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BALSA USA 1/3 SCALE ERCOUPE
12/9/05
Now we're getting somewhere..... Everything's 'glassed, primed, sanded, filled, sanded, primed, and sanded again - awaiting more sanding. (!) Tail parts have been covered with Flite metal, and the Zenoah G62 is mounted. Everything's going together pretty well - just a matter of finishing the application of the metal to the fuselage, then reinstall the engine, install the radio gear, do a bunch of detail work on the interior and exterior of the fuse, and it should be done! UPDATE!!!! 1/22/06
Metal has been applied to the fuselage, little by little, it's turning into an aluminum plane!
All metal is now on the fuse, wing walks have been added - whattya think of my red leather seat? Used red spray paint, and lightly sprayed it with black spray paint to "age" it.... turned out pretty convincing, I think. Yellow books are parts and service manual from a full-scale Ercoupe - came in really handy when adding simulated rivets!
Test-fitting rear side windows - In this shot, you can see the beginnings of the instrument panel..... much more work to do in this area, although I'll probably wait until after the test flight.
Another test-fitting..... knee-deep in it..... Had to move it out into the shop, since it was too big for my workspace!
Stripes are on..... and Cato the guard-cat is watching over his new plane.... and yes - he fits inside it perfectly! :-)
See?!??!! He just jumped up on the wing walk, stepped in, and sat down..... I had to grab the camera!
Here is is on test-fit #369... or so. You can see Chad's legs in the background to lend scale....
The windows are in, and we've hauled it outside to take some photos..... It's pretty much done! Awaiting test-flight.
Maiden Flight was Monday, March 20, 2006 - Everything worked perfectly, and the plane flies absolutely straight! Lands like a dream, and the landing gear functions very nicely! |
