PLACEMAT



WHAT 533 MEMBERS ARE BUILDING


PROJECT: FRENCH NIEUPORT 11 PURSUIT AIRCRAFT (7/8 SCALE)
LEAD BUILDER: JOHN FLANAGAN
PROJECT STATUS (18 AUG 2012):

The Nieuport project is progressing. The fuselage fabric has been painted and the aluminum panels are in progress and almost ready for paint. The rudder is painted except for the red stripe that will be finished when the engine cowl is painted. The cowl needs finish sanding and it will be ready for prime and paint, probably at the next work session Thurs at Scott's. So far Dick Welles and Burt McConnell and Scott Johnson have been doing the work at the Thurs sessions. Next work session at Scott's shop Thurs 7:00.


Thanks to member LEN SOLOMON for these latest Nieuport 17 project images.


PROJECT: CESSNA 140 REBUILD
LEAD BUILDER: BRYAN COTTON
PROJECT STATUS (5 OCT 2012):

Well, the news of the facility closure (where I work at the moment) has really thrown a kink in the project. We are working as hard as possible to finish up as much as we can prior to the end of the year.

See progress pix below and on the next page for fitting and installation of new windshield; rudder pedal system repair and prep; and final stages of fuel tank repair and installation.




PROJECT: THATCHER CX4
LEAD BUILDER: CHRIS WELCH
PROJECT STATUS: (25 MAR 2013) In progress.

I reached a little milestone. After a year and a half, or exactly 252 hours of logged work, I completed my scratch-built wings. Several steps in the fabrication process that were difficult. Bryan Cotton told me many times: "make it twice to make it nice." This has proven to be appropriate for my project! I've yet to come up with an appropriate saying for constructing 92" long ailerons that are one piece of .020 6061-T6, tapered in two directions with a built-in twist!! I made several trips to Bryan’s house to use his 8’ bending brake and I used up an entire sheet of aluminum for just one of the ailerons. The next portion of the wing build was fabrication of the wing tips. The important lesson to learn here is that sometimes when scratch building a plane, the plan parts dimensions are sometimes more of a suggestion than a set value! The LH tip took me a month to complete, the RH tip took 3 days. I guess my old instructor's saying: "there is nothing like having been there once before" applies to building as well as flying.