VK Cherokee Babe
 

As the year 2024 winds down, I figured I should maybe add to my blog here. It will be easier to do this build log via my blog vs a real build log on the Balsa Builders forum as I don't always do a good job taking thorough pics along the way.

This project actually began in early December, (2024). One of our local club members got me going with his build of a Midwest A-T6, so I took some time to consider what might be on my list for this winter. There are still a few of us old time modelers in our club that still like to build models from kits, and not just assemble them. That is not a dig on ARF’s or RTF planes……..just a fact that I still like the process of building, planning, and otherwise dreaming of the finished product.
Now I don't know what drives any of your guy's interests in projects, but for me the last few years have pulled me to "nostalgia" builds.......or, planes from my past. I have several in that category on my list, and the one I pulled out is the VK Cherokee Babe. Dad and I had the full size Cherokee back in the day, 70’s and ‘80s, and if flew absolutely beautifully. It was the first .60 size r/c plane that I flew, and at that time.....that was BIG. That Super Tiger engine sure screamed! As I went through my old photos, I also found that he had another one when I was very young. (I believe that one is the plane he flew into a light pole by accident at the airport where we sometimes flew.)
A summer or two ago I found this Cherokee Babe kit on RC Groups for a good price, so I added it to the stash, and it called to me the past few days from the shelf..."Build me, Build me!" The Cherokee Babe is a smaller, .40 size plane, more suitable to what I am wanting these days. It will be about the same size as the Sig 4Star 20 that I fly, and will use basically the same power system and batteries.

Few other things send me to my happy place like being in my workshop and opening a kit for the first time. Just seeing and smelling that wonderful balsa inside brings back so many memories, it is just hard to describe! This kit was in very good condition for being sold originally in 1978! The other fun thing when opening older kits is finding any literature that the previous owner may have left inside....and this one had a couple ad sheets from where it was originally purchased along with the receipt. So cool!

The VK kits were good quality, and this kit is no exception. We are spoiled today by laser cutting and cad design, but a good quality machine cut or good die cutting from the 70's and 80's can rival that quality, and this balsa kit still is in outstanding condition. However, this is not a kit for a newbie, as the instructions consist of the full size plans, an exploded parts diagram, and some basic explanations of the process. The only real die cut parts are the wing ribs, and a few formers for the fuselage and the fuselage sides. Sticks, sheets and blocks make up the rest of the parts, and nothing is labeled or numbered. One actually needs to be able to measure and identify things to get the right part or sheet. That being said, as long as one has put at least a few models together, and maybe have someone to ask some questions to, I believe they would not have trouble building this one. Simple, straight forward construction is the order of the day on this plane, and good old fashioned glue, t-pins, X-Acto knives, clamps and weights will be the tools required. I will use some CA, but I still like the good old fashioned Titebond glue for strength and durability.

VK Cherokee
 

The building commences! Several sub assemblies are required to be glued together before the fuselage can be glued up. Doublers for the fuselage, and a few of the bulkheads need to be added. I used Titebond glue, weights and pins to keep everything stationary while drying. Titebond does not take much time to set up.....so it really is not that much slower than CA, and I like the confidence of strength it provides.

VK Cherokee
 

The first two formers are added to the right side of the fuselage, then that assembly is glued to the left side. I do this with the assembly over the top view of the plans to make sure I get things square and true.

Once this assembly dries, the other formers can be added, keeping it all true and straight. The bottom sheeting is added, then the push rods. It is easier now to locate those push rod slots, and to add the necessary supports for the push rods.

Once the basic fuselage is assembled, it is off the garage shop to carve out the basic shape. I like to do most of the dirty work out there, as it is easier to clean up and makes less dust in the basement shop (right next to the furnace.....)

VK Cherokee
 

One of the things I very much enjoy in the building process is the carving of the blocks and pieces that are used for various things. Hatches, wing tips, leading edges, etc.......I love to turn them from square to round airfoil shapes! The fun begins here with the fuselage. All those triangle pieces were added for a reason......to allow room to carve and sand to a nice round shape. If one has ever flown, or otherwise seen a real Piper Cherokee, the shape will be obvious.

I try to do the bulk of my carving and dirty work in my garage shop. I have a pretty decent wood working area and this allows me to keep the big chunks and major dust out of the house. From first shaving to final shape for this fuselage took me about 30 minutes. The bulk of the work is done by my most cherished of tools.......my little draw knife! I have had this thing since junior high school days when one of my Christmas gifts was an X-acto set with knives, blades, a block plane and some saws. I still use most of those items today......50+ years later!

One of the pics will show a roughly hewed right side top....with the left side marked and ready to be carved out.

VK Cherokee
 

The fuselage is 90 % shaped and the tail assemblies are fitted. I haven't covered the assembly of the horizontal stabilizer yet, but will in a few posts. Anyway, the slot/opening of the fuselage is now tweaked and sanded for a nice even fit.

I didn't get a great pic of the hatch before carving, so this one will have to suffice. One can see that it is made up of 3 blocks, then glued to a former that the windshield will attach to. It is keyed into the firewall via a dowel, and magnets will hold the rear in place. The hatch was optional.......but I wanted easy access for the flight battery.........so I added it. It didn't take much time, and the reward later is well worth it.

With the firewall now in place, it is also the time to rough fit the cowl. This requires rounding and sanding of the nose bottom sheet we added earlier. It does not have to be anywhere near as round as the fuselage top.......so there is not as much material to remove.

VK Cherokee
 

Now that I already show the horizontal stab in place.......let's visit how it was built.

As was it's big brother's, the Babe's stab is fully symmetrical and sheeted. The ribs are laid out over the plan and spars, with the trailing edge shimmed up for the proper rib alignment. The leading and trail edges are pinned in place, and then these items are glued together. Here is one area where I did use CA glue since all the parts fit well....and it allowed me to pin everything down, then glue.

The 1/16" sheeting is then fit and glued in place on the top. Here I did use Titebond wood glue.....It just does a better job here filling any gaps that I may have missed.

When this assembly is dry, I turned it all over, added the shim back, and glued the top sheeting in place. With everything thoroughly dry, the stab is removed from the plans, trimmed and sanded and then the tip blocks are added. Then it is back out to the garage to carve those tips!

VK Cherokee
 

On to the wings.
The wings are of traditional design using symmetrical airfoil with tabs on the bottom rear of each rib to assist in alignment while building.
The spar is pinned in place, then the ribs set in their places and pinned, and then the top spar is added to help hold things together. The trailing edge is then glued in place, as well as the leading edge. The wing has 1/16" sheeting along the whole leading edge from spar to the front.. I like this design as it allows easy clamping of the sheeting to the spar, and plenty of area to pin the sheet to the leading edge. I use wood glue on this process, but sometimes use some CA to make some areas hold better without pins.

I went ahead and added the top sheeting for the tips now, while the wing was still secure over the plans. This makes for a nice, true structure without twists. Once it is turned over and shimmed, the bottom sheeting will be added. However, I will leave the top and bottom center section sheeting until after I have joined the wing halves together. There are still details in this area that need to be attended to before sheeting, namely some half ribs and the landing gear blocks. The sheeting here will have to wait till those are all installed. Interesting side note, this wing design does not use any shear webs........those vertical grain pieces that we glue in between the ribs on the spars to make a full solid spar. Not all wings utilize this method.......and this wing certainly appears strong enough without..........so who am I to question?

Also, If one goes back to the plans, they will see that only the left wing section is shown in its complete form. The right section is all on the plan, but one would have to cut the plans and piece them together to get the full right wing. I HATE to cut plans.......and since this is such an easy design, with even spacing on the ribs, I simply marked the leading and trailing edges as well as the spars for the rib locations, and built partially over the plans. Some plans only show half a wing, requiring one of several methods to get the other half.......but that's for another build and thankfully I did not need to do so here.

VK cherokee Babe
 

The next step of the process is to join the wing halves together, and while normally this is not really a difficult task, the way this wing was built makes it just a bit more challenging than most. So, many times the wings have a long joiner going into a slot formed by the spars so one can line everything up. Or, each wing is built with it's own center rib, glued at the proper dihedral angle, making it easier to glue the halves together.

However, this wing has the spars and leading/trailing edges end via an open bay, with a small dihedral brace to line up the main spars. Then, after joining, the extra half ribs are added in the proper locations with the wing hold down blocks guiding their positions.

After some fiddling, I came up with my method for this process. First, one needs to sand the spars and leading/trailing edges to the correct angles and lengths. This also means testing the fit from time to time to make sure the proper dihedral angle is there. Since the wing is symetrical.........it makes it just a bit more difficult to make sure all is true. I found that If I added a couple holes in the leading edge sheeting near the front, I would be able to use a small spring clamp to hold the leading edge in position. The main joiner could then be clamped to the main spars, and the trailing edge pinned in proper position finishes the process. I tack glued the wing first, re checked the dihedral and then used epoxy to glue the dihedral joiners in place. Luckily I had everything lined up and the wing came out true!

The wing hold down blocks are basswood, and glued in next along with the half ribs. I did add some triangle stock to reinforce these ribs to the spars.....because I could. (piece of mind here) The landing gear blocks are added at this time as well.....they help position the sub ribs.

VK Cherokee Babe
 

Now, with the landing gear blocks glued into the ribs, we can add the bottom center wing sheeting. This design has the blocks stick out by 1/16" so the sheeting will be flush with the outside surface of the blocks. This way the clips that hold the landing gear in place are on solid material, and not balsa. I have done other wings where this occurs, and I had to recess the clips as the balsa just crushes. I like this design better.....but I did need/want to add some more surface inside the wing for the sheeting to glue to. Plus, I did add more triangle reinforcement for the landing gear. This gives me maximum piece of mind for minimum weight penalty.

Once all the sheeting is done..........final sanding can take place, and the center section reinforced with fiberglass cloth...........next step!

VK Cherokee Babe
 

Not many pics on this step......

While not indicated in the instructions......I thought this wing could use a little more help on the center section. No, it is not going to see hard aerobatics or 3D. However, for a minimum of weight gain, on can add a tremendous amount of strength to wings like this. I have built......well.....many models and the little steps that Dad taught me, and others I have learned along the way can and do make a big difference in the quality and strength of a build.

Public service safety announcement............THIS NEXT PROCESS SHOULD BE DONE IN AN AREA OF GREAT VENTILATION, WITH EYE PROTECTION, AND A MASK!!!!!!!! CA CAN PRODUCE FUMES THAT CAN BE HARMFUL. PLEASE USE CAUTION.


The steps here are easy.......I make sure the center sections is sanded true and even. I then take some fiberglass cloth........(I wish I had the weight of this stuff I used, but I don't. It is similar in weight and texture to a silk or lightweight nylon cloth.) I cut it to width and rough length, then give a little sprits of spray adhesive. 3m, Elmers, etc......... just a light spray and then it can be placed on the wing.....bottom first.
I rub it down, then use thin CA and flow it over areas of about 3" square or so........and rub in place with waxed paper till cured. I continue till all areas are covered, then trim the edges. I repeat the process for the top of the wing. Once it is all sealed the way I want, I will use Z Poxy finishing resin and apply it to the cloth area. Once cured, it is sanded lightly to smooth out the rough areas. The result is a tremendously strong, lightweight wing center section that holds up to the stresses of the wing hold down system.

VK Cherokee Babe
 

As much as I enjoy doing the carving and shaping of the solid blocks and all on the projects, the other side of that spectrum is installing the hinges. While I don't necessarily hate the process.....it is one I find tedious, mainly because it is a job that needs to be done right to make sure the control surfaces operate smoothly and do not cause unnecessary binding. Ok, so I do not use CA hinges. They have their place, but I choose not to use them for various reasons. My hinges of choice are the old Klett pinned hinges, and since I can't find those any longer, I use the DuBro small or medium pinned hinges. The old Kletts had removable pins, where DuBro pins are flattened on the ends so as not to come out of the hinge. I just pull that hinge pin out, and replace it with the like size wire from my supplies. This way the hinge can be installed, then removed at any time-for any reason. I usually will use a small drop of glue to seal the pin to the covering after final assembly to make sure they don't slide out.
Many of the readers here may find that my next technique is overkill, but it is how I have installed hinges since Jr. High, and I have never had one fail. They are always smooth, and easy to repair and replace the control surfaces if required. Once the control surfaces are slotted, the hinges are slid into place. When I have everything lined up properly, I drill some holes through the wood and hinges of the surfaces, and then push a toothpick pin into the holes. Drops of thin CA tack it all in place until I un-pin the hinges........then I go back and add CA to the toothpicks to secure it all in place. Once dry, I use a toenail clipper to trim the toothpicks, then sand everything smooth. Again,........overkill? Maybe. Peace of mind? Absolutely.

VK Cherokee Babe
 

We are getting to the nit noid things that have to be completed before covering begins, and the installation and finish of the push rods is next on that list.
The outter tubing has been installed, and now needs to be secured as it exits the fuselage. I usually will mix up some ZPoxy resin and micro baloons to fill this area as the push rod exits and then sand everything smooth. I will make this one of the last things I do at the end of the day or evening as the resin requires overnight to cure. I love the micro balloons as it is easy to sand, and strong, and sticks to just about anything!

Once the push rod exits are sanded smooth.........I installed the elevator and rudder push rods and the control horns on the control surfaces. Final hook up inside will occur after covering during radio installation.

VK Cherokee Babe
 

It is now time to fix a goof!

It has been a long time since I had built an airplane with a nose gear, so when I cut the hole in the firewall for the cooling and motor wires to pass through, I forgot to account for the nose gear bracket! Well........The remedy was to notch the hole for a filler piece, glue that in place, then install the nose gear bracket and then resize the cooling hole a bit. Not hard.......didn't take much time.......but it did make me kick myself for missing that. Oh well.

VK Cherokee Babe
 

This project began on December 4, 2024, and the last pics taken were on Christmas eve, December 24th. The holidays have given me time to pause and enjoy some quiet family time, but I hope to start the covering process in a day or two. It would be nice to have this covered and ready to install the radio before New Years, but we shall see what life sends my way.

D

I hope I'm not intruding. Please delete this reply if you want to.
Nicely done build thread. Detailed and with excellent photos.
I built a Cherokee Babe, sometime prior to 1989. Flew it on an OS 25 FSR. One of the best flying airplanes I ever had. Lost it to a mid air.