Getting into a project and staying
with it can be a challenge with
all of the other stuff that gets
thrown at you sometimes, especially
around the holidays. But keep at it and
don’t let that project languish in the
corner of the shop.
Cutting Ribs
I previously wrote about how to
cut ribs using bolts. You can use nails,
dowels, or any other item that will hold
the ribs together to cut them. This only
works if you have a straight wing, with
all the ribs the same size and shape.
A tapered wing, such as what is on a
Spitfi re, won’t work. A tabletop band
saw works well for cutting stacks of ribs
using a 1/4-inch plywood rib for the tops
and bottoms of the sets that you cut.
There is also a straight-taper wing,
where the ribs taper straight, such as
on a de Havilland Chipmunk. You can
cut the root or inner ribs, as well as the
tip ribs, and use rib blanks for those in
between. This will allow you to taper
the ribs with a belt sander. Install the
cuts for the spars after shaping the ribs.
You can also use the bolts to cut the
spar slots out of the ribs at the same
time, but be careful. It is best to start
small and enlarge the holes.
I plan to change the wing structure
on my Pietenpol Air Camper and have
a set center section above the fuselage with wing tubes
extending into the outer wing panels. This will help with
transportation, as well as storage. I considered building the
wing in one piece, but the thought of adding eight sockethead
bolts for each fl ying session seemed time-consuming.
Sanding the ribs down inside my home can result in
interesting discussions with my wife. After roughly 20 years,
I’ve given in and put my saws on a roll-around shop cart
that I keep in the garage.
I worked on the fuselage before I attached the landing
gear. I sheeted the fuselage top with 1/16-inch balsa strips. This
is sometimes known as planking.
You should use different widths of strips in some areas, depending on the curve
of the fuselage top and the uprights for the wing
attachment. I used white glue for most of these, with
CA at the ends in some cases. Having a good selection
of adhesives is a must if you’re building a model. I
have also strengthened the inside of the area, sheeting
it with thinned epoxy and some fi berglass strips
around the inside of the cockpit opening.
This, like all Pietenpols, is a home-built aircraft.
On this one, the cutouts for the two-holer cockpit
are different. The documentation shows the front
cockpit covered, and that works for me! This area will
be covered with black leather, as was the full-scale
aircraft.
Make a form for the outline of the cockpit on a
sheet of paper. To make sure that both sides are identical, start from top dead center
on the fuselage and draw only half of the outline. Fold the paper and cut it out. It’s
simple. Remember that when you cut the hole, it’s better to cut it too small than too
large.
The wooden fuselage sides on my Pietenpol have been cut, trimmed, and applied
to the stick framework of the model. Adding servos for the rudder and elevator is
next. I will route the rudder cables before covering the model, and leave them where
they can be removed. The aircraft is getting to the point where I can begin adding
the RC gear and details, which will be the fun stage.
I have thought about many different types of paint for the model’s silver and black
scheme. Nelson Hobby Paint doesn’t have silver. Some have suggested I try Krylon,
but I have never used that on glow engines. WarbirdColors’ two-part epoxy may also
do the trick. I’m not interested in MonoKote, but I’m still weighing my options.
Landing Gear Solution
I talked with several modelers who came up with a solution for a main landing gear
problem. Stan Zdon sent in a great idea. He suggested taking the Robart Manufacturing
1/4-scale main gear for the Sig Manufacturing J-3 Cub and modifying it.
I ordered a Robart gear set, but the gear is too large and will have to be trimmed
down to accommodate the fuselage, which is only 61/8-inches wide where the gear
attaches.
Stan Zdon’s 1/4-scale Spacewalker II, seen in the photo, looks great with the
trimmed Robart gear. The Spacewalker series of aircraft uses many of the J-3 Cub’s
components. The landing gear and the cowling are two of the most obvious.
New Products
Sig Manufacturing has long been an excellent source of Scale model kits, and
documentation. Sig has new owners and is back in full production of Scale kits
and most ARFs. Most
of the company’s
Scale ARFs and kits
will be available this
year. I visited Sig’s
headquarters in
Montezuma, Iowa, last
summer.
Sig likely has more
Scale versions of
the J-3 Cub than
any manufacturer.
These include several
versions of the J-3,
such as the 1/6-scale,
71-inch wingspan version; the 56-inch
clipped-wing version; the 1/5-scale at
841/2 inches; the two 1/4-scale versions
at 86 inches with clipped wings; and the
full-span 105-inch version. Add these to
the company’s stable of other kits, and
you have a good representation of light
general aviation.
Sig also has smaller Scale electric
kits including the 1909 Antoinette
monoplane, the 1910 Deperdussin, the
Dornier DO 217, the Herr Piper J-3
35-inch and 48-inch, as well as the 36-
inch North American T-6 Texan, the
42-inch Herr Piper Cherokee, the Herr
1/2A P-51, the Herr Pitts Special, and the
Herr Cessna Skywagon.
If your local hobby shop has stopped
carrying Sig kits, encourage its owners to
reconsider. If not, you can order directly
from Sig’s website, listed in “Sources.”
Bob’s Aircraft Documentation
If you need documentation for your
next Scale project, contact Bob’s Aircraft
Documentation. The company has the
world’s largest commercial collection
of aircraft photos (roughly 500,000),
representing 8,200 subjects, and 50,000
three-view line drawings. Photos
and drawings are required for Scale
competition.
The color photos are sold in “Foto
Paaks,” ranging in size from single
pictures to as many as 130 in a set,
eliminating the hassle of attempting to
download and print from a CD or the
Internet. The pictures are ready to be
included in your presentation book for
competition or just for enjoyment in
building your model.
Bob covers the gamut from the
Wright brothers to current jets, and
includes civilian, aerobatic, sailplanes,
and helicopters. The average size of a
Foto Paak is 25 pictures with an eightpoint
walk around, gear, markings,
interior, and instruments.
Bob has been a modeler since 1945
and involved in this facet of the hobby
since 1983. You can download his
catalog free or order his CD catalog for
$5, which has 10 articles about Scale
written by leaders in the hobby.
Upcoming Events
• Dawn Patrol: held at the
picturesque Henry Estate Winery in
Umpqua, Oregon. CD Bruce Harlow
and his club have a great idea: hold a
themed event where there isn’t any
serious competition and everyone has
a great time. Check it out August 10-
12. All sizes of vintage, military, World
War I, and World War II RC aircraft
are welcome. There will be continuous
flying from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Bruce’s
contact information is listed in “Sources.”
• U.S. Scale Masters Championships
will be held at the Ohio River View R/C
Flyers home field in Rosewood, Indiana,
September 6-9. The site has a 50 x 800-
foot paved runway with a 100 x 1,200-
foot grass area, with shelters, electricity,
water, and limited camping hookups.
There are regional qualifiers for the
championships across the country, so if
you haven’t qualified yet, you may still
have time. It’s a great championship
event with nice people hosting it. Check
out the Masters website or contact Dale
Arvin. Information for both is listed in
“Sources.”
• Warbirds Over the Rockies: This
event is held west of Denver and is one
of the largest Scale fly-ins in the country.
The event is set for September 28-30.
There typically are more than 5,000
spectators and all of the Scale flying you
could imagine.
This group is in partnership with
Mental Health America/Colorado, which
caters to the special needs of people
with Alzheimer’s, dementia, and bipolar
disorder. Last year, the event raised
$13,000 for the group.
Edition: Model Aviation - 2012/08
Page Numbers: 103,104,105
Edition: Model Aviation - 2012/08
Page Numbers: 103,104,105
Getting into a project and staying
with it can be a challenge with
all of the other stuff that gets
thrown at you sometimes, especially
around the holidays. But keep at it and
don’t let that project languish in the
corner of the shop.
Cutting Ribs
I previously wrote about how to
cut ribs using bolts. You can use nails,
dowels, or any other item that will hold
the ribs together to cut them. This only
works if you have a straight wing, with
all the ribs the same size and shape.
A tapered wing, such as what is on a
Spitfi re, won’t work. A tabletop band
saw works well for cutting stacks of ribs
using a 1/4-inch plywood rib for the tops
and bottoms of the sets that you cut.
There is also a straight-taper wing,
where the ribs taper straight, such as
on a de Havilland Chipmunk. You can
cut the root or inner ribs, as well as the
tip ribs, and use rib blanks for those in
between. This will allow you to taper
the ribs with a belt sander. Install the
cuts for the spars after shaping the ribs.
You can also use the bolts to cut the
spar slots out of the ribs at the same
time, but be careful. It is best to start
small and enlarge the holes.
I plan to change the wing structure
on my Pietenpol Air Camper and have
a set center section above the fuselage with wing tubes
extending into the outer wing panels. This will help with
transportation, as well as storage. I considered building the
wing in one piece, but the thought of adding eight sockethead
bolts for each fl ying session seemed time-consuming.
Sanding the ribs down inside my home can result in
interesting discussions with my wife. After roughly 20 years,
I’ve given in and put my saws on a roll-around shop cart
that I keep in the garage.
I worked on the fuselage before I attached the landing
gear. I sheeted the fuselage top with 1/16-inch balsa strips. This
is sometimes known as planking.
You should use different widths of strips in some areas, depending on the curve
of the fuselage top and the uprights for the wing
attachment. I used white glue for most of these, with
CA at the ends in some cases. Having a good selection
of adhesives is a must if you’re building a model. I
have also strengthened the inside of the area, sheeting
it with thinned epoxy and some fi berglass strips
around the inside of the cockpit opening.
This, like all Pietenpols, is a home-built aircraft.
On this one, the cutouts for the two-holer cockpit
are different. The documentation shows the front
cockpit covered, and that works for me! This area will
be covered with black leather, as was the full-scale
aircraft.
Make a form for the outline of the cockpit on a
sheet of paper. To make sure that both sides are identical, start from top dead center
on the fuselage and draw only half of the outline. Fold the paper and cut it out. It’s
simple. Remember that when you cut the hole, it’s better to cut it too small than too
large.
The wooden fuselage sides on my Pietenpol have been cut, trimmed, and applied
to the stick framework of the model. Adding servos for the rudder and elevator is
next. I will route the rudder cables before covering the model, and leave them where
they can be removed. The aircraft is getting to the point where I can begin adding
the RC gear and details, which will be the fun stage.
I have thought about many different types of paint for the model’s silver and black
scheme. Nelson Hobby Paint doesn’t have silver. Some have suggested I try Krylon,
but I have never used that on glow engines. WarbirdColors’ two-part epoxy may also
do the trick. I’m not interested in MonoKote, but I’m still weighing my options.
Landing Gear Solution
I talked with several modelers who came up with a solution for a main landing gear
problem. Stan Zdon sent in a great idea. He suggested taking the Robart Manufacturing
1/4-scale main gear for the Sig Manufacturing J-3 Cub and modifying it.
I ordered a Robart gear set, but the gear is too large and will have to be trimmed
down to accommodate the fuselage, which is only 61/8-inches wide where the gear
attaches.
Stan Zdon’s 1/4-scale Spacewalker II, seen in the photo, looks great with the
trimmed Robart gear. The Spacewalker series of aircraft uses many of the J-3 Cub’s
components. The landing gear and the cowling are two of the most obvious.
New Products
Sig Manufacturing has long been an excellent source of Scale model kits, and
documentation. Sig has new owners and is back in full production of Scale kits
and most ARFs. Most
of the company’s
Scale ARFs and kits
will be available this
year. I visited Sig’s
headquarters in
Montezuma, Iowa, last
summer.
Sig likely has more
Scale versions of
the J-3 Cub than
any manufacturer.
These include several
versions of the J-3,
such as the 1/6-scale,
71-inch wingspan version; the 56-inch
clipped-wing version; the 1/5-scale at
841/2 inches; the two 1/4-scale versions
at 86 inches with clipped wings; and the
full-span 105-inch version. Add these to
the company’s stable of other kits, and
you have a good representation of light
general aviation.
Sig also has smaller Scale electric
kits including the 1909 Antoinette
monoplane, the 1910 Deperdussin, the
Dornier DO 217, the Herr Piper J-3
35-inch and 48-inch, as well as the 36-
inch North American T-6 Texan, the
42-inch Herr Piper Cherokee, the Herr
1/2A P-51, the Herr Pitts Special, and the
Herr Cessna Skywagon.
If your local hobby shop has stopped
carrying Sig kits, encourage its owners to
reconsider. If not, you can order directly
from Sig’s website, listed in “Sources.”
Bob’s Aircraft Documentation
If you need documentation for your
next Scale project, contact Bob’s Aircraft
Documentation. The company has the
world’s largest commercial collection
of aircraft photos (roughly 500,000),
representing 8,200 subjects, and 50,000
three-view line drawings. Photos
and drawings are required for Scale
competition.
The color photos are sold in “Foto
Paaks,” ranging in size from single
pictures to as many as 130 in a set,
eliminating the hassle of attempting to
download and print from a CD or the
Internet. The pictures are ready to be
included in your presentation book for
competition or just for enjoyment in
building your model.
Bob covers the gamut from the
Wright brothers to current jets, and
includes civilian, aerobatic, sailplanes,
and helicopters. The average size of a
Foto Paak is 25 pictures with an eightpoint
walk around, gear, markings,
interior, and instruments.
Bob has been a modeler since 1945
and involved in this facet of the hobby
since 1983. You can download his
catalog free or order his CD catalog for
$5, which has 10 articles about Scale
written by leaders in the hobby.
Upcoming Events
• Dawn Patrol: held at the
picturesque Henry Estate Winery in
Umpqua, Oregon. CD Bruce Harlow
and his club have a great idea: hold a
themed event where there isn’t any
serious competition and everyone has
a great time. Check it out August 10-
12. All sizes of vintage, military, World
War I, and World War II RC aircraft
are welcome. There will be continuous
flying from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Bruce’s
contact information is listed in “Sources.”
• U.S. Scale Masters Championships
will be held at the Ohio River View R/C
Flyers home field in Rosewood, Indiana,
September 6-9. The site has a 50 x 800-
foot paved runway with a 100 x 1,200-
foot grass area, with shelters, electricity,
water, and limited camping hookups.
There are regional qualifiers for the
championships across the country, so if
you haven’t qualified yet, you may still
have time. It’s a great championship
event with nice people hosting it. Check
out the Masters website or contact Dale
Arvin. Information for both is listed in
“Sources.”
• Warbirds Over the Rockies: This
event is held west of Denver and is one
of the largest Scale fly-ins in the country.
The event is set for September 28-30.
There typically are more than 5,000
spectators and all of the Scale flying you
could imagine.
This group is in partnership with
Mental Health America/Colorado, which
caters to the special needs of people
with Alzheimer’s, dementia, and bipolar
disorder. Last year, the event raised
$13,000 for the group.
Edition: Model Aviation - 2012/08
Page Numbers: 103,104,105
Getting into a project and staying
with it can be a challenge with
all of the other stuff that gets
thrown at you sometimes, especially
around the holidays. But keep at it and
don’t let that project languish in the
corner of the shop.
Cutting Ribs
I previously wrote about how to
cut ribs using bolts. You can use nails,
dowels, or any other item that will hold
the ribs together to cut them. This only
works if you have a straight wing, with
all the ribs the same size and shape.
A tapered wing, such as what is on a
Spitfi re, won’t work. A tabletop band
saw works well for cutting stacks of ribs
using a 1/4-inch plywood rib for the tops
and bottoms of the sets that you cut.
There is also a straight-taper wing,
where the ribs taper straight, such as
on a de Havilland Chipmunk. You can
cut the root or inner ribs, as well as the
tip ribs, and use rib blanks for those in
between. This will allow you to taper
the ribs with a belt sander. Install the
cuts for the spars after shaping the ribs.
You can also use the bolts to cut the
spar slots out of the ribs at the same
time, but be careful. It is best to start
small and enlarge the holes.
I plan to change the wing structure
on my Pietenpol Air Camper and have
a set center section above the fuselage with wing tubes
extending into the outer wing panels. This will help with
transportation, as well as storage. I considered building the
wing in one piece, but the thought of adding eight sockethead
bolts for each fl ying session seemed time-consuming.
Sanding the ribs down inside my home can result in
interesting discussions with my wife. After roughly 20 years,
I’ve given in and put my saws on a roll-around shop cart
that I keep in the garage.
I worked on the fuselage before I attached the landing
gear. I sheeted the fuselage top with 1/16-inch balsa strips. This
is sometimes known as planking.
You should use different widths of strips in some areas, depending on the curve
of the fuselage top and the uprights for the wing
attachment. I used white glue for most of these, with
CA at the ends in some cases. Having a good selection
of adhesives is a must if you’re building a model. I
have also strengthened the inside of the area, sheeting
it with thinned epoxy and some fi berglass strips
around the inside of the cockpit opening.
This, like all Pietenpols, is a home-built aircraft.
On this one, the cutouts for the two-holer cockpit
are different. The documentation shows the front
cockpit covered, and that works for me! This area will
be covered with black leather, as was the full-scale
aircraft.
Make a form for the outline of the cockpit on a
sheet of paper. To make sure that both sides are identical, start from top dead center
on the fuselage and draw only half of the outline. Fold the paper and cut it out. It’s
simple. Remember that when you cut the hole, it’s better to cut it too small than too
large.
The wooden fuselage sides on my Pietenpol have been cut, trimmed, and applied
to the stick framework of the model. Adding servos for the rudder and elevator is
next. I will route the rudder cables before covering the model, and leave them where
they can be removed. The aircraft is getting to the point where I can begin adding
the RC gear and details, which will be the fun stage.
I have thought about many different types of paint for the model’s silver and black
scheme. Nelson Hobby Paint doesn’t have silver. Some have suggested I try Krylon,
but I have never used that on glow engines. WarbirdColors’ two-part epoxy may also
do the trick. I’m not interested in MonoKote, but I’m still weighing my options.
Landing Gear Solution
I talked with several modelers who came up with a solution for a main landing gear
problem. Stan Zdon sent in a great idea. He suggested taking the Robart Manufacturing
1/4-scale main gear for the Sig Manufacturing J-3 Cub and modifying it.
I ordered a Robart gear set, but the gear is too large and will have to be trimmed
down to accommodate the fuselage, which is only 61/8-inches wide where the gear
attaches.
Stan Zdon’s 1/4-scale Spacewalker II, seen in the photo, looks great with the
trimmed Robart gear. The Spacewalker series of aircraft uses many of the J-3 Cub’s
components. The landing gear and the cowling are two of the most obvious.
New Products
Sig Manufacturing has long been an excellent source of Scale model kits, and
documentation. Sig has new owners and is back in full production of Scale kits
and most ARFs. Most
of the company’s
Scale ARFs and kits
will be available this
year. I visited Sig’s
headquarters in
Montezuma, Iowa, last
summer.
Sig likely has more
Scale versions of
the J-3 Cub than
any manufacturer.
These include several
versions of the J-3,
such as the 1/6-scale,
71-inch wingspan version; the 56-inch
clipped-wing version; the 1/5-scale at
841/2 inches; the two 1/4-scale versions
at 86 inches with clipped wings; and the
full-span 105-inch version. Add these to
the company’s stable of other kits, and
you have a good representation of light
general aviation.
Sig also has smaller Scale electric
kits including the 1909 Antoinette
monoplane, the 1910 Deperdussin, the
Dornier DO 217, the Herr Piper J-3
35-inch and 48-inch, as well as the 36-
inch North American T-6 Texan, the
42-inch Herr Piper Cherokee, the Herr
1/2A P-51, the Herr Pitts Special, and the
Herr Cessna Skywagon.
If your local hobby shop has stopped
carrying Sig kits, encourage its owners to
reconsider. If not, you can order directly
from Sig’s website, listed in “Sources.”
Bob’s Aircraft Documentation
If you need documentation for your
next Scale project, contact Bob’s Aircraft
Documentation. The company has the
world’s largest commercial collection
of aircraft photos (roughly 500,000),
representing 8,200 subjects, and 50,000
three-view line drawings. Photos
and drawings are required for Scale
competition.
The color photos are sold in “Foto
Paaks,” ranging in size from single
pictures to as many as 130 in a set,
eliminating the hassle of attempting to
download and print from a CD or the
Internet. The pictures are ready to be
included in your presentation book for
competition or just for enjoyment in
building your model.
Bob covers the gamut from the
Wright brothers to current jets, and
includes civilian, aerobatic, sailplanes,
and helicopters. The average size of a
Foto Paak is 25 pictures with an eightpoint
walk around, gear, markings,
interior, and instruments.
Bob has been a modeler since 1945
and involved in this facet of the hobby
since 1983. You can download his
catalog free or order his CD catalog for
$5, which has 10 articles about Scale
written by leaders in the hobby.
Upcoming Events
• Dawn Patrol: held at the
picturesque Henry Estate Winery in
Umpqua, Oregon. CD Bruce Harlow
and his club have a great idea: hold a
themed event where there isn’t any
serious competition and everyone has
a great time. Check it out August 10-
12. All sizes of vintage, military, World
War I, and World War II RC aircraft
are welcome. There will be continuous
flying from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Bruce’s
contact information is listed in “Sources.”
• U.S. Scale Masters Championships
will be held at the Ohio River View R/C
Flyers home field in Rosewood, Indiana,
September 6-9. The site has a 50 x 800-
foot paved runway with a 100 x 1,200-
foot grass area, with shelters, electricity,
water, and limited camping hookups.
There are regional qualifiers for the
championships across the country, so if
you haven’t qualified yet, you may still
have time. It’s a great championship
event with nice people hosting it. Check
out the Masters website or contact Dale
Arvin. Information for both is listed in
“Sources.”
• Warbirds Over the Rockies: This
event is held west of Denver and is one
of the largest Scale fly-ins in the country.
The event is set for September 28-30.
There typically are more than 5,000
spectators and all of the Scale flying you
could imagine.
This group is in partnership with
Mental Health America/Colorado, which
caters to the special needs of people
with Alzheimer’s, dementia, and bipolar
disorder. Last year, the event raised
$13,000 for the group.