Mode One

Wow! I certainly didn't mean to kill this thread!

Sethhunter

Not at all - I got a good laugh! Engine is in - radio is almost in. This week she should be on her feet and I can start the last leg; spinner (lathe is here), cockpit details, aileron cables, final balancing (seems close to balance already). Just not much to take pictures of! Should be out for the maiden in July.

arspievack

Seth,
I can't wait send one picture of the engine installed, which shows the front of the plane in sitting position.
thanks
ars

mdelzer

I'm not sure if this is common knowledge in this thread, but Glenn Torrance has announced that this plane will be the subject for his next 1/4 scale kit.

Mark

Sethhunter

Well a few pictures with the engine installed - as you can see, more in the breeze than I hoped. Should have the engine running in a week or two.

arspievack

Seth
can you cut the muffler pipes off?
It would help alot.
ars

Sethhunter

I might try after it has some time on it. I've been told the sound level will go up. My club is getting a bit cautious about sound levels (rightly so since we fly in a public park). We have a db meter to do some comparisons with.

arspievack

Seth,
Can you angle them backwards so they lie up against the bottom of the fuselage?
ars

Sethhunter

Hey Mode One - I think it was my turn to kill the thread! I know no one was a fan of my engine choice. Here's a few pics of the cockpit and aileron cable fairleads. The kevlar works well. I need to try a few things to tone down the yellow. Any suggestions? I was thinking shoe polish. Something that doesn't dry out too much would be ideal. BTW - I haven't put a windshield on it. Seems there were lots of different variations. I'll have to go back over the pics but I don't think I have one that shows this detail.

abufletcher

Seth, we still luvs ya and your DIII! The shape of the Pfalz' nose it going to make any engine installation critical and it's likely always to be a compromise. Personally, I'm not so much bothered by the visible cylinder head as by the huge muffler. Is there some way that you can replace with with some custom exhaust system? But then you mentioned the problem of noise requirements at your field so this may simply be unavoidable.

More great work on the latest details. I've never worked with kevlar so I don't have any suggestions in that regard.

So, how's that teddy bear coming along?

TFF

Try the shoe polish, but kevlar is not realy dyeable. I know with race car suits they have to put a nomex layer on top for the color because it comes in diffrent colors.

How soon defore it is flying?

Tom

Sethhunter

Thanks Don, Tom, Allan: I agree about the pipes. After it's flying I'll look into cutting/moving them, and adding more cockpit details - mainly the air pump, fuel reg and throttle assemblies. The spinner is the last item to make before flying. Maybe I can get it in the air before the end of July. I've started clearing a space for a quick build Junkers D1 from MAN plans, and have been looking at the Chance-Vought VE-7 for next Winter's project (a little late for WWI but I think it still counts!). Looking forward to some build alongs for GT's DIIIa - any idea when he'll have the kit available?

abufletcher

I can hardly wait to see a full set of glamour shots at the field and some great shots of this in the air. Do a good job and it may even become my desktop!!!

PS. And that teddy???

Sethhunter

The Teddy - I keep forgetting the Teddy!! OK - I'll have to get out some play dough and the liquid casting kit!

ArdChoile

Seth,

Absolutely beautiful work. Can't wait to see her in the air.

Ard

Erich_Prinz

Been back east and missed out on all the posts.

I've heard Sharpies (permanent markers) works on Kevlar .. they make them in different colors now too. Something to consider Seth.

Every time I see updates on the project, I've just got to pinch myself to make sure I'm not dreaming. Very inspiring to see your efforts turn into something so fantastic. Very much looking forward to seeing it in the air too.

Erich

Mode One

I guess I'm interested in seeing the Pfalz in the air; also, but not nearly as interested as I have been in this entire build thread! Fly the plane when it and you are ready and when conditions are right, Seth, not a moment before! Thanks for presenting this build and I hope even after your test flights are over, this thread will continue on.

Mark DeSchane
Park Rapids, Minnesota
Just another Pfalz Pfile

Sethhunter

Thanks for the tips and kind comments - been working feverishly on the spinner (well, about as feverishly as I can with only an hour or two a day I can devot to this thing!) I'll post a few pictures this weekend. Alan's balloon trick over a male mold works great. Hopefully I'll be able to make a final weight and balance check this weekend and possibly start breaking in the engine. I'm glad eveyone's enjoying the notes - but I got to tell 'ya; After a few years of this, I'm ready to work on something completely different! I would love to see someone continue this with another Pfalz... maybe a DXII? (come on - you know who you are out there!)

1bruno

seth this is what I used to dye my kevlar, see my build thread of my DR1.
http://www.rcscalebuilder.com/forum/...21&PN=1&TPN=14

[link]http://www.rcscalebuilder.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=7121&PN=1&TPN=14[/link]

I used Rit Dye. It worked out well.
Glen

Sethhunter

A few pictures of progress with the spinner. The red blank is wax machinists use to test cnc milling machine programs. I used to turn a male mold to layup the carbon and glass. I found the best tool to cut the wax on the lathe is a cabinet scraper with a nice burr rolled on the edge. It peels the wax off beautifully. The gray piece screwed to the wax is PVC, to hold it in the lathe. The balloon is a tip Alan (ars) mentioned earlier in this thread and is a great idea: Push an inflated balloon down on the wet layup as you let air out of the balloon, allowing it to envelop the mold. The elastic tension holds the fibers tight against the mold. Thank you again Alan!! A little heat was need to soften the wax to pop the mold out.

The spinner still has to be painted and balanced. I turned a little AL plug (not shown) for the nose of the spinner to cover the screw, with an O-ring to hold it in. I used a commercial backplate. The little stepped shaft is so I can assemble the spinner and mount it back in the lathe to true it up and sand it.

The last shot shows the plane hanging from a 2X6 for final balance and weight check. Dry CG seems good: 35% average (weighted by wing area, i.e., 44% upper, 20% lower). Final weight dry is 25 lbs. My daughter was happy to see it flying (well, wheels off the ground)! Oil is on order. Should start the break in next week, fly in a couple. Club members insist I can't bring it out without the teddy bear.

Stay tuned!!

abufletcher

Seth, great work on the spinner. And it's impressive to see a shot of the whole model. BTW, I often wonder what our kids think of these things we dads spend so much time building.

Rhubeus

Hello to all of you here. I found your forum today and can truefully say that I am in awe as the detail and willingness to share techniques and explinations on your building the Pfalz D III. Your skill level is beyond reproach! I happened here as I researched a project that I am working on. It's a little bigger than most here. But will not require a radio to fly. I'll be around from time to time to see how things are going....Jim G.

Erich_Prinz

There's a story lurking in this post somewhere.

Tell us about your project - I'm very curious to know!

Erich

arspievack

Seth/Rhubeus,
They've let me back in, so
a) Yes the spinner looks great and glad you found the balloon method works well.
b) This guy Rhubeus is the kind of guy I can love. Look at his workshop! It looks like mine.
Anyone can build in a spic and span place like you keep Seth. It's we real artists who dig everything out of the dirt
. If it doesn' take a radio and it isn't free flight or on a string, someone has to get in it.
I can't wait.
alan

Rhubeus

I do like to work out of doors,but this is outside of my workshop. I've been sanding the devil out of the foam and would rather have all that dust outside. Like many here, I've fond of the Pfalz ever since I first saw 'The Blue Max'. What I am working on in the pictures will never fly. But it will supply me with exact dimensions for the fuselage. The intention is to make the fuselage of the flying version out of sheet aluminum. I used to work on Cessnas as an A&P for many years and will use their mode of construction.
It is 72% full size with a 22 foot span and 17 foot length. It has no where the finished quaility of the plane here, but is just a 'rough'.
Jim G.