SGS 1-26E build project has begun

I received my partial kit of the new TMRC 1/4-scale Schweizer 1-26E sailplane a short while ago, and finally got everything else cleared off the building board to make room for this beauty.  Rolling out the plans, I was surprised at the completeness of annotation on every view.  It took awhile to study the section cuts and plan views, but eventually, by reading every note and examining all the detail views, the overall architecture of the build became plain to understand.  The plan sheets are a full 8 feet long, and my board is only 79", so I will eventually need to cut the plans up a bit.  Shame-- they are a work of art. 

I started out with a simple structure-- the horizontal stab and elevator.  I need to get more 3/32" balsa sheeting before starting on the wings (my usual first step), as they are fully sheeted, and my balsa stash is short on that particular thickness.  The tail feathers go together with no problems.  You do need to be sure to keep any twist out of them, though.  The cross-section is wedge-shaped, with thick hingeline spars and thin leading and trailing edges, so you can't really build them flat on the board.  I kept eyeballing the edges, to make sure everything stayed on centerline.  Also, the leading edges of the stab are thin ply, so I veneered them on each side with 1/16th balsa sheet material, so I would have more thickness to sand down to the final wedge cross-section.  I like the provision for hinge-point type hinges-- much more scale-like in appearance than flat hinges, and they are easy to install. 

Next up will be the rudder and fin, which I expect will go together as easily as the horizontal surfaces. 

Comments

[mike parley]

don, when you build the fuselage be sure to add stringers to the full length of the empenage. the plans and instructions don't call for them in the 1/5 scale that i built, but it sure needs them. scalloping of the empenage will occur without the stringers. what i mean by scalloping is that the areas in between the bulk heads will sag and the bulk heads will stand out. i specifically asked tom about stringers and he said that they are not necessary, but they are. cheers, mike

[medieval costumes]

woah.. this is quite a project.. Hmmm.. ;) Good luck mate I hop you get this flying in no time.. :)