Ultralajt`s World of Flying

I finished a video that show Livno Airfield both in 1964, when CIRUS HS-62 starts to fly there, and today in 2013, when my scale model fly at the same place:

As captured by friend A.Novak:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ojecnvEDeGs

..

Photos taken from a video:

Complete set of photos here: http://s71.photobucket.com/user/ultralajt/story/13091

Aerotow Meeting, Vipava 23.3.2013

I made 5 flights:

Here is a link to youtube video, combined from 3 flights, placing camcorder on various places on the model:

CIRUS HS-62 Vipava 2013

These days I was very busy making some updates in my CIRUS HS-62 scale sailplane cockpit, as flying season is camming fast.

Tomorrow I will go on aerotow meeting and I was in hurry to complete at least minimum equippment that must be in the cockpit. So, I made seats, controlls, seat belts, pilot with a parachute, and finish instrument tables.

It still needs to be done some more, like brake handles, trim wheels... but for brief look in the cockpit, it looks pretty finished.

Heads of "Pilot Bob", TopmodelCZ just arrived!

I ordered two heads from TopmodelCZ, but as they still dont came to my door, I decided to bake pilot head I have done it last year.

And when i was already in the mood for sculpting, I use all leftovers of Super Sculpy and made a pair of shoes and lower leg parts, and also a pair of hands.

I intend to use these parts as a plugs for making molds from whick I will produce these parts.

I really dont know how to reproduce these parts cheaply, but so far some of the options are going trough my head.

Making molds

First to cover parts with mold relase solvent.
Next, to apply a layer of silicone to these plugs. Silicine to apply in many layers, left each to cure before applying next. I will just use ordinary silicone from a store. (will not use fancy dentist`s silicone)

Next will put all in a plastic box (or cup of apropriate size) and fill all remain cavities aroud the mold.
Next will remove msilicone mold out of plastic box(cup), cut rear half of the cilicone down to the sculpy part, open and peel the siliconeout from the sculpy part.

Making parts from molds

Just for percautions we apply mold release solvent inro the inner surfaces of silicone mold.
We put mold into the box(cup) and pour into a material from whick a body part we will make.

I see at least two options here:

A. Making from a PU glue

- We mix poliurethane expandable one component glue with water, steer well and pour into the mold. Rotate mold in all directions, so that glue will cover all mold surfaces completely. Left still to glue expand. Hopefully in an hour we will remove mold from a cup, open silicone mold at rear end and extract the body part. I hope that PU glue when it hardens, will got smooth outer surface (surface against the mold), yet stay light as material is "foammy". Next a part is painted to match the skin, shoes, lips, hair.....

B. Making part from epoxy resin

- We pour a small ammount of epoxy resin and hardener into the mold and rotate mold in all directions from time to time, until resing starts with curing. This way we assure that complete inner mold surface get equal resing layer thickness. When resin is cured (overnight) we can peel off the silicone mold. As there is a possibility, that epoxy body part will be fragile, we can pour into the cavity PU expandable glue, to fill part with foam. Of course this must be done before extracting the part out of the silicone mold to prevent damage made by glue expansion.

I will see (decide) which method I will use in next days...probably after some test samples made from these materials...

And now some photo of the parts aI baked lat night. I need to make some corrections on the parts. Now that they are solid rock hard, I can use small files, knife and sanding paper do make all necessarry corrections, to smooth some areas and prepare parts for making molds.

I ordered two pilot heads for my CIRUS HS-62 Sailplane cockpit.

Heads came from TopModelCZ. It is made of thin resin from a mold, but with furry hair:

I will probably make some modifications (repainting of the eyes and lips) and adding sunglasses to one and a heat to another pilot, so they will not looks like they are twins!

Their bodies will be made from a copper wire frame, which will support torso, legs and hands made from a foam.

From a Super Sculpy I will make hands and shoes that will serve as plugs for molds made of silicone. Parts will be made in these molds using expandable PU glue.

Today I try to make Pilots Overalls.

I will make overalls like this one on the photo bellow:

Oweralls seems to be kind of "brownish". One brighter, another darker...

First I measure one of my overalls and then scale down measurements to 28,5% (scale 1:3,5).

I draw then all patterns:

Next I print patterns, cut them out of paper and transfer them on the linen fabric.

Transfering patterns on the fabric.

Next I cut all parts out.

I soon learn, that tiny folds of fabric wont stay firm while sewing, unless I glue them on the place. I use clear houshold liquid paper glue.

O.K., using glue, pockets were an "easy meal" to sewn on their proper place. They need to be sewn as first parts, because latter it is harder.

Almost done. The most difficult was sewing sleeves to the rest of the cloth.

Yeess! Done!  Now I need to make this Pilot`s Overall brown!

What is cooking here?

I put plenty of onion peelings in water. Add cloth I ve just made and left boiling for about 15 minutes.

It look s odd 

But result of such "nature friendly coloring" of the fabric is pretty good:

Finished Pilot`s Overall.

Now I know where to make some modifications (sleeves, collar, buttons, another pair of pockets...) and I am looking happy forward to make a proper pair of Overalls for my CIRUS HS62 pilots. 

Couple days ago, I bring CIRUS HS-62 sailplane fuselage in my working room to start making some necessarry modifications and improvements.

Last year, the summer was hot, and grass was dying on the heat. So flying on the dead grass airfield, wheel thrown plenty of dead grass particles inside the fuselage. There was grass everywhere in the fuselage! I have hard time to clean it out.

So, I take landing gear out and make a mud fender from thin aluminum sheet. I did not get a acceptable idea on how to screw this fender on the place, so I just glue it and aditionally secure with aluminum self adhesive tape.

I bolted landing gear assembly back in the fuselage.

This problem of collecting gras is now solved!

On 8th of september 2012, I attend Vintage Scale Gliders meeting held in Celje.

I started with making of Cockpit interior details. I hope, that at end, it will look very similar to interior of original Cirus HS-62 cockpit.

Started with simple parts.. for instance rudder pedals:

Plywood pedals, aluminum sheet for some curved parts, and Super Sculpey polymer plastic moulded as pedal rubber padding.

Not perfect, but pretty close...

Strap made from thin "leather imitation" cloth. Oval bolt heads made from drops of white glue.

Aerotow meeting in Krsko!

I made 5 more flights, soaring included

Barogram of soaring:

Frst flight in Krsko:

First four flight done!

I made 4 test flights on 22th of august 2012, with CIRUS HS-62 sailplane!

All went very nicely without any problems or nasty surprises!

Now I am looking forward to fly more, and first oportunity will be this weekend. I hope that western wind will not be so strong as it is predicted by weather report.

Videos are still under editing, so for now just some photos and two short video clips:

Flight No4 with onboard minicam: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TA7yzOSJ-oo

Curent status:

Yesterday I paint blades of airbrakes red and install them into the wing. I need to add balsa wood on top, sand to airfoil contour and paint white.

I connect (solder) servos with wires and solder MPX connectors at their ends for connection with harness in the fuselage. i also prepare wiring harness for the fuselage.

Tow hook is made, but not installed yet.

I solder LED nav.light at tip of the wings.

I have only one week more to finish the sailplane....

I made a simple servo instalation in the wing.

Using 8mm thick poplar plywood, I made blocks that will hold servomotor in his bay. A thin aluminum strip bolted into blocks will phold servo firm in place. Bolts are screwed into the nuts burried in the blocks from theit back side.

Aditional servo cover mader from plastic will cover assembly.

Photo above: wooden blocks glued into the servo bay.

Photo above: servo in its place.

Photo above: servo secured with aluminum trip and two screws. Note servo cover on left.

Photo above: air brakes servo bay.

Dry (without glueing) test fit went perfect!

Yesterday i made Shemp Hirth style speed brakes. I use extruded aluminum profile for the plates, 2 mm, thick aircraft grade plywood, 1,5mm thick carbon plate, some M3 nuts, washers and bolts.

Using metal template for drilling holes I secure proper aligment of them and proper geometry.

Roughly taped together to get some photos for getting some inspiration to go on...