Build Log Drake II: electric, with ailerons

[kepa]

Originally Posted by Palmettoflyer

Your Drake will be very strong as the result. Just remember the Drake box fuselage is inherently strong too, so be careful about over doing it.

The additional strength in the formers allows larger cutouts as well, so I don't think I'll be adding (much) weight here.

The plans specified 3/32" balsa for the fuselage, didn't they (I'm not at home right now)? Well, here in metric world I had a choice between 2 and 3 mm (3/32" is 2.4 mm). I chose the thinner one for the sides and possibly for the top as well, and the bottom will be 3mm. Do you think that's strong enough or should I overbuild it all with the thicker balsa?

-kepa

[kepa]

Please disregard my previous question. After measuring my sheet stock again I found that my "2mm" balsa sheets vary between 2.2 and 2.4 mm in thickness. I suspect it's the same stuff you get when you buy your 3/32" sheets...

-kepa

[Palmettoflyer]

I totally agree that the cutouts will offset the additional weight. I like to use 1/64” ply in a lot of key areas where a little doubler sheeting on balsa will help the longevity of the airplane.

By the way, your English is excellent. Have you always lived in Finland?

I work for a German company, so I live in the metric world by day and the English world by night.

[Palmettoflyer]

Here are the pictures from my weekend work. Don't look too close at the nose block. Shaping balsa blocks isn't my best modeling skill although I think it turned out pretty good. Balsa blocks tend to show off the tiny variances between the symmetry of the two sides.

[Palmettoflyer]

Here are a few more for the H stab.

[jpgilbert]

Looking good! It will be flying before you know it!


Joe

[Modelholic]

Both models progressing nicely - and there's nothing wrong with your building Palmetto nose block included. I think we all tend to over criticise our own work - fixating on the perceived faults and things we would have liked to do better when they will have absolutely no bearing on the way the model flies. Really we wouldn't have given it a second thought if you hadn't mentioned it.

[Palmettoflyer]

Modelholic, I'm glad to see you are getting your Drake sorted out!

I am actually pleased with the way my Drake is turning out. Some models you can feel from the beginning are going to be good ones or bad ones. This IS going to be a good one for sure!

Life has been very busy since my last posts. Here are some update pictures of the V-stab. I chose to do the laminated outline version which turned out quite good. For the form I used a piece of office foam board (good ol' sturdy board). I traced inward of the cut line 3/16" and pinned it to another piece of foam board and my building table. Cut 3 strips of 1/16" balsa, soaked in Windex and a day later I had the outline. Today I filled in the bits and pieces. Next pieces will be the H stab outer vertical fins.

[Petem]

Looking great - I think laminated outlines are much more elegant, both structurally and aesthetically, than the alternatives.
Look forward to seeing it all come together,
PeteM

[kepa]

Hi again,

Palmettoflyer, very nice tail indeed! And thanks for the compliment. I am a native Finn and have lived here all my life. We all learn English at school but most of us just don't use it and forget how to do it.

I too have been busy and away. I helped my sister and her husband move, and had to rest a bit afterwards. Now I'm back again, and will hopefully be building (if not posting) at least something every day.

-kepa

[Palmettoflyer]

Your pieces are coming along nicely too. I'm as anxious to see your progress as much as I am enjoying my own build progress. Keep up the good work.

I learned to speak German as an adult and did not have the benefit of learning while still young to make it easy. RCGroups is a great forum not only for allowing us to share our model airplanes but also brings people together from all over the world. No where else can someone from Finland, Australia, Brazil, USA, and everywhere else come together so easily to share their ideas and pictures of their work.

I've started on my outside vertical fins last night. I'm going attempt to do the same laminated strip outline as the vertical stabilizer. Perhaps tonight I'll be able to glue it all up and take some pictures. I will be out of town again this weekend so progress might slow down again.

[Modelholic]

Love the laminated work Palmetto. High strength for minimal weight (see next paragraph) and definite build kudos!

Just thought I would add a comment from my recent experience of the smaller Drake. The Drake has a very short tail moment and the weight of the motor is not that far forward of the CG. My battery is behind the nose block i.e as far forward as it could go. I thought I would try some brass tube and piano wire hinges for the rudder and elevator and was concerned by the apparent weight of my finished tail unit. Despite this I have still added a little lead to the tail. No doubt you will have some laxity in positioning your flight batteries for balance but you might be making the tail unit too light? That almost sounds like modelling heresy I know but I have been quite surprised - I had envisaged having to add weight to the nose for sure. Just an observation definitely no criticism intended - I'm really enjoying this thread.
Simon

[kepa]

Today I've been doing some more piecework for the fuselage. I cut and glued some sticks, finished work on the laminated formers and figured out a way to support my battery tray. The tray looks massive now but I'll cut some large holes in it. And if I can figure out the CoG before installing the tray, it can be cut shorter too.

-kepa

[Modelholic]

Very nice keep the pics coming.

[Palmettoflyer]

Kepa,
looking great! glad to see you moving right along. I'm back again from the weekend travels and hope to get in some build time later this afternoon.

Modelholic,
Thanks for the CG concerns and tips. Well taken as I've had this issue many times. I've learned to keep a close eye on the CG as the build progresses. Once burned by a kit build that I could not get to balance well, I swore to not ever do that again. As early as possible I start the CG checking. Now, if I read your comments correctly, you stated you have your battery as far forward as possible and still want to add weight to the tail? Sounds like you need to move the battery backwards instead of adding tail weight?