Luscombe 8A project in parallel with four other light aircraft models.
empennage cherry wood
I always have several projects on my bench. I await all your progress shots.
Lou
I will keep plodding along. I think is is easier to build a few similar models as the setup and cleanup for one of's seems to be slower. Plus I get into a better groove working the pieces in groups. Next steps will be fitting the wings and empennage on all five.
Tail mocked up
Well done.
Lou
Marked out the stiffeners on the ailerons and trailing edge skins. The Luscombe had no flaps and a very simple wing with few actual ribs.
Working on the model really showed me how small the ailerons were on such a long wing. The airplane was a delight to fly as it had dual control sticks and was very nimble in the air.
Similar to a Cub I assume.
Lou
I've actually never flown in a Cub. The 8A had the same 65 hp Continental as the Cub and it may have had better performance cruise wise.
The Cub was maybe a bit more docile whereas the Luscombe had a reputation as a bit more to handle, especially on landing. More on that later when I work on the landing gear.
Primed. The 8A had a more squared off fin and stabilizer. I had the opportunity to reskin a Luscombe stab. Not much in there😄
Vertical fin and stabilizer flight control stiffeners marked out, fuselage filled and all parts primed. Major parts mocked up together.
Next is to mount empennage and cut the wings to fit.
Great so far.
Lou
Third model, the Luscombe, has the wings and empennage located and pinned. The dehiedral is quite flat on this aircraft which is another reason it was so crisp to fly. Plus it had dual control sticks which made it a lot of fun.
All "Project 5" models now are assembled and glued with epoxy. Check out the article Assembly Fixture in the construction techniques section os the forum.
Basically the fuselage is clamped in a fixture, dihedral blocks set and the wings aligned and epoxied to the wing root. I used G2 epoxy mixed in small batches that was also described in the Construction forum.
Filling, next up.
Fraser
Always good to clamp the parts. White glue will pull parts when drying.
Lou
Cleaned up joints and added first round of filler.
To change it up a bit, I am starting on the landing gear.
The Luscombe has an odd gear. It is a welded steel structure covered with an aluminium fairing. The left gear is a simple pivot at the top with an arm extending into the centre of the aircraft where an arm attaches to a single dampened spring. Of course as the gear pivots at the top, the spring assembly is displaced sideways on its pivot mount as the arm describes an arc.
The right gear can't just pivot like the left gear because the spring needs to move opposite to the deflection from the left gear leg. It would not move as it is now a triangular connection... Additionally each gear leg is connected to the bottom of the spring from the axel via a streamlined brace rod. There is no flex.
So to accommodate the arcing movement of the gear leg, the right gear is double jointed by hanging from links that allow the whole right gear to swing outward as the landing gear assembles move. Works great, but it does have bushings that wear out and cause an odd rattle from the right gear on touch down. At least you can still get parts....
The gear was also pretty "dead" on landing so it made the Luscombe easy to wheel on without bouncing.
So, I soldered up the gear legs joined with a solid 'v" of brass sheet acting as the fairing. Each gear side was made from six pieces of brass: two inner pins, two tubes, one axel and one fairing. I'll fill and sand the gear to give it the aluminium fairing look. The mounting pins are long for now as are the axels.
The first picture shows the tiny bits of solder that with a few passes from the torch make a nice neat joint....usually.
Fraser
Nicely done and way out of my league.
Lou