JoeinWellie

Just for clarification. You built a ply firewall before you fitted the cowl, Then you routed (carved) the fuse side of the cowl to fit around the ply firewall so that it would be flush.

You then mounted the cross brace mount thing, screwing it onto the firewall - from the "outside" of the airframe. Then mounted the engine and shaped the cowl around it.

Any tips for lining up the Firewall, I presume the drive shaft should be in the middle of the 'circle' thats already shaped in the cowl.

Unfortunately I have already glued the cowl on, pretty tightly as well, it was only when I checked the motor and the rather flimsy looking stick mount that I started to think about the issue. Isn't that always the case, you only realise your mistakes when you've made them... Doh!

Back to the drawing board...

Sky Sharkster

Hello Joeinwellie,
Yes, that's exactly the way mine was assembled.
I aligned the motor using the plan side view to get the prop shaft in the same place as the cowl opening. Once the motor was aligned, I glued my firewall in place, screwed the motor in place and "retro-fitted" the completed cowl around it.
After I got the cowl to dry-fit correctly, I just took careful aim, dotted a few drops of CA onto the perimeter of the firewall and eyeballed it in place. I guess you could put some alignment marks to help, or tape one side and open the cowl like a hinge to aid the placement.
Since your cowl is already on, I'd suggest carefully slipping a single-edge razor blade between the back of the cowl and the bulkhead and cutting it loose. Once it's free, sand the back of the cowl and the bulkhead flat (again) and shape/relieve the cowl to fit with your new firewall in place.
These things happen, it's not a huge fix, just a minor glitch in the entire build. Once it's flying you'll never notice it!
And it will be one more lesson in building. Some are more painful than others. The ones that require a complete rebuild are the ones that I dislike! This is more like a repair.
Ron

Sky Sharkster

I took a few new photos of the Cessna 180, it's still flying!
Ron

Bill G

C-180, don't want to get 'em sued.
Looks really nice. I like the red/silver schemes.

Sky Sharkster

Hi Bill,
You're right, with all the copyrights and license infringements floating around, I should be more careful!
Thanks for the kind words, I wanted the plane to look like "Aluminum" and paint. The silver Microlite is a joy to work with.
Ron

Bill G

There's a plane with what appears to be red and silver Microlite called the Park Panther by BMJR models that is constantly advertised in Flying Models. I keep getting closer to buying one, and it's the scheme that caught my attention.
http://www.bmjrmodels.com/images/big/318.jpg

JoeinWellie

Hi, I had some advice about the build of this plane, now I am looking for some flying advice.

I have flown her twice and she has a nasty tendency to turn left. I have the rudder pretty straight (and I increased the throws in case I needed a sharp right) I managed to coax her back gently but my son had terrible problems and she went into a left hand spiral down to the ground... Luckily she just did a bit of a wingover and we didn't destroy her.

Do you have any ideas about this behaviour, did I get the washout wrong, is it the C of G - which is currently about 5mil in front of the main spar.

The engine seems to be fairly well straight, should i aim it a little more to the right to compensate ?

Thanks

Joe

Sky Sharkster

Hello Joe,
About the only problem I've had with a turning tendency was when the "warped In" washout (applied with a quick heat gun blast to the covering) came out unevenly during a few 90+ degree flying days. Once I re-heated the washout back to the recommended amount it flew fine again.
My C.G. is right on the spar, for what it's worth.
The severe left turn is usually a reaction to torque, and generally occurs at low flight speeds. Once the airspeed builds up the flying surfaces (usually) overcome the torque reaction.
I'm guessing a warp or misalignment has crept in somewhere.
The Microlite is fairly sensitive to heat or weather changes, and it doesn't take much to warp it. I'd suggest runnung a straight-edge along the wing bottom, tip to root and eyeballing any change. Same for stab/elevator and rudder/fin.
If nothing shows up there, a washer or two behind the left side of the motor should help.
Good Luck, hope it helps!
Ron

delsol

Here is my 180 I built a couple of years ago. It is still one of my favorite planes to take out when there is calm winds. I used solite covering and had to redo the washout 3 or 4 times with my iron before it held. I will check the washout this spring before I fly it.
Brad

jeremy7768

Hi, I was looking at this kit as a possible second plane. Would this be a good decision or is there a better option. I am looking for something to build and not and rtf or arf since I really enjoy the process of building.

Sky Sharkster

Hello Jeremy, Welcome to Wattflyer!
As long as you have some previous balsa kit building experience, I'd say "Yes".
There's nothing tricky or complicated about any of the Mountain Models kits and the photo-illustrated instructions are very well done. About the only way you might get into trouble is if you did an extensive modification or change from the original.
And they fly great!
Kev (Gfdengine204) has a build thread here on the Cub from M/M, you might also check that out for some idea of how the build goes together.
Good Luck!
Ron

buzzltyr

Jeremy, the C-180 is perhaps a little more "old school" in terms of construction techniques than some of the newer offerings from MM. But I think if you took your time, and followed the instructions carefully (as Ron suggested), I think you could do a good job of building it.

A couple of thoughts on the C-180. It was designed for the GWS IPS brushed motor, so it has the appropriate stick mount. You could either use the IPS, or a 12mm brushless motor in an IPS gear box, or a small outrunner. If you use the small outrunner, you will need to construct a motor mount (or ask Brian, the owner of MM, if he has a stick-to-outrunner mount for the IPS stick). As you build, you might consider two modifications. The first is to make the cowl removable, by using magnets. It makes it much easier to get in and swap out or service your motor. The second would be to consider creating a hatch on the bottom, as the design calls for removing and installing the wing to change the battery. Neither of these would be terribly difficult mods to make, but then, they aren't really necessary.

If you decide to build it, there should be lots of people here who've built and flown the C-180, and I'm sure we all could offer advice and help to get you through the build.

Mark

jeremy7768

Thanks for the info guys, I really appreciate it. I plan on purchasing this kit within a month. I want to get my new work bench in my garage set up first! I'm sick of building on my bar downstairs with limited space. I might buy the brushed package that M/M offers for this kit. That way all I have to supply is a radio. I'm thinking of using the Spektrum DX6i since I can use it in future projects with it's 10 plane memory.

JoeinWellie

Jeremy,

Before you rush out and buy one, please take a moment to consider this. While, like all MM kits, the 180 is a relatively simple build, it is not the easiest and relies on a little building experience to get right. There are some tricky bits that might challenge a first time builder. She is also a pretty light bird that needs gentle landings to avoid breakages around the cockpit/wing mount areas. There is also the washout to consider, it needs teasing into the wings and it needs to be right, or she will be tricky to fly. Having said that, when set up right she is docile.
Another option to consider is the EZ Cub, this would be an ideal first build in my opinion, a jigsaw like fuselage with a really great wing mount setup and foam wings (that need some building work, maybe an hour..) you can build her as a two channel trainer or go straight for the aileron configuration. Which i think is pretty easy to fly, my twelve year old picked it up in minutes after a few hours on the sim. The real selling point is the robust nature of this plane, she will withstand some tough landings, and in my case, an abrubt midair with a tree whilst avoiding a chasing magpie, an attempt at underground flight while deciding it would be safe to barrel roll at 4 feet and some other rough treatment. I have five MM kits now, the mustang (pictures soon), Eva sport (pics on the MM appreciation site) the 180 and TWO EZ Cubs, and the EZ is my model of choice for a bit of 'hooning' around my local park. The others need super calm days a flat strip to land on.

Hope that helps.

jofrost

Guys ,

Great looking Dave Blum C-180s . Here are a few picks of my old tattered one that is still in the flying rotation . I'll have to order another when she finally quits .

-John