Hey guys,

I'm happy to report that I recieved the Flying Balsa "Scout" from the recent giveaway contest in the mail today. This is excellent timing since I'll be headed out of town tomorrow for work. I wasn't sure if it would arrive in time or not, but since it did I'll get started on it soon. Pics and video to follow.

The kit arrived packaged well with no damage(In only two days). Upon opening the kit, I found the laser work is perfect. There is an abundance of hardware with the kit, in fact; no additional hardware is required for the build!(with the exception of the Motor/prop/Esc/Servos/Rx/Batt) I will be adding a tail wheel to mine because I often fly off a paved surface. Here is a list of the Kit contents:

Documentation1 set of 6 sheets – 11 x 17 CAD drawings
1 instruction manual(Very clear instructions with detailed photos and explanations)

Blades3 Aerobalsa SG6042 blades CNC machined and custom fit for the FlyingBalsa delta 3 Gen IIg “ninja” head.
CNC parts

Other included wood
Triangle stock – 3/8” for horizontal stab attachment and 3/4” for firewall reinforcement.
Miscellaneous items
1.......... gimbal kit with instructions
1.......... Generation IIg head kit with instructions
1.......... pair of 3” spoke wheels
2..........4-40 push rods for pitch and roll
2..........pre-bent main landing gear wires
1..........1/16” cable rudder push rod with plastic housing
2..........velcro straps to secure the motor battery

Scout Hardware bag
2 each............. 4-40 swivel ball links
1 each............. #43 drill bit for reaming the 2-56 screw holes and gimbal toothpick holes
1 each............. #33 drill bit for reaming the 4-40 screw holes
2 each............. 3/32 wheel collars and set screws
2 each............. 1/8 wheel collars and set screws
3 each............. nylon rotor blade bushings
3 each............. 4-40 x 3/4” socket head screws (blade bolts)
3 each............. 4-40 self locking nuts
5 each............. #4 washers
2 each............. hardwood landing gear torque blocks
2 each............. landing gear attach straps with 4 screws
3 each............. rudder hinge strips
1 each............. 3/32 x 1 gimbal pivot wire
2 each............. Du-Bro '1/2a' control horns with long screws
1 each............. Du-Bro large control horn with short screws
4 each............. E-Z connectors with attaching hardware
1 each............. .050 allen wrench for the wheel collars

Scout Wood Bag1.......... balsa pylon core
1.......... firewall/landing gear mount
2.......... plywood tail doublers
2.......... plywood fork doublers
1.......... fiberglass servo mount
1.......... 1/4” square x 3” hardwood
1.......... 1/8' x 1/4” hardwood
2.......... 1/8” balsa landing gear drill jigs

Suggested Supplies and ToolsIn addition to the normal modelers tools we recommend the following:
Small machinist square
X-acto knife and X-acto saw
'T' pins
15 or 30 minute epoxy
Thin cyanoacrylate glue
“Fine” grit sand paper
Ultracote film covering for blades and tail. Fast drying enamel spray paint for all other parts.
Recommended Equipment
Motor.................. E-Flite Power 15
ESC..................... Castle Creations Phoenix 35
Prop..................... APC 11x3.8 slowflyer
Servos................. Hitec HS 225MG for pitch and roll, HS81 for rudder
Battery................. Commonsense budget 8c 3300 3s LiPo

Looking over the parts, and instruction manual; I'd estimate the build to be very quick. I have all the Equipment for the build in hand, and will start as soon as I arrive at my temporary duty assignment. Watch this space. I'm certainly looking forward to a quick and simple build for a change.

Regards,
-Mike

P.S. this little aircraft is the perfect size to throw in your car, and get those lunch time flights in.

Looking forward to the build Mike!

I'm subscribed! I'm debating building an RPG or trying the new Scout. My PT is a little(understatement) worse for wear.

Hi guys,

I've been very busy with work lately, but I managed to find time to build the Scout since I recieved it last Wednesday. The build was fun, and easy. The manual covers everything you need to know to build and fly the Scout. The quality of the manual, along with the build pics it contains; negate any need for me to do a build thread.

I am away from home at the moment, and it is difficult to upload pictures. I will upload videos as soon as I have a chance to do the maiden flight. I hope today, pending weather.

Regards,
-Mike

Great job Mike!(as usual) FB couldn't have picked a better person to "win" their giveaway.

Did you paint the fuse? Can't tell from the pics. Also, did you have to do anything special to the Aerobalsa blades (weights?) or just cover them per the instructions?

Can't wait to see some new video of something flying around here. It's been pretty quiet and I've had my head buried in my PCA-2 build.

DC

Hey guys,

I'll try to get better pics today. The test flight is a no-go for today, the winds are upwards of 25mph.

@Skydanz: I appreciate the compliment from a builder of your caliber. I didn't do anything special with the AB blades. I have used AB's on several autogyros with great results. I run a bead of CA on the trailing edge top/bottom to strenghen the fragile precision edge. The set that came with my kit didnt'require any balance.

I covered the fuselage with Monokote. It was easier for me than painting, and gives a bit of strength.

More pics to follow guys.

Regards,
-Mike

Pictures are very small to see any detail but from what I can see, model came out nice.

Sorry about the pics, they were uploaded from my phone. I'll get higher resolution pics and video as soon as I can.

-Mike

Holy Cow, Mike!
I know it's an easy project but that was fast!

Mark

Hi guys,
I hope these pics are a little better. The winds were too high all day to conduct the test flight. I will get video of that for you guys.

Mark,
It was a very quick and easy build. Well done with the manual, and planning that went into the hardware package. I actually started the build last Saturday evening, and completed it yesterday. Two days build time if you work hard. Three if you're loafing. I had to build it quick before Jodini gave me a hard time.

Regards,
-Mike

Looks real good Mike. Couldn't have been too easy to cover the fuselage with iron on film covering though....could it? I gotta give you an A+ for the film covering alone!

Mark

Thanks for the Kudos Mark,

Covering the fuse was easier than painting to me. I simply cover the edge with a ribbon of covering that just covers the edge without extra material to bunch up, then I covered each flat side and trimed to the edge, Pretty easy. I'm an instant gratification guy, and couldn't be bothered to wait for drying paint. In seriousness, I only decided on that color scheme when I saw that you guys at Flying Balsa sent me the Roundels.

I had all the covering on hand. I am more than happy to Beta test any of your kits in the future. I can't say enough about how complete and well thought out the kit is guys, in a word Brilliant.

-Mike

I was thinking about ordering some replacement blades for my PT but, I am so inspired by Mike's work, I'm just going to order a new Scout!
Any "Earlybird" specials Mark?

DC

Mike,
Great work my friend...Saturday night!!!, I bet it took longer to cover than it did to build!
I'm sure the maiden will be a breeze, let us know how it flies buddy.

A worthy Winner


Regards

Rich

Hey guys,

Still no test flight today because of winds. The forcast is for light winds before sunset, but I've got a mission in the stupid full scale stuff at that time. I don't want to push bad conditions, for the maiden.

Rich,
I'll be sure to post a video asap after the maiden. Thanks for the kind words buddy.

Regards,
-Mike