Help! Storch build and Power pod.

[Megavolt]

Hi guys,
My son and I have built the FT Tutor from speed build kit and it was so fun and easy. Flies great. We decided to build the Storch from plans and it's going well but the only issue I have is that there's nothing for the power pod to sit/align onto. I have it secured with the skewers of the front nose cover into the firewall but unlike the Tutor there are no rails or fuselage doublers for it to slide on top of.
What am I missing?
I've looked back at plans and the only thing that holds it in the fuselage is two skewers (at the reinforcement pad locations)?
Thanks in advance.

 

[Tench745]

Hi guys,
My son and I have built the FT Tutor from speed build kit and it was so fun and easy. Flies great. We decided to build the Storch from plans and it's going well but the only issue I have is that there's nothing for the power pod to sit/align onto. I have it secured with the skewers of the front nose cover into the firewall but unlike the Tutor there are no rails or fuselage doublers for it to slide on top of.
What am I missing?
I've looked back at plans and the only thing that holds it in the fuselage is two skewers (at the reinforcement pad locations)?
Thanks in advance.

The two skewers that slide into the firewall hold the front in alignment and there is a skewer that runs crosswise through the fuselage that holds the assembly from sliding out. Section of the build video discussing this is linked below. Its' worth noting that the Storch is a fairly early FT design and the newer planes are designed to be more durable and easier to build correctly than the earlier planes.

 

[Megavolt]

Thanks for the quick reply!
I think the best part of the answer was that it’s an older plane and doesn’t have the doublers etc so it relies solely on the firewall skewers and the one through the fuselage. I will go back and re along things!
It has quite the amount of downward thrust as per the plans but maybe that’s what worked best for this plane.
Regards.

 

[Foamforce]

I started with the Storch and then did a Cub after that. The Cub really shows the evolution of their design. That said, I haven’t actually had any trouble with the single skewer holding the back of the pod. It seems like the powerful motor would rip it out, but it doesn’t. I reinforced the hole with some thin plywood pretty quickly though. It started getting elongated after the first of several “hard landings”. 😂