Skip Harper

Does anyone have photos of a BME 50 cowl cut out for the GP Pitts? A few construction problems so far: The cabane alignment came out about 1/16 off. The top bolts were difficult to remove after the cabanes were attached to the fuse. They can be forced into alignment or I can elongate the holes at the fuse. or at the top where the wing attaches. The threaded part of the axles is too short - the nut barely has enough thread to grab the locking part of the nut, like they were made for a thinner gear bracket. The tail wheel bracket installation shown in the photos is not mounted 4 1/2 inches from the tail post as the instructions state. If it is mounted 4 1/2 inches from the tail post the bumper stop will hit the bottom of the rudder rather than the bottom of the tail post when takes a good hit. All small problems - just aggravating - some days my tolerance is a little low. Skip

Skip Harper

The holes in the top wing were all off. The two front ones are too close together. The instructions point out in BOLD PRINT that the brackets are not symmetric and therefore must be installed correctly or they will not touch each other. I wish this had been the case. they were all identical and symmetric, so no matter what orientation the holes in the wing were too close together (actually one was too far toward the center). If I had re-drilled the hole in the wing in the correct place it would have been too close to the existing hole and created a weakness in the most critical attachment point in the plane. I elongated the hole in the bracket to make it work. The rear holes are too far apart and there is a 3/32 inch gap between them where they should be touching. One of the holes in the bottom wing for the inter-plane strut bracket was 3/16 inch out of line with the other one. I had to re-drill it measuring the same distance for each off the nearest rib to match the other wing panel. Next the top wing is 5/16 too high for the inter-plane struts to fit between the wings. Double checked the dihedral in the bottom wing and checked to be sure the top wing was perfectly straight, all was right on. Considering moving the attachment points for the cabanes to the fuse. down to compensate. If I do this the new holes will still be in the hardwood and far enough away from the existing holes so as not to create a week spot (I hope). If I get concerned I will put blind nuts inside the fuse. and use machine screws. This is a lot of trouble. I have read much good about this kit and I love the scale looks and design of this kit, so I guess I just got one built on a Monday by some guys with a hangover.

Bipeguy

My Feedback: (2)

Skip,
I think Great Plains put out a notice about the struts being wrong with a suggested fix for it. The earlier kits had that problem. I got one of the 'newer' kits and did not have any trouble with it. I think GP posted it on their website. It's a great flying plane! I put a G-45 on it. Your 50 shud do even better.

Have fun.....Scott..

Skip Harper

I've got the UPDATED version. Believe it or not I just completed a VMAR Texan II for my son and it went together better than my Pitts. GP did give me good customer service by replacing the cowl right after I opened the box as it had a defective paint stripe.

NavyE6FE

I've got the updated kit too and there are still too many minor problems with it for the price you pay! First GP needs to fire their QA personnel! I filed the top wing brackets to get the fwd brackets to line up in the center of the wing. The rear brackets I left alone since they were an equal distance from the center line. When I put the top wing on I had to reposition the fwd left cabane fuse mounting point so that the bracket attachment holes lined up. Then the interplane strut on one side lined up with the brackets but the brackets were bent to much to lay flat against the strut(rebent them). The strut on the other side was about 1/2 in. below the wing and 1/4 in. to the outside of the brackets. Rebent all four brackets on that side so everything lines up but still the top wing is about 1/8 above the bracket but the plane still flies good for me. Wing saddle holes for the dowels had to be opened for wing to fit right. Also had several hardware issues.

rfw1953

My Feedback: (2)

I guess I was just lucky in that mine aligned without any problem. I did use upgraded hardware, especially in using a gas engine. This was my first gas project so again, I guess I just got one that was right. I didn't use the pull pull tail wheel assembly. I opted for a third servo in the tail and used a Ohio Superstar medium sized tail wheel. Just a personal preference learned form a friend. I had to grind and test fit the cowling for the Fuji 50 in mine. This was time consuming, but it worked out with patience.

Good luck. I think you will be pleased with the finished product. Several people passed on to me to make sure to check the nuts and bolts to make sure everything remains tight. Vibration can cause things to come lose, but you probably already know that.