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Post by markymark on Mar 31, 2010 22:56:27 GMT -5
I've started in on my Mountain Models (Laser Arts) P-51 Mustang. 37" wingspan (small!) -- WITH retracts. I've got the fuse and tail feathers all framed up and am working on the wing. I ran out of thin CA though. I'm really concerned about the retracts and don't know if I can fly it from Gavilan because of the roughness of the field. I'm afraid they'll get ripped out. But I'll cross that bridge later. Attachments:
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Post by Lt Swiss on Mar 31, 2010 23:11:46 GMT -5
Awesome plane. You can just make it beefy on the bottom and belly land it with the gears up... Besides the sound of my daughter's voice, my favorite sound in the whole world is the P-51 flyby...
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Post by bearcat on Apr 1, 2010 17:01:33 GMT -5
You need to find some pavement to fly off of. I'm sure there are some places here in town.
Mitch has told me when it's not crowded on Salazar Rd, you can use the street for take off and landing and fly it over the balloon field. On the weekend, you could also probably use the parking lot at the Taos County Arc, right next door to the balloon field, as a backup landing field if you need to land and cars are driving by.
There's another excellent flying field that we've used. It's at the Taos Middle School on Paseo Del Canon. In back, there is a soccer field with a nice paved jogging track (1/4 mile). Mitch has used that runway a number of times with his Cessna.
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Post by markymark on Apr 6, 2010 22:52:51 GMT -5
Thanks! I know all of those spots. I'm thinking maybe the running track for the maiden. I'm hoping the soccer fields turn out nice. They'll be perfect if the grass is kept short. I'm taking my time on this one. I want it to look nice -- right down to the interior of the cockpit. Man, working with vacuformed plastic is hard! Attachments:
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Post by bearcat on Apr 7, 2010 8:50:57 GMT -5
Wish I knew you were running short. I was just at the hobby shop in Alb a week ago. But in a pinch, the CA superglues you can get at the store work fine. You don't get as much quantity as you would at the hobby shop, but it works fine. Just buy more tubes. I know what you mean about working with plastic. On the Stinson Voyager I built, I had to fabricate my own windscreen. I softened the plastic the best I could and hand formed it. (Difficult). Here's a pic of the finished plane: There is a way to make your own vacuum-formed windscreens and stuff. But it's a bit of work. First you have to carve the form out of balsa. Then make an attachment for your vacuum cleaner with a surface that has many holes drilled in it. Spray mold release on it. Place the sheet of acetate on top and put it in the oven until the plastic softens and drapes over the mold. Then quickly put the vacuum on it and turn it on. This was a tip many years ago in a modelling magazine.
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Post by markymark on Apr 19, 2010 0:31:48 GMT -5
Getting close! Got the ailerons on and hooked up and the motor powered up. All surfaces are covered. Just need to mount the rudder and elevator, no easy job as they both use pull-pull systems. With the 4 bladed prop and Scorpion outrunner it wants to move at almost the lowest power setting! It looks like it will weigh in at 17 oz which is light and puts the wing loading at 9.3 oz/sq foot. My Telemaster is about 9oz. I'm actually excited to fly her and am thinking maybe later this week in Espanola. Maybe take a day off from work even and go flying on some tarmac.
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Post by bearcat on Apr 19, 2010 11:19:40 GMT -5
I think you are wise to take your plane down to lower altitude for its maiden flight. What is it, about a thousand feet lower in Espanola? Make sure it's during the cool morning so that your density altitude is lower and winds haven't yet begun.
Then keep the first flight short and see if you can find a field with tall grass, in case something's wrong. You can always bring a plane down in tall grass with no damage. I usually do most of my CG balance tests in a field with tall grass. If you didn't want to ROG the first flight, you could hand launch that way in a grassy field.
Albuquerque's even lower, about 2000 ft less than Taos, if you maybe want to take it there. The Balloon Fiesta park is a popular flying location there.
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Post by markymark on Apr 19, 2010 22:42:25 GMT -5
Now I'm wondering about the West Rim Road. My buddy says it's beautiful asphalt with virtually no traffic. I bet that's the case south of the triple peaks access. I might ride out on my motorbike and check it out. A LOT closer!
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Post by Lt Swiss on Apr 20, 2010 18:27:50 GMT -5
Hey, get some pics if you go out there and post them here. I can't picture the ground cover out there.
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Post by bearcat on Apr 21, 2010 16:15:47 GMT -5
Yes, west Rim Rd, heading out to Carson, would work. But it's proximity to the gorge is fairly close. So best to head out there early morning, since you can expect WIND out there.
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