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**Sinkhappens86** · 12-19-2021, 10:43 PM

Looks awesome! Can't wait to see more progress.

**Jim Gibson** · 12-21-2021, 03:38 AM

The next phase from April to October of this year involved finishing out the tail surfaces and fuselage in order to complete painting while the weather here in the Pacific NW cooperated for me to paint outside. The cockpit interior kit supplied by Gunny is very complete but does take some time to assemble and finish. The seats are balsa wood and were covered in 0.5oz fiberglass to stiffen them up prior to painting. I deviated little from plans and instructions other than using Robart hinge points on the tail surfaces and the addition of 6-32 blind nuts for attachment of the stab.

I originally was going to hinge the canopy using the non-scale hinges but I found that too hard to get lined up and went with the scale hinge option instead. The supplied sketch in the manual worked out great for the hinge construction and turned out easy to install. I also went with the scale canopy latch as all the parts were supplied in the deluxe kit. I found the supplied latch restraint and latch clip quickly failed. It was easy to fabricate a new restraint out of brass strip and a friend with a 3D printer made up some new clips for me.

I elected to cover the fuselage and tail surfaces using DIACOV 1000 that is being supplied by Sarik Hobbies out of the UK. It has a 0.74 meter(29 inches) width and can be supplied in running lengths as long as 50 meters. It is supplied with a heat activated adhesive that does not need any additional adhesive applied to the covering surface for increased adhesion. I found it very easy to work with but does require a sharp knife to get clean cut edges. This material without the adhesive is called DIATEX and is commonly used for covering full size light aircraft. I wanted to use a fabric covering and decided to give it a try. It is cost comparable to Oratex, about 5" wider in width, and can be purchased in long lengths. I used Klass Kote epoxy paint for the finished color.

The scale tow release and servo were installed at this time. The fuselage modifications were done during the build of the fuselage with some new fuselage keel parts that were supplied with the tow release kit......all with no issues(thanks again Gunny!).

Below are some photos to keep those build juices flowing(don't tell my wife I used the dining room table to take photos of the completed fuselage with the tail surfaces)...............

Enjoy,
Jim

Attached Files

**horsefeetky** · 12-21-2021, 03:42 PM

wow great build and details

where did you get that canopy latch system...

**Jim Gibson** · 12-21-2021, 05:12 PM

The canopy latch hardware is included in the deluxe short kit and is detailed out in the manual as well for the builder.

**Jim Gibson** · 12-27-2021, 02:28 AM

It was time to give the wing panels some attention now that the fuselage is complete. The ailerons have been cut out and hinged using Robart hinge points. The aileron servo has been dry fitted along with the control horn and associated linkage. The manual for the spoiler installation details make completing the top and bottom spoilers without issue. I did use Great Planes small hinge points for the hinges.

It's finally time to glue the inner and outer wing panels together using the supplied wing jigs. I had added 12" to my seven foot long building table in order to construct the fuselage, but I did not take into account that my table is still too short for the 102" wing panel.

Fortunately, there was enough of the jig on the table to hold the panels in alignment during the gluing operation.

After each panel dried, today I was able to glue the leading edge and balsa tip on each panel. These wings are huge! The biggest problem now is hangar rash. Whenever I move a panel a wall, ceiling or other object jumps out to bump the panel. Now it's time to plane and sand the leading edge to shape and final sanding to get ready for covering.

Here's a few photos to keep those building juices flowing......
Jim

**Jim Gibson** · 02-09-2022, 03:31 AM

Work on the 2-33A has been continuing with the covering of the wings. I elected to cover the wings with one of the iron on film coverings in order to best simulate the painted metal skin on the full size. I decided to go with Monokote for a couple of reasons. One, white is available in 25 foot rolls which would enable me to cover one wing panel without a seam. Two, a member of our club has covered his power planes with it for years and they have stood the test of time looking brand new. His covering procedure is first to get all the balsa dust off the surface to be covered by vacuuming to start. The secret for preventing the covering from relaxing in the heat and temperature variations is to wipe the surface with a dark cotton tshirt. Go over it as many times as necessary until the tshirt no longer picks up any dust. I was amazed how much dust remains on the balsa skins after a good vacuuming. I bet I went over the wing surface 12-15 times with a clean portion of the tshirt until I was satisfied that I wasn't picking up any dust. The use of a heat gun to shrink the covering and following immediately with a cool cloth really bonds the covering to the balsa surface. I gave up on Monokote years ago when they changed the formulation as it was so difficult to work with. This project has not changed that opinion, but it sure looks great when complete.

Covering the bottom of a 102" wing panel with undercamber and a transitioning airfoil thickness out to the tip proved to be a real challenge. I found the best temperatures with Monokote are 150C for my trim iron, 170C for my sealing iron w/sock, and ~500F for my heat gun. I tacked the covering at the leading edge and used the heat gun to shrink and bond the covering to the surface. My helper(very understanding wife) followed me with the cool cloth to press the covering down. I ending up covering the bottom in two pieces with a splice at the joint between the main and tip panels. I was able to cover the top with the white Monokote in one piece for each wing panel. See the photos below.

I'm now applying Missile Red Monokote to the leading edges and a blue pin stripe will get laid down after the panels are covered. It has surprised me how much time it takes to cover a 3500 in2 wing! I'll post an update of the wing panels when covering is complete. Also, I am very happy to have purchased wing bags from Revoc as they have been handy to store the wing panels in and avoid hangar rash as I have to move the panels around in my limited space shop. Stay tuned.

Jim

Bottom of left panel sitting on saw horses. Red yet to be applied to the leading edge.

Top of left wing panel. Red yet to be applied to the leading edge.

Attached Files

**ErichS** · 02-17-2022, 03:13 PM

Looking nice!
Been loving my 2-33 for the past couple years. One upgrade that I just made this past fall was the addition of Gap Tap to the Ailerons. It has improved the L/D and it is now able to thermal turn on a wing tip with the CG moved back 1/4 inch.

**Jim Gibson** · 02-18-2022, 05:13 PM

Erich,
Thanks for the comments. I was wondering how that aileron gap I'm building in would affect performance. This will be an easy addition. I'm assuming the CG shown on the plans is a good starting point & how much lead weight did you add to the nose for balance?
Jim

**Jim Gibson** · 03-08-2022, 10:59 PM

The wings are done! After covering, the ailerons were installed using Robart 1/8" hinge points and the spoilers used GP small pivot hinges. I like the more 'scale like' appearance of hinge points and installation is simple once drilled. This time around I made up jigs for drilling the hinge points which made for accurate hinge locations. All the servos in the 2-33 are Hitec D-645MW(metal gear, high torque, HV) as my receiver power will be redundant 2S lipos. I was concerned about getting the top and bottom spoilers to work properly with two linkages. My worries were unfounded, as Gunny again did a great job working this out for the builder. I just cannot say enough good things about the product Aviation Concepts puts out. Below are some photos of my efforts.

Next up is final alignment of the stab to the wing so I can complete the struts for the stab, rudder & stab hinging, rudder & stab servo installation, fuselage wiring and can't forget balancing. I guess I still have plenty to do, but I feel like I'm getting close to completion!

Jim

Attached Files

**Jim Gibson** · 03-12-2022, 04:36 PM

We are having a stretch of nice weather so I thought I would take the opportunity to assemble the 2-33 outside where I had plenty of room. This is the first time I've had a chance to see what it looks like after covering and painting. I also needed to check alignment of the wings to stab and rudder to stab. Fortunately everything checked out, but I did forget to check the decalage. Have to save that for another day. I have to say assembling a 17' wing and placing it on the fuselage definitely requires come care and space! Now on to fuselage wiring and stabilizer strut assembly. Below are a few fresh air photos.
Jim

**Sinkhappens86** · 03-12-2022, 05:29 PM

Will we get to see it at Cumberland?

**Jim Gibson** · 03-12-2022, 10:26 PM

Unfortunately, I will not be at Cumberland. I call home Portland, OR and a 3000+ mile road trip is not in the cards.😂. I’m certainly envious of the venues and aerotow activity out east. Over the last 10 years the Pacific NW aerotow events are now down to a handful. Fortunately our club, Portland Area Sailplane Society, still supports aerotow with several dates during the flying season.
Jim

**Jim Gibson** · 03-27-2022, 05:10 PM

Fuselage wiring is now complete. Below are a few detail photos of my install. For the fin, I went with the removable option to make storage and transport easier. Because of this, I wanted a quick and secure way for attaching the pull-pull cables to the rudder. I opted to use Sullivan control horns and ball connectors. I've had no issues with the ball connectors on other models and it was a good solution here. For the elevator I am using a Robart control horn and clevis rod end as shown on the plans. To simplify elevator hookup at the field, I plan to use a pin and set screw collar for attaching the clevis to the control horn. Wing wiring gets plugged in above the rudder servo with Multiplex 6 pin connectors. The connectors are color coded to help avoid a brain fart and get the plugs crossed up. Up front I've installed my Spektrum receiver, on-off switch and LiFe battery charge plugs. Next up is final installation of the skid, tail wheel and balancing.
Jim

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Attached Files

**Jim Gibson** · 04-04-2022, 01:17 AM

More progress and most items have now been crossed off the 'to do' list. The nose skid was installed and I elected to use a rubber block and plywood block in place of the two supplied plywood blocks for the middle anchors in the skid center. The tail wheel is an Ohio Superstar small tail wheel assembly slightly modified per Gunny's instructions. It was finally time to check the CG. I installed the eyehook in the location noted in the instructions and hung the 2-33 in my garage from my garage door opener rail. I installed 10 oz of sinkers in the nose and for the lateral balance I will be adding 0.75 oz of weight in the left aileron servo bay. This would have been an opportune time to check the AUW, but I did not have a fish scale. The decalage checked out per the instructions and requires a 0.156" thick washer at the back end of the elevator. All I have left now is to complete the detailing of the cockpit and set up the control throws. Photos below.................
Jim

Attached Files

Announcement

Jim G's Aviation Concepts 2-33A Build(Sort of)

Jim G's Aviation Concepts 2-33A Build(Sort of)

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