When we left Craig before Christmas, he was standing back and soaking in the sheer size of his 1:2 scale 5m 3.2m long LO100 Sailplane project.
With the wings and stabiliser now sheeted, trimmed and sanded to finished shapes, it was time for a full first-rigging of this massive model.
“I’m happy everything has lined up straight and true” explained Craig, “so far I have around 200 model building hours under my belt and over 18 months have passed since I started this build.”
The model build is now entering its final stages, with only the installation of the flight control servos and linkages remaining and all this needs to careful calculation before the covering jobs can start.
Craig plans to wrap the fuselage in 3oz glass cloth and Epoxy Resin and the wings with Sig Koverall and Butyrate Dope. The entire airframe will then be prepared and painted.
Then the base colour can be painted white, the heavy model inspections performed and the maiden flights completed.
Once all the flight issues are ironed out and the trim and balance are correct, Craig will either start carefully masking and painting the detail or, take photos of the finished full size to a vinyl specialist and have the features produced in vinyl and stuck in place. The model can then be clear-lacquered to preserve its finish.
Then, once the model has been flown and certified, we’ll get some action shots of the plane in its natural habitat.
If you’ve been holed up like most of your mates for the better part of 2020 carry out these checks before each flight to increase your chances of success.
The scenario: Imagine the old bridge, which has spanned the river in your town for over a hundred years, has finally given up the ghost.
The task: Now it’s up to you and your friends to rebuild a modern bridge that will serve the community for at least another century. And do it on budget!