Announcement

**Dean Gradwell** · 09-22-2015, 02:09 AM

This is of course is my favorite build log of all time.
The tailwheel is from an office chair.It is solid hard rubber about 2" in diameter. The swiveling tailwheel is for ground use only. When you climb in the glider sits on the nose skid.
Regards Dean

**ingrahal** · 09-24-2015, 05:53 AM

Update time:

I'm spending every spare minute on the Cherokee and making good progress. The covering is done as well as the canopy. I got the blue lettering painted on. Now I have to mask everything for the white trim which is going to take some time. Then it'll get a coat of clear. After that I will make up the servo wires and battery packs and install all the radio gear. Then final balance and done. I have exactly one week and I think I can make it.

**ARUP** · 09-24-2015, 12:06 PM

Alright! Can't wait to see it fly!

**Dion Dunn** · 09-26-2015, 12:21 AM

I'm driving 4.5 hours just to see this plane. Don't let me down Art. ðŸ˜†

**ARUP** · 09-26-2015, 12:23 AM

The HEAT is on! Hahahahaha

**ingrahal** · 09-26-2015, 02:24 AM

Well I'll be driving 6 hours to show it to you. The fuselage is painted and everything else is masked and ready to be painted. I also got the battery packs done. I say packs because I'm going with two 5 cell AA packs in parallel. Last year on the 1-26B I went with a C cell hump pack. This time I decided two AA packs were more practical because I can use them in something else if I ever need to and are about the same weight. I should be finished painting tomorrow and have the radio gear installed the day after. That still leaves me a couple of days for finishing touches and a day to get ready for the trip. I'll keep you guys posted.

**ingrahal** · 09-27-2015, 03:48 AM

I spent all day painting. All that's left to paint is the clear coat on the wings. I'm tired but excited, I can start putting it all together tomorrow. I also started cycling battery packs on the other planes that I'm taking to Huntsville. All systems are go!

**Swiss1** · 09-27-2015, 12:57 PM

Looking forward to seeing it, I hereby offer you your first tow with the electric Porter, so it can stay nice and clean

Or if needed the Decathlon or Turbine Porter

Jeremy and Ben
SCC

AAA TT TN

**ARUP** · 09-28-2015, 01:59 AM

Art- beware! My Vampyr still has that 'Eau de Kero' scent after being towed by the Turbo Porter! Man... that thing tows like a John Deere!

**ingrahal** · 09-30-2015, 12:49 AM

IT'S DONE!!!!!!!
On my last post I said all that was left was the clear coat on the wings. Two days later and it's finally done. Something went horribly wrong with the clear coat on the top of the wings, the most important part of the paint job. I got some contamination from something, still not sure what. It caused the finish to bead up and was a total mess. After sanding and sanding and sanding it did it again!!! After a day of troubleshooting I finally got a decent coat down but the result is far from perfect. I know that we tend to look at things under a microscope at the end of a project like this but I'd say it's barely acceptable. If I had the time and the material I would have recovered the wings but I had neither. So if the finish on the wings looks a little funky you know why. Right now I'm looking forward to a full night's sleep. I went to bed at 03:00 the last two nights and had to get up at 07:00 to babysit grandkids all day. I'm wiped out. I have the kids again tomorrow so I doubt I'll have time to finish the build log but I'll at least try to get some photos up.