it in place. On a scale from 1-10 I'd say my satisfaction level is a 6 with how it looks. I have to keep reminding myself that this is just a sport plane when my mind starts to get carried away with different ideas. I think when covered i will like it a lot more.

 

[jsknockoff]

Sweet. Seeing a balsa wing covered make me nostalgic. I use to build balsa when I was a young teen,,,long long ago. The memory of those build is what drew me back to planes and ultimately turned me on to foam.
Thanks for sharing

I was the same way 2 years ago. I have been into rc since I was a kid flying with my dad and grandpa, but I took quite a few years off from the hobby. Then my wife stumbled across the flitetest videos and they got me hooked again. Bought a new radio system and started building foamies, after 6 months or so I pushed those aside and started building the balsa stuff again. Fell in love with the hobby all over again.

 

[jsknockoff]

Did some more covering today, also glued the canopy in place. I used RC56 to glue the canopy and it turned out pretty nice. Also soldered up the esc and motor leads so that's all mounted and ready to go.

 

[jsknockoff]

I'm. It really digging the landing gear. It looks a little flimsy, I'm kicking around bending up a set of wire gear and TIGing a plate to it so it mounts in the stock location. Haven't quite decided on that one yet.

 

[jsknockoff]

For those out there who have built and flown an EVA before, does the tail wheel wire seem to be adequate? I've been at a standstill trying to figure out what I want to do about landing gear. It seems like the gear is a little flimsy as a whole.

 

[Turbojoe]

It won't spend enough time on the ground to matter but yes, I bend a new one from .061 (1/16") wire. I do it on all my smaller tail draggers like the SwitchBack etc. Just my personal preference. My original SwitchBack from 2001 still has the thin wire tail gear and is fine.

Joe

 

[jsknockoff]

Do you use the stock aluminum main gear? I was thinking I would use a set of Dubro 2" foam wheels instead of the stock pizza cutters it came with. I will be flying off of pavement but wanted to use something that would roll in short grass.

 

[Turbojoe]

I'm surprised that the stock main gear holds up so well. Looking at it you'd swear it would collapse on the first landing but it's fine on my trike conversion and my heavier EVA bipe has been flown with a way too heavy 3S 2200 from rutted dirt fields and it's still good as new. The trike has been flown mainly from grass and rutted dirt. A smooth runway is a rare treat that few of my planes have ever seen. I pride myself on my landings. Probably half my flight time is spent shooting touch and goes so I haven't really tested the gear in a "controlled crash landing" scenario.

Joe

 

[jsknockoff]

Well maybe in that case I'll stick with the stock gear till I get a few flights on it.

 

[jsknockoff]

Slowly making progress on the EVA. Glued on the stabilizer and vertical fin, also mounted the servos in the wing panels.

I haven't been building too much lately because the weather has been nice enough to actually FLY! My lovely wife bought me a UMX Radian for Christmas. It was the first time I had ever gotten a real ARF so I wasn't sure what to expect after reading mixed reviews. I was absolutely blown away, it flew perfectly right out of the box and flight performance was great considering the size. What a fun little plane, I encourage anyone who needs a little relaxing stick time to pick one up.

 

[Turbojoe]

I'm a confirmed foam hater but those little UMX birds are amazing. When all the FAA/Drone stuff was in full swing I stopped flying until I found the UMX's were light enough to be legal. The Pitts is absolutely amazing! I flies like it's three times bigger than it is. So stable even in light wind. I went right out and bought the Habu EDF, T-28, PT-17 and the Carbon Cub. They'll never replace my balsa planes but they sure are a blast in small flying areas.

Joe