Some assembly required, batteries not included.
http://www.sheol.org.uk/extras/Airplane.jpg
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Some assembly required, batteries not included.
http://www.sheol.org.uk/extras/Airplane.jpg
Just wondering if this should be moved to the "spec my rig" section :D
Just a little work required!. Which kit is it?
It's a Questair Venture.
It's a kit from 1989 which was worked on and then stored in a barn (in the desert) for more than a decade. The workmanship looks decent, but obviously a lot more work to do to finish it up. Let's say I got it at something of a bargain price.
Here's a finished one!
http://www.youngeagles.org/photos/ga...uestairM20.jpg
That's not a plane mate, that's a bath. :P
Love to see a build log. :)
+1Quote:
Originally Posted by chuckskull
The built model looks great. Very nice :)
Well if its been stored in the desert then hopefully it is all well preserved!
Looks like a great project!
You might need bigger PSU than 1200w and some decent fans to go with it too lol
Need to mod it with JATO rockets!
That is a cool project, I'd love to build something like that. I remember watching 'A plane is born'.
It would be great to see a build log with lots of photos.
I think your going to need to buy a pneumatic rivet gun :)
The finished one is the photo looks very short (or is it just the photo angle).
Teepee you got to pimp it up as well
I'll post some pictures as I get some stuff done, but be prepared, this is going to take a few years. Everything has to be done right, no short cuts or bodging. And the engine costs about $60,000. Might be looking for a used one.
It will be pimp! I'll be rolling on 4"s.
I didn't know one of these cost so much:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Continental_IO-550
Factory doesn't list pricing, but the -G or -N are the ones I need... Lancair has them: http://www.lancair.com/J25upgrade/in...tions&catid=72
Just seen the cost of the prop!:o
Short you say? Are you trying to egg me on?
http://www.youngeagles.org/photos/ga...rVenture_1.jpg
I'm told it has eggcellent performance...
mega jealous
One thing I always wanted to do was learn how to fly.
When I was in Canada I was offered a Used Cessna 172 complete with flying lessons for $40,000 but just could not come up with the cash.
Or you could put some more money into the project
http://www.environics.com/Portals/16...22%20image.jpg
andQuote:
Originally Posted by TeePee
http://www.madeyoulaugh.com/funny_ph...an/big_fan.jpg
it could actually work - lol :D
Teepee... that's INSANE man :)
In the time it takes to build.. and for you to earn the dough to make it all .....
you could take that bit to Cockpitfest :)
That comes in kit form too - just ask China ;)Quote:
Originally Posted by csgohan4
http://i.telegraph.co.uk/multimedia/...h_1797557b.jpg
this look like a great work... thanks for sharing guys :)
Does it come with a parachute , or do you just hope your close to water ?Quote:
Originally Posted by TeePee
:D
m
Always wanted to be a fighter jet pilot!:(
Great project, very interesting indeed.
wow thats some project - good luck!
amazing. make a log and keep us posted on progress?
B@
I am looking forwared to the finish date. It should look pretty good then.
Some pics would be much appriciated, happy building.
will it have flares and a missle guidance system Teepee?
Cockpit is a bit small for the ejector seat.
Any chance for a mini fridge as well
Just spent $2000 on tools :eek:. Got to get my shop set up right!
No missiles, fridge, jet engine... Hoping for three wheels and a noisy bit...
$2k on tools?
Was one of those tools a highly trained mechanic?
Air tools! Rivet gun, drill, lot's of rivet sets.. And a rather large compressor. I want something I can paint with, if I go that direction.Quote:
Originally Posted by TheAnimus
Are you going to build a custom water cooling loop for it?
No need with the delta fan he is planning to fit
Unless he goes for stealth mode...Quote:
Originally Posted by GoNz0
Got the plane delivered. Here she is tucked up in bed:
http://www.sheol.org.uk/extras/Plane1.jpg
And here are some of the parts which need to be glued on:
http://www.sheol.org.uk/extras/Plane2.jpg
I'm not really sure what I've gotten myself into...
oh dear
wow, I'm envious of your new project.
Stupid question, but what are the bits protruding from the assembled bit so far that look sort of like dowel? Because I thought planes where screws and rivnuts for the home build?
I would guess dowelling for accurate location of the components, then rivets/screws/flue for fastening strength.
They are called Clecos.
They are a special type of fastener for temporarily holding sheets of metal together. They are spring loaded and need a special type of plier to insert and remove.
The forward skins on the airplane have been drilled, but not yet fixed. I'll actually be taking them off to finish some of the internal structure and fit the controls before countersinking and riveting the sides on.
Most of the structure will be riveted together using sold 'bang together' rivets, most of them 1/8" in size. Screws and rivnuts are way too heavy!
Modern kits use different processes. The Vans kits have all of the holes predrilled, and then you cleco and rivet together. The RV-12 uses Pop-rivets, as does the Zenith. It's like assembling furniture from MFI, only really a really complex 100mph+ death-machine.
This kit originally came with some formed aluminium sheets which were trimmed to size and then drilled, which takes a lot longer. I'll get a taste of that when it comes to the forward fuselage!
That's not a plane - it's a bathtub! :lol:Quote:
Originally Posted by TeePee
Seriously though, that's hella cool. Is all that in your garage at home, or have you got some space at a local airfield, or...?
Just thinking bathtub too if it all goes wrong!
but why not mod it to one of these bad boys:-
http://www.ctie.monash.edu.au/hargra...n163ae_500.jpg
I hope it holds together better than an MFI kit , your going feeling everything surely in a craft that small ?Quote:
Originally Posted by TeePee
Still - an amazing accomplishment if you pull it off .
m
Just thinking if it came with Ikea style assembly instructions :)Quote:
Originally Posted by melon
If it did your going to wait sometime before it's finishedQuote:
Originally Posted by peterb
Given up on metal. Gonna build the rest out of 2x4s.
http://www.sheol.org.uk/extras/Plane3.jpg
Not really.
http://www.sheol.org.uk/extras/Plane4.jpg
Starting with the rudder. Page one! I'm not sure why, but while the wings and fuselage are partly done, the rudder hadn't even been started. I'll need to rebuild some of the other control surfaces as well, as they have some damage. This is the perfect place to start.
Spar and ribs built up in template:
http://www.sheol.org.uk/extras/Plane5.jpg
Trimmed the skin to fit, started drilling it to match the pilot holes in the spar and ribs:
http://www.sheol.org.uk/extras/Plane6.jpg
Added the Balance horn, which has a heavy weight inside, and the control tube which will be attached to the pedals via cables and a bellcrank. Cleco overkill!
http://www.sheol.org.uk/extras/Plane7.jpg
this has to be the best build thread hexus ever had!
This is almost worth a sub-forum of its own! :)
Subscribing to this!
Some comments gave me a chuckle!!
Should get a Hexus sticker on that badboy when your finished. lols
A little update:
With all the parts assembled, the pilot holes were drilled and countersunk. More Cleco action, as the larger holes have larger clecos.
http://www.sheol.org.uk/extras/Plane8.jpg
Then the parts are painted. I don't do gardening.
http://www.sheol.org.uk/extras/Plane9.jpg
And then riveted together. This took ages and was pretty miserable. There's so little access for a bucking bar, I ended up beating up the skin in a couple of places. It's cosmetic, and the plane will be painted, so no big deal, but it it ain't pretty.
http://www.sheol.org.uk/extras/Plane10.jpg
Then with the hinges attached I mounted it to the Vstab which the original owner built. Of course it didn't fit. Turns out the hinge on the Vstab is positioned based on the rudder hinges. I put my rudder hinge in the plans location, the original builder did not. I had to redo the hinge fitting. I left the horn skin oversized so that I could trim it exactly to fit. I'm very pleased with that part.. In this picture the rudder is slightly deflected, so it looks like it's way off! That's the aerodynamic balance for you!
http://www.sheol.org.uk/extras/Plane11.jpg
Just slightly concerned at the duct (or Duck!) tape in third picture! I guess pop rivets are not acceptable for this? Solves the problem of access to the back of the pieces.
Does the build have to be inspected by anyone (FAA?) at any stage during construction?
haha I noticed that too, I hope he has enough rivets !!Quote:
Originally Posted by peterb
:surprised:
m
Just so long as you don't want to see the golden rivet. :)Quote:
Originally Posted by melon
I was wondering that myself.Quote:
Originally Posted by peterb
I didnt actually know anything about that till you told me .Quote:
Originally Posted by peterb
isnt that a naval myth though ?
m
cant be worse than the golden showers that TeePee will produce, if when hes flying a wing falls off :DQuote:
Originally Posted by peterb
more seriously, didnt TeePee make a canoe a few years ago?
if so, make another one, strap them to the bottom of this thing, voila, a seaplane.
And I thought I was going to get comments about the garden...
The duct tape is 20 years old! It was taping up the cable that's hanging out of the bottom. That's eventually for a NAV antenna which I may or may not have mounted on the Vstab one day. The while wire through the rudder is just there as a pull through. I'm planning to put a beacon on the top.
Which brings me to a question that might be in the particular field of some readers here. I want to use LED lights, and most of the commercial offerings are very large and expensive. I'm thinking about using a small number of high power LED's like the SST-90s. They meet the FAA intensity requirements, but I am concerned about powering them. The airplane will have a 28v electrical system, and the cheap LED drivers for flashlights aren't designed with EMI in mind. Any ideas? I know I can use a microcontroller for the flashing part.
Do the electronics have to be FAA approved?
If not, you might improve the EMI performance by careful screening, mounting the controller in a metal box, use screened cables connecting the controller to the LEDs, chokes in the power lines connecting to the 28V system, although it will add to the weight. On the plus side, LEDs have a low power requirement, which will reduce the problem. (switching high currents is a big source of EMI).
I'm pretty sure that anything electronic/electrical installed in a plane must me FAA approved.
and @peterb from knowing others that have done these type of projects, no there is no inspection during the build process.
There is a certification inspection done for final approval before you can fly it and they use camera's and such to look inside the wings and other hard to reach places.
Of course this info is over 10 years old so they may have changed the regs by now.
Is it an experimental rating?
Garden... I hope thats not going to be your runway strip , though it would be pretty awesome to say the least .Quote:
Originally Posted by TeePee
Then again if you had something like this , perhaps you wouldnt need it ?
BTW did you notice anything unusual in the 1st video Animus ?
m
It is experimental. No FAA certification requirements for the electronics, but obviously must not catch fire and burn me to death. There will be an airworthiness inspection from the FAA.
Another option for the controller case would be metal sprayed plastic, there are high nickel paints that can be used for RF screening, help keep the weight down.
A very little update. The good news is I found my camera. The bad is I haven't found the cable. So more phone pictures I am afraid.
Not much excitement really. I have been replacing the skins on the elevator and horizontal stabilizer, which had been built by the original builder and had been damaged at some point in the last 20 years. I was able to find replacement skins from a nice chap in Canada.
http://www.sheol.org.uk/extras/Plane12.jpg
http://www.sheol.org.uk/extras/Plane13.jpg
Much the same structure as the rudder, but the Horizontal has a lot more reinforcement in there for strength. The completed part is about eight feet long, and I had to be very careful moving it about the house as I didn't want to take chunks out of the wall. It's now resting in my front room, with the wings and rudder. I like to call it 'The Lifting Surfaces Room'.
Now it's on to the Fuselage!
http://www.sheol.org.uk/extras/Plane14.jpg
Ah yes, the classic hellboy look.
For that, there actually has to be a garden... ;)Quote:
Originally Posted by TeePee
Looking great though chap, it might actually inspire me to pull my finger out and complete some of my own half-built projects! (Nothing as cool as a plane though!)
I am enjoying this, can't to see the finished product.
At first glance I though you'd just bought the cockpit and where going to turn it into a sim rig.
This is one heck of a project, keep at it.
PS you so should of strung that 2by4 bit out for a few posts. ;)
Been a while since the last update:
First thing on the fuselage was adding all of the pulleys which should have gone in there before it was riveted together. It was a real pain getting to them.
http://www.sheol.org.uk/extras/Plane15.jpg
Then working on the control systems. The side sticks have a very intricate set of linkages.
http://www.sheol.org.uk/extras/Plane16.jpg
Here the side panels are cleco'd on to drill the holes for some brackets.
http://www.sheol.org.uk/extras/Plane17.jpg
Then the reason for no updates. This pile of junk showed up in February:
http://www.sheol.org.uk/extras/Plane18.jpg
It's used landing gear from another aircraft. I've been working on overhauling it all, which doesn't really make for compelling viewing. Lots of cleaning, sandblasting and paint stripping. Those are the 4's I'll be rolling on. I picked this up for an insanely cheap price. I also found a canopy and exhaust, which are the main parts of a finishing kit which the factory sold for $17K. I spent less than $3k.
I'm back to work on the controls now, and am working on redesigning and strengthening some parts.
Awesome mate, looking forward to seeing how you finish her off in the coming months/years :)
looking forward to more updates, been following your thread for what seems to be a year now :)
I've made a lot of progress! Honest!
There was a lot of small details that needed to be done. I bought a lathe so that I could make a lot of small parts for mounting the controls.
http://www.sheol.org.uk/extras/Plane19.jpg
The larger parts pictured hold small bearings for the rudder pedals. The pedals themselves are attached to columns which rotate, and I found some steel replacements for the original kit parts that are much stronger. The smaller parts are for a linkage between the two sides.
http://www.sheol.org.uk/extras/Plane20.jpg
I made a new linkage with a fitting for a rod end that will be a lot stronger than the original.
http://www.sheol.org.uk/extras/Plane21.jpg
Here it is mounted with another component I made on the lathe. The larger tube contains a spring which creates resistance to pedal motion. The large tube is held in place by the linear actuator, and pressing a pedal will move the linkage compressing the spring inside. The linear actuator will move the larger outer tube changing the neutral position of the pedals, which will have the effect of trimming the control. It's kind of complicated to explain. The original kit used rotary motors and a separate cartridge, which was prone to failures.
You can also see the brake lines which will connect the two sets of pedals. Each pedal has it's own master cylinder, allowing you to brake each main wheel individually, from either side. There are more lines which run from the bottom of the pedals to the wheels.
http://www.sheol.org.uk/extras/Plane22.jpg
Then there's cleaning and painting.
http://www.sheol.org.uk/extras/Plane23.jpg
The big milestone. Riveting the side panels to the fuselage. There is a sealer around the edges of the panel which will keep it airtight. This is especially important around the bottom of the fuselage where the exhaust will be.
This takes us up to about August. I'm behind on organising my pictures!
Love watching projects like this, looking forward to seeing more :)
Holy crap, now that is a real project! Nice bike by the way
Anyone who buys Ducati likes mechanical challenges:pQuote:
Originally Posted by ixis
Missed this thread, glad its poped back up so i can follow :) what a project!
Here's a view of the inside of that riveting:
http://www.sheol.org.uk/extras/Plane24.jpg
With the center section riveted, the fuselage was fixed into position in the frames. Supports were built for the center fuselage, and to support the nosebowl which will be the front of the fuselage. The large brown piece is a steel template. Everything has to be aligned within a fraction of an inch as I like going in straight lines. There's a plumbline, waterline and a level all at work.
http://www.sheol.org.uk/extras/Plane25.jpg
The first of the forward frames is assembled with part of the engine mounting system.
http://www.sheol.org.uk/extras/Plane26.jpg
This is then clamped into place.
http://www.sheol.org.uk/extras/Plane27.jpg
http://www.sheol.org.uk/extras/Plane28.jpg
With the forward frames in place, the lower skin can be clamped around them and permanently attached with blue painters tape.
http://www.sheol.org.uk/extras/Plane29.jpg
The hole for the nose gear well is roughly cut out to help with positioning.
http://www.sheol.org.uk/extras/Plane30.jpg
It's then drilled for rivets to the frames. Then everything is dismantled.
http://www.sheol.org.uk/extras/Plane31.jpg
Cleaned and painted.
http://www.sheol.org.uk/extras/Plane32.jpg
And riveted together. Most of this was done with the template in place, but it had to be removed for access.
http://www.sheol.org.uk/extras/Plane33.jpg
I'm not seeing any gun mounts. There will be guns right? Right? :tomato:
I expect they'll be underslung, next to the bomb bay doors. The synchronising with the prop might be a little easier if they are further back :)Quote:
Originally Posted by rox0r
Seriously - great to see it coming on so well. When do you expect to see it in the air, TeePee?
Great thread; I've been following avidly. I feel like the mods ought to add theme music like 633 squadron or The Dam Busters so readers can absorb themselves in the experience. Noticed the Duke (a monster?) too; you certainly like a challenge Teepee:)
Thanks for sharing this. Really interesting rebuild of one of the coolest homebuilt's ever. I'm in the midst of rebuilding a midget mustang and I commend you for taking the time to create a build log (something I certainly don;t have the patience for).
Building an airplane is definately something on my bucket list. Hopefully I'll find myself in a situation to be able to do it sometime, I was thinking I could turn the front room of my flat into.....
But your bump has reminded me, how's it all going TeePee? I trust I'll be allowed to take it for a spin some time when it's built ;)
maybe a spins not the best way to fly it!
If the air screw doesn't spin, it doesn't go anywhere.
one has to ask... was this previously shot down? ;)
Quote:
Originally Posted by TeePee
reason I ask is the lines showing through cabin look similar
to this damage modeling in IL2 ;)
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v1...ps18b8c964.jpg
http://i50.tinypic.com/afew3n.jpg
https://encrypted-tbn2.gstatic.com/i...j9AgClRxTSgHWw
Love some Midget Mustang!
http://www.airbum.com/pireps/PirepMi...angDwnTurn.jpg
Here's some update!
With he plane still jigged level and straight, I worked on fitting the tail surfaces. The previous builder messed this up, of course.
http://i.imgur.com/FbOCHiD.jpg
I made shims and reinforced the frame with some solid doubler plates.
http://i.imgur.com/BGkcSVZ.jpg
Then fitted the Vertical Stabilizer. This actually fit well, and all I had to do was drill some trim pieces to set the angle.
http://i.imgur.com/24DSQqo.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/CVBeVqa.jpg
With the tail surfaces now properly fitted they are removed again. I know, frustrating, but they'll just be in the way. Now at least the attachment points are correct so they can go back in the right place! With the parts that need aligning complete, the fuselage can be removed from the jig. It's now mounted on a spit!
http://i.imgur.com/pGGRqug.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/pucHcH4.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/WXm154M.jpg
I now have access to complete a lot of the bottom riveting, along with fitting internal brackets for everything, and to clean up some of the bodywork.
Another cracking good practical engineering project - good to se it progressing!
An epic build :) Would love to do this if I had the time, money and space.