Hi! I'm new to the list; really glad to find this thread as my favorite plane ever was a Senior Slo Mo I built in '93. I quit flying RC for a while & am flying a Kolb Firestar II ultralight. I want to build another Sr. Slo Mo if I can get the foam wing cores. I am going to contact AMA for the plans & will call Bill Evans for cores.

Also, someone told me that balsa is getting hard to get as the only mill burnt to the ground????? That so?

Shack
SC

Hi Shack,

Yes, there was a fire at a certain balsa distributor, but I don't believe that he was the only game in town. I think that happened last November, just before Thanksgiving. It was Lone Star Balsa, "Riley" Wooten's place. You can still get good balsa at your LHS. I hope.

Here is a thread that discusses that fire at Lone Star Balsa.

http://www.lonestar-models.com/

Try this thread for a discussion about other places to buy balsa if your LHS doesn't have what you are looking for.

http://www.flyinggiants.com/forums/f...hard-wood.html

Bob

A few people have been asking me how easy is it to build a Simitar.

I've been meaning to post somthing along those lines for some time now.

I'll do a little bit and answer any and all questions the best that I can.

https://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=462759

Is where I got most of my foam cutting information.

Anyway the cores are cut!

To give everyone an idea as to how big the plane will be when finished, I'm 5'8".

The projected finished wingspan is 85"

Tight Turns,

Claude

Take care, foam gases are extremely nasty and harmful !

I am working in a well vented area during all of this.

I usually just sand the dehedral or anhedral in the finished and sheeted cores, but this wing is just to big and I didn't think I could get it sanded just right.

So I hit upon the idea of cutting a small amount off of the root and cut the anhedral with the aid of my 90' rigs.

I'll have to put off doing anything else until my wood order arrives.

Doing my part to deforest balsa plantations.

Tight Turns,

Claude

Instalation and shaping of Leading and Trailing Edge sub-spars.

A hobby wood plane helpd make this step go a whole lot faster.

Tight Turns,

Claude

I've been looking through MA digital archives on the AMA's website and came across these two.

I've heard there was a product review in RCM a few years back about an Astron 40 kit.

Does anyone have that issue and can scan and email the pages to me?

Or Post them here?

Tight turns,

Claude

I have used this method of sheeting my wings since my second Simitar.

I have experienced no failures, and after the tape has set overnight, it is extremely dificult to remove without damaging the foam. (it can be done, try that with epoxy or contact cement)

I had to resheet a wing previously when I tried Sig's Rhino Hide.(I can't say anything good about that product other than it makes good kindling.)

Most foam wings, the sheeting is put on the cores and the leading and trailing edges are butt glued to the core.

In an Evans' Simitar wing there are leading and trailing edge sub-spars for the sheeting to adhere to making a very strong joint.

It will be a couple of days before I post any more progress, I have club duties the next couple of nights and I discovered a small amount of burnout on the other wing core.

I have patched the burnout with a water-based filler and will need to let it set for a couple of days before it is dry enough to sheet.

Tight Turns,

Claude

Source for large sheets of plywood sheeting:
http://www.aircraftspruce.com

It is available if 4' x 4' sheets as well as 4' x 2' sheets. The larger sheets must be shipped FOB and is very expensive. I had 10 sheets of 4' x 2' shipped to my home for only $18 S&H, total of $130? can't rember how much it was.

Originally Posted by agfrag

Hi all, I was inspired by a photo in the last AMA magazine of a Zipity Do Da, and since then, I have constructed two of them! What a blast! The red and black is a pretty straight forward Zipity, wing span of 31 inches, and the blue and white is my attempt at a Zipity pusher that has a couple small canard wings on the front. The wingspan is 40 inches on the pusher.

They both fly great, the puller is a fast or slow very well tempered flier, and the pusher, which maidened tonight, is a nice slow glider. What a great versitile design.

I acquired an old trainer called an Eagle II. Fuse was busted but wing & engine [.45 OS] OK. I built a plane that looks similar to the red & black one using the un-modified wing, which has a flat bottom; span is 60".

Tried to take her off twice but it appeared to snap roll both times just after leaving the ground- no damage.

Can't figure what problem is; wing is true, CG is 10%, LG mains are at about 25%,elevon throws are about 1/4".

I have a little NEGATIVE incidence in the wing [Bill Evans said either neutral or a little neg.] Some one on this forum said to use a little positive...........

I flew a Sr. Slo Motion back in '93 & am going to build another very soon, but would also like to get the " Eagle" to fly.

Any suggestions? Shack

Originally Posted by Shack

I acquired an old trainer called an Eagle II. Fuse was busted but wing & engine [.45 OS] OK. I built a plane that looks similar to the red & black one using the un-modified wing, which has a flat bottom; span is 60".

Tried to take her off twice but it appeared to snap roll both times just after leaving the ground- no damage.

Can't figure what problem is; wing is true, CG is 10%, LG mains are at about 25%,elevon throws are about 1/4".

I have a little NEGATIVE incidence in the wing [Bill Evans said either neutral or a little neg.] Some one on this forum said to use a little positive...........

I flew a Sr. Slo Motion back in '93 & am going to build another very soon, but would also like to get the " Eagle" to fly.

Any suggestions? Shack

Most all of the Evans' Simitars are set up with 1/8" to 1/4" Positive incidence.
(pointy part of the leading edge about 1/8" higher than the center of the trailing edge sub-spar for most all of the 40 sized planes)

How big are you're elevons?

Let's see a picture of the plane.

Tight Turns,

Claude

Originally Posted by Claude G. Vest

Most all of the Evans' Simitars are set up with 1/8" to 1/4" Positive incidence.
(pointy part of the leading edge about 1/8" higher than the center of the trailing edge sub-spar for most all of the 40 sized planes)

How big are you're elevons?

Let's see a picture of the plane.

Tight Turns,

Claude

Elevons are 1 1/4" [largest I could find]. They are up about 3/16". Chord of wing is 12".
I'm thinking maybe my LG is too tall which makes bouncing worse when taking off the grass thus I overcontrol ..............?
I just ordered [4] 2x4 sheets of 1/64 Finnish ply for my Sr. Slo Mo. project from Aircraft Spruce-$88 plus frt. The 1/32" was just over half as much but I was worried about the weight [couldn't find the weight anywhere].
Will post photo when I learn how.

Shack

Originally Posted by Shack

Elevons are 1 1/4" [largest I could find]. They are up about 3/16". Chord of wing is 12".
I'm thinking maybe my LG is too tall which makes bouncing worse when taking off the grass thus I overcontrol ..............?
I just ordered [4] 2x4 sheets of 1/64 Finnish ply for my Sr. Slo Mo. project from Aircraft Spruce-$88 plus frt. The 1/32" was just over half as much but I was worried about the weight [couldn't find the weight anywhere].
Will post photo when I learn how.

Shack

Landing gear should be close but aft of CG unless the wing is a tail dragger. Then the landing gear wheels will be forward of CG. Usually the wheel centre line will be at the leading edge of the wing or slightly forward.

Try to keep the elevelon width greater than 10 percent of total chord width.

CG for my wings is usually at 14 percent MAC.

Take a look at the landing gear length of the Doulas Skyray and Chance Vought Cutlass and the Avro Arrow if the model has a nose wheel.

If a tail dragger the landing gear should be longer enough that the prop will clear the ground by a reasonable amount when the model is held in the level take off position.

Paul

Originally Posted by flyingwings

Landing gear should be close but aft of CG unless the wing is a tail dragger. Then the landing gear wheels will be forward of CG. Usually the wheel centre line will be at the leading edge of the wing or slightly forward.

Try to keep the elevelon width greater than 10 percent of total chord width.

CG for my wings is usually at 14 percent MAC.

Take a look at the landing gear length of the Doulas Skyray and Chance Vought Cutlass and the Avro Arrow if the model has a nose wheel.

If a tail dragger the landing gear should be longer enough that the prop will clear the ground by a reasonable amount when the model is held in the level take off position

Paul

It's a high-wing tricycle. Elevons are almost exactly 10% of cord. CG is 10%; I will try 14% & shorten the LG.

Shack

See the discriptions by the pictures.

Let me know if you have any questions!

Tight Turns,

Claude