Gluhareff S-22 - Tuomas

[VincentB]

The most difficult is to make simple, ingenious system

[tuootal]

Merci, Vincent

And today is time to sheet wing tips. It required quite a bit of sanding to get tips into shape but it looks right now.

Tuomas

[tuootal]

Next to aileron. This is rather large aileron, as it is really half wing. So it should be aerodynamically good enough.



First rolled 2mm balsa around leading edge of aileron


Then made openings for hinge keys.


With soft balsa, and cross-grain plywood


And seal the gap

Tuomas

[tuootal]

Then to collection of all kinds of small details.



Rudder. This is extremely strange looking rudder. I laminated leading edge from 2mm balsa and thin plywood. Just to keep it light but also to keep it's form. It is really large.


Tailskid detail.


Glued to fuselage.

And then to sheeting of fuselage. I decided to strip initial 2mm sheeting and start all over again with 3mm strip-sheeting. It forms much more nicely.



This looks quite extreme. I am using PVA-glue for health considerations. I have used PVA quite often and one trick is not to try to wipe excess glue off. It is much easier to remove it when it is slighlty dried. So those drips just fly away with light planing. If wiped down they require much more work.


Initial drying and some planing. Not finalized, just checking form.


Another angle.

Tuomas

[Papy Solex]

Hi Tuomas,

Gorgeous....

With the genuine airfoil and a poor elevator volume, i presume this glider could be a bit tricky...
You have done the best choice with a HQ airfoil family unstead the original.
No risk no fun, i agree that philosophy, that's mine, that's yours....please, let's astonished, happy to read you...

Jean-Paul "Papy Solex"

[tuootal]

Merci Papy, I am a bit worried whether this will be flyable. My main concern is total lack of v-form combined with 'interesting' ailerons. I might end up doing barrel roll on maiden tow.

Also short fuselage will contribute with (un)stability.

All in all, it will be interesting.. Extremely interesting.

And then to today's progress.



Another quarter of fuz sheeted. It does look a bit like boat. Possibly one could use this is an float glider?


One note regarding sheeting. I used strip-sheeting and with 3mm thickness there is possibility of gaps on outside of fuz. So I used 5deg tilt in table saw while sawing strips. First one cut, then flip sheet and then next cut, flip and next.


And the result is strip which has tilt on both sides.

The reason for using 3mm strips was to allow plenty of sanding as this is quite challenging form. I will glass this fuse from inside just to make certain there wont be too many holes after flights.

[Papy Solex]

Hi Tuomas,
Don't worry, a glider can fly without dihedral...it just needs a good three axles piloting...
Beautifull construction indeed....i presume you like ship' stucture...me too, see below





I love all what is atypic....my Moskalef Strela has a terrific roll instability...but i dare, that's the most important...

Jean-Paul "Papy Solex"

[tuootal]

Papy - that is gorgeaus. It is modelling art. You should have not flown it, or covered it.

And regarding 3-axles-piloting skills... I can build, yes, but flying is not my forte. Flying this will be interesting.

going forward:


Decided to try plywood nose block. It will be heavy and tough to sand, but.. had no wood with matching tone to balsa at hand. The plywood ply's will be wrong way, but it is ok.


Triel fitting tail group. Fits & works.


Glassed inside of fuz, nose only. I used 2 layers of SIG heavy cloth for all other place, but the first former bay was too challenging. Ended up using hacked gf and epoxy. It is much easier to apply.


And elevator + rudder servos. That elevator is so large that I decided to use HK12k servo for it. It is slow, but it has ~10kg force. For rudder there is just standard servo.

Tuomas

[tuootal]

And then I had enjoyable day of sheeting. This is really strange looking plane.

Note that plane is nowhere near completely sanded etc. So there are rough edges.









This is quite tricky form. I have to find find out nice way to 'end' those curves, sanding it flush would be challenging.

Tuomas

[Christian]

Christian

[tuootal]

Merci Christian,

And today I sanded it to shape, not yet finalized but good enough for next steps. I also sanded initial shape to nose block.

And cleaned shop. That took 2 hours.





There is one problem with this plane. The pics which I have posted in the first messages of this thread are all that exist. So I have no clue of colour of plane, nor the details in cockpit area. So it really is guessing and making something which is 'real' looking.

Tuomas

[VincentB]

I have always also this same problem with my historical gliders with rare photos in black and white. We see on your pics a zone more dark.

[Papy Solex]

Hi Tuomas,

Good work indeed...

As Vincent says, it's hard to fine the genuine colours..!

Instead stressing your mind, according to the unsual shape, try to contact a second hand dealer in the neighbouring of Peenemunde...

Go on, i love what you do...

Jean-Paul "Papy Solex"

[tuootal]

merci à tous!

Regarding Peenemunde - I do have some doubts of that idea, but I remember seeing one glider which had periscope. Anyway - this chap Adaridi who was part of original team flying this plane did design another plane (see couple pages back). The plane was called Adaridi AD3. As it was designed for Finnish airforces it was dark gray.

So it looks a bit like submarine..



(that pic is lighter than the original plane which is in Finnish aviation museum (http://www.ilmailumuseo.fi/index.php?page=home-eng) , near Helsinki-Vantaa airport. Great place to visit. Pic used without permission, but I think they wont complain.

Btw - Just to be cautious - that is not german swastika. It is Fin airforce emblem which was taken into use years before nazis started using it. It originates to Swedish count Von Rosen who gave Finnish government it's first airplane, thus forming Finnish airforces. That swastika was painted on that first plane by this swedish count and to commemorate that we used it as an emblem for airforces for couple decades. Until nazis spoiled that sign. If you look carefully, it is other way around that german one. For more information see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Finnish_Air_Force . I think that this story really proves the old visdom - if you get something as an present, paint it

[tuootal]

And then to today's steps. I got terrible flu so did not have energy to do anything important, but something still.



I have one thing which I tend to do in almost all of my builds. I want to trash something bought from local Ikea to use in builds. Strange. And today I wanted to get some wooden strips just to use in landing gears. Lupin-window shutters cost 9.99eur. Fun.
(I have no connection to Ikea - just an customer who wants to smash their products, interesting? I have plenty examples of this behaviour )


And there you have it, approx 40 2mm wood strips.


Mould.


Which is then used in pressing landing gear into shape. Just your average modelling tools.


Cut opening to plane to allow pilot to step in. Btw - that 1/3 pilot is not Finnish, he comes from Wales. And he does look awfully serious, but I guess that they welsh people must be serious , their weather is so rainy.


And beginnings of second wing tip.

Tuomas

[Anonyme]

Fun idea and useful reconversion; Lupin looks like samba? We have "ramin" in France, similar?

[tuootal]

Actually product information says that it is 'Paulown-tree'. Whatever that might be. I have no clue. I gues it grows in places which does not include Finland.

Wood itself is quite light and sands easily. I would not trust it on places requiring strength, those landing gears and skis are only for display use. So it can tolerate weaker wood.

And next steps..



After some cutting etc.


My little ski factory


Adding spruce strips to ends of sheeting. This is needed to allow proper ending of balsa structure.


Finished skis & landing gears & needed supports.

Tuomas

[tuootal]

Tuomas

[VincentB]

Whoo, fantastic, great look your construction is very neat I love these atypical old gliders

[tuootal]

Merci Vincent!

I love wood building!

This plane is quite funny looking. Actually - it looks a lot like planes in vintage comic books, a bit like this...





Really sad that I will not use those skis in actual flight attempts, as they bring so much character to plane.

Tuomas

[Christian]

Christian

[VincentB]

you would have to build a invers system of landing gear for flying, and retract it for landing

[Anonyme]

Neat work on a lovely glider useful landing gear in Sweden, or in Amiens, snow is back today, endless winter...

[Jean-Paul]

Joli planeur,
JP

[tuootal]

merci à vous tous!

Regarding winter, you seem to be enjoying it more than us :). At least according news you have received snow which normally is delivered here. Lucky you!

Well - for this plane the only time to fly it during winter. As original was flown only during winter. So it is quite suitable time.

Anyways, then to todays efforts.

Covering.





Tuomas

[tuootal]

Mesdames et Messieurs! Il me fait grand plaisir d'annoncer vol inaugural du Gluhareff S-22.
(and just to certain - that google translated stuff looks suspicious..)
Ladies and gentlemen! It is my great pleasure to announce maiden flight of Gluhareff S-22.

As planned it happened as an part of Arctic Hysteria -event @ Padasjoki, central Finland. Which is, in broad terms, an village festival including some aviation events. Like aerotow of scale gliders. There were approx 20 planes and a lot more enthusiasts present. No hysteria took place, and I have no clue why they call it hysteria. But.. does not really matter. Event was organized on frozen lake, so this is really, literally really scale flight for S-22. As it has flown only during winter.

To summarize (many) flights : it flies great.

I will do more detailed analysis when I have had time to edit some videos etc. But meanwhile - some photos to prove this happy occasion!!

Great many thanks : HSK for photos, Hainpää for maiden tow and whole group of innocent bystanders cheering with relief. It did not fall from sky

Tuomas

[Anonyme]

Stuning model Tuomas, congratulations for this successful maiden flight,what a lovely vintage sailplane.. Good idea the pictures past and present...

[VincentB]

Congratulation Tuomas for this first flight, nice picture, nice land
you don't try to fly with the skids? you think it's not enough robust?

[Christian]

Christian

[tuootal]

Thanks everyone!

Vincent - those skis are not usable in soft snow. They would sink into snow immediately and that would generate too large backward force to landing gears. They would break, and fuselage would be damaged at the same time.

One option could be increasing the size of ski's, but then it would not be scale.

So I decided that skis are not really sensible idea. They look nice, but..

Tuomas