another A-3D build project

[bill morris]

I have always wanted to build a model of the a-3 since i got out of the navy in 69.it wasn't until recently i found some plans on the internet.they were from traplet and drawn by chris golds.it works out to about 1/15 scale with a 60in span and 58in faus.i am building with balsa and ply.the plans are basic so i'm having to design and modify to suit my taste.there will be an modified flight crew with crew in electronics in bomb bay.power is two 70mm edfs.rclander retractswith flight lite tires.will have airbrakes,tail skid,drag chute,color mini cam audio and video with pan and tilt.rudder,elevator ail,flaps,nav lites so far.i started build in aug.2011and content to just ask questions untill flight medal said i should share this build,so here go's nothing.i have been taking some photos and as soon as i can get it figured out i'll share with anyone who wants to look.i am really new to computers so have patience.thanks and God bless. bro bill morris

[quorneng]

Bill
That's sounds like a seriously complex A-3D.
Can't wait to see some piccies!

[bill morris]

i had someone help me to get some pictures uploaded,still don't know what i'm doing.the first one is a patch some crew members wore.when i first got my plans i sent them off right away for a short kit lazer cutting.i want to explain that i have never made a rc scale model airplane.back in the late 50's and early 60's i made some topflight u-control planes but nothing since.when i first opened my plans i was shocked at the size and complexety of this project and then totally confused at where to start.

[Fly Time]

That's quite a project you have there Bill! I'm eager to follow along and send you encouragement. I would be completely lost as to where to begin too, but I'm sure it won't take you too long to get into a groove

[bill morris]

i sorted out all the parts sent to me to get an idea where to begin .i laid out my plans to check where the landing gear would fit and to check other things.when i found these plans and knew i was going to build this bird i started gathering my building materials starting with rc lander retracts,pair of detrum 70 mm edfs,thin and thick ca and some med gray and white monokote and other assorted stuff.i found a canopy where i bought the plans and come to find out the size is close but have to do some modifications to fit.the fun of modeling,take one step forward and a couple back.moving forward. bro bill

[bill morris]

i don't know if this is going right.i can download the pictures but don't know how to separate them.i have 46 at the present and will be adding more as i go along.a repeat ,the plans were for foam construction and much was approximate size.i fit the landing gear ,adjusted for angle on the mains and feeling better about this project.

[Fly Time]

Nice landing gear Bill! Where did you find those?

[bill morris]

i found these at park rc models.com.they are rc landers elec retracts for the f-16.they have several styles and heavy enough for this bird.hope to stay under 8 lbs.

[bill morris]

i was looking at my edfs and decided to work on them for awhile.the fan shown was different than mine so get out the paper,pencils and rulers.the picture on the plans helped some.the pylons went fairly easy but had to add some extra braces to mount the different size motor mount.the fan was in a different place so had to figure the changes on intake and exhaust lengths.one thing that has really helped is reading other peoples projects.a person can come up with a lot of good ideas .

[bill morris]

the frame work on the pylon is 1/4x1/2 balsa.after made to shape ,covered with 1/16 sheet balsa.the front of the eng pod is 1/2 balsa stacked to 1 in then cut to the basic shape for final work.the motor mount is 1/8 ply and 1/2 square balsa cut to fit.then had to notch the pylon for the mount to fit in.the taper on the nose piece and the end of the pylon had to line up so that they blend together.

[bill morris]

i wanted to inject,both the engine pods are the same.the difference is on the pylons.the uprights are angled to conform with the wing leading edge.in reading some other forums it was suggested that you use rolled acetate or something.i was in the store one day and noticed bottles of tea that had th right dia. and was stiff enough not to fold up.the dia gave me the right entry so as not to cause turbulence .on the exhaust side i read somewhere a cheap exhaust duct could be made from a fast food soft drink cup.checked several places and found a perfect fit(with some adjusting) at burger king.the exhaust tip was just right and so was the length.

[bill morris]

a touch of old timers.the rolled up material was for the intake passage.reading about setting up for fan area had me designing things to get the best performance out of the fans.on the exhaust i split the cup down the side and glue to fit the fan exit side.worked out ok.

[Fly Time]

You are making good progress Bill!

I know you mentioned something about computers being new to you and having some difficulty uploading pics. Is that why all the pics that you have added are in your first post? That works fine for as long as this thread is on one page, but that is not going to last. This thread could get long if you keep going at you current pace! If you need some pointers on posting here, don't hesitate to ask

[bill morris]

to build the eng housing,after i had the fan where i wanted it ,i measured the inlet and outlet.set up the front cone and built a frame work of 1/8 square balsa for sheeting.the a-3s have a cooler in the intake on eng.i took some measurements and made my cooler out of 1 in dowel trimmed to shape and some bent coat hanger for the towers.the cooler has a extra use in that it helps to support one end of the intake.i also added a ring behind the cone to secure the inlet in place.i made a lower half part to cover the tail pipe.i'm going to cover the eng with gray monokote with the lower part in white.the exhaust end will be covered with flight metal for looks.i also found a tool from my leather craft supplies for marking for holes.it has a star wheel on a little handle and looks about right for rivets .i have also found some decals for the inlet warning diamonds.as i said before ,i have been working on this since august 2011 and just now starting to put it on the forum.i have seen other models and the quality is far better than mine,but i am doing the best i can.any words of wisdom is welcome and good flying to everyone.more to come and God bless ya'll.bro bill morris

[Fly Time]

Originally Posted by bill morris

as i said before ,i have been working on this since august 2011 and just now starting to put it on the forum.

Ah, I missed that somehow. So when I said you are making good progress....I take it back

But seriously, I really admire you for even taking on a project like this. Keep posting!

[bill morris]

i lost some photos in cyberland but still have some.it has been said this is getting long,if i could find a way to split my folder i would.no luck so here goes.when i bought my retracts they had 1&3/4 tires ,i went to 2" for better landing control and carry the load.in the process of doing this i have to build some blisters on the doors for tire clearance.fix one thing and create another.a picture shows some of the crew,will go into detail later.i wasn't going to do this but i figure i learned so much from others maybe i could help someone else.

[bill morris]

note:the little black bracket under the nose is the servos for the pan and tilt for the camera system.going to build a clear canopy to cover the camera.

[bill morris]

on the tail section i made some framework for the speed brakes for extra strength.just under the frames is a tail skid with a roller so i don't drag the tail on landing.the last compartment is where the drag chute will be/brief description,will be 19" dia with 15" shrouds.made with nylon rip stop and nylon cord.its a ribbon style so i don't get too much pull when landing on the vertical stabilizer the plans call for no rudder which i wanted.constructed the stab,then figured what was needed to change design,then cut out what was needed to add rudder.mounted a servo in the forward section and set it up for a pull-pull system.using ca hinges for this as no great stress will be exerted.now designing the linkage so that the speed brakes,tail skid,and drag chute will operate all at the same time.it sounds good anyway.all things are possible when you study the problem.

[bill morris]

the gray rod on the side of the fuse. is for the in air refueling probe.turned down the front to simulate the connector for hookup.

[bill morris]

these crew members are for the j35 from hk but were close to what i want.we had the green as well as the orange flight suits,the white helmets with the full screen and when we did wet tests at altitude we were on o2.they are the right size for this scale,had to remove control yokes from right hands.working from pictures and memory for the seats they had the chute's to sit on and bail out bottle right under your knees.after several hours the bottle got to be about the size of a welding tank.i made the seats from balsa and ply to fit the figures.being there was no info on the plans had to figure a flight deck,where to fit close to scale,size of seats,instrument panel location and close to height ,emergency hatch and access to electronics area.i added a little box in front of the inst.panel for an led for cockpit ilum.the yoke is made from dowel and a piece of coat hanger bent to shape,then adjusted to fit in the pilots hands.some of the instruments were copied from 1/72 decals blown up 4x.i found some pictures of the dash and will replace with better decals.i tried some jtec ones and had no luck with them at all.the pilot area is 60 mm wide by 35 mm tall so not much room to work.still better than nothing like the plans called for.

[bill morris]

some of the detail is not to scale but close for my purposes.the little yellow handle by the pilot was for the front wheel steering.as i said the canopy i found was for this model but way to big as is .with some mods it comes close.the frame work is painted in with a simulated upper escape hatch.i have convinced myself i am still learning and hope to get better.the fire ext. are some dowel turned down,a t pin cut in half for a handle and a small piece of wire for the hose.some of the radios i got out of one of my ham radio mag.there will be more detail added to the electronics area including 2 more crew members with seats.this is phase one of this build.this has been done from 08/19/11 to 11/10/11.in the next phase i will finish the fuse and be building the wing.also some photos of parts built and not seen.anything can be done if you just try.thanks to all who looked in and shared.be back soon with this project.everyone have a happy thanksgiving and God bless you and yours. bro bill morris

[Fly Time]

Hey Bill, keep those updates coming!