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Aerotech Supermarine S5


TorbenD

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I first tried using 0.5 mm rod for the buttons but felt these were a fraction too small so after using a very fine reamer I adjusted the hole to perfectly accept some 0.64mm rod.

 

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Once all 36 rods were dry fitted, I trimmed them reasonably close  and then  used a beading tool to push them to exactly the correct dept.

 

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With everything in position I then glued from the back... Voila!

 

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The effect of the buttons is much more subtle in the flesh than under the intense side lighting shown here - the buttons are clear but subtle, set in shallower than the plumpest section of the surrounding square despite the optical illusion that they're pretty loud and proud  - very hard to shoot. All turned out exactly as I wanted... Phew!!!

 

The final stage in construction was to trim and carve the edges of the cushion so that it fitted within the tight space, taking care to replicate the small pleat line between each section of rows of buttons on the edge. I also imparted a very subtle curve to the shape as indicated in the plans I'm using as a guide.

 

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Thanks for looking - next stage on with the central structure of the cockpit.

 

Torben

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Gosh - thanks all for your kind words :D A few too many to reply individually this time as I'm a bit rushed but always great to read! I enjoy the challenge of working new (to me) things out like this.

 

Time to fess-up to a ‘senior moment' - whilst test fitting the seat I was concerned that the fit was super tight on the sides until I checked again against the plans and realised I'd done one too many rows of buttons - there should be 5 across not 6!  :doh:  Fortunately the solution was to simply trim one row off and carve the new edges to match. - I'll share some pics when I've sorted out the framework.

 

 

Hi Torben, great work! I was always puzzled by the three 'black holes' below the LE of the wing centre section, then I ran across this picture - I have never seen it before, and thought you may find it useful.

s_l1600_2.jpg

Malc

 

Thx Malc, what a great picture - I thought I'd scoured the net for all the best images  - can I ask where you dug this out from and if there were any others as the detail is so good?

 

I'm not 100% sure what those holes are but my best guess is that they must be circular inspection hatches with their covers removed. Some radiator coolant pipes are around that area of the wing root. The whole plane plane is dotted with circular inspection hatches, especially the floats. 

 

Some pics in a mo along with a question that I'm hoping someone out there can help with.

 

Torben

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I've just started working on the pit properly  - As I've yet to find any photographic images of the S5s cockpit I'm basing all this on a couple of images of the S6 (previously posted) and this plan (again previosly posted but low res.

 

Screen%20Shot%202018-05-01%20at%2000.46.

 

I managed to make pretty fast progress after finally I worked out that the two pipes heading from the coolant section right by the firewall didn't run inside the cockpit but outside the monocoque within the wing root faring (or at least i hope it is as that's where it ended up  :innocent: )

 

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I wanted to get a variety of appropriate scale thicknesses so brass slim came on handy for the footplates which were not bowed in on the S6 so I copied here

 

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The rest is just square section rod and thin plastic card with lightening holes knocked out with RP Tools my punch and die set - I trimmed out and punched both sides at the same time to make sure they were identical and even.

 

The foot controls came next - the grip texture created by dragging the teeth of a micro-saw blade sideways across the plastic card.

 

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Then I started on the joystick which was made out of brass rod that was shaped by mounting each piece in the chuck of my mini drill and turning/lathing it against a various fine metal files. The elevator rod attachment was made out of sections of brass tubing with  the end trimmed to form a yolk join - the 2 securing nuts made out of punched thin plasticard.

 

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I've still got a little way to go but I'm having a lot of trouble trying to interpret the plans regarding the detail where the main pivoting ‘knuckel' point of the control column is shaped and joined to the cockpit frame.

 

All looks like this at a dry fitting stage with the pivot point should be about 2-3mm above where the column rises out of the frame.

 

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But when one adds the main central rods (I've interpreted these as structural extensions of the rods within the rear legs down to the floats - anyone care to differ?) when I position them inside they look like they might foul the control column in reality...  Similar such rods seem to appear on the S6 but if the central box structure appears wider on that plane

 

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If fitted outside the central structure then they'd likely be in the way of the pilots legs?

 

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Hmm - any thoughts?  :help:    Gut feel says inside. Could the pivot joint of the column actually be attached to these rods, between them as they cross over in the vertical plan?

 

I could really do with some help from you more experienced crew out there - a best guess as to what is happening in there, not only at this point but also some of the other detail around this area - the aileron controls are a little fuzzy as are what appear to be 2 cross bars(?)  - one just behind the column, one level. Even just a quick 3/4 view pencil sketch would help.... 

 

I'm pretty sure I've got a handle on the missing foot control levers but again, a light shed in this area too would be much appreciated. 

 

Thanks for looking

Torben

Edited by TorbenD
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Hi Torben!

My guess is the 2 rods are to stiffen the structure. They seem to attach at the top of the box structure, centered on each side, just before the strong structural member shown with the red arrows. 

The drawing isn't too clear about the way the pivot of the control column (wow great part!) is attached, but it could well be that it is somehow connected to the rods, as you suggested, with a small

crossbar.

 

S8fBRvj.png

 

 

Alain

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I am with Alain on this one.

 

The rods seem to meet the top of the box structure, and provide the support for the knuckle articulation of the control column, and the said articulation, btw, seems to be ABOVE the box.

The structural crossbar Alain mentions would the rear spar, and should align with the rear floats supports. It would then be logical that the diagonal rods somehow connect to this spar, one of the most critical load-bearing structural elements.

They would then be inside the box, the said box being attached one way or another to them, and acting as a kind of internal keel.

 

You are being limited by the scale factor there, Torben. No way you can accurately represent thin metal sheet with plasticard, nor can you be 100% sure that the diameter of your rods is exactly 1/32 of the original 1:1 one.

 

Hubert

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Ahhh thank you Alain and Hubert - I think I now understand(?)...  :rolleyes:

 

The structure highlighted by Alain's red arrows is a pretty substantial U-shaped load baring block/brace that thins as it travels up the sidewalls pretty much faring in at the top. The top of this U-Shaped structure just lies fractionally above the box structure in the keel as it passes over the centre. As for the rod braces resting on the central box structure in the keel, that too makes sense if their job is to not only add stability but also provide the structure for the main pivot knuckle joint of the control column (which is just above or level with the top of the box, about the only thing I'd actually worked out for myself Hubert!  :whistle:  )

 

Thanks again for your help in interpretation of the plans. My intention was always to do the best I can do without going too insane given the lack of a definitive image; making it believable and make sense from an engineering/design point-of-view and you have both helped enormously.

 

Torben

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