Badland Part 103 Pilots and Builders Forum

Oh, that is a very good idea. Thanks for that!

Looks great Kurt. At least the bird got a little sun.

I am thinking they will work fine. My only concern is the amount of flex in PVC...but I don't think there will be enough to do any harm.

Thanks for the feedback folks! The first one is pretty much done. I am extending it from one end of the control surface to the other. Todd, they will be stored inside when not in use, so I am hoping to get at least a year out of them. Also, the Dollar Store carries them, so replacing them will be ea...

Kurt, it sounds like it HAS to be the scale. While it seems to be accurate when weighing the main gear, it may lose its accuracy on the low end. I may be looking for some loaner scales soon as well, as I'd like a much more accurate measurement of my current CG.

Keep us all posted!

As I get much closer to trailering my plane, it's become time to think about gust locks for transport. I've seen a few varieties of gust lock, ranging from small plastic plates that clamp the two surfaces over a small footprint to larger wooden "clamps" lined with carpet. Neither option ap...

I R not.

Kurt, I did something similar for the wing brackets, but non-adjustable... Wingbrackets00.jpg WingbracketCU.jpg I tack welded the flat brackets into place on the square tube, then bent them as needed to align with the tabs on the wings. (Note the ugly welds. These were some of the very first welds I...

Looking forward to the pics Kurt! And thanks. I'm pretty happy with the outcome...now we need to see how well it performs.

Haha...when is your birthday??? I may need to start a new build just for you!

Todd, if Chris offered, I might just take him up on it! I have to say, welding is a lot of fun...once you get to be at least halfway decent at it, which is where I feel like I am at. I completed the welding of the tie down D-rings. The welds got progressively better, and I have confidence that they ...

Hey Rusty! No luck so far finding a plane to try on for size?

Hopefully someone on here reaches out to you!

Craig, you aren't the only one in this boat. I am almost done building my F-2 (90% done, 90% to go, as they say) and am wondering the same thing regarding flying it. Will I have the nerve? We will see. In the meantime I am doing everything to make sure I am ready to "meet the moment" when ...

When folding the wing I have to feed the flaperon cable into the hole...you may end up needing to do the same. Easy enough to do solo, I've found.

Looking good and seems to be very close to actually being in the air!

Funny...I just finished my tie down mounts today. Now just painting the trailer in prep for the next rain...whenever that might be.

Very nice write-up Kurt. I think there is some excellent information here for anyone getting ready to work with Oratex for the first time.

Very nice. I'm looking forward to seeing your plane with both wings attached!

Have you considered any of the earlier options/ N-3 Pup, Minimax, etc...there seem to be a fair amount of reasonably priced ultralights available on Barnstormers in any given month. (I still "window shop" ultralights in spite of not being in the market for another one...)

Did you have some crazy temps over the weekend? I heard Dallas hit 94 or something close to that. Crazy.

The wing is looking good. I'm not sure I would trust myself to make a nice straight line between the colors. I guess it's best I stayed monotone!

How are you liking working with the clamps? I had trouble with them sliding off the clamped surfaces, but I was working with a cheap set of clamps I purchased off of Amazon. I ultimately ended up taping the fabric down before heating and bonding.

Mountain Cat wrote: ↑Mon Feb 26, 2024 6:36 pm Welds look good! Remember you're not hauling a D-9 dozer.

Thanks! And very true...but you never know when you might NEED to!

A bit more progress has been made to my trailer. I received my 3/8" D-rings for the tie-downs, so I once again loaded the plane onto the trailer and determined where the rings need to be welded on. I got the first four welded, and will likely end up with about ten total. In the process, I feel ...

Very nice. A little more progress!

I considered a worktable, and then realized I didn't have the space for it. I went with two Harbor Freight sawhorses.

I like the grommet idea. I simply doubled the material around the hole because I wasn't sure where I would land (pun intended) in terms of final weight, and erred on the side of caution. The doubler should be fine, as Oratex is plenty hardy, but the grommet adds a nice clean look, I think.

Got a little more done on the trailer. My replacement hub arrived. The kit was complete - bearings with races already installed, dust cap, new cotter pin and grease seal. Not bad for under $40. It installed easily enough and thankfully quickly. I finished the job about an hour before the rain starte...

Looking good Kurt.

Wow, the added stripe adds quite a bit to the look. I like it. Looking good.

I would be curious to know what it weighs compared to mine. I believe mine is a section of leaf spring, and it was pretty darned heavy as I recall!

Definitely keep us posted! I always thought the tail wheel springs were typically thick walled tube but never actually researched it.

Very nice. Is there any risk of pulling the line (between the blue and red) out of being straight when heating and shrinking? I always wondered what was required to keep it straight.

ksatter26 wrote: ↑Thu Feb 08, 2024 9:46 pm I posted pictures if the aluminum rod tsil sp tail-spring somewhere in my Build Log.

I do recall seeing it. I wonder if it will fit the airframe with the original tail spring without modification. I'll have to check the Badland site.

Thanks Gary! They are both nearly ready for the first trip to the lake bed to taxi test...what's the saying? 90% done, 90% to go? haha

I may have to check out the new tailwheel option at some point. Mine seems to sit lower than I would like it to.

Bummer about not being able to take the flying lesson, but at least you probably got a bit more of a feel of the school (and the instructor). Funny about the 152 engine issue on climb-out...I though you were referring to your discovery flight, and was thinking "Whoah! He didn't tell me about TH...

Thanks for this Gary! These pics are helpful. I am probably going a bit overkill with my transporting method, but part of the reason is the limited space I have here in LA to store the trailer (meaning in my driveway). Since my trailer is shorter than the fuselage, I figured the bracket was a good w...

I actually didn't think I would, but I do like the color scheme. I think it reminds me a little of the German WW1 fighter planes. But regardless, I am (like Todd) impressed with your covering skills!

Well, at least you have things to do to keep you busy in the meantime! All of my current projects require the plane or the trailer to be outside. More rain expected tonight, but the weekend should be clear. I've got my fingers crossed.

Bummer about the iron, Kurt, but the wing is looking really good! Are you planning to glue the fabric down around the protruding fittings? If not, it may cause airflow into the wing, which would probably be less than ideal. (Unless you are hoping for an ornithopter effect? haha) I am looking forward...

Gotcha. I responded pre-morning coffee and misunderstood. I think it will work out well for now but lifting the tail is obviously not the easiest option. I may experiment with a scissor jack down the road.

Allen, are you suggesting that the rear mount should be further forward, or is it good under the tail spring?

I like the "helping hand" stand setup. Very clever. Wish I had thought of it!

Thanks guys! I feel like it's coming along nicely. After lifting the rear of the plane manually, I think I may want to reinforce that tail support a bit, but overall I think it will work out fine!

A quick update - the welding of the tail support has been completed, and I managed to have a clear day here (so far) and was able to test loading the plane on the trailer. It rolls up the ramps nicely using the existing boat winch. Planeonramptrailer.jpg Once I had the plane winched all the way up a...

Very nice progress being made!

Oh, I didn't catch the date on it. Interesting. Still a lot of good points in the article, but you're right...it could have used less snark.

So far so good, thanks! I think there is more rain expected on Sunday - hopefully today and tomorrow stay clear enough to get some more work done on the trailer. I expect to be able to get some welding done tonight...get the tail support finished!

It's kind of odd in that the article does seem to have a negative tone through a lot of it, up until the conclusion, where the author seems to do an about-face.

Still an entertaining read, albeit a bit redundant regarding the range (I thought).

I agree. A third hand would have been nice for sure.

And "yes" on the glove. I forgot to put it on once while shrinking the fabric around a curve, and it was a lesson learned quickly.

It's looking great!

Did you purchase the felt block to smooth out the fabric while working on edges and corners? It's very handy to make sure the glued areas are well pressed together during the heating and bonding process.

Very cool Todd. I wish I had them before I covered my wing. The leading edge is a little rough, but not terrible. Of course my covering (with the occasional wrinkles) isn't helping either! It looks like we are in for more rain here. Starting tonight. But hopefully the weekend gives me some clear wor...

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