SLINGSBY DART 17R 1/3 SCALE

Chris Ze Swiss · Posté le: 04/09/2008 23:07 Sujet du message:

Hello!

Beautiful Airplane (Jean-Marie doit baver! [baaave]

), beautiful video, .... and great weather conditions too! Wink

Bye, Christian

cw · Posté le: 05/09/2008 21:57 Sujet du message:

Merci Swiss Chris...the weather has now returned to normal, so now we must apply body filler to the tail end...

cw · Posté le: 09/09/2008 18:21 Sujet du message:

Attention now moves to the canopy...

Cutting it roughly to size. (The canopy is from my Skylark 4 mould which has fitted many models: 2-32, Minimoa, Skylark 4, Dart small & large etc)

Lining tape is used to mark out where to cut. The rule is: 'cut little and often!'

Pacer canopy glue is used to glue the canopy to the frame. Good stuff, dries out to be practically invisible

Now it is all taped down to be left overnight to dry

More body filler now to match the front of the wing fairing to the rear of the canopy...

cw · Posté le: 16/09/2008 23:35 Sujet du message:

Now work starts on some basic cockpit detailing...

cw · Posté le: 21/09/2008 21:33 Sujet du message:

Just a few more pics before the Solartex iron is warmed up... Very Happy

de Schaetzen Harold · Posté le: 22/09/2008 09:42 Sujet du message:

Beautiful construction Chris.
And so fast, nobody understands how this is possible!

Questions;
Why the hole on top of the fin?
Why a plastic tube in the fin. You are going to install an altimeter?

Harold

mat2verre · Posté le: 22/09/2008 10:32 Sujet du message:

Your doggy seems to enjoy your work... Like we do!

Matthieu

cw · Posté le: 22/09/2008 22:00 Sujet du message:

Harold, the hole in the fin is to allow the fitting of the tube for the TEK probe that connects to the variometer in the cockpit, which compensates for the glider's speed and is supposed to eliminate 'false' lift tones from the vario.

The hole is to allow the fitting and connecting of the small brass tube in the fin after the sanding and shaping process...

Matthieu, the chien is called Henri, and is glider-friendly Very Happy

cw · Posté le: 27/09/2008 00:06 Sujet du message:

The airbrakes are of commercial design and have been recessed into the wing so that they are flush to the surface. To iron the Solartex into the openings, a piece of wing joiner bar is heated up with a gas torch and used to iron the 'Tex into place...

For the ends, a piece of square brass tube does the same job...

cw · Posté le: 30/09/2008 22:00 Sujet du message:

To cope with the undercamber of the HQ profile, the Solartex is pricked through and thin cyano placed over the holes to glue the fabric to the ribs. Then, a strip of Solartex tape is ironed over the holes...

patte de loup · Posté le: 01/10/2008 12:55 Sujet du message:

Chris,

Your tip is so interesting, but one think is not clear for, sorry Wink

Do you perform this action (pricking and glueing) after stretching the solartex on the wing or before? [humm]

Thank for answer
Pat'

cw · Posté le: 01/10/2008 19:41 Sujet du message:

Pat, 1st, you must iron the 'Tex to the rib. You run the iron across the rib with one hand and follow with a cloth pressed down to hold the 'Tex to the rib as the adhesive cools down.
This takes two hands, so no photograph!
Then you continue as I described above...

cw · Posté le: 04/10/2008 22:08 Sujet du message:

Today I have Solartexed the fuselage. Now I am brushing 2-pack primer over the 'Tex joins...

Jean-claude RIBIERE · Posté le: 05/10/2008 20:47 Sujet du message:

cw · Posté le: 05/10/2008 21:10 Sujet du message:

Bon soir Jean-Claude... There are many different manufacturers of polyester filler, this is the one I use. In this instance for coarse sanding it is best to use 40 grit sandpaper while it is still soft, usually 5-10 minutes at room temperature. Then you can use 80 grit to get the correct shape, and 120 grit for areas ready to be primed...

cw · Posté le: 10/10/2008 23:30 Sujet du message:

Once the primer has been brushed on, a light coat of black aerosol paint is applied to act as a guide coat...

When you start to rub the primer down, the black will show up in the low spots. Once all the black has been rubbed away, the surface will be smooth and free of blemishes...

Now the white 2-pack paint has been applied to the fuselage

cw · Posté le: 19/10/2008 17:03 Sujet du message:

Voila, the Dart 17R is nearly completed...

Maintenant, le premier vol....! [humm]

GuillaumeG · Posté le: 19/10/2008 19:32 Sujet du message:

Beautiful Chris!!! So I'm sure it flies great Very Happy

We are waiting for the video Wink

patte de loup · Posté le: 20/10/2008 17:11 Sujet du message:

Oouahhh.....

[baaave]

a lot of this month with two " meister " buildings

[clap]

Pat'

Paul ELLIS · Posté le: 20/10/2008 18:48 Sujet du message:

As usual a superb build Chris. [amen]

Thanks for all the tips, I've stolen most of them for the Minimoa.

Paul

Fabrice · Posté le: 20/10/2008 21:07 Sujet du message:

It's beautiful.

Fab

Laurent Beldame · Posté le: 21/10/2008 16:38 Sujet du message:

Where's the tug ? Barry ! It's time!!!

Congratulations, i assume that the flight test will be a simple formality...

L

cw · Posté le: 21/10/2008 21:28 Sujet du message:

Laurent, Barry broke his tug at Pottes, he has still not yet repaired it...

A 1st flight is never a simple formality...! [argh]

Look what happened to this one

Laurent Beldame · Posté le: 21/10/2008 21:54 Sujet du message:

Fortunatly for Barry as the winter comes, less the repair is urgent...(more or less the same situation for me as I m retrofitting seriously my own tug)..but you're right, nothing is always granted !
Touch wood cross the fingers and thumbs up.. Wink

L

loopingfred · Posté le: 22/10/2008 00:22 Sujet du message:

cw · Posté le: 25/10/2008 18:22 Sujet du message:

So, this morning I go to White Sheet Hill...

1st, the obligatory photographs:

Now, the premier vol... (There was no one else there, so I had to take my own photos)

The Dart flies beautifully, slow, steady and very scale-like. 7 month's work validated...I am a happy man...! Very Happy

GuillaumeG · Posté le: 25/10/2008 18:37 Sujet du message:

Congratulations Chris, your Dart is really beautiful and following the building was really interesting. Hoping you will be able to make a video soon (maybe somebody else will be better Wink

).
Have good flights with this beauty!

zeffus · Posté le: 25/10/2008 19:58 Sujet du message:

caralp_laurent · Posté le: 26/10/2008 15:18 Sujet du message:

Congratulations Chris !
It's wonderful ! Very Happy

And built so fast !! Shocked

Lolométéo

patte de loup · Posté le: 27/10/2008 07:47 Sujet du message:

for this first fly of this wonderfull full blood plane
Pat'