Scale Soaring UK

Having flown Motley's version, I have to have one too: a perfect companion for the 1/4 scale Flamingo. My only worry is that having cut out the first parts today as a European, will the subsequent parts still fit tomorrow...?

Don't worry, they're bound to fit up to a 12 months time and by then even you should have it finished
and not only that, if it flies like mine it'll be your greatest creation yet

Geoff

Being a bit nervous about all the talk of non-alignment and divergence, I bit the bullet and cut out the remaining parts before the 11.00 pm deadline...

Now everything seems to fit perfectly...

The Petrel is a gorgeous glider, I for sure will stay tuned to this build !!
Daniel

Trouble is, you'll probably have this one finished before the 1/5 scale build I started back in November!

Trevor, I just checked your website and full marks on an interesting visit. I particularly enjoyed the videos and write up on your Rapide, one of my favourite aircraft of all time

For monocoque fuselages, the half-shell method of construction is pretty quick, provided you take precautions to keep the fuselage straight. Once the first side has has enough of the 1.5mm ply curved planking applied, the second side comes together very quickly. The small ply plates on F4 transfer the loads from unplanned landings from the thicker ply at the front to the thinner ply at the rear. (Trust me, it works!) The extra longeron is a left-over from the smaller version, and helps to carry the hand-launching loads...

The short hiatus due to being dragged off to fly yesterday is over... The 1.5mm ply planking at the front is applied in strips of three planks, each being partly cut into the ply and then bent to form a curvature to follow the contour of the fuselage. The important thing is that the fit does not have to be perfect, as the area will be filled on the outside and glassed inside. The result is a very tough and ding-proof front end for the fuselage, adding weight where it counts...

With the planking completed, time to put a little ecclesiastical plumbum as far forward as possible before applying any filler. Now that all the bracing is in place, the rear of the fuselage is rigid, and well able to cope with the strains of wrapping ply around it...

You build at the speed of light
Since I'm not an experienced builder, I learn a lot from this, so thanks for sharing!!

Looking great so far!