Phil Kriley

Are you just trying to run up your post count? Just funnin' with ya!

I can't imagine why it would make a difference, so long as clearance is not an issue. I'm looking forward to an answer from someone more knowlegable than myself!

The balance scale can be made from scraps and costs next to nothing. I use it for every batch of epoxy.

You still have not told us what you are building...

Don't you just use duct tape?

FWIW, I will join my wings and center spar and THEN mount them into the fuselage. There seems to be a number of advantages to doing this. One, for me, is that I still need to get my parts out of the basement, so the landing gear, wings, canard, spar and headrests will all have to go as separate pieces. I'll assemble them out in the barn.

And then there's the OTHER tan stuff that crumbles into dust if you look at it wrong...used for thicker buildups and is very easy to carve. I can't remember what it's called. Basically the consistency of the foam used by florists.

True, but if I'd ponied up the money for an RV kit I'd have been flying a year ago instead of looking forward to another 4 years of building.

I save samples of some of the layups that get cut off so I can look at them. One interesting piece of scrap is the portion of the fuselage you cut off when making the cutout for the canard. In one piece you have portions of the longeron, some blue foam, some yellow foam, several layers of fiberglass - good for "show and tell"! Probably useful as part of your project's documentation too.

BTDT! Also best not to push yourself when you are tired or when you have other things to do following a layup - like anything that has a set time. Several times I've started a layup thinking I had enough time before having to go somewhere, only to find myself up to my elbows in epoxy and still needing to shower and shave to make a dinner reservation... Good thing nice restaurants turn the lights low...

Thanks for the reply, but the issue is figuring out where to put the hardpoint for the 4th hole, since it is NOT in the plans. Even with Jack's mount in hand, you still don't know where the 4th hole needs to be until you assemble the parts - and you really can't assemble the parts until you make the hardpoints and complete the glass work. There's just no good answer to this problem - it's kinda circular. Don't know where to put the hardpoint until it's assembled, but can't assemble until the glasswork is done, but the glasswork can't be done until you have the location of the 4th hardpoint... I'm almost ready to put it together, so with luck my guestimate for that elusive 4th hardpoint (only 3 of which are needed) will be good enough and I won't have to do a patch job. But if it's off, then I'll make the repair and quit *****ing about it. If I had built the manual gear extension and then done a retrofit of the electic gear we wouldn't be having this discussion apparently.

My best guess is that folks are using their NG-51's to locate the holes/hardpoints. All of the holes are not there, as numerous other builders have had the same question. When I searched the archives I found this from you, in reply to another builder: "My measurements show that the fourth hole (the lower one closer to F-22 on the pilot's side of the fuselage) is approximately 4" forward of the rear surface of F-22 at a distance of 2-5/8" from the upper hole. It's NOT directly below the upper hole, but slightly in front of it. If you make a 2-5/8" circle around the upper hole and then intersect it with a line perpendicular to F-22 at 4" from the rear surface, you've got it." So that's what I used to approximate the location for that hardpoint. I'll drill the actual hole after the assembly is complete. With some luck it will be within the hardpoint. I'll look at M-19 - I haven't looked at that one yet - but M-10 and 11 do not show where the middle hole for Jack's mount needs to be.

Hallelujah! Jack's kit does indeed include a very nice pair of NG-14's! I would not have found them until after I was done if you had not told me, as they were in the bag with the wire harness and I had not taken it out yet. THANKS!

YAHBUT...the locations for the holes are NOT in the plans. That's the big frustration. They ain't there. Best you can do is take a SWAG and hope you are close. Take a look at the plans. If there was even a drawing of NG-51 this would have been easy.

That makes sense. Once I determine the location of the holes for the electric retract supports I'll adjust the hardpoints as necessary and fill them up so they are flush with the surface of the NG-30's. Thanks for the replies!