Help in assembly

[CraigDowning]

Hi Everyone.
Recently picked up my F2 kit and I am looking for advice and solutions from someone who has built one. Is there anyone out there that is willing to discuss with me? I am currently in Michigan and I am finding this to be a challenge.

[LA F2 Flyer]

Hi Craig - go ahead and post exactly what you are having problems with, and I'm sure we can give advice or help you find a solution. Are you currently stumped on anything in particular?

[Badland-F5 Pilot]

Hi Craig - go ahead and post exactly what you are having problems with, and I'm sure we can give advice or help you find a solution. Are you currently stumped on anything in particular?

Most certainly Craig, ask questions. I've not had the pleasure(?) of building my kit yet. I'm still waiting for Chris to do the build and for me to get my hands on it. There are several builders here that have helped each other with questions/issues. Also, the only stupid question is the one not asked - this is especially true when your life is going to depend on it. If you have any doubt about how to or how you've assembled something, please post and let the guys that have been there give you advice. Also, the forum can have pictures in your post, and they are most helpful. To add pictures to your post, scroll to the bottom of your reply message. If you're in the full editor, you'll see an "Attachments" tab. Click on it. Click on the "Add files" button. Upload the picture (.tif, .gif, .jpg and others are accepted). You can either leave the picture as an attachment, or if you click on the "Place inline" button, the picture will appear in your post. Let me know if you have any issues with including pictures. Looking forward to hearing about your build. Also, would you like to have a build forum? This is a separate forum where you can document your build. Here's the URL: viewforum.php?f=19 This is not required, but is a nice-centralized location for builders. If you'd like this, please let me know and I'll get it set up for you.

Thanks,
Todd

[CraigDowning]

The very first thing is the fact that I have never built an ultra lite aircraft. I believe I have the technical background as I am a journeyman tool and die maker and a Master Electrician. At the moment I am finding that I do not have the correct parts in some cases and I am missing some in other cases. Chris has been good about sending parts that are missing but not having a background in aircraft makes it more difficult. I am setting up the wings for painting at the moment . Before paint I am installing the trailing edges on the wings and flaperons. My question is how to attach the trailing edges. I am provided short rivets to attach the trailing edges to the wooden spars and also the foam on the flaperons. It seems to me that wood screws would be a better idea since the spars are wood. I am not sure how to attach the trailing edges to the foam on the flaperons , maybe glue as the fabric would hold the edges as well. Any ideas?

[Badland-F5 Pilot]

Hey Craig, I've moved the topic over to this forum "Badland F1 - F5 Talk" since it's grown past your original introduction. Let me know if you have any questions.

Thanks,
Todd

[LA F2 Flyer]

Hey Craig. As I recall i used industrial adhesive to afix the trailing edge to the foam of the flaperons. There should be a suggestion in the build manual as to what type of adhesive to use, as I recall.

As for the trailing edges of the wings I honestly cant recall. I am out of town at the moment but will check when I get home tomorrow sometime.

[LA F2 Flyer]

Actually, for the wing trailing edges I do recall using rivets. You should have a bag of small washer "backers" to place on the backside of the rivets to keep them from sinking into the wood.

I also took some comfort in the idea that the covering material would aid in securing the trailing edge in place. If it comes off after covering the wing you've got bigger problems! Haha

[13brv3]

I've wondered how good the assembly manual is. I picked up a Ridge Runner project a few years ago, and the manual was horrid. I have a Kitfox 4 project now, and the manual is better, but still not a substitute for actual plans. I asked Chris for the manual about a month ago, and he said he's revising it, and would send me a copy when it was done.

You'd hope the manual is detailed enough to allow a first time builder to get by with a minimum of questions, but I'd bet that's the exception and not the rule. Writing manuals is tedious, and often the people who would be writing it are far removed from "first time builders", so they've lost perspective of what a first time builder needs to know.

Van's had an interesting philosophy about manuals. You start with the tail, and that section of the manual was very detailed. When you moved to the wings, they skipped the details for skills you learned while building the tail, and only detailed the new skills. By the time the fuselage rolled around, the manual basically just said "you know what to do by now".

The Sonex on the other hand has no manual at all. It's just a very good set of drawings, and a flow chart that's sort of an upside down tree. You start at any of the bottom boxes, and work your way up until it intersects with another branch. At that point you can't proceed until you've finished the other branch. You can alternate working on wing, tail, fuselage, etc if you want to. That method seems sort of alien, but it works.

Rusty

[LA F2 Flyer]

Rusty (and Craig), were you given a copy of the current manual in the meantime?

[13brv3]

Rusty (and Craig), were you given a copy of the current manual in the meantime?

No, but I didn't really press the issue. Manuals always seem to be the last part that gets finished. I was looking into the Aeropup last year as well, and asked for a manual. The reply I got was almost exactly the same.

[13brv3]

Craig,

Do you have a local EAA chapter you could join? There are usually people with experience that can help, even hands on if needed. That might be the best way to get moving in the right direction.

Rusty