Tandy Walker Comet Sailplane

Tandy Walker's - Comet Sailplane 72 inch, Gas

Span 72inch, Area 637 sq. in, Motor McCoy 60, Series 20

Updated 18-Nov-2022

001 About the Author 001a The Start of a new Construction Report Series 002 Engine Arrival 003 Firewall & Landing Gear 004 Fuel Tank 004a Fuel Tank (Revised) 005 Engine Mount, Landing Gear, and Ignition Unit 006 T-Mount Wooden Spacers 007 Landing gear Forward Strut and Metal Clips 008 Firewall Bonding to Frame 009 Trial Fit of Engine Installation 010 Trial Fit of Landing Gear Rear Strut 011 Pinning Landing Gear Rear Strut 012 Landing Gear Installation 013 Landing Gear Cross Wire 014 The Stab Plan 015 Starting Construction of the Stab 016 Construction of the Stab 017 Installation of Stab's New Alternate Rear Spar 018 Construction of Stab and Elevator 019 More Stab and Elevator work 020 Fin Design Structure 021 Stab and Fin Mounting Structure 022 Fuselage - Stab Mounting 023 Set Up for GluingTwo Stab Mounts 024 Elevator Construction and Hinging 025 Message 026 Rudder Tiller Design 027 Reinforcing Fuselage Rear Longerons 028 Servo and Push Rod Installation 029 Radio Installatio 030 Elevartor Deflection 031 Antenna Guide FASST Receiver 032 Installation of Left Side Bulkhead Pieces 033 Side Bulkhead Pieces and Torsional Diagonals Complete 034 Ignition and Radio Access Hatch Cover Frame Construction 035 Ignition Hatch Cover Construction 036 Radio Charging Jack Installation 037 Starting Fuselage Forward Planking 038 Both Ignition and radio Hatch Covers are Complete 039 Bottom Stringers 040 Fuselage Exit for Push-Pull Switch and Sub Rudder 041 Fuselage Left Side Stringers and Elevator Push Rod Exit 042 Fuselage Right Side Stringers and Rudder Push Rod Exit 043 Balance Point and Pylon Location 043a Balance Point and Pylon Location (Addition) 044 Tail Skid Design 045 Wing Off Balance Point and Pylon Location 046 Continuation 047 Continuation 048 Continuation 049 Stab_Rudder Attachment to the Fuselage 050 Finishing Left Side Planking and Stringers 051 (1st Revision) Configuration Documentation 051 (2nd Revision) Configuration Documentation 051 Configuration Documentation 052 Removable Elevator Skids 053 Both Elevator Skids Complete 054 (Revised) Fin Construction 054 Fin Construction 055 (Revised) Rudder Construction 055 Rudder Construction 056 (Revised) Elevator Hinge Wire Retainer 057 Completed Stab 058 (Revised) Completed Fin Rudder 058 Salplane Completed Fin Rudder 059 Making up the Cowl Jig Fixture 060 Cowl Retention Bracket Design 061 Cowl Retention Bracket Final Design 062 Cowl Retention Brackets Mounting 063 Internal Cowl Support Structure 064 Starting the Cowl Barrel Planking 064a Unfortunate Problem Discovered 064b Statrting New Cowl Frame Construction 064c New Cowl Frame Complete 065 Preparations for Cowl Frame Planking 066 Cowl Frame Planking Complete 067 Cowl Cut Outs 068 Making the Cowl Front Face Opening 069 Cowl Cut Outs for Landing Gear Wire 070 Vertical Tail Polyspan Lite Base Covering 071 Horizontall Tail Polyspan Lite Base Covering 072 Horizontall Tail Polyspan Lite Base Covering 073 Custom Machining to Use TruTurn Spinner 074 Yellow Silk Lay Out 075 Cutting Yellow Silk Pieces for Wing Tip Sections 076 Cutting Yellow Silk Pieces for the Stab and Elevators 077 Silk Color Combination Considerations 078 Final Silk Color Combination and Trim 079 Silk On Bottom of Stab 079a Silk On Bottom of Stab 080 Silk On Top of Stab 081 Tail Covering Complete 082 Orange Covering 083 Sub Fin Covering 084 Assembly of the Tail 085 New Wing off Balance Point and Pylon Location Determination 086 Tail Skid Revision 087 Pylon Construction and Integration with the Fuselage 088 Pylon Concern and Relocation 089 Barrel Planking Around the Pylon 090 Planking the Pylon 091 Planking the Pylon (Part 2) 092 All Planking Complete 093 Lining the Access Hatches 094 Wing Saddle Pylon Interface 095 Wing Saddle Installed 096 Making the Pylon Fillet Using Bob Beecrofts Epoxy Fillet Technique 097 Wing Saddle Fillets Complete 098 New Futaba 2_4GHz FASST Transmitter Arrival 099 Preparation for Starting Wing Construction 100 Construction of Left Wing Tip Panel 101 Construction of Left Wing Inner Panel 102 Additional Work on the Left Wing Panels 103 Full Span Warren Truss 104 Dihedral Polyhedral Angles and Wing Span Calculations 104a Dihedral Polyhedral Angles and Wing Span Calculations 105 Left Wing Polyhedral Joint 106 Right Wing Tip Panel 107 Construction of Right Wing Inner Panel 108 Integrating the Right Wing Tip Panel with the Right Inner Panel 109 Building a Jig and Checking the Dihedral angle 110 Building the Wing Center Section 111 Joining the Left Wing Half to the Center Section 112 Trial Fit of the Wing's Right Half 113 Joining the wing Halves 114 Wing Finishing Details 115 Finished Wing Structure 116 Storage and the Model Room 117 Fuel Tank Plumbing 118 Fuel Tank Plumbing Follow Up 119 Cowl Exit Cooling Air Venting 119a Cowl Exit Cooling Air Venting 120 Fabrication of Exhaust Extension for the McCoy 60 121 Some Final Thoughts on Cowl Exit Air Venting 121a Some Final Thoughts on Cowl Exit Air Venting 121b Some Final Thoughts on Cowl Exit Air Venting 121c Some Final Thoughts on Cowl Exit Air Venting 122 Preparing the Wing Structure for Covering 123 Starting to cover the Wing with Polyspan Lite 124 Wing's First Polyspan Lite Covering Complete 125 Cowl Rework 126 Starting Silk Second Covering on Wing 127 Second Silk Covering on Wing Complete 128 Additional Cowl and Fuselage Work 129 Revision to Cowl Drain 130 Starting to cover the Fuselage with Polyspan Lite 131 Finish covering the Fuselage with Polyspan Lite 132 Covering Cowl with White Silk 133 Fuselage Fairing into Stab 134 Orange Silk Pieces for Covering the Fuselage 136 Applying Small Silk Patchs 137 Silking the Fuselage and Sub Rudder Installation 138 Fuel Proofing and covering the Cowl 139 Sailplane 140 Clear Doping 141 Clear Doping and Trial Fitting of the Cowl 142 Fitting the Cowl to the Firewall and Some Fight Test Considerations 143 Resolution to a Potential Vibration Problem 144 More Details 145 Aluminum Motor Mount Spacers 146 Laying Out and Painting the Black Trim on the Fuselage 147 Fuselage Black Trim 148a Corrective Action with Satin Klass Kote 149 Stab Black contrast Stripes 150 Wing Black Contrast Stripes 151 Support Fixtures for Spraying Satin Clear Klass Kote 152 Two More Support Fixtures for Spraying Satin Clear Klass Kote 153 Spraying Klass Kote on Components 154 Spraying Klass Kote on Sailplane Components 155 Spraying Klass Kote on Sailplane's Wing 155a Klass Kote's Analysis Findings 156 Control Surface Hinging 157 Surface Finishing with Micro-Mesh Abrasive 158 Today's Progress on the Final Assembly 159 Today's Progress on the Final Assembly 160 Balance Point Correction (Radio Battery Relocation) 161 More of the Final Assembly Details 162 Landing Gear Modification and Wing Trailing Edge Protection Plate 163 Installing Centering Keys on the Wing 163a Sailplane's Final Weight 164 Modifying the Odysses' Fuselage Rack 165 Application of Wing Graphics Completes the Sailplane Model 165a Short Version Sailplane Application of Wing Graphics Completes the Sailplane Model 166 Final Sailplane Pictures before Flight tests 167 Sailplane Wooden Prop for Concours 168 Sailplane Concours Sheet 168a Sailplane Concours Sheet 169 The Walkers will Miss the 2009 SAM Champs 170 Added Sailplane Weight for First Test Flights 171 First Test Flights 172 Fuel Feed Investigation 173 Readied for Second Round of Flight Tests 174 Engine Problem Still With Me 175 Engines in the Sailplane 176 Third and Final Test Flights 177 Original McCoy 60 Problem Resolution 178 Securing the Stab on the Sailplane using the Drilled Head 4-40 Allen screws 179 Securing the Cowl on the Sailplane using the Drilled Head 4-40 Allen screws 180_Sailplane at the 2010 SAM Concour de Elegance 181 Tandy and Sue Walker's 2010 SAM Champs Trip Report 182 Fuel Tank Modification for Shock Mounting 183 Needle Valve Modification 184 New Exhaust Extention 184a Exhaust Extension Attachment Procedure 185 Cowl Needle Valve Hole Brass liner 186 The Comet Sailplane 187 Sailplane Conversion Kit back to Gas Power

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