GliderIreland - Ireland RC Forum - Flying Model forum in Ireland
Gliders => Slope Soaring => Topic started by: Fred on August 27, 2008, 13:30:39 PM
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Hi there,
Yes, another building thread for the now famous Wasabi from Flybiwo! :)
Well... Not exactly just another Wasabi thread! :D
As the title suggest, we are now talking about a new development of the Wasabi, the "Eco" (Economical) version.
Mind you, Economical don't necessarily mean that the design will be changed to have an economical version of the flying as well! :p Everything will be the same as the fully moulded one, except this one will have a bit more wood (yep, the stuff from the trees! :p ;) ) in it ! :D
To make the story short, a while ago, Francois was looking for someone who can have a look at the feasibility of a Wasabi made of wood to have an "eco" version of the glider...
After a few mails, well, that was possible, and even better, the build can be perform by everyone and will not take month (I reckon 10 hours to complete the building..!)
So, after a few prototypes (sets of wings, tails...) and a few bad names, today is finally time to present you the beast!
Oh, and more good news, thanks to Francois, the plan will be available for everyone to download! But Francois will certainly talk to you about that! :)
First of all, a photo of the finished product...
(http://www.gliderireland.net/images/Planeur/wasabi/Slopewasabi003.jpg)
Yep, everything except the fuselage is made of wood!
Enough blah blah, time to cut some trees and glue some wood !
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On the plan, lay out all the ribs on the spar.
The ribs and main spar are all made of 3mm Liteply.
(http://www.gliderireland.net/images/Planeur/wasabi/wingswasabi018.jpg)
Then, time to glue the second spar, made of 3mm liteply too. this will close the wing TE.
Note that on the plan, all the parts slots together, no mistakes can be made here !
(http://www.gliderireland.net/images/Planeur/wasabi/wingswasabi019.jpg)
And finally, glue the fake TE, made of square 5x5mm hardwood :
(http://www.gliderireland.net/images/Planeur/wasabi/wingswasabi020.jpg)
Make sure everything is square before gluing ! that's the main thing to be taking care of during the building process !
(http://www.gliderireland.net/images/Planeur/wasabi/wingswasabi003.jpg)
Tadaaaa ! :
(http://www.gliderireland.net/images/Planeur/wasabi/wingswasabi021.jpg)
That's 15 minutes worth of work.. Everything is glued with thick cyano by the way !
WING JOINER :
The wing joiner is a 12mm ext. diameter aluminium tube...
(http://www.gliderireland.net/images/Planeur/wasabi/wingswasabi002.jpg)
(http://www.gliderireland.net/images/Planeur/wasabi/wingswasabi001.jpg)
Hold on a minute ! :eek: 12mm is the size of the Wasabi wing joiner already !
Well, this is the only modification made from the stock Wasabi ! The wing joiner have to go (because of the building) from 12mm to 10mm, to have a 12mm tube inside the wing, the maximum dimension allowed by the size of the ribs !
So, for the fuselage, easy, cut the 12mm tube to be the size of the fuselage, and put it in the tube already in place... Job done !
And if you don't glue it (like me..), that can be retrofitted !
(http://www.gliderireland.net/images/Planeur/wasabi/wingswasabi008.jpg)
(http://www.gliderireland.net/images/Planeur/wasabi/wingswasabi009.jpg)
Later, we'll start the sheeting and finishing of the wings... Yes, already ! :)
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Now it's time to cut a few sheets of 1.5mm balsa (2 sheets each wing)...
Really easy, take a sheet, draw the cutting line, glue the sheet ! :D
Start with the top side of the wing, the ribs jig helps you to keep everything straight.
I used contact glue.
(http://www.gliderireland.net/images/Planeur/wasabi/wingswasabi004.jpg)
A sheet is not wide enough, so another smal triangular piece will be needed...
(http://www.gliderireland.net/images/Planeur/wasabi/wingswasabi005.jpg)
And here is the result :
(http://www.gliderireland.net/images/Planeur/wasabi/wingswasabi006.jpg)
(http://www.gliderireland.net/images/Planeur/wasabi/wingswasabi007.jpg)
(http://www.gliderireland.net/images/Planeur/wasabi/wingswasabi010.jpg)
Now, it's time to sheet the other side...
First, cut the rib's jigs
(http://www.gliderireland.net/images/Planeur/wasabi/wingswasabi011.jpg)
Then, to plank the other side, cut the balsa sheet to size, apply the contact glue on the ribs, apply the sheet, and remove...
You can see where the glue must go, top up with more contact glue on the sheeting if needed...
(http://www.gliderireland.net/images/Planeur/wasabi/wingswasabi012.jpg)
Now, to keep the thing straight, you must sand the LE. The trick here, to sand straight is to glue / tape a sheet of sanding paper on the workbench and use it as a sanding table...
(http://www.gliderireland.net/images/Planeur/wasabi/wingswasabi013.jpg)
By the way, here are some photos taken between the 2 wing building :
(http://www.gliderireland.net/images/Planeur/wasabi/wingswasabi022.jpg)
(http://www.gliderireland.net/images/Planeur/wasabi/wingswasabi023.jpg)
(http://www.gliderireland.net/images/Planeur/wasabi/wingswasabi024.jpg)
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Next step, is to glue the wing tips, made of a block of balsa cutted in shape.
You have to put the wing tips first as they will be used for the next step and be used as a "stopper" (?) for the LE.
(http://www.gliderireland.net/images/Planeur/wasabi/wingswasabi014.jpg)
Then, gluing the LE from 10mm soft balsa.
(http://www.gliderireland.net/images/Planeur/wasabi/wingswasabi015.jpg)
Time to shape all that now. A "must have" tool for all wood builders is a plane. I use a small one from Kavan with a razor blade.
(http://www.gliderireland.net/images/Planeur/wasabi/wingswasabi017.jpg)
After that, a good sanding (use the sanding paper from your workbench to be as straight ass possible
The 2 wings took me nearly 2 hours to arrive at this stage... :)
(http://www.gliderireland.net/images/Planeur/wasabi/wingswasabi026.jpg)
(http://www.gliderireland.net/images/Planeur/wasabi/wingswasabi025.jpg)
(http://www.gliderireland.net/images/Planeur/wasabi/wingswasabi027.jpg)
With the plan, cut the openings for the wing's servos...
(http://www.gliderireland.net/images/Planeur/wasabi/wingswasabi016.jpg)
And that's it for now !
For the ailerons, no photos, but the building is really simple... The aileron's LE is in 10mm balsa with 10mm balsa "ribs" and closed by 2 sheets of 1.5mm balsa top and bottom... around 10 minutes each to build.
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Hi Fred---- Fon here- finally joined the site!
Great day of flying the other day! Great site aswell....
Talk to ya soon- cheers Fon...
P.S. The Wasabi looks great...
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Hey Fon,
Welcome to the forum ! :D
And congrats again on your flying on sunday ! :clap:
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Looks Great Fred :D :D . God your building it fast. The next time I build a model from wood its gona have to be CNC or Laser cut.
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Looks good Fred - nice strong wing. 12mm seems a lot for the wing joiner on a model this size - but I guess it its designed for edge of the envelope stuff!
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<- This guy loved it flying!!!
Great news if the plans will be available, this seems a really nice plane.
Fred excellent building! :)
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Thanks guys for the comments ! :oops: :D
Alright so, time to finish the glider !
All the stab ribs are made of 3mm plywood. same principle as the wing really, nothing really serious here !
So, first, cut the ribs according to plan
(http://www.gliderireland.net/images/Planeur/wasabi/Stabwasabi001.jpg)
The spar is made of a 6mm carbone tube (5mm inside). To have a clean cut on the carbone tube, put some masking tape on it, draw the line, and cut with a small saw.
(http://www.gliderireland.net/images/Planeur/wasabi/Stabwasabi002.jpg)
Then, it's just a matter of putting the ribs on the tube, check that everything is straight according to the plan, and glue everything with CA, or PVA ;)
The smaller tube is made of 3mm carbone tube (2mm inside)
After 2 minutes, you should get that :
(http://www.gliderireland.net/images/Planeur/wasabi/Stabwasabi003.jpg)
Left thing to do now is the sheeting. Sheeting is made with 1mm balsa. I kept mine plain, but you can put lighting holes in the sheeting if you want to gain a few grams (and less lead on the nose too...)
Same as the wings really, but smaller :D
(http://www.gliderireland.net/images/Planeur/wasabi/Stabwasabi004.jpg)
And after a good first sanding sanding and the LE glued in place (5mm balsa):
(http://www.gliderireland.net/images/Planeur/wasabi/Stabwasabi005.jpg)
And the final touch, the balsa block at the tips and a final big sanding !
(http://www.gliderireland.net/images/Planeur/wasabi/Stabwasabi006.jpg)
Just curious, fit on thefuselage ...
(http://www.gliderireland.net/images/Planeur/wasabi/Stabwasabi007.jpg)
Perfect ! :)
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The rudder (sorry, just a few photos here as this is really a non event...) is made of the same principle of the ailerons...
The LE of the rudder is made of 12mm balsa with slots for the sheeting (1.5mm balsa if I remember). But ribs made of balsa are glued first to the LE according to the plan. The bottom is then closed with a balsa block.
The LE is then sanded to a D shape and slots are cutted for robart's type hinges.
Takes 10 minutes to make, and so as the stab, mine is sheeted with plain balsa, but lighting holes are possible to make.
(http://www.gliderireland.net/images/Planeur/wasabi/Stabwasabi009.jpg)
(http://www.gliderireland.net/images/Planeur/wasabi/Stabwasabi008.jpg)
Of course, before covering all your hard work, you can have a final look at it :
(http://www.gliderireland.net/images/Planeur/wasabi/Finitionwasabi001.jpg)
Sweet ! :D ;)
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Well, that's it ! Now you have all the parts / components, you are now at the stage where you can use the excellent Manual from Steve. Everything is the same except for the rudder hinges system (we used Robart's hinges remember).
To glue the part that goes in the fin, the link for the rudder and finally, how to put the rudder hinges, you can use the manual made by Steve about the stock Wasabi !
(http://www.gliderireland.net/images/Planeur/wasabi/Stabwasabi011.jpg)
(http://www.gliderireland.net/images/Planeur/wasabi/Stabwasabi010.jpg)
(NOTE : you can see here the slots for the Robart's type hinges...)
(http://www.gliderireland.net/images/Planeur/wasabi/Stabwasabi012.jpg)
(NOTE : Instead of steel cable, I used Kevlar wires)
(http://www.gliderireland.net/images/Planeur/wasabi/Finitionwasabi005.jpg)
The covering has been made with Vinyl, not the lightest one. Same here, everything is possible and up to you !
You can simply varnish the wood, use Oracover, Vinyl, silk, paper etc etc.. Endless possibilities depending of your taste, experience etc etc...
For the aileron's servos, you can epoxy a square piece of Carbone fiber / fibreglass to re-enforce the sheeting where the servo is. For the control horn, a slot is cutted with a hobby knide, then glued with epoxy
(http://www.gliderireland.net/images/Planeur/wasabi/Finitionwasabi006.jpg)
For the stab articulation, I used the same system as Pierre Rondel did on his Wasabi, I used a 4mm carbone tube with Sulivan's link epoxied on each ends.
(http://www.gliderireland.net/images/Planeur/wasabi/Finitionwasabi004.jpg)
Oh yeah, on my Wasabi fuselage, the hole that host the tube for the L shaped control horn was 7mm of diameter... Cannot find a 7mm diameter tube, so, stupidely (I have my moments ! :D ) i used a 6mm tube, and glued it in place in the hole with 30 minutes epoxy... The only problem is that the tube moved and now, the tube is not straight ! As a result, my stab is not horizontal, but go down to 8mm ! :censored: :censored: :censored:
When I'll get less lazy, I'll redo this part, and reglue the tube straight :o :o
Not very beautiful to see in flight ! Sorry about that, stupid mistake ! :censored:
So, back to the Wasabi now !
As I said, the Wasabi is entirely covered with white vinyl. My plane was to use the vinykl on the wings in one piece to articulate the ailerons with it, leaving no gaps on the top side of the wings, and have a perfectly smooth surface... Well, I have failed here ! I'm really not good at covering, so after a few bird names and 2 kilometers of vinyl, I gave up and used white tape to articulate the ailerons...
The underside of the Wasabi is stripped with red, that helps a lot !
Before :
(http://www.gliderireland.net/images/Planeur/wasabi/ensemblewasabi.jpg)
After :
(http://www.gliderireland.net/images/Planeur/wasabi/Finitionwasabi002.jpg)
(http://www.gliderireland.net/images/Planeur/wasabi/Finitionwasabi003.jpg)
Tadaaaaa ! All done ! :)
Next, the Wasabi at the slope ! :)
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Do you think you will fly it this weekend Fred? I might try and get some flying in myself sometime this weekend.
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Looking good Fred. Better be 35Mhz Synth Receiver in there. I want a go. No, I need a go!! :D :D
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Anytime ! :D
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Well, after around 10 hours of really hard work , a few servos, battery and so on, it's finally time to fly the beast at your favourite slope !
(http://www.gliderireland.net/images/Planeur/wasabi/Slopewasabi004.jpg)
Yeah, that's wood ! ;)
(http://www.gliderireland.net/images/Planeur/wasabi/Slopewasabi003.jpg)
(http://www.gliderireland.net/images/Planeur/wasabi/Slopewasabi006.jpg)
(http://www.gliderireland.net/images/Planeur/wasabi/Slopewasabi002.jpg)
And the flying ?
Well, see flight number 3 and 4 by yourself ! :)
http://www.gliderireland.net/images/videos/wasabieco.wmv (18Mo for 3.40mins)
Not the best day to try the glider, but the machine managed to fly nicely !
As noticed by Francois, and as you can certainly see, I flew without snap flaps and camber. Even if that was programmed on my radio, I have to admit that I did not used the mixes :o
My C of G was a bit too much forward (89mm). And the machine is tough ! I had a few "landings" inverted (wayyyy too low/slow :p ) or on the belly after snap rolls or when the second loop in a row was a bit of a challenge :p but not a single scratch on the glider :)
I'll make another video on a better day with snapflaps and camber.
I have never tried the Wasabi before flying the WazEco, so I can't really compare, but what I've liked is the really sharp and precise response of all the moving surfaces whatever the speed. Even at low speed, almost stopped in the air, you can turn your roll very precisely. The speed range is quiet impressive for the size of the machine, even, in my case, with 0 camber all the time (light ? )
Well, the only limitation for the machine will be the pilot really...
Enjoy the video, and stay tuned for more ! (Thanks to Fernando for holding the camera ! :D )
Fred
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Oh yeah, bought a scale yesterday ! First time in my modeler's life I have one !
So, the WazEco weight RTF is 1050g, and went down yesterday to 1030g !
Pretty light, without even trying to save weight during the building process... You can't beat wood ! :mrgreen:
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Alright so... After our last outing, and the Wazeco laugh, I decided it was finally time to remove the fingers and do the set of wings I have for a few months now in my garage for it !
Wings are the same geometry as the Wasabi/Wazeco one, but changed the profile for the Sb96v at the root, going to a Sb96vs at the tip. Plan is to still have a fully aerobatic machine, but a machine that actually fly in poor lift conditions.
Foam cores were cutted by Joe (thanks :D ) and sheeting is made of 1mm balsa to keep it light. No spars etc etc, useless at that size, but the wings will have live hinges.
The second wing is drying right now
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Might be better with a few photos ! :oops:
I pass the balsa cutting etc etc, and here is the foam core with the tape for the live hinge.
(http://www.gliderireland.net/forum/images/uploads/Fred/P1010192.jpg)
Then, everything is bagged... I always put some cling film between the wood and the foam cores. Nothing stick to it... Just in case :roll:
(http://www.gliderireland.net/forum/images/uploads/Fred/P1010194.jpg)
(http://www.gliderireland.net/forum/images/uploads/Fred/P1010222.jpg)
Once dry, remove evrything from the bag, remove the cling film, and sand everything smooth, time to do the hinges.
Small cut on top (1mm wide), and a bigger one at the bottom, in a flat V shape, et voila !
(http://www.gliderireland.net/forum/images/uploads/Fred/P1010205.jpg)
(http://www.gliderireland.net/forum/images/uploads/Fred/P1010209.jpg)
And gluing of the TE
(http://www.gliderireland.net/forum/images/uploads/Fred/P1010218.jpg)
.... Well, nothing very difficult here !
Now, servos are in, TE sanded, and incidence pins glued... Covering tonight, and job done !
All in all, without the epoxy curing time, 2 hours spent on the wings to have them ready to cover :D
More photos once dne :D
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Fred, you said you put some cling film between the wood and the foam cores. I assume when you say “wood” you mean the balsa sheet? In which case surely you would want the wood to stick to the foam core :?: ……………..wouldn’t you???
(Or am I just being exceptionally stupid today :oops: )
K.
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Hey Keith,
Yep, that's between the balsa and the foam.
Foam
Cling film
Balsa
Foam (wing)
Balsa
Cling film
Foam
That's in case some epoxy goes through the balsa because of the bagging. I have a few spots of epoxy on the sheetings despite removing almost all the epoxy from the wing before putting the sheeting ! :!: Don't look good on the photos those spots, but the surface is smooth...
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AARrrrrr................Now I understand :wink:
It's all very testicle, isn't it
K.
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:lol:
By the way, just weighted the glider...
All in, minus wing covering (servos, links etc etc are installed) weight is...970g ! :D :D
I guess I will go to the kilo once covered, but still, certainly the lightest Wazeco/Wasabi around... And with a sb profile... Can't wait to fly that thing again to compare this setup now ! :D
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Hey Fred
All I can say Fred is AWSOME. How much does the Eco Wasabi go for ?
Cheers
Matt
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Hey Fred, this coming Saturday is looking good for a test flight. Gentle 40K winds from the west! :D
That works for me. :lol:
Might have to dodge a few showers though. :(
(You could help me launch my 4mtr ASW while you’re there. :wink: You know you want to!)
K.
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Hi Matt,
Thanks, now, I just have to fly that thing, and I have lots of expectations for the sb profile ! :D Fingers crossed, but with that weight so far, I'm happy !
For the kit, not too sure what our plan is, we are sorting out the vintage kits first, everything else follow.
On top of my head, price for the fuselage + wood kit + accessories (that come with the fuselage) was 170 euros I think...
And now Joe have the files for the foam wings :D
Keith, not too sure for this week end, tempted to fly that Crystal and see your first steps in the big gliders world :clap:
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Thats cool Fred , please let me know when you guys have got it all confirmed. I really like the way it flies. I be forced to get one i think,hahaha
matt :D
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You mean that you like when that fly like a loooonnnggggg glitch ? :mrgreen: (I swear, it was ! O:) )
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haha maybe thats it ,you never know these days haha
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Forgot to post a photo, before covering... :roll:
(http://www.gliderireland.net/forum/images/uploads/Fred/P1010224.jpg)
All covered now, and 1 servo link to plug, and ready to fly...Again... :D
That's if the snow stop falling ! Where is my global warming ??? :!:
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Very nice Fred, looking forward to seeing you fly this puppy!
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Thanks Ed :D
Hopefully, will be ok to go flying next week end (after the big one...).
I'm alone at home next week, so If we have some Westerlies, I might go at Kilakee one evening... Actually, haven't done that in a long time ! :roll:
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Hey, give me a little warning and should be able to make it. Going to try and fly down at Tountinna over Easter as i am going to be close by. Thanks again for the info Fred for flying there.
ed
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No problemo Ed ! :D
Hope you meet the guys over there, great bunch of like minded people, but be careful of Dave! :mrgreen:
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Hi Fred , you Wasabi Eco looks cool !!!!!!!!!!!!!
PM sent
Richard
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(http://www.gliderireland.net/forum/images/uploads/rogallo/2012-09-22%2009.44.30.jpg)
(http://www.gliderireland.net/forum/images/uploads/rogallo/2012-09-22%2008.44.34.jpg)
Merci to Ronan for my 4mm carbon, work has started again. I hope to be ready for next weekend
Ralph
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:wink: :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :wink:
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(http://www.gliderireland.net/forum/images/uploads/rogallo/wasabicovering.jpg)
Out in the workshop early this morning covering, hope to get out again tomorrow morning to finish other wing panel.
Looking good for the weekend
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Them’s is big ailerons Ralph 8) !
K.