Mirage Build, 2015-2016

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Mar 04

4 coats of white brushed on, with a final spray

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Feb 1o

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Canopy bottom frame from some basswood

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🙂

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Fin and rudder yellow.

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More yellow

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On the scales 1080 Grams, still need paint

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Tail feathers , no symmetry


 

Feb 05

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Spoilers I have decided to make some built up spoilers rather then use a piece of TE stock

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Spoiler servo opening and cover

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Top LE sheeting in place on center panel

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Tip panel joiner box gets wrapped A tricky job, I hope it holds up

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another joiner box wrap, I’ve wound some line off the spool onto a smaller stick to pass it between all the wood structure

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Tip panel 57 Grams prior to covering

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Tip panel covered

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spoiler bay

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nose taking shape, I have added a canopy tray as well

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another view

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Fuselage rear wing bolt down support

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Fuselage tail feather bolt down supports

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Lightened canopy tray

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canopy tray

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I’ll add a pin at the front and a couple magnets towards the rear

 


 

Jan 25

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tip joiners, 4 pieces of 1/16 ply

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clamped together for cutting

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I sanded some relief to add a CF strip

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set together prior to glueing

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5/16 x 1 1/4 TE for main panel with notches for ribs

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adding the scallop, I start by marking and filing the corner radius

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TE added to the panel

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and glued and pinned

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main panel joiner box fillers and caps

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left tip and main panel, TE requires some sanding to match

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1/4 ” dowel for securing main panel to fuse

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main panel trailing edge bearing block

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center 1/16″ sheeting on main panel

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put the wing together

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I’m going to add a pin at each tip join for alignment

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fuselage with wing LE bulkhead in place

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R and E servo bay with one mounting rail in place

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forward bottom fuselage sheeting in place and glued

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wing tip alignment pin and aluminum tubes

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I’ve added a 1/8 ply reinforcement for the tow hook

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before I add the nose block I poured the lead in case the weight is needed later

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nose block in place

 


 

Jan 09

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shear web fillers, I cut then all out of 3/8 balsa , some may like to transition to 1/4 and then 1/8 as you proceed to the tip

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step by step rib, shearweb, glue. Usually I mark the spars and set the ribs first.

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top 1/8 x 3/8 spar stick in place

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Here is a more rigid wing, with the notches cut in a couple ribs for spoilers. I am going to build some built up spoilers

 


 

Jan 07

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Trailing edges marked for tip panels

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1/64 ply for tip joiner box caps

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marking scallops on trailing edge

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left tip panel

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trailing edge in place

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1/4 x 1/2 leading edge balsa

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3/16 balsa tip caps

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adding underside turbulater

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58 Grams, is that light, don’t know

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both tip panels

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Balsa for ribs

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ribset center panel

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Main Panel ribset

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Main Panel Layout

 


 

Jan 03 2016

 

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Rudder to elevator connection, with 4-40 nylon screws, t-nuts and sleeves will be added

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All spars, spruce and basswood

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t-nuts in place

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underside of elevator showing clearance for heads of 4-40 screws

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Tip Panel rib sets

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lower spar in place and ribs set for left panel

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Left tip panel, with all upper turbulater spars in place

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Dec 20

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Tow hooks can’t be held tight thru balsa, so I have cut a couple pieces birch ply to go thru the fuse bottom.

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added the slots one for the tow hook and the other for the t-nut

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a couple filler strips, to make up the 3/16 balsa thickness

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a look at the forward fuse balsa underside, the rear 3/32 balsa is already glued in place

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getting the fuse aligned to glue former 4 into place, former 3 which will pick up the LE of the wing won’t get placed until I have the wing

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Former 4 also has a couple holes to pass the two push rods thru

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the tail surfaces, quite simple, one side of the rudder gets tapered, and both sides of the horizontal stab TE get tapered.

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Dec 17

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Not many visitors to the Shop, but these guys often drop in when I turn the heat up. Grass Fly or Cluster Fly, not to be confused with House Flies. If you look real close you can tell the difference :):)

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Nose block, 3 pieces of spruce

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Rough Cut

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Fuselage cross brace supports, 3/32 x 3/16 strips balsa

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Cross places cut to length

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Pinned in place

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Fuse former gussets F2 and F3

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Former F2 at 90 Deg, F3 also gets set at 90

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Dec 14

Tail Surfaces, mainly 1/4 x 3/8 an 1/8 x 1/4 balsa. A bit of spruce in the fin, and some pre-cut pieces.

I also got a start on the 4 formers for the fuselage and cut the rear fuselage longerons.

 

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The fuselage sides are 3/32 balsa, with a inner 1/32 plywood doubler applied from the nose to beyond the TE of the wing.

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