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Thread: Building a Nieuport 11...

  1. #71

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    Aug 2011
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    Okay, some pics!

    First I had to rebuild my table - MDF over 2x6's on saw horses (Baslee table) and draw stuff out:



    Lay out the spars and put all the parts on the table so I won't have to go hunting for them once I get started.



    Remember all that work I did making sure the outer compression strut hung over the lower outer one so the interwing supports would be straight up and down? Turned out it fell right on the plan's measurements. Well, it's good to know I'm doing stuff right.

    I write a lot of idiot proofing junk on my board, too.

    Note I couldn't remember how to spell aileron!



    Don't look glum back there in the corner, Bebe, we'll get you flying soon enough.



    The Noop11 has a reinforcing sleeve at the outer compression strut. Measure where half is from the hole and make a mark to the end...\



    Then measure from there to the end of the spar:

    The opinions and statements of this poster are largely based on facts and portray a possible version of the actual events.

  2. #72

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    The construction video that comes with the kit talks about deburring and WD-40, but both the insert and the spar were smooth as can be and it slid right in!



    Push it in with a metal ruler until it's in the right length:



    Drill the pilot holes...



    ...and run some safety wire through it. The thought of having the sleeve shift in there and the holes getting lost horrified me, but this did the trick. I drilled the other pilot holes no problem.



    First big hole for the bolt, and I kept the wire in the other side to keep it from shifting about.



    Drill the other side with a bolt in to keep things stable.

    The opinions and statements of this poster are largely based on facts and portray a possible version of the actual events.

  3. #73

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    Back the bolt out, ensure the hole is a happy seven degrees, and put it back in.

    Trailing spar of the right wing ready!



    Same procedure for the insert on the leading edge.



    Clue - don't push too fast or force anything. I kept even pressure and went slowly to keep from going past the measurement.



    One really has to take care to inspect every nut on the compression strut mounts. There has to be at least one thread past the nut, but one doesn't want to go too tight or it's possible to crush the spar.

    Once the wing it together you will never, ever see this nut again.



    Ready for wires!



    Standard "Frank" method of tensioning. I'm glad I did the lower wings first, as I could use the wire I had to cut because of having the tangs in the wrong order - they were much longer for the lower wings than the upper, as the bays are smaller.

    Careful inspection had me throwing one of them away, though, as I didn't like a kink that was in it close to the midpoint.

    The opinions and statements of this poster are largely based on facts and portray a possible version of the actual events.

  4. #74

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    The swags were a lot easier on the upper wings than the lower, as the angles are greater, allowing the tool to fit without a lot of drama.

    Bit of spare sheet to protect the spar and a go/no-go gauge used on every swag.



    Tada! Right upper wing spar assembly done.



    A few notes:

    I put "top" and "right" on the wing, as it lets me know orientation for when I pull down the flying/landing wire attachment tangs.

    The stupid bracing wire tangs at the compression struts are a super PITA. They're stainless steel and don't have the holes drilled into them - I burnt up a few bits making them, mostly because my drill press has only one speed and I couldn't keep the temps down. Step bits work best, if it is heartbreaking to turn them into useless smooth cones.



    It would probably be cheaper to find some shop to drill them.

    Two coffee cups because the wife actually brought me a hot cup of tea (it's in the forties today). She tries to play cool about the build, but I think she's actually kind of jazzed that there's an airplane being made by her husband in the back yard.

    The opinions and statements of this poster are largely based on facts and portray a possible version of the actual events.

  5. #75

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    Jul 2011
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    11
    Frank, Thanks for putting this on here! If others like it as much as I am, I think I may make a thread with my Freebird Innovations Light Sport Ultra build progress. It's encouraging to see others building, and similar building techniques. -Zach

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  6. #76

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    Heck yeah we want to see it!

    We put the "E" in "EAA," after all!
    The opinions and statements of this poster are largely based on facts and portray a possible version of the actual events.

  7. #77
    Quote Originally Posted by Frank Giger View Post
    The swags were a lot easier on the upper wings than the lower, as the angles are greater, allowing the tool to fit without a lot of drama.

    Bit of spare sheet to protect the spar and a go/no-go gauge used on every swag.



    Tada! Right upper wing spar assembly done.



    A few notes:

    I put "top" and "right" on the wing, as it lets me know orientation for when I pull down the flying/landing wire attachment tangs.

    The stupid bracing wire tangs at the compression struts are a super PITA. They're stainless steel and don't have the holes drilled into them - I burnt up a few bits making them, mostly because my drill press has only one speed and I couldn't keep the temps down. Step bits work best, if it is heartbreaking to turn them into useless smooth cones.



    It would probably be cheaper to find some shop to drill them.

    Two coffee cups because the wife actually brought me a hot cup of tea (it's in the forties today). She tries to play cool about the build, but I think she's actually kind of jazzed that there's an airplane being made by her husband in the back yard.

    For drilling stainless use Boelube on the bits. I have bits that have drilled dozens of holes in stainless and they are still nice and sharp. When I finish a couple more projects I really want a Nieuport 28. Really like the Airdrome kits. Don
    RV7 N212MD
    Backcountry Super Cub N646CH

  8. #78

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    Got a push-up stick of Boelube and it works as advertised! Thanks for the heads up!

    Started on the aileron ribs, which was a typical comedies of errors. "When in doubt, make a practice piece" was a nice bit of foresight. I'll put pics up later; I'm going to have to do some extra engineering on them, but now I have a system to make them work.
    The opinions and statements of this poster are largely based on facts and portray a possible version of the actual events.

  9. #79

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    I'm at least 2.456% better as a man due to the character building of these stupid aileron ribs!

    First, Robert fell victim to Baslee Plan Syndrome and cut the ribs based on the measurement of length on the drawings - which aren't the length of the piece, but the length measured from the center of the hole in the spar to bow.

    They're all an inch too short for their advertised positions.

    This isn't a gripe, as I can certainly see how it happens and I would have had to fabricate ribs anyway. The material is the same as in the optional headrest (which I'm not putting on), and it's an easy measure and cut. Every rib just moves down one and I'll make the long one.

    Second, I learned how NOT to make the rib, which is by bending it along measured lines and then cutting the hole and trying to make the fitting sleeve go in:



    Note the lack of little tabs around the curve. Suckers just snap off under the least pressure. Sigh. This piece wouldn't even fit the sleeve, as the bend is about a 32nd of an inch too narrow.
    Time for a different approach.

    I laid the sleeve onto the piece where it should go.



    (Disregard the brain fart I was having trying to spell aileron when laying out the plans...we all have those days, don't we?)

    Rivet in place, keeping the "nice" side of the rivets on the underside, away from the bend.



    Make the bends for the rib stitching rivets.

    The opinions and statements of this poster are largely based on facts and portray a possible version of the actual events.

  10. #80

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    Drill the rivets out and remove the sleeve from the piece. I ran a Sharpie around the inside just for fun.\



    Take out the hole saw and file and re-fit the sleeve with the proper orientation to the piece.

    The hole will be slightly too small owing to the diameter of the sleeve, but patient work makes it fit.

    The rivets are lengthwise because my vertical holes came out a hair off in lining up.



    Make cuts to bend down along the curve and gently, gently bend with my thumb until they each just snap off. Count to ten and embrace the growth of my character.

    Smooth with a sander and fit it to the aileron control arm to see how it looks.



    So what I'm going to do is take a piece of scrap and complete the circle around, riveting to the rib stitching bend.

    There's a leading edge that gets bent around this, so I'm not terribly concerned about it.

    Those little tabs is what I'm thinking needs annealing. If I soften just a bit around that circle they might not snap.

    About this point it was thankfully getting dark and I had to quit before throwing something.

    Not my best day building.
    The opinions and statements of this poster are largely based on facts and portray a possible version of the actual events.

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