Thorp Air Command - T18.net

Here's my progress

Looks great - Nice clean work

Nice.

Bruce, are you using the "transfer strip" method of locating holes? I'd really like to see some pictures devoted to showing how the transfer strip method works, if you have any.

D

Hi dick,
I've been fortunate to have one side skin pre punched from Phil Tucker.
I then transferred that to the other side, the cut them out.
I've made templates from the plans and also just measured for other locations.
Bruce

Thanks to you and Doug for the comments.

Bruce, is this a T or an S?
Cubes

It's a T

Bruce,
did you beat out those radii with the rubber mallet? Whats the trick? I have tried to make a couple of bulkheads with the rubber mallet and all mine come out wavy and end up in the trash bin.

Hi Ryan
Well, with some advice from those who have done this before, the best tip was to go slowly.
I made good form block out of MDF and gave it a nice smooth radius. Then start on the straight sections and just get a little bend going before moving to the corners. Glancing blows in the direction of the bend. Remember to be happy with a little at a time. I also kept my flange length a little shorter in the curved sections. Hope that helps!
Bruce

Oh, by the way, I was very diligent to clamp supporting strips of scrap MDF where I was working. Lots of repositioning and re clamping.

thanks Bruce. Maybe 3rd times the charm for me....

Lookin good, Bruce.

Maybe you recall, I bought fibergalss cowling from you years ago. Your project is nice and shiny clean. Mine took so long it lost that shine, but it's painted now and I should be finished up before too long. Hope you keep at it. A lot of guys do theirs in good time; all part of havin the dream.

Les.

Thank Les! PM sent

Nice set-up.
Do you have a average building hours at this time!
Keep going...The road is long!

_________________
Thierry
French Canadian T-18
C-FPVE #091

I wish I would have kept a good build log with respect to time, but I'll have to guess.
I think I have about 75 hrs. so far on the fuselage.
I have other components that were started some time ago.
The center wing is ready to rivet.

Thanks for the comments.

Bruce

I started out with a log of hours that turned into days and the days turned into weeks , then the months passed by like the wind and finally after 27 years it was done . I kept a photo log and construction log for the FAA to get my repairman's certificate , but after all that time all they wanted was 2 forms of ID to get the repairman's ticket . >:( Total hours ? I have no idea !

RB

After about 4-10 hr days of cutting and trimming,drilling and dimpling I had the fuse clecoed and ready for rivets. It was on a 4th of July weekend, I had the fuse up on a rack about 24" off the garage floor all leveled, ready to rivet. It had no bottom skin so the wife just walked from front to rear in the Fuse bucking the rivets for me as I hammered from the outside of the fuse, it took 2-days and of coarse we had to stop form time to time to check alignment and so forth and have iced tea and smooch a little. It was probably 105 degrees in the Garage during the riveting and 110 degrees after the smoochin but we got the Fuse all riveted up. I have probably 6-8months in the wing, weekends and evenings, at least a year on the firewall forward weekends and evenings. The sheetmetal work seemed to be the least of the time consuming part of it, the last 10-15% seemed to be what burnt most of the time. 7 Years under constructon.....Dan