Fantome
After the billy carts project, I've decided for the vacation care kids to do an activity that is a little (or a lot) out there.
I have resurrected the aeroplane that I was building back in 2013. The plan is for me to make the parts and the kids to assemble the aircraft. Obviously this is a long term project with one week a holiday and two weeks during the christmas holidays over approximately two years (and lots of work in between).
Starting with the bare fuselage, the kids will attach the parts by clamping, gluing, nailing, screwing, bolting, riveting etc. These photos show some of the parts that will be attached in the first week.
Some of the features of the projects include:
- 6m wingspan biplane, timber construction with assorted metal fittings and fabric covered,
- fully functioning flight controls via cables and pulleys,
- 12V electrical system for the rotating propeller, navigation lights and instrument lights.
- the 'engine' is a windscreen wiper motor out of a Toyota Landcruiser.
All parts will be assembled and installed by the kids, including all metal parts, the electrical system, wings, flight control cables, wing and empennage bracing cables, cockpit instruments and switches, 'fuel' system, 'engine' mount and engine / propeller etc etc.
As the project progresses, there will be a series of photos showing developments - so stay tuned!!!
Week 1
The kids had a great time for the first week of the project. Everything took longer than I expected. The cockpit was fitted out prior to the ply side panels being glued and nailed on. The last major installation was the undercarriage.
I enlisted the help of Courtney, a preppie girl of small stature, to get inside the cockpit to push the bolts through and hold them while the nuts were tightened up. She did a brilliant job.
At the end of the week, all the vacation care kids had a sit in the cockpit and played hangar pilot.
Can't wait for the mid year holidays for another week of building. The jobs will be:
- build and install the engine mount.
- install the 'engine', prop shaft and prop.
- fabricate and install the 12V electrical system to the 'engine'.
- install the fixed empennage spars and end caps.
- fabricate and install the bracing cables (8 individual cables).
Week 2
Stayed tuned
