Dumb Stuff---again

Awhile back, people were posting their mishaps and foolish erros. I had one tonight. Well, really I had it a couple of months ago and only noticed it tonight...and am in the process of fixing it. Back when I was making the cowl for the current plane, I was pretty invested in insuring that there was adequate cooling. I spent a lot of time on the thing figuring out the inlet and exhaust area. Then made a mold and casted the cowl from CF and West Systems 105. Great. Came out very well and I was pretty happy. This was my first try at this.

I'm just getting ready to shoot the last of the clearcoat on the airplane and suddenly noticed, gee, no hole in the cowl for the plug. Now, how am I going to hook up the battery? {slaps self in forehead}

Sheesh! Well at least I noticed it up before I was ready to test fly it. Could have been ugly showing up the the flying field with no way to attach the battery. I remember thinking that this was something I needed to do.

I thought for a minute about hooking up a remote plug connector, but decided to just bite the bullet and bore a hole for the plug connector. One less thing to worry about. At least I can re-paint the darn thing and it's just one color.

Some days, I tell ya...

Bet it was sure pretty without any extra ugly holes in it, though.....

Now thats a good one! Still don't beat my sitting on my wing though!
Dwayne

I also had a "delayed reaction" senior moment last night. During the Christmas holidays I went to the LHS and bought myself a nice tap handle I'd seen there. It was less expensive than the tap wrenches I'd seen at Canuck Tyre. Last evening I set out to use it for the first time with a 6-32 tap, to make engine-mounting-screw threads for my F. Twister, and much to my frustration, I discovered that the handle is too large - it's made for bigger taps! AAaaarrrrgggghhhh!!

Tim

LAST EDITED ON Jan-29-04 AT 07:25 AM (CDT)
 
Check your 'T' handle again. Mine has 2 square holes in it. The smaller one is not obvious, it is further down. Put in a small tap and 'feel' around for it.

Dumb is spraying your airplane red while drying your white cotton underware in the dryer.Turned it all pink for about a month.
Bruce trought it was marvy!(just Kidding)
The king of dumb
Charlie Pate:+

Thanks, Jer. I tried, and I checked, and I was sure it wasn't going to work, because the "inner" hole was just too darn small! It was like it didn't exist. So I thought, "What the heck, I got nothin' to lose", and I spread the four sides with a screwdriver, and when that didn't do much, I put the darn tap in the vice-grips and pounded the sucker down into the t-handle. That did the trick! I've used it successfully now with the 6-32 tap, and later I'll see what it'll take to remove that tap from the handle. Whatever...

Tim

My latest dumb move was a delayed reaction, too. I went out to test fly the new Legacy and everything went fine. Got home and started checking it over for loose bolts, etc. and noticed one of the motor mount bolts was loose.

I tried to tighten it up, but it just kept spinning. I finally had to cut through the fuselage side with a Dremel cutoff wheel to free the engine and discovered the blind nut had broken. Stupid me - I used 4-40s on this one and I sure as heck cannot remember why. All of my nuts and bolts are in parts bins that sit side by side on a shelf. I guess I just grabbed the 4-40 bin when it was time to drill the motor mounts.

I spent the past week changing everything to 6-32 and refinishing the plane. Stupid, stupid, stupid. On a plane this size, I'll have to double check next time and not grab the wrong bin.

Ron King

I get to add to my "dumb stuff" resume. I'm out in the shop sanding the clearcoat on the new plane. Man, it takes awhile with 1500 sand paper. Anyway, I suddenly notice that the "uniflow" vent is exiting the nose on the outboard side of the plane. Whoops. Well, that will be fun to fix.

Some days, I just should have stood in bed.

You mean it's NOT supposed to be on the outside of the plane??? Oh, oh.

Ty,

Depends on tank capacity. I don't really want to put 8oz in so that 3 can siphon off while the engine uses 5 for the flight. Can't believe I did that. I have no idea how I'm going ot fix it yet.

Randy--Put a one-way valve on it? Last year at the VSC, I discovered that my flite box was at home. Fortunately I had my diesel fuel with me and was able to borrow a handle and set of lines which worked fine.

LAST EDITED ON Feb-02-04 AT 00:40 AM (CDT)
 
Jim,

That's a thought. My only other idea is to put a vent in on the other side and use the original as an overflow vent. But I really don't much like the look of "horns" that would give it. Have to think on it some more, I guess. I just finished rubbing out and waxing the main body. Just need to do the flaps, elevators and pieces and it's ready to go together and fly, but I'll have to solve this first.

I really need to get my brain engaged.

Randy, I was more or less kidding, but upon checking my planes, I found two like that and those two always seem to give me engine problems. Problem solved, I hope. Thanks for the heads up. We tend to build these things upside down and stand on the outside of the plane during construction and get a mind set that wants to get it finished and going back over and rechecking without a check list is not normal model technique. Maybe it should be for olde fahrts such as me.

What about using a clip or spring clip O< on the glow plug and running a lead to the edge of the cowl and soder a brass plate on the outside edge. If you want a even slicker idea fold a springed contact under the plug >_____ and it will automaticly contact the glow plug when you attach the cowl like a battery holder.

Dand,

I got the plug thing worked out. Just bored a hole in the cowl and repainted it. But the venting is still at issue.

Hey Randy,

Sounds like your new plane is already in the maintenance phase and you havn't even put in any fuel in the tank!!!!!!!

Bob Smiley
A Lancair 360 builder/pilot trying to be a modeler

PS when building the real thing, I made several booboos as well. But then I didn't tell you that before we went flying. Did I!!!!!.

Neat thing about fiberglass, wood and paper. You can always patch up the holes and no one knows the difference. Aluminum is different. Upward and onward.

Bob,

>>You can always patch up the holes and no one knows the difference.<<

Unless you paint with metallics. Then the world knows...and will. I made a boo-boo that what patched and looked fine...until I shot the clear.

Hey guys, these stories are really good stuff. As some of you know I am trying to put together funny and instructive stories in a column called "Bonehead" in Stunt News. This is the kind of material that I can use and will include some of this thread unless you notify me not to. It was one of these threads in Stuka Stunt Forum that got me started on this. I mentioned it to Tom Morris and he thought it would make a good addition to our magazine. So, thank you and hopefully folks will enjoy reading the anecdotes and in turn learn what not to do.

I thought I had done every building bonehead that can be done, but the tank vent on the wrong side is a new one. That's funny, and by leaving the original and installing one on the correct side, the visual image of a stunt ship with horns made me laugh out loud.

If you have more bonehead things, funny or not and instructive, that you can share, please contact me at [email protected]

Thanks, Dee Rice

Dee,

You're welcome to use my idiocy. I solved the vent problem. I turned the vertical and used it for the overflow and put a vent in on the inboard side. Looks OK, that way. I managed to camouflage the metallic paint problem with some inklines and a decal. While not great, it doesn't look nearly as bad.