A little about the plans...
A few things to be on the lookout for.
As with anything of this magnitude, with a whole lot of cross referencing going on, there are bound to be a few...
sizes that don't match up....
details left out (for us first time builders)...
among other caveats to the builder.
On these pages I'll try and bring to your attention the items that I've run across that have thrown up a question or two. These are being seen
through the eyes of a first time builder, so, they may be obvious to someone that has built a plane or two or three or four or....
As mentioned elsewhere on this site.... get the three books by Tony Bingelis. It's a foundation upon which you'll build your knowledge on. A reference
manual for ALL of the basics that you'll need to know in order to build a plane from sratch or a kit.
I'll have this information broken down into areas; ribs, wings, fuselage, etc.
The Plans in general.
Most builders start with building the ribs.... and if you're like me, you've reprinted them so that you could glue them down onto your
plywood or MDF so that you could make your jigs. Important... make sure that the ribs haven't shrunk or enlarged. Also, with older plans, older meaning
the age of the plans themself, the paper could have shrunk from sitting around. Make sure that the size on the blue print matches the final size that you have laid
out on your jig. Many of the builders that know of this redraw the ribs by hand.
Also... when building the wing tip jigs, make sure that the measurement from spar to spar matches what the "typical" rib has. See above. Don't ask me how
I know.
Studying TOO Much:
I'm just now looking over the center section of the three piece wing. I've noted a few areas of question of which I'll be asking another builder about.
I'll post that information here as soon as it's been revealed to me.
For the first time builder, Like myself, don't spread yourself too thin. You not only DON'T finish a task and see the end result of that taks (which is a
motivator,) but you begin to confuse yourself with too much information. At least I'm finding that out for myself.
For instance, I'm looking at the plans for the Upper 3-piece wing... instead of focusing in on the center box section that I want to work on my eyes start to drift and I begin
to look, AND study, the other sections of the Upper Wing.
It's great to see ahead and what's to come, but for myself, when I start to study THAT close, I start figuring up the material
to be used, etc. I'd say... study and see the overall picture and the next few steps that you are going to be taking, but to dive in and start picking the plans aparts so far in advance...
like I said, confuses me just a bit.
Large Tables
An "oh yeah"... when looking at your drawings, have a nice large table to spread them out on to. Makes for easier viewing/reading. It's difficult enough understanding them let alone
confusing the little understanding I have by flipping through a stack of large drawings. Keep it simple and give yourself a little bit of room to take it all in.
Fittings:
The Rudder Horn. Click here to read about the bend on this fitting.