Dave,
No worries, comments are appreciated! I didn’t leave much room for any the way I stacked the posts.

I agree, the Cherokee Dad and I had flew great! I imagine this one will be the same , ( just smaller).
I can’t remember for the life of me what happened to it. I know it didn’t crash…..but after I went to college, i lost track of some of our planes.

D

Today I had the chance to start the covering.. it will be all white first, then yellow and black trim. I will have to paint the cowl, hopefully I can get some yellow paint to match.

I was able to find some pictures of the larger Cherokee that Dad and I built in my old picture boxes. This is the one I flew, still wish I could remember what ever happened to it. These pics were taken at one of the two flying fields that were practically in out back yard!
Does anyone recognize the cowling we used on this plane? It is not original, or even intended for this model, but one we ordered from a well known hobby company at the time. (Hint, I grew up in Iowa, less than 2 hours from this company)


We lived about a mile from a little country grade school where I went to 5th and 6th grades. It had a large enough area there of grass and some playground asphalt that we could fly there.....if the winds were favorable. Obviously If there were events happening, we would steer clear. I played little league baseball at this site as well.
We were also lucky enough to have another high school practically in our back yard that had a huge area for soccer and a track, with no trees.......light poles, fences, etc that we would also fly from. It was a private school with it's supportive church across the road, so there were no Sunday morning flying sessions there, and we would always defer if there were events happening. I flew sailplanes via hi start, and we both flew most of our glow planes there as well. All this was out in the country 7 miles from the larger towns. Today, we would never fly at these locations........mainly because the grade school trees have grown to well over 50-75 tall........and they have installed real light poles and other infrastructure at the high school for soccer, softball, etc that makes that location completely unusable. Oh well. I was also lucky to be able to fly from our actual back yard! We lived on 6 acres, 4 of which were pasture land. We could fly some of our slower, smaller planes there. It was tight, but we did it! lol

Finally back home after a trip to visiting family and able to do some more work on the Cherokee. It seems I can get the basic structure built quickly, but
the covering and finishing there after takes f o r e v e r! It has always been that way. I really want to get this thing 95% wrapped up soon so I can move on
to the next winter project.
Here are some pics of the covering progress. Took all day today to do just the trim and striping. I am glad that is done!! I also got the windshield glued on the hatch, and the hatch magnets for the hold down. Next will be to mount the motor so I can finalize the cowling mounting and holes for the motor on the front.
Lots of little things.................it just takes time.
FYI, I am using Monokote for the covering. I really like it, but sadly as most of you know, Monokote is no longer in production. I have a pretty good stock, but not unlimited. Luckily I bought a 25' roll of white a couple years ago.....and a few other colors I always go to. I have used other coverings, and will survive without the Monokote.......I just like the way it performs. Oh well.

D

Well, this project has reached a point of stagnation. I have the radio mounted, motor installed, and all basic covering complete. Basically, other than some vinyl trim, she is ready to fly. But….that will need to wait till a little nicer weather. Even southern Missouri gets cold and windy in the winter months, and the past few weeks have been nasty. Here are some final progress shots……once the maiden takes place, I’ll post on here. For now, thanks for following along! Now I need to figure out what to build next………

D

Looks great! Wish I could find one of these kits

Well the weather here in Southern MO was beautiful today, and perfect for a trip to the field. Several of our club members went out to enjoy the brief respite Mother Nature provided.
The Cherokee, while still missing graphics, was ready for its maiden flight.
Im happy to report 2 successful flights. It flew pretty much the way I figured it would, very tame, and stable. I have a video, and while not great, you’ll get the idea! Thanks for following along.

D

Well, not the best pics, but I did get a few this past Sunday. Second trip out with the Cherokee and it seems to be a stable smooth flyer!

D