Airplanes: Chuperosa Part 8

The wing is finally complete. It's been a busy summer, so finishing this project is proving difficult- but with this step complete, progress is being made. I still need to add the glass tape at the center, but I wanted to document it at this stage because I think the tape clashes with the overall form. This was my first scratch built wing. It was a great learning experience, but I'm looking forward to my next project being a laser cut kit.

Airplanes: Chuperosa Part 6

The left wing panel is finally complete. I need to pick up a new scale to see how much more sanding I need to do- hopefully those holes I drilled in the TE will help reduce the weight. If you have any wing building tips, please let me know and post a comment.

Airplanes: Chuperosa Part 5

This is taking longer than I thought. I forgot that I would also have to make my own drawings. Below is a picture of the left wing panel with 6 more ribs to fit. Notice the steel straight edge at the leading edge- this is the first time I tried this, and it works very well because it not only trues up the LE, it gives you a more solid object to work with, which in turn helps make sure the ribs can be sung without bowing any of your straight lines.

Airplanes: Chuperosa Part 4

I shaped the wing ribs today. This was the first time I used the stacking technique, and it seems to work well. It's exciting to see this glider finally take shape.

Airplanes: Chuperosa Part Two

I have started construction on the replacement wing for my Chuperosa RC glider. Below you can see the stack of 1/16" blanks along with the aluminum root and tip templates. These will be formed into a stack, bolted together, and shaped to conform to the templates. Luckily, my Dad recommended this method, as I was unsure of how to proceed after I destroyed the foam core wing. I found an application that seems like it could work, but since the free version is cripple-ware, I could not be bothered with it. The method I chose should work just fine, and is described in detail here. (Link is a PDF) That link by the way, is an awesome reference and true wealth of knowledge for RC glider builders and pilots alike. The RC Soaring Digest is a great example of the open source
philosophy, and they allow anyone complete and unrestricted access to their archives. Let us know what your favorite spots on the web/library/newsstand are for RC model/hobbies by posting a comment.