Comet "Phantom Fury" Construction Project Session #3
Comet "Phantom
Fury" Rubber Powered
Free Flight Model Airplane
By Tommy Gray
AMA 17063
This time we will build the wing. Having the laser cut ribs is a real time saver not to mention that the parts are very easy to use. All the spars, etc., fit very snugly and it is a dream to assemble.
First, I laid out the plans, covered them with waxed paper, and then started by laying out the trailing edge and spars. I pinned them by using pins on both sides and crossing one every so often to keep them securely fastened to the board. NOTE: I DID NOT PIN THROUGH a piece anywhere during the construction of the wing. Next I put all the ribs in one at a time, making sure they were exactly in the right place, and securely glued them in with a drop of CA glue.
In the next picture, you see the "almost" finished product.
Next I added the dihedral brace and joined the wing halves together with the proper dihedral. One neat thing that happened here since the dihedral was 2" on each side. I was just about to make a jig to set the dihedral with, when I looked over on the side of the bench and spotted two blocks of 2"X2"X12" balsa I had purchased to make props for my DeLaMater twin pusher. Voila! Perfect size! I put one under each side, glued in the brace, and presto!....I was almost done! I DID go back later and add some tiny diagonal braces to the joints of the leading and trailing edges where they meet the center section. I will show these in detail in the next session.
Summary.....
One thing I need to mention here is that I deviated slightly from the construction materials mentioned on the plans, as I felt that I would never get the thing built and covered with the flimsy balsa they said to use. Some folks can probably do it just fine, but I want something that will not disintegrate on the first "bump in the road".
Notice I said 'Slightly" deviated. The leading and trailing edge are supposed to be 1/16 X 1/8 balsa sticks. I used them on the trailing edge, but made sure I used a very hard piece of wood. Now for the leading edge, I used a piece of 1/16 X 1/8 "basswood" which is significantly stronger than balsa, but does not add an appreciable amount of weight to the structure. I feel more comfortable with it at any rate!
The tiny white specs you see on the tops of the ribs are left over from the laser cutting and disappeared when I lightly sanded the ribs a little later.
Well that is all for now....Tommy