Building a 1980's classic - Skymaster Biplane ( Skyleader Display Team Version Mk 1)

[solentlife]

Some of you already know that I have a dear place in my affections for a model that I was introduced to by Phil Ramsay - who co-designed the machine.
It was used by the Team to demo Skyleader Radio and was a great performing machine. It had the antics and style of the Pitts, but could be docile and sweet ...

So having been offered a near untouched kit and had it shipped over ... I surveyed the box contents.

A few things were missing over the years - remember this box had changed owners / moved around for near 30yrs !

Missing :
1. Couple of 1/4 x 1/4 wing spars. It was decided that if I was going to replace missing - I would upgrade to pine / basswood from the balsa of the original. These are the main wing spars of both top and bottom, in my opinion strengthening cannot go wrong.
2. Binding wire for U/C and Cabane assemblies ... 15A fuse wire on order - as in Latvia it's not available !
3. 1 of the cabane support former for inside fuselage, a replacement was fashioned from laminated floor - right thickness, tough and had a slot to fit cabane tube nicely.

Further items such as broken wing ribs laying in box bottom, but it appears that box contains possible extra ribs - so that may have been an item originally that was solved.

Due to missing parts and having to wait for them - build order is as close to to book order as possible but with odd deviations. The build will also be a very slow one as I am due away for 3 weeks cruise on my boat next week. So patience and we shall get there before too long.

So first job was the cabane tubes ... drill, fit, align and resin in the support formers.



Thats not too hard as hole points are marked in the GRP moulding. But you can imagine - alignment is critical for wings.

Next is to chamfer the front edge of firewall bulkhead and glass in place. The downand sidethrust is moulded into the fuselage for a 61 engine - so firewall must butt up square to moulding ...



The resin / paste I've used is a slow sett polyester type to get maximum adhesion. Later I may double up inside as I am fitting a 15cc Petrol Engine.

As I cannot make up cabanes or U/C yet while waiting for binding wire ... the structures are piano wire .. bound with wire, then liberally soldered up to secure ... I decided to get on with tail feathers. Now I have some yellow Solartex left over from 1980's ........... yep I hoard everything ... and was enough to do tailplane, elevators and one side of rudder.





So all measured up ... marked up ... and then tailplane, tail-wheel bracket resined in place.
The elevators are a bit of a chore to fit as you have to do two things at once ... once drilled and grooved for U joiner ... the joiner is passed through fuselage and exits both sides ready to hook elevators. The other job you have to do at same time is hingeing ... which in this case is Mylar hinges to be glued and pinned.

Trick here is to make sure all are square and aligned .... while hinge / U joiner glue is setting ... I use 5 min epoxy and old clear backing from solartex as guard film ...





So here is tail in place and marked up for paint job later.



Things now will take a rest as I wait for other parts in post and I complete my holiday on my boat .........

The cabanes, wing band rods and U/C will be next items to complete - making the fuselage ready ... and we will then get onto wing construction in typical traditional form.

See y'all later and hope you can wait ...

Cheers
Nigel

[Richard]

Fuse wire Where have you been able to source that?

I've only seen GRP moulded gliders, was there many other GRP planes about around the same time?

[solentlife]

The Fuse wire is coming from UK along with basswood spars, rolls of Solartex etc. so I can complete later.

I have no idea where Peter's sourcing the wire but he asked me how long a length. I'm sure electrical wholesalers must sell it ? Over here everything is now auto-switched and non-rewireable. Crazy really when you think we have many residences still with old Soviet sockets etc.

GRP fuselages ? In those days there were a few but most were built-up and some with foam veneered top sections etc. - ie the Rojair series of Fun Scale WW2 fighters ... so you built a fuselage in pine / balsa and then capped it with a foam veneered shaped top front and back. Produced a lovely plane.
Most of the over-counter Jet's and DF's were GRP fuselages - suited that better to get an uncluttered fuselage interior for the DF system. I had 2 Leicester Model Centre Mirage 2000's ... huge GRP fuselages and big slab delta wing.
Phil Ramsay Mini-Pitts and his other offerings .. Gloster Gladiator etc.

Gliders lent themselves well to it I think because you wanted minimum fuselage but maximum internal volume for gear ...

Anyway ... my SM is GRP fuselage and built up rest ... same as my original sold me by Phil at Sandown.many years ago ! It's funny that I asked him about converting to both wings ailerons and he replied that it wasn't worth the effort and the bottom wing ailerons will give far more action than anyone wants if given enough !! He was right ! My SM literally used to clap wing tips in the snap rolls etc. - there were interplane struts - something that I retro-fitted later .. and may do on this one if not just for cosmetics.

I am considering whether to fit struts and flying wires ... make her look period ? But then again having the Pitts as a design model .... maybe the struts alone ?

---

Mine was white fuselage, white wings with green flashes out across wings (similar to theirs but without the highlighted edges). Plain white underneath.
Supre Tigre (Original Italian model) 61 ABC with high speed carb.
Supre Tigre 61 Tuned pipe
11x7 rigid GFN prop.

Mine : at Farlington Marshes Playing Fields, Portsmouth .....

[Brianathayes]

My first ever radio model had this type of fuselage. It was a trainer by Flair called the 'Bambi' - three channel radio, with extreme dihedral, and powered by an Enya 19 glow. It was a real floater, very docile, and a major contributor towards learning to fly by myself. Repairing the fuselage after an unscheduled landing was a nightmare, though, and finally consisted of a glass fibre patch, soaked with motorcar quality resin, stuck in an ungainly fashion and holding the front end on.

[Richard]

Would the following be true then?

A GRP fuselage is harder to break but harder to repair. a balsa fuselage easier to break but easier to repair.

[solentlife]

(26-07-2011 19:32)Richard Wrote:  Would the following be true then?

A GRP fuselage is harder to break but harder to repair. a balsa fuselage easier to break but easier to repair.

Break / repair ... they all break when hitting something !

What is the biggest difference is trying to make repair cosmetically acceptable. Unlike balsa - any repair shows up immediately as a colour change ! that's if you have done an excellent job.

One of the aspects of GRP fuselages that people should be aware of - have a VERY good look inside BEFORE sticking hand in there as often there are fibres that can cause cuts / abrasion / scratches to skin and it irritates !!