Dave Smith/Tom Martin 1/4 Scale Hall Cherokee Build

[ingrahal]

Hello fellow aerotower's, I was going to wait to start this build when the weather here in Arkansas got too hot to fly, but it's been so rainy I decided to go ahead with it. Maybe I can have it ready for Huntsville this year. This is a short kit purchased from Aerosente a couple of years ago.

I'll start with the specs and materials list. I had copied this from the Aerosente website back when but found the material list to have mistakes and was incomplete. So this is my material list and I believe it to be accurate.

MODEL SPECIFICATIONS
Span: 132" (3.3m)
Length: 64.9" (165cm)
Aspect: 13.6:1
Area: 1280 in.2

All up weight: 6.5 lbs. (2.95kg)

Wing loading: 11.7 oz./ft.2
Airfoil: GOE 649

Scale: 1:4
No. Servos Req'd: 5-7
FUNCTIONS: Rudder, Elevator, Dive Brakes, Ailerons, Tow Release (optional)

KIT CONTENTS
Plans, 2 Sheets 36" x 84" Rolled
Laser Cut Parts

Laser Cut Parts Kit
All ply and balsa wing ribs,
Tail spars and ribs,
Fuselage bulkhead and wing root formers
Turtle deck notched balsa formers

Hardware List
Wheel 3-1/4" dia. Lightweight Treaded, DUB325TL

Steel Landing Gear Wire, 5/32" x 2" length

Plated Brass Dura-Collars, 5/32", DUB140

Aluminum Wing Rod, .375" OD x 18" length
Brass Joiner Sleeve, 13/32" OD x 12" length (3) K&S8136
Steel Tow Release Wire 1/16" x 12" length

Elevator Joiner and Actuator Square Brass Sleeve 5/32" x 12" (1) K&S152
Elevator Actuator Square Brass Sleeve 3/16" x 12" (1) K&S153
Elevator and Rudder Control Horn Brass Strip 1/16" X 1" X 12" K&S8248
Hinges, Nylon Large, pkg of 15, DUB117
Pushrods, Sullivan Semi Flexible 60" SUL518
Rudder 2-56 Pull-Pull Cable and Hardware Set, DUB517
Stab Mounting Bolts, 6-32 x 1 1/2", (2) DUB317
Stab Mounting Blind Nuts 6-32 (2 ) DUB136

Wood List
Basswood Spar Caps 1/8" x 3/8" x 36" (8)
Leading Edge Balsa 1/4" X 3/4" X 36" (4)
Sub Leading Edge Balsa 1/8" X 3/4" X 36" (4)
Wing Sheeting and Shear Webs Balsa 1/16" X 4" X 36 (11)
Trailing Edge Balsa, 1/16" x 1 x 36" Balsa (8),
Turtle Deck Spruce Stringers, 1/8" x 1/4" x 36" (2)
Fuselage Truss Longerons Balsa, 1/4" x 1/4" x 36" (16)
Cap Strips Balsa 1/16" X 1/4" X 36" (6)
Aileron LE and TE Balsa 1/8" X 1/2" X 36" (4)
Stab LE Balsa 1/4" X 3/4" X 36" (1)
Stab and Elevator Shear Web Balsa 1/8" X 3/4" X 36" (2)
Stab TE and Elevator LE Balsa 3/16" X 3/4" X 36" (2)
Stab and Elevator Cap Strips Balsa 1/32" X 4" X 36" Sheet (1) (Cut strips from sheet.)
Stringers Basswood 1/8" Sq. X 36" (26)
Fin LE Balsa 1/4" X 3/8" X 36" (1)
Rudder TE Balsa 1/8" X 1/4" X 36" (1)
Keel bracing plywood 1/8" X 12" X 12"

Covering
Solartex Natural (If painting) 5 meter (1)
Nelson Hobby Paint 1 qt. base coat
Nelson Hobby Paint 1/2 to 1 pint trim coat depending on color scheme.




I'm old school as far as building technique goes. Just a big flat table with fiber board on top. I got Tom's permission to copy the prints so I didn't have to cut up the originals. Good old wax paper over the plans.



Here is the laser cut parts.




Here is the balsa and bass wood. I ordered this from Sig Mfg. Very nice quality.

[ingrahal]

Update

The first step is to steam bend the 1/4" sq balsa longerons and glue to the cockpit bottom.

[ingrahal]

Update.

The bottom longerons are angled up from the building surface so the bottom truss can't be assembled flat on the plan. So I glued up the top truss first and then laid the bottom truss over the plan and used scraps of hard foam to block up the longerons and provide a foundation to build on.



Using squares, tee pins and shell boxes to align and hold things in place.


Using the tail post and the I and H formers to set the height of the top truss the vertical posts are glued in.

That's it for now. Next will be the diagonals, wing center section and front formers.

[gunny11]

Looking really nice.

[stihac]

Cool, I'm looking forward to this build


Petr

[Asher Carmichael]

Go ART! Looking forward to seeing it at Huntsville.

[ingrahal]

Thanks guys! I appreciate the ecouragement. Looks like a busy weekend coming up, might not get much done til after. Hope everyone has a fun and safe holiday!

[ingrahal]

Update:

I was able to sneak out to the shop last night and get the diagonals glued in as well as former I..

[Dave Smith]

Keep it coming! Love to see another one added to the mix! I'll be flying my 1/4 scale next weekend. Always good fun

DS

[ingrahal]

Hello Dave, thanks for checking in. Please stick around, everything is going smooth so far but I'm sure I'll have questions. Your build thread on RCGroups has been very helpful as well as the instructions you wrote for the 1/3 scale. Thanks for a great design!!!

[Dave Smith]

Hope I can help. It's now been 12 years since the prototype flew. Same one I'll be flying next weekend :-)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i3wcvx3aWUk

[ingrahal]

Great video Dave!!!. Your Cherokee really looks and flies nice.

Update:
Boy I'm getting a lot more done than I expected to this weekend. All the main formers are in as well as all of the 1/4" framing.




I had one small problem and that was the notch in former C for nose former D was not deep enough I had to deepen it about 1/4".


The tail post is not glued in yet. I thought it would be easier to frame up the vertical fin first and then glue it in.
That's it for now. Next I'll start on the wing center section.

[stihac]

Moving along nicely Art. Great build

Petr

[TonyN]

Ahh, brings back memories of my Cherokee build! your going to love how this one fly's!
Mine is currently stripped down for recovering, hopefully have her back in the air before the GAAT in August,

Tony

[ingrahal]

Thanks Petr!

Tony, are you going back with the same color scheme? I've been scouring the internet for one I like and haven't found one that hasn't been done already. I might just make one up as if what mine would look like if I had a full scale Cherokee.