Aviation Concepts 1/3-scale Schweizer 2-33 ~ Build Thread by JimD

[JimD]

Before going forward with joining the inner and outer wing panels, the inner panels were joined with the wing rod and mated to the fuselage to check fit.

Masking tape was added to the wing root ribs and the wing saddle to account for the thickness of the wing covering material.

Careful measurements were taken to check alignment of wings and then a 3/16" hole was drilled down through one of the wing bolt plates. Bolt plate has a 3/16" laser cut hole and it was used as a guide. A 3/16" diameter bolt was dropped down through this first hole, and then the other side was drilled and a second bolt was dropped in. Alignment measurements were rechecked before going forward.



One side was now drilled out for the tape size of a 1/4-20 size bolt. Threads were cut and a 1/4-20 bolt screwed in. Alignment measurements were rechecked and then the second bolt hole was drilled out and tap used to cut threads. Second 1/4-20 bolts screwed in. Bolts were then removed and clearance holes drilled into the wing. Threads in wings hold-down block were hardened with thin CA and, once CA cured, tap run through again.



Scrap plywood shims were used to center the forward section of the wings. With the rear wing bolts installed, holes for the wing dowels were drilled using a Fostner bit. Be careful about the depth, don't want to drill into the wing rod.



Wing was removed, depth of wing bolt holes were deepened as much as possible and then dowels were glued into the holes. Once glue cured, wing was again mated to the fuselage and alignment checked.



Now the structure for the upper cabin area was added using scrap plywood as spacers.

[JimD]

With the wings in place, time to make the struts. Gunny supplies these cool little spacers to assist with inserting the steel end pieces into the aluminum wing struts. 16 of them get are glued onto the steel ends using thin CA. These then fit snuggly into the ends of the aluminum wing tubing. Once you are sure about the length, these parts get epoxied into the wing struts and then they are drilled through and retaining bolts installed.

[JimD]

Now that the wings are mated up and the struts made, we can move on to joining the wing inner and outer panels and to adding the keel parts to the fuselage. We are using the scale tow releases, so the keel parts need to be modified. Gunny supplies templates for use as a cutting guide. We used some scrap basswood stick inserted into the notches of the keel parts to keep things aligned as they were laminated together.

[ARUP]

Nice work and I like that quilt in the background!

[gunny11]

Looking good Jim. Keep on going! I noticed the quilt also, reminds me of the valley down below the field.

[JimD]

My mother in law made the quilt, it is a scene of the valley below my house (I seem to like mountain tops).

[JimD]

Everything on the upper part of the fuselage has been completed while the fuselage can sit flat on the worksurface. Now it is time to flip the fuselage over and add the keel structure.

Started by sitting the keel onto the lower fuselage and tracing the outline (make sure it is properly centered).

[gunny11]

I'm liking what I see! Progress, means you are on the home stretch?
Better finish it before the corona virus that is coming in a year!

[Swiss1]

Will we see a Maiden at the Spring event?

Jeremy
SCCAAA TT TN

[JimD]

Not that soon, hope for maiden at Windy Ridge...depends on my summons for jury duty. Got called for 8-week trial in Federal Grand Jury in Baltimore, Maryland. Will know on March 18th, the day I must appear for jury selection. If I am not picked, then my service is completed and there is no further time required. If I am picked to serve on the jury, then it will be for up to 8-weeks. Just trying to not stress about it too much, but this may alter my entire spring.

[Tom]

Not that soon, hope for maiden at Windy Ridge...depends on my summons for jury duty. Got called for 8-week trial in Federal Grand Jury in Baltimore, Maryland. Will know on March 18th, the day I must appear for jury selection. If I am not picked, then my service is completed and there is no further time required. If I am picked to serve on the jury, then it will be for up to 8-weeks. Just trying to not stress about it too much, but this may alter my entire spring.

Not to mention that you have a TG-3 to build some where in between all that!!! 😃

[gunny11]

My color scheme wasn't easy but since I was the first one to do it, it is now a lot easier. Click on the link below and it will bring you into the website. Then go to the Products menu and down to 1/3 scale 2-33. It's near the bottom after the cockpit kit. Pictures, layout dimensions and paint masks.
Sorry about not having the PDF on this site... File size is too large. And cant get the link to go directly into the article.

[gunny11]

Just a couple of samples.

[gunny11]

I got a nice e mail from Mr. S. Jones from CA. He bought the paint masks earlier this year and finished his beautiful 1/3 scale 2-33. Looks just like mine! I told him to use a different N number LOL.

Outstanding Job and he even has an Aviation Concepts cockpit kit in there!

[JimD]

Not to mention that you have a TG-3 to build some where in between all that!!! 😃

Yes Tom...

And my last post in this thread was 2/21/2019...

Just to get everyone up to speed, I did build and fly the TG-3 since then.



And before that, I built a Cmelak and towed most of the 2019 season with it.



And then I built the Peter Goldsmith Foxbat Nostalgia Class sailplane (have not flown it yet).



And I built the newest of Peter's Kits, the Cessna L-19, very nearly completed now.



Needed to break-in the engine for the L-19, so I rebuilt my Bidule 170 and have gotten 30 minutes on the engine so far.



Anyway...finally got back to the 2-33. Decided to use Robart hinge points instead of the DuBro flat hinges Gunny shows on his plans.




One of the things that had me stuck was the fabric covering for the fuselage. Well, the wait paid off...Oratex came to the USA market and we obtained a roll in "natural" from Swiss1 at The Model Box. Absolutely love this stuff!!!





I had three of the four wing panels well underway when I got stopped. Had to clear the workbench and sort things out to get setup to finish the last outer panel.











Okay...back to the workshop!!!!!

[gunny11]

Wow! He's back on it! Love the idea of the dual smaller hinge points. The coving job on that stab looks super!
I noticed one thing... How did you manage not to get any balsa curly Q's on the floor? Lol.

[JimD]

Finished up some details on the rib and spar structure...aileron servo mount area and wrap for spar box joiner area.









Next thing is getting the sheeting jig assembled.







Then we started truing the edges and gluing up the sections of 3/32" balsa boards to make the wing skins. Note the 4' aluminum L with sandpaper attached. edge of balsa board is run along the sandpaper to true the edge. Boards are taped together with masking tape, then the joint is bent open and a needle nose glue dispenser used to apply a small amount of glue to the joint. Boards are then held down flat to the workbench with lengths of steel weight bars while glue dries.

[JimD]

Masking tape pealed away and joints sanded.



Skin trimmed to size and placed on jig.



Rib and spar assembly placed on top of skin in jig.



Both right and left wings are now at a similar point of construction.



Time for an inspection by the governing authorities!

[JimD]

Contrary to rumor, I am still progressing on the 2-33 build

Finally finished sheeting both wings, yeah!!!







Kit is Serial #003



Got the plywood cowl ring epoxied in place.