Indeed, a nice tail you've built! Now, go to a dating site and find yourself a girlfriend to take with you on that vacation. That's how I met my wife, so I know it can work!

Geoff

Thanks Tony,

I may take next week off from work, or the one after that, I can't decide. I will go to stay at a modelling friend's house in Istanbul, so I may continue working on the model or parts - depending on if I drive there and take the model with me, or travel via public transportation..

Bulent

Interesting idea Geoff,

I never tried that source - the ones around me at work are too young

Bulent

I just looked at the Craigslist personals, and there are very few women advertising in Istanbul, but if you are not prejudiced against Greeks, there are many there! http://athens.craigslist.gr/w4m/ Have fun!

If we are going international, Russian sources could be better, although I am not prejudiced about the Greek I checked Russian sites before, most of the ladies there were divorced and with two kids so I got pissed off..

Russian ladies make good wifes, that is the saying here.. and of course there is the other kind, only searching money

Bulent

I still have not reached a decision on a vacation, maybe in a few days or next week I may go - my health seems to be getting better slowly.

I finished the vertical tail, except for some final sanding - which should better be done later on, to give a chance to correct the dents to come while handling the model in the workshop. It is around 10 grams now.

I also joined the back section of the fuselage, aligning all the bulkhead centers with the laser projector. One bulkhead was slightly off, but that much should be OK. Two balsa parts were temporarily added to keep the tail in shape until the vertical tail post is glued on. I had to use cyano, because placing the cross members was difficult - I placed all of them properly, lined up the tail and added cyano without moving the assembly much.

I also started cutting parts for the wheel pants, which I may work on while in vacation.

Bulent

I have started maching the tail wheel assembly from aluminum magnesium alloy. The steps of the operation can be seen below. Up to the third step, machining was done on a Sherline mill, but not CNC, only using hand controls. After that it is only hand shaping.

There is some more work to be done, three holes to be drilled and one tapping job (for the vertical shaft). I may shape it further as well. I can not find a detailed photo showing this part, the fork arms may need to be rounded more on the outside.

It is 0.67 grams now, but it will get lighter.

I guess this part was not painted on the full scale, so I may do the same. Too bad some casting voids come up, it will not be easy to fill these in natural color. Maybe I can paint it aluminum, that will also prevent color change due to oxidation..

Bulent

Elegant work! And good to hear that you're feeling better!

Geoff

Thanks, Geoff..

Bulent

Originally Posted by bmutlugil

I have started maching the tail wheel fork from aluminum magnesium alloy. The steps of the operation can be seen below. Up to the third step, machining was done on a Sherline mill, but not CNC, only using hand controls. After that it is only hand shaping.

There is some more work to be done, three holes to be drilled and one tapping job (for the vertical shaft). I may shape it further as well. I can not find a detailed photo showing this part, the fork arms may need to be rounded more on the outside.

It is 0.67 grams now, but it will get lighter.

I guess this part was not painted on the full scale, so I may do the same. Too bad some casting voids come up, it will not be easy to fill these in natural color. Maybe I can paint it aluminum, that will also prevent color change due to oxidation..

Bulent

Bulent,

I plan on stopping by the museum this week, and if things work out, Geoff will be along as well! Certainly between the two of us, a couple good shots of the tailwheel (and any other details you need) of the museum's Fairchild would be easy enough. Let us know of any other details else you might need.

James

Thanks James,

I guess there is another type of tail wheel, with a spring on the front and a fulcrum on the fork - I hope the one in the museum does not have that type.

I guess a photo of the rudder horn and the rudder control cables could be useful. I have shifted the horn a bit down, I don't know how bad it will look. Some photos of the main LG and wing strut attachments could also help..

An overall photo showing the finishing scheme could help, if it is a good looking paint job that is applicable without much difficulty - of course this depends on if I like it

Bulent

Very nice work on the tail wheel bracket Bulent,
wish I had the equipm to do stuff like that

Thanks,

With some persistance that part could be done with only hand tools, but it would take longer - so one might not want to start..

I have actually received the Sherline mill as a present from an Israeli modeller. He would not even let me contribute to the transportation costs.. He is such a kind person, and I am lucky to have known him - not due to the mill he donated.

Bulent

Originally Posted by bmutlugil

Thanks James,

I guess there is another type of tail wheel, with a spring on the front and a fulcrum on the fork - I hope the one in the museum does not have that type.

I guess a photo of the rudder horn and the rudder control cables could be useful. I have shifted the horn a bit down, I don't know how bad it will look. Some photos of the main LG and wing strut attachments could also help..

An overall photo showing the finishing scheme could help, if it is a good looking paint job that is applicable without much difficulty - of course this depends on if I like it

Bulent

Bulent,

Well I actually had to do a service call in the neighborhood of the museum, and managed to sneak off for a few minutes to snap a couple pics. I took one good (?) pic of the tailwheel, though the lighting was rather poor. My camera's battery was also in need of a charge, so this is all I could get today. I will take some better shots later this week!

James

Thanks James, wow, immediate action..

That is the wheel type I wanted, and I see that the shape is quite different from mine - well, I am not aiming at absolute scale, so as close as I can get is fine.. The tire cross section is also different, mine is more rounded - this one looks like an automotive tire..

I am still modifying the plan because the original 3-view was quite different in some details from the photos I have, it might be a different variant. As an example, the wheel pants in the 3-view look much fatter than the ones in the photos - so I reduced the width of the cross section around 4 milimeters.

Bulent