Now the fuselage. Pic 1. All the work stations are glued together, the wing saddle cut out, wing bolt blocks installed, and blocks installed for the leading edge dowels.
Hot dog! The wing fits and it's square. Alot of hours put in to find out that there is something wrong. Pic 2. Using the nose wheel for the size of the opening. Pic 3. Nose gear opening traced out and you can see the lines for the hatch cover for the receiver and servos. Pic 4. Tail section lined out where the vertical fin will be. Pic 5. Making the fan mount. 1/8 aircraft grade ply is used . There are no plans for the mounts. Remember, this is scratch build. Pic 6. Trial and error is done and the mounts are ready to install.
Pic 7. A second piece of 1/8 ply is added to the top side to allow enough depth to use 4-40 blind nuts. Pic 8. Fan mounts epoxied in place. Pic 9. The tail feathers. The horizontal stabilizer and elevator are from 1/4 inch balsa. The vertical fin and rudder is 1/4 inch balsa with 1/8 balsa lamenated to it and then sanded to profile. The hole in the stabalizer is for the push rod for the elevator. Notice the rod between the elevators. That used to be a stock item and various sizes at the local hobby shop. Not any more.
Piece of 1/16 brass flat bar, a length of 4-40 rod, a trusty wire bender and we're off to the races. I used a control horn to get the length for the brass bar. Drilled the bar to take the 4-40 rod. Cut the rod to length including enough for bending a 90 degree 1/2" on each end. Drilled three 1/16" holes in the brass bar for the push rod clevis.
Pushed the bar onto the rod, bent 1/2" 90's on each end, soldered the bar to the center of the rod and epoxied into the elevators. Pic 10. The reason for the laminated fin, is for the elevator push rod and the wiring for the rear light. I used my Dremel to make two 1/8" deep, 1/8" wide channels. Put the wire in one and the push rod in the other.
Glued the 1/8" balsa on to the 1/4" making sure no glue got in to the channels. This allows the wire and the push rod to be moved up and down to get the right length.
Pic 11. Is the completed fin and rudder. All hinges in the elevator, rudder, and ailerons are Robart 1/8" pin hinges. Pic 12 is the finished stabilizer and elevator.
Now the part that hurts. Pic 13. The wiring, elevator push rod, and the rudder push rod are inside the fusalage. The only way to get there is to split the fuselage.
This is the left half with the rudder push rod installed. Pic 14. This is the right half gluing in the vertical fin. Using 30 minute epoxy. Also a 4s battery makes a good weight untill the epoxy sets. Pic 15. Both halves of the fuselage with control rods,wiring, wing bolt blocks, fan mounts, leading edge dowel blocks, and fin glued in place.
I used two sided tape to hod the rods and wire in place. Also, I used epoxy on top of the tape, as insurance for longevity. Notice the black dots on the fuselage edge. Again the left side will be alignment dowels and corresponding holes on the right side. Pics 16,17,18. Different views of the fan and thrust tube. The Tutor requires a thrust tube.
You have to make it. Staples is the best place to buy the plastic. It is a plastic cover for a desk blotter. It is quite thin, about .015". You need it thin so that you roll it into a cylinder. Best part is, it's cheap. Pic 19. The fuselage pushed together but not glued. Pic 20. The fuselage with stabilizer and elevator sitting on top of the fin. Pic 21. The fuselage glued back together. The nose gear installed, servo rails installed and the piece of ply in the center of the rails is for the receiver. Pic 22. The fan unit with it's thrust tube installed.
Okay. Now you are caught up to me.
Don