Scale Wendell Hostetler 30% Piper Cherokee Glass Fuselage Build.

[TonyHallo]

Cut the bottom airfoil and glued on skin on.

 

[Snoopy1]

In the past I have used wax paper when I made wing tube sockets, decided to give parchment paper a try. The sockets will also be treated with peel ply and vacuum bagged, again these are deviations from previous work.
The carbon fiber tube was treated with a coat of Vaseline then one wrap of parchment paper was wrapped, this was smoothed into the Vaseline with my finger as it was wrapped around. Two wraps of 4 ounce cloth were wet out and wrapped around the tube, this was followed with peel ply and perforated release film, then place in a vacuum bug under full vacuum. I used rubber bands to keep the peel ply wrapped around the tube, that is the various colored lines in the second photo.
Hope I can get it off the tube! I was a pain doing the 36" length, two pieces would have been easier.
Time to start cutting the hot wire templates of the stabilator.
Working on the lengthened tail cone. It is currently getting a few coats of paint and it will be ready for molding. The rudder had a few pin holes that were easier to fix while off the plane so I've been holding off gluing it on. Those parts look good until you shot a little primer on then all the pin holes show up, even when using the vacuum bag they still show up!

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How many wraps of parchment paper, when I have done it with wax paper one was not enough very tight fit.
also when you say full vacuum is 8 to 9 inches of vacuum.

 

[TonyHallo]

Just over 1 wrap of paper. I had good success with wax paper and Vaseline. Working slowly the around the tube working the wax paper into the Vaseline, I used 1 1/2 wraps of wax paper on the previous tubes. The parchment paper comes out of socket better than the wax paper. Full vacuum 28" hg.
Both skins are on, needs trimmed

 

[TonyHallo]

The stabilator skins are attached, need to work out details of the anti servo tab now. I'm sorry at this point that I didn't make the foam 2" thick on the trailing edge and even considering starting over or eliminating the anti servo tab on this build, time will tell. I need to study the tab more.

Working on the revised tail cone. The original one made last year is short so it was glued on and cut to the correct length, also making it a two piece mold that will allow a flange added to one side like the full scale. The new cone extends to the fin trailing edge.

 

[TonyHallo]

After further review, I plan to cut the airfoil out of 1 pound expanded bead with a 1/2" 2 pound trailing edge. The weight was not sufficient to make the skins flat and the ribs are telegraphing through. This way I attach the skins under vacuum. Oh well, make another socket and set of skins, we'll call this one a prototype.

 

[dhal22]

Following, understanding most………….

 

[TonyHallo]

Have the foam core cut and the socket is installed. The first skin is in the bag, just might get is joined tomorrow, hopefully the second skin will get laid up tomorrow. The relief grooves for the corrugations are cut in the core

 

[TonyHallo]

Had to break out the vacuum pump as I have no means to control the vacuum on the new pump. Looks like a winner so far, of course so did the prototype! The skin is covered with parchment paper as the Gorilla bleeds through where there are pin holes. The skin is 1 1/2 ounce glass and 5.7 carbon fiber about .014" thick.
The mold for the tail cone is complete and the final layer of 4 ounce cloth is going in, once cured it will get trimmed and the molds will be joined with packing tape placed on the top half, then the mating flange will be glassed in, two layers of 4 ounce.

 

[TonyHallo]

Clear packing tape installed on the top half of the tail cone. The joint was painted with PVA after the tape was placed. Decided to go with 3 layers of 4 ounce cloth for the flange. The flange will get trimmed to 3/8" once cured.

The rudder is back on with new hinges and the bearing block is mounted on the tail post. Works good.

And the second skin is glued on.

 

[dhal22]

There’s flying RC planes, a hobby in and of itself. Building RC airplanes. Another hobby. Then there’s this………..