Questor Project, Day 5

After further analysis of my blunder the other day, I realized it was a blunder on both ends. The design was incomplete for where the boom attaches to the fuselage, and as fortune would have it, there is a problem on that end of the sticks, too.

So, the bottom line is, I am starting over. But that's what happens in prototypes sometimes. I don't know if the hobby shop has any more of the size sticks I need, but I will be taking a trip down there on Saturday to find out. If not, it may be a while before I can rebuild the sticks.

A trial attempt to test to see if I could separate the existing sticks at the lamination point, failed, and it just makes more sense to build new ones, anyway. I need to route the wires differently on both ends, and this time I am going to run both leads down only one side (one of the booms) so I don't have to go through the entire process of building two mirror-image booms. It's a long process to make just one.

I also have a different (better) connector idea in mind, so will be pursuing that as well. The new design will have the connector on the fuselage end coming out of the very end, instead of protruding from the side as was seen in earlier images. Also, because I don't need the wire in the bad boom sticks anymore, I might be able to use one of the bad sticks for the side that won't have the (real) conductors in it. That way, I don't have to build TWO more boom sticks.

Tonight, I did a little work on the fin. I drew up and cut out templates for the pieces that make up the fin. The fin is 3/16" balsa wood with 1/32" plywood sheeting along the bottom to stiffen the descending tab and give it additional strength and durability. Eventually, it will have a slot and a hole in it that will be used to secure it to the tail, but that won't happen until I get the new boom sticks together.

I used the templates I made to trace and cut out the actual parts I need for the fin, as seen here.



The pieces are ready to be laminated together, but I don't have the right glue that I want to use for the procedure. I'll have to get that at the hobby shop tomorrow. I have done a little preliminary light sanding in a couple of areas that will be impossible to sand properly once the pieces are laminated together. But once they are assembled, I can do some more sanding to get the fin to the proper shape. Then there will be a lot of little fine-tuning sanding to get the fin to fit exactly in place when I get the rest of the tail under way.

I will need to build the stabilizer (which consists of many pieces) before I get to the precision fitting process of the fin, but I need the fin built, first, before I can build the stabilizer. There are so many dependencies in this thing to get everything to fit just right and be strong and solid, and I need to do it right, because I can't afford to start over again.

Keep your eye on the sky!

Update:
I made a jig and am using the bad sticks to mock up a frame for sizing up the remaining tail pieces. I have cut out some templates for the tail gusset and the stabilizer mounting plate and for part of the stabilizer.



I hope to complete the templates for the stabilizer and possibly even cut out the pieces tomorrow. I had to re-design the stabilizer (what else is new?) after realizing something I overlooked. It is so much easier to work with real pieces! I don't know why I stopped cutting cardboard and started drawing - I just can't see things in 3-D when I'm drawing. What gets me is my original cardboard version looks just like my "new" re-design.

Sometimes, I just never learn.

It also doesn't help that I have distractions and interference from family, a job, and school.

BLECCH!