27% 170B build

[bagarre]

Later B model of course! Two doors, one on each side

You'll need to get the grinder out and turn that gear into a set of lady legs.

For the cowling, you could find some really fine piano hinges, split it top and bottom and pull the wire out like the RV's do.

[falco]

I bought 1/16" "L" channels that are made of ABS plastic. I'll glue it down on the control surfaces with the peak of the "L" pointing upwards and it should look perfect.

The plans called for 1/16" square balsa, but that wasn't going to match the real thing.

Square balsa wouldn't be open on the trailing edge. Hard for those 27% pilots to get those 27% diamond scars on their 27% foreheads without that detail.

Dude, I think you've gone nuckin' futs with this thing and I'm loving every post. Keep the pics coming.

I'm building a Falco and I'm impressed.

[daedaluscan]

Looking very good. I think you could fabricate a little balsa fishmouth on top of the spring? At least a profile view?

And I would be inclined to link the front of the spring mounting plate to the top longerons (maybe with a bulkhead), though I guess the sheeting will do this.

[Ryan Smith]

I wish I were half as motivated as you, Arash. That looks really nice! Keep up the good work!

[Ryan Smith]

Kevin Kimball is a good friend of mine and I had a chance to make it down to his place before Sun 'n Fun last year. The guy that builds the wings for the Pitts Model 12s is an old fellow by the name of Tom Drake. Tom is a master model builder and has built several airplanes that were virtually indistinguishable from their full-scale counterparts. He had just finished a set of wings and had them sitting in the shop waiting to be covered. I'll just say that I was really hot-to-trot to ride in one of them until I saw that they used the same size wood for the wing ribs (3/8" mahogany or similar) that they do in the 40% Extras that I fly. Big difference between aircraft-grade hardwood and balsa, but that still blew my mind. I had this conception that there would be massive pieces of wood, but other than the spar, the rest was truss-built ribs that didn't have much meat on them. Being that it is an experimental airplane, the internal wire bracing was insulated with ordinary Tygon tubing for anti-chafe protection. It really was like a big model airplane.

[GAHorn]

Here's a couple shots of the 1/16" ABS angle that will be glued on to address the corrugations.

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Don't you think that may be over-the-top a bit as you consider weight?
Just thinkin'... perhaps paint might do just as well, since the imagination is being invoked anyway... ??

[n2582d]

Beautiful work Arash! But for the metal look nothing beats real aluminum. I met Carlos Rangel years ago in N. Carolina. His craftsmanship making aluminum scale models was amazing. Here's a link to an H-295 model he built. Peruse his website for other interesting projects he's done. I wish I had 27% the talent y'all have.

[C170U2]

Keep going "over the top" with that thing.....I'm enjoying watching all your progress! Can't wait to try building one with my boys!

[Ryan Smith]

Here's a couple shots of the 1/16" ABS angle that will be glued on to address the corrugations.

The attachment image.jpg is no longer available

The attachment image.jpg is no longer available

Don't you think that may be over-the-top a bit as you consider weight?
Just thinkin'... perhaps paint might do just as well, since the imagination is being invoked anyway... ??

My background with modeling in precision aerobatics where weight really is the enemy. You'd be surprised how much we obsess over it even flying airplanes that have greater than 2:1 thrust to weight ratio. I switched out some servos in a wing panel of one of my F3A airplanes and saved 1.5 oz total in the airplane. Believe it or not, I could feel the weight difference, mostly with respect to the reduced rotational mass of the wing panel; even though the torque of the servo went down, the benefit of the lighter wing panel offset it. Lighter airplanes (in the style I fly, anyway) are always better off lighter as they are easier to fly in the wind and have more power on reserve.

That said, for a scale airplane, particularly one as this, you actually need and want weight. The airplane simply flies too light without some meat on the bones. Honestly, R/C J-3 Cubs really suck to fly because they have a ton of wing area and weigh the same as an airplane that is 1/3 the size. The long span throws off the vertical tail volume coefficient pretty bad and they only are somewhat fun to fly when there is no wind. One of the last projects I did for Horizon Hobby before I lost my job was a 1/5 scale Piper Pacer ARF for E-flite. I chose this for a couple of reasons...

1. I was never getting a 170 past anyone (I tried every day. For years)
2. The Pacer is a sporty looking airplane that's different from what people expect when they see a Piper modeled
3. The small wing area and short span that people don't like about the full-scale are exactly what a model needs to be happy.

I've got a 1/4 scale J3 that I'm clipping the wings on and putting in a 3 cyl radial engine to mimic the Lenape Papoose that was an option for those that had good luck with the Taylor Chummy and were looking to upgrade.

Anyway, keep up the great work, Arash! I just finished a little project myself- my first helicopter build. It's a JR Forza 450, nowhere near the level of detail and love you've put into your machine. I'm setting up the flybarless unit now and waiting on some batteries to come in so I can fly this bad boy.

[C170U2]

Thank god we have wives who let us get away with this stuff!!

[daedaluscan]

[quote="Aryana"] This will be my last RC project before I hang up my x-acto blade for good..

Now where have I heard that before???? Good luck with that one:)

[Ryan Smith]

Thank god we have wives who let us get away with this stuff!!

I made sure my wife understood that she was, in fact, marrying a big child before we said "I do". She puts up with a lot of stuff with the models that I can never thank her enough for the late nights building, driving to contests, and afternoons at the field practicing. I think my plan is working, because she's ready for us to get a 170 so she can get some enjoyment out of messing around with airplanes.

[Ryan Smith]

Now where have I heard that before???? Good luck with that one:)

If I say it enough..over and over, then I can convince myself, right?

I've given up on the thought that I can walk away from the hobby. I've got too much stuff to try and get rid of it all!

The Pacer was a fun project. It's not perfect, but I think it turned out okay. The vendor that manufactured that airplane engineers things drastically different from what other factories do, so it was a bit of a challenge to get to a happy medium. I spent many hours staring at a CAD screen on that airplane.

[daedaluscan]

I have actually tried twice, given/sold all my stuff, and walked away. Then I get just one model for those great days at the slope, and it all starts again. Having the 170 is definitely the priority now, but I still love to fly the toys.

[hilltop170]

Arash-
How are you going to get that thing out of the house without cutting a hole in the wall?