flmlm

Thought I'd post a update on my progress. The wing is pretty much done. All I have left is to glue the canopy in place and a graphic on the bottom of the wing.

chris_in_montreal

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Looking good flmlm My progress has been woefully slow recently. I finally made my mind up on the powerplant, opted for the Webra .50 GT in the end. I have some Dubro vibro mounts attached now to the firewall but have not attached the engine yet. I have been debating with myself on whether i will attach the front gear to the front or rear of the firewall. I have a fults nose gear which to install properly needs a little more room than the stock one as there's an additional retaining ring which attaches to the wire above the gear mount. Mounting on the rear will result in the front wheel being approx 3/4 inch rear of the stock position. As yet i haven't thought of why this would cause any problems, but maybe i would need to move the main gear rearwards by the same amount. Anyway all this procrastination is not getting the Kavalier built!!! Once i have these few details out of the way though it should be plane sailing .

ZeppelinIII

flmlm,

Looks great man, can't wait to see it finished.

chris,

My only comments about putting the gear on the rear of the F/W would be that it will take up a bunch of room for your tank, so You'll have to make sure that you can get enough tank for your 50. Also, it could be really hard to get in there to hook everything up.

- Zep

flmlm

Zeppelin III,

Thanks for the positive comments; I continue to make some kind of progress daily so hopefully the build won't take much longer. I’m excited to see how my Kavalier handles in the air. I know the design is good just not as sure about my building skills.

Chris,

I know what you mean when speaking about "woefully slow". I've been in the same boat. This being my first real build I find myself thinking and planning more than actually building. I'm sure the thinking time is greatly reduced with more building experience. There are just so many choices to be made with regards to techniques to be used to complete a specific building task. I guess if I were in a hurry to complete the Kavalier, time would be an issue, however this is not the case.

With regards to your debate on the front nose gear, I really struggled to get the fuel tank and plumbing installed behind the firewall with the space that was available. I used a 10oz. Sullivan tank and the fit was somewhat tight. So I believe installing the nose gear mount behind the firewall would be an additional space burden. Also I don’t know how you would adjust the linking to the nose gear after every thing is closed up in the nose. Heaven forbid if you should have a hard landing and break the nylon gear mount.

Just some thoughts, Regards

chris_in_montreal

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Thanks for the advice guys. After thinking about the gear location i just said to myself keep it simple and install it as per the instructions, pics below. Will continue to mount the cowl tonight

flmlm

Chris,

Firewall looks good. I think you made the right decision on the nose gear placement, for what it's worth.

I finally made the plunge and began using monokoto for the fuselage finish. Overall I'm pleased with the way it came out. However I did get a few wrinkles in the finish that I just couldn't seem to get out. Work will keep me from making any further progress the rest of this week. Next week I plan to cover the horizontal stabilizer in yellow and then finish the vertical stabilizer in florescent red to match the leading edge.

Regards

chris_in_montreal

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Had a whole day devoted to the build today and it felt good to progress things after it not seeming to be moving on at all lately. I Finally got my motor mounted on the Dubro mounts. This has been bugging me for ages as I didn't feel comfortable drilling these aluminium mounts accurately with a hand drill. But a quick trip to Home Depot and $70CDN later i'm now a proud owner of a small drill press. So today i drilled the holes in the mounts and tapped them to take the engine mounting bolts. The first picture below shows the results. I am going to have to extend the fuselage walls a little past the front face of the firewall by around 1/8" so that the cowl can sit in the right position behind the spinner backplate and not leave a gap. This all seems like a lot of trouble to go to i know, using the stock mounts i would have none of these problems, but hey its all part of the fun.

I also began work on the elevator dry fitting all the cross pieces ready for glueing.

GuyIncognito

I really like your thread. Just by coincidence I pulled out my old (19 years !!) Kavalier two weeks ago. Looked at it for a while trying to decide whether to throw it out (very hard for me to do).It is plenty dirty.Last night I took some cleaner to it and voila it looks great! So im putting it back together and using it as my son's second trainer.

This is a very nice plane. You just can't beat Sig kits. It's very unique in appearance and a solid flier. It's great to see a new flier building kits. I always encourage people to build at least one kit so they know how to fix theirARFs (and by the looks of ARF construction lately that's going to happen a lot!!)

I'm the same - I always need a project that will last a whole winter (I'm from Ontario - nice to see a fellow Canadian on this site - going skiing in St.Donat in March). pretty sure I'm going to build a 1/4 scale spacewalker next winter.

Any way, you've picked a great plane. I'll post some pics tonight.

flmlm

Chris,

Your build looks really good. The firewall assembly looks great. I have really enjoyed building the Kavalier to this point. Hopefully I can finish covering the tail feathers this week and begin the final plumbing work. Thanks for the update on your project, it's helped me continue going through with mine.

My next build is laying in the floor around me. I got hooked on the Top Flight Contender. I was following the Contender thread on RCU real closely and just couldn't help myself had to have it I think the O.S. 46 will be a great power plant for your Kavalier. I just bought one myself for use in the Contender.

GuyIncognito,
Some pictures of your Kavalier would be great. I've got a very old Kadet that's in bad shape and really just needs to be thrown out but I just can't bring myself to do it.....


Regards

chris_in_montreal

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Thanks for the positive comments guys I managed to keep some momentum going on the build this week completing the tail feathers save final sanding. You'll see from the pictures i'm using hinge points for the control surfaces on the Kavalier. I gotta say i'm really happy with the results being my first time using them. I was expecting a much tougher time but really with a bit of time invested the results are far better than those i had previously using pinned hinges. I'm starting to get excited about seeing this bird complete now now i see all the parts really take shape. Still umming and ahhing over what to use for covering but think i'm going to go the fabric route and try painting it with latex paint after reading a lot of info here on RCU.

How's your coming along flmlm?? Got any more recent pics??

flmlm

Hi Chris,

Your build looks outstanding, I really like the looks of the hinge points. I've never seen them used before, the installation looks really clean! The covering choices are vast I certainly understand the extra thinking time required to make a decision on method of covering. I'm really not thrilled with the monokoto covering method. I've just returned from my not so local hobby shop and I must say some of the planes covered in monokoto that are hanging up really look bad (bubbles) hopefully mine will stand up better. I'm mainly concerned with the soon to return humidity of the south and the effects on my finished product. If I had the choice again knowing from experience now, I would have gone with a fiber glassed fuselage and tail feathers.

I've moved along with my Kavalier as well. I've got the tail feathers completed but still have to attach them. Looking foward to making some more progress over the weekend. Thanks for the update on your progress you've come a long way and the finish line is approaching!

Regards,
Mike

chris_in_montreal

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Hey Mike,

I used Monokote on my LT-40 and while i didn't find it that difficult to work with the end result was just OK. I have noticed recently though that the covering has wrinkled in some areas - its been about five months since i covered it. I'm not sure if maybe temperature and humidity may have something to do with this. I covered it at the end of last summer while temperatures were up in the 70's and the air was fairly humid. Its been much colder over the winter months and the air is very dry and i wondered if this would result in a small amount of shrinkage in the frame of the LT-40 and hence i'm seeing some wrinkles in the covering. I'll see what happens over the next few months. Anyhow i'm sure i can work them out with the iron if they remain. Your cover job looks great though, i like the flourescent patches on the wing leading edge, should give good orientation on landing.

I've been hacking at the cowl over the last couple of days to fit it to the firewall with the engine mounted. I sat for ages trying to work out how to transpose the orientation of the engine onto the cowl so i knew where to cut, but couldn't think of a clever way so i just started hacking away and working it a bit at a time. In the end its come out pretty good i think although not the "concealed" look i originally had been thinking of!! That cowl really is a tight fit. The firewall is now epoxied to the fuselage and drying as i type. Will continue with the fuselage build tomorrow and post some more pics.

flmlm

Chris,

The "hacking" you've done on your cowl looks pretty darn good to me. Myself I couldn't figure out how to hold the firewall and engine then mark the cowl at at the same time, a third hand was the only answer I could come up with and of course I was fresh out! I must say I spent plenty of time just looking at the engine and cowl figuring, trying to put together a game plan for hacking mine up.

I like the flourescent on the leading edge as well. I did the same thing on one of my electrics and it really seemed to help out. I'm sure the color will fade fast but it should serve it's purpose.

Unfortunately, didn't get much more done on my Kav over the weekend but the week is still young!


Thanks for the update and keep'em coming.

Regards
Mike

chris_in_montreal

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A little more progress to update.....

Added the cross members in the tail section of the fuselage top and bottom. Was a right job to jig the fuse square using my limited building tools but managed it OK. Need to now figure out how i'm going to support the gold'n'rods for the tail control surfaces through this section of the fuse before sheeting it now.

chris_in_montreal

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Still plodding along on the build. In the last week I've sheeted the top and bottom of the fuselage and plumbed in the gold'n'rods for the rudder and elevator controls. I made a small modification to the main gear location replacing the balsa part LGB with a piece of basswood to bolster up the strength. I just spotted a minor (hopefully) mistake i've made.... The fuselage former F2 which has the two short dowels for locating the front of the wing on has a 3/16" plywood reinforcement epoxied across the top of it. Well when i glued in the former to the fuselage i put it in back to front so that this plywood reinforcement is the side of the wing meaning the wing will have to sit 3/16" rearwards of its stock position. I only spotted it now i'm starting to look at the wing location and its too late to undo anything, so will have to work with it. Other than that its looking really good and although its been almost five months on and off i'm pleased with the end result. I've now ordered some sig koverall fabric and nitrate dope to cover it with too and will try latex paint for the finish. Will wait until the weathers a bit warmer here in Montreal before doing any covering so I can do it outside, i don' think my girlfriend will appreciate the dope fumes (although i kinda like it!!!!).

flmlm

Hi Chris,

Your build continues to come along. My build has proceeded slowly do to work related issues. I have however completed gluing the tail feathers to the fuselage and have begun the final plumbing details. It would seem to me that the small detail appear to be the most time consuming I'm hopeful that I'll be finished with the Kav build within the next couple of coming weeks.

I just can't take my eyes off my next build, Contender.

Jax RC

Wow, what a great thread!! I love my Kavalier, well I did right up to the crash. I have built 2 .40 size kits and have owned and flown a .60 size and a 1.2 size. These were built from enlarged Sig plans. The 1.20 size was especially fun. It had a ST 3000 on it. my .60 had a Saito .91 4s attached. They are all gone now (#1 crashed, #2 traded, #3 .60 given away and my 1.20 crashed and was totaled). Reading this thread makes want to build another one though.

chris_in_montreal

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Hi guys, been wondering how you'd been getting on flmlm, i agree with you that the small details take the most time, on my build the basics of the main construction has been done in maybe a week so far total, all the rest of the time is thinking about all the seemingly "little" things.

Thanks for the comments Jax, now a 1.2 size Kavalier!! I can imagine that it was a lot of fun and must have drawn some double takes at the field

Anyway i just got hold of the radio equipment and am putting the finishing touches to the wing which i put on hold to build the fuse. Adding the wing blocks, sanding those leading edges, final fitting of the servo hatches etc... will have an update some time this weekend to show the last weeks progress.

flmlm

Jax,

A super sized Kavalier, interesting. I bet that was an eye catcher at the field. I don't suppose you'd have any pictures you could share with us?

Chris,
Hopefully I'll be able to get some more plumbing done later on tonight. My brother and I flew our electrics this morning and that has really got me wanting to continue on with the Kavalier.Have you guys started to thaw out up there yet?

chris_in_montreal

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Yes, spring is definately here in Montreal and we're seeing around +5C pretty much every day in the last week. The thaw is underway. Our field is now closed until the ground dries so its not long now until i can get to flying my LT-40.

These wings are taking forever to finish but am on the final stretch now. I have the ailerons fitted using hinge points and the leading edges are shaped. I now have the wing tips on and rough finished, just have to add the tapered profile and thats that other than completing the servo hatches and final sanding.

Not a great deal to do on the fuse in terms of construction, just the sheeting to add to the nose section and then mount the wings and tail feathers. Another week and i might have her ready for covering. I'm actually now thinking of glassing the fuse, tail feathers and control surfaces and just doing the wing in Koverall. I like the added strength glassing will give especially around the fin as i don't want to add any reinforcing material. Anyway some more pics as things are below:

flmlm

Hey Chris,

Your Kavalier is really looking good! Just from my amateur observation those hinge points look great. Appears to be little or no gap between your control surface, very impressive to me. If you get a chance could you post another picture of the hinge points, perhaps a little closer? Where they easily installed? Control surface installation really seems to be a process that I need to improve on.

Well after a short conversation and some key statements by my brother, I’ve decided to wait on the Contender as my next build and have purchased a LT 40 and a OS 40 LA for a power plant. Figuring on waiting on the Contender until I’ve full mastered or destroyed both the Kavalier and the LT 40.

I wish I would have followed your progression but ya can’t change the past. After talking with some folks in the club they’ve got me a bit spooked. Perhaps I’m trying to go too fast. But I had the Kavalier kit and really just wanted to see if I could build it. Unfortunately, the Kavalier could have been built much better if I’d just have gotten a trainer and built that first to gain construction knowledge,

This weekend hoping to get the plumbing finished on my Kavalier. The list of things to do continue to shrink and I’m excited about completing this build and moving on.

Took the electrics out this morning and had a great time with them. Each time I fly it seems this sickness / addiction to RC continues to grow! Good to hear you’ll be back in flying weather soon.

Regards
Mike

chris_in_montreal

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Hey Mike, your gonna love building the LT-40 and it'll be a breeze after the Kavalier. I built mine completely as per the instructions apart from adding some triangle stock to the fin at the tail. Caution though, mine ended up being tail heavy doing this even with an OS.46AX up front i needed to add about 4 or 5 oz to the nose. If doing it again i'd make some changes to the way the vertical stabilizer is mounted so that this would not be necessary. Its a really nice straight forward build though and floats about the sky.

I've found the hinge points to be really easy to use and have given me much less headaches compared to the pinned hinges i used on my LT-40. As long as your nice and accurate drilling the holes in the wing trainling edge and the control surface you can get excellent results. I posted a few pictures below showing them in closer detail. As for tools all you'll need is a pin vise which will hold a suitable sized bit for the size hinge point you use and i'd really recommend the robart guide (pic 1). The guide has a changeable center so you can select one of two hole sizes. The hinge points i'm using here were smaller than the smaller sized center so i added some copper tube and made it a little longer so it acted as a good guide for the drill. Then all you do is mark up the locations where you want your hinges being careful that you line up the wing trailing edge and control surface carefully and then drill your holes to the required depth. I then recess the area around the hole in the control surface using a small round file so that when the hinge point is bent 90 degrees the knuckle of the hinge sits in line with the control surface edge (pics 2, 3 and 4). You also need to open up the top 1/16" of the hole so that you can insert the hinge point in the hole properly as the hinge points usually get wider around the hinge. Once all the holes are drilled i dry fit the control surface and check for alignment and if i can deflect the surface without binding and contour the control surface edge if needed to resolve any problems. The result is a free moving control surface with almost zero gap. As for gluing, well i haven't got that far yet but i plan to follow the suggestions in the how-to in this link: [link=http://airfieldmodels.com/information_source/how_to_articles_for_model_builders/construction/hinge_points/05.htm]aligning and gluing hinge points[/link]

chris_in_montreal

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One more pic.....

chris_in_montreal

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A few more hours put in today and its finally starting to look like an aircraft

flmlm

Chris,

Your Kav is really starting to take shape, you must be pumped up. I know from experience that once it all starts to come together you really get a big rush of gradification.

Thanks a lot on the comments regarding the LT 40 and the hinge points. I really wasn't expecting such an indepth response but it sure was a pleasure to read and utilize for future projects. I'm only use to the things that I saw as a kid watching my father and the pinned hinges were all that I knew. I've really grown to dislike them, I just can't seem to get the pinned hinges installed to my liking. The next project will either be hinge points or CA hinges.

I've really learned a lot about construction through thins thread and others and can't wait to apply the things that I've learned to my next build, building really has started to become an addiction.

Regards

Mike