[Cdallas2]

Okay everyone, I'm playing around with AutoCad trying to get a decent 3 view into a Cad format. I've used WinTopo and vectored the drawing and as you can see below the results are less than perfect.

I doubt I will buil one of these anytime soon but I love to design and fiddle. So if I'm going to do it I might as well do it right.

I've also tried tracing over the lines once the picture is in ACAD but agin it's less than perfect as the width of lines come into play. What do you guys think I should do from here?

[JimMcIntyre]

That's not a bad start Chris, I've seen worse.

At this point, I start cleaning up the lines and working with the calculator to get dimensions correct. I often use the dimensioning tool to help me here.

If you're tracing, I try to get the lines centered and then resort back to the calculator to "jiggle" them into place....

I've done all of this by hand on paper for years, I'm just now getting comfortable with doing it in CAD... a steeper learning curve than I'd thought.

[Cdallas2]

Thanks Jim,

I'm finding the reasearch side fun but very frustrating. But it's on the upswing, I just got an email from the Canadian Aviation Museum and he has a 6 view drawing with cross sections that he's going to send me.

Here's the early colour scheme choice if anyone's interested.

[JimMcIntyre]

Nice looking plane.

Originally Posted by Cdallas2

I'm finding the reasearch side fun but very frustrating.

Believe me, it's much more frustrating to do after the fact (find a plane that most closely matches yours, document it and modify what you have built.)

Like any other project, the more work you put into planning, the better the result. Just don't get in a hurry to meet some arbitrary contest deadline... that does take some of the fun out of it. When you're finally done is the time to look around for the contest.

Why not start a small website to document your progress? There's a few of us who like to live vicariously through the build.

[Cdallas2]

Contests are more of a side thing with me. I believe there is only one scale contest in B.C. per year.

This is more of a fun project I can work on that I've wanted to do for a long time. I like designing stuff on Cad so this can easily give me that fix. This plane is nice because I'll be able to fly it at the big float-flys and all the big-bird fly ins. I'm not sure of size but I'm think about a 100" span with twin .60's. With such a cavernous fuselage it should be easy to keep it light and with those big flaps it will defiantely be a floater.

I've been finding all sorts of cool info on this. I found a website that tells you what airfoils nearly every aircraft ever made uses. I downloaded Profili2 (and actually had to make the airfoil) and punched the airfoil into it and now I'll be able to use even the correct wing and stab airfoil. This is so much fun. :P

As far as a website that would be really neat but I don't have a digital camera and I'm afraid that once I start having to pay for stuff my progress will slow to a crawl. My first thing right now is getting involved in Pattern so this is a side project I can screw around with when I'm not bulding or what-not. It's nice that I can basically design everything for free and when I'm ready I can have at it.

[JimMcIntyre]

Originally Posted by Cdallas2

... but I don't have a digital camera and I'm afraid that once I start having to pay for stuff my progress will slow to a crawl.

You can get an ok scanner for under $100 these days... just a suggestion.

It's nice that I can basically design everything for free and when I'm ready I can have at it.

Exactly! Kudos!

[Cdallas2]

Well we'll see.

Hey Jim,

Just a thought; on something like this is there much point in doing a cockpit interior or not? I know that I'll definately have enough room for a cabin (if I decide to go that way) but basically is it worth the effort? That's a heckuva panel.

[JimMcIntyre]

Originally Posted by Cdallas2

but basically is it worth the effort? That's a heckuva panel.

Yow! busy.

The beauty of digital images is that you can scale anything....

I've seen some very credible work done with a picture as a foundation.

is it worth it.... well, that's a personal question but, I can tell you I spent weeks building/discarding and re-building my throttle/mixture levers on my DR1, only to have them mostly hidden by the pilot's hand.... but, it was worth it if only to hear one particularly british accent remark on the quality of my cockpit.


... as a minimum, I'd edit the yoke out of the way and paste that picture in.

[scaleguy]

Originally Posted by Cdallas2

I've been finding all sorts of cool info on this. I found a website that tells you what airfoils nearly every aircraft ever made uses. I downloaded Profili2 (and actually had to make the airfoil) and punched the airfoil into it and now I'll be able to use even the correct wing and stab airfoil. This is so much fun. :P

OK so don't keep it a secret.... thats the whole point of this site! What's the web address of this wonderfull airfoil site :

[JimMoss]

Originally Posted by JimMcIntyre

... as a minimum, I'd edit the yoke out of the way and paste that picture in.

Then build the Yoke with clipboards and everything just like the pic.

On my E-V from the Worlds my pilot moved the throttle, rudder peddles and control stick, I had all the labels. and the only comment I got was "Oh .... the pilot doesn't come out?" like Jim says you can spend alot of time on things and 1 little error can mess it all up!

Next time the pilot will be remote control and will climb out of the cockpit!

Jim Moss