Shark 15 Kit

Well Santa came early to my house this year. At least it feels like Xmas after opening my new Shark 15 kit by Walter Umlamd. The box was wrapped in brown paper with a real nice box inside sporting a good looking label. With the razor knife in hand I opened the box to find the contents inside protected by foam peanuts. After removing the peanuts the plans and wood were reveiled. The plans were neatly rolled and not crushed or creased in anyway. All the wood was neatly packed and in its place with not one loose part floating around the inside of the box. Now I knew this was a laser cut kit and that was one reason for purchasing it. I saw an Impact laser kit at Ron Kings and just had to see what building a kit that was laser cut would be like. The plans are full size and CAD drawn. I have never seen plans so clear and easy to read! The laser cut parts that I have looked at so far are amazing to say the least!!! Anyway, I have just started to go thru the kit and do a parts count and so on, so this will be an on going report to everyone.

I will try and post some pics as I build the plane. AS they said in the movie Animal House "Oh Boy, is this great or what"

Kirk Wicker
www.wingwalk.com

Yo Kirk,

You have anymore pictures yet?

Thanks
john

>Yo Kirk,
>
>You have anymore pictures yet?
>
>Thanks
>john

Kirk sent me some pictures so I could post them on my website
here's the link so you can check them out

http://www.builtrightflyright.net/Shark.15%20kit.htm

LAST EDITED ON Dec-04-03 AT 12:07 PM (CST)
 
Wow Kirk,

You have made some real progress, nice job!

John

LAST EDITED ON Mar-15-04 AT 05:50 PM (CDT)
 
I finished my little Shark a couple of weeks ago, and what an airplane. This thing really flies great. It is head and shoulders above the Acromaster, but in all fairness, does have a bit larger wing and is a little more complex to build. With a Fox slant plug .15 with stock muffler, great planes spinner, and a Flitestreak ARF fuel tank, the model balanced perfectly at the recommended 1 in. behind the leading edge. The plans called for .75 to 1.0 oz. of tip weight, and after putting in .80 oz. I thought it would be way too much, but that shows what I know, it was the perfect amount. Naturally, being a Walter Umland kit, it was flawless. If you want an exceptional .15 size airplane, take a look at this one. While it may cost twice as much as an Acromaster, when you consider the quality and features of this kit, it is more than worth the difference.

I somehow get the idea that to build a Walter Umland kit you just throw the parts over the building surace and scream:

ASSEMBLE!!!!

and the plane's ready.

I know it ain't that simple, but it's not much harder than that.

His kits (compared to the average kit prices) are not cheap, but they certainly are worth more than you pay for them.

I scratch build my planes, but the day I have a couple'a bucks sitin's around I wanna buy one of his kits, just for the shear pleasure of building.

Walter is not a kit maker, he's a Luthier.

God bless ya!