When I started this build, I wanted to have a high performance DLG glider. Mark Drela‘s excellent reputation was the main reason for me to choose a SuperGee2 to build. The plans are available here. I also got many ideas from this RCGroups thread. Some building techniques I used are also very nicely shown in Phil Barnes‘ DVD. Here are some pictures that I took along the way:

   

The fuselage model was sanded out of balsa which went really fast. On the pictures it's already sprayed with spackle. On the rear section I glued a euro cent coin and spackled flush, to get a nice circular end where the tailboom will be mounted. 

 

  

 The fuselage mold was done very quick too. The right picture shows how I made the joggle gasket: I put the plug back into the mold and poured epoxy ont the mold paring surface.

 

After curing, the joggle gasket is cut in two halves and tacked to the parting surface of the mold with double sided tape. The two halfes are positioned with 0.3mm towards the center of the mold using mylar sheets when tacking. 

 

  

Mold ready for layup. Right picture: Vacuum bagged molds with carbon fabric and peel ply on top, which picks up excess epoxy and provides a glueable surface when peeled off. 

 

  

Result... The fabric displacement that the joggle gasket provides is used for glueing the two shells together.

 

  

With a drill press, I made a wing mount alignment device. With it, the wing mount pins can be aligned parallel to each other when glued into the tailboom.

 

Last Updated (Thursday, 10 September 2009 17:54)