Questor Lives?

It has been over two years now since I began the Questor project. Remember the Questor project? No? Hardly do I. Nevertheless, it has been sitting in a box basically since sometime around late 2006 or early 2007, and I haven't touched it since late November of 2006.

How sad is that?

The good news is, what put the project on hold for so long was a much bigger project that intervened: I built a new home to live in. It has been a long road, and my wife and I are still working on it, but we're living in it now, and I am determined to live in it, if you know what I mean.

So, I am resurrecting the Questor project.

In case you forgot what the Questor project is, or don't know, it is the design and construction of a small RC model airplane that can be broken down into five pieces and carried in a custom backpack into remote areas. It is a kind of prototype, and I expect it to carry a small electronic payload to take aerial images of the regions it flies over, and possibly some form of auto-pilot control that will allow the aircraft to fly out and around a certain area and return, unassisted.

I'd like to use it up where I live to find nooks and crannies to explore and hang out along the rivers. Google Maps can get only so close.

Anyway, I took the first step last night by reading my blog entries of the progress I had made on the project. I realized there were a ton of details that were never captured, and I am a bit nervous that I have lost the vision for the design and may not complete it as previously intended. There are so many aspects to consider, I am really going to have to do some serious mental legwork with it before I resume actual construction. I have also lost some new skills that I had learned, initially, as I do not recall how I accomplished certain tasks and I do not remember how I was achieving such excellent results while sanding.

Nevertheless, the project WILL be completed. Sometime. And the plane will fly. I just have no idea when.

I took my second step tonight, by digging through all of my stuff to FIND THE PROJECT! I finally found all the templates in an envelope in a box, and I found the actual pieces in another box (of which I had seven other boxes that looked very similar).

I took all the pieces out of the box and examined them, and I had one single reaction.

"SHIT!"

The parts have be subjected to nearly two years of seasonal changes and have been up on the top shelf, so have undoubtedly been exposed to some heat. As a result, the horizontal stabilizer has warped. This plane will not fly quite right the way it is. And I bet if I reviewed my blog again, I would discover that the side that is warped is the side I used that horrible wood glue on when I laminated it.

Don't ever use water-based glue on balsa wood. I knew better, but someone sung the praises of how well it worked. They were either lucky, stupid or were using a different kind of wood, entirely.

I'll just have to get creative about how to fix it. I may try a little steam on one side. It will have to be a trial run to see if I can straighten it out, so I know what to do just before I paint it. I want it straight when I paint it, since that will seal in any moisture that may be in it - and I want just enough in there to make it straight again.

My masterpiece, the vertical stabilizer - my work of art - my prize - is also a tiny bit warped...but not much. It is just a natural warping which may even correct itself when things start cooling off and the rains come back. Either that, or it will get worse. Ah, but that's just the nature of working with wood.

Well, my wife is waiting for me downstairs so we can watch a movie, so I will end this entry here. I just wanted to put down in writing that the Questor project lives and will be revived. I figure by doing so, I will make it happen. I am getting my basement together so I will have a place to work on it, so hopefully it will resume soon. The first step is to engage the mental aspects, and all will follow from there.

:)