Ok, is it alright to attatch tail boom earlier?

[KDOG]

I asked this question before but everyone is fixated on the painting/anodizing thread. Thats OK, Ill just ask here. I see that in the documentation, the tail boom isn't attatched till phase 8. But I see in alot of pictures of peoples' "in progress" birds that it is attatched much sooner. I myself don't see why it can't be attatched when you get the frame together but then again, I haven't built one yet so I'm asking to be sure... I stated in the other thread, that I am starting to get nervous (giddy?) cuz I'm about to order my first set of parts from StarBee as soon as the payment I'm sending tomorrow hits my VISA!!!

[Doug Riley]

KDOG, you'll find as you get into the project that you're putting parts on and taking them off all the time. That's why Ralph tells you to use scrap hardware for your interim assembly. It's OK to put the tail boom on earlier; you may have to take it off again one or a dozen times before you are done anyway.

(I built my first gyro in secret while I was a teenager. I'd come home from school each afternoon, put together a couple parts to work on and then take them all apart again and hide them before my father got home. Went on for quite awhile before it got impractical and I had to confess...)

[KDOG]

What did he say?

[scottessex]

Hey Kdog, I might have some left over parts from my rebuild, that will fit your gyrobee. I have a brock nose wheel assy. A fiberglass seat with cover. and possibly a flying tail. If you might be interested, let me know. there is no hurry, but I am changing the nose wheel, seat, and tail, they are not damaged.

[gyroman]

Boy, you hit the nail on the head Doug. I have taken mine apart and put it back together quite a few times while building it. I just finished painting most of the parts so I am waiting on getting my workshop built to finally keep it together.

KDOG, It doesn't matter putting the tailboom on earlier, just takes up more room. If you have ample workshop area then keep it all together during the build.

My 'Bee is currently in several places around the house. Most of the small pieces are wrapped in newspaper and stored in one of those plastic bins you get at Wal Mart for $3.88. I do have my mast and keel put together in one side of the living room but somebody moved the coffee table net to it and now I have a couple spots with the paint chipped off that I have to repair.

[scottessex]

Doggone it! What is the world coming to when you can't build an aircraft (or motorcycle) in your living room, with out it getting scratched!!!

[KDOG]

Scott, thanks for the offer, I will keep that in mind, just ordered my first set of parts. Oh boy. Here we go!!!

[Ralph]

Within reason, the Bee can be assembled in any order you like. The "Phases" were created to provide a reasonable building sequence that was also consistent with the desire of some builders to "pay as you go". Now that real kits are available, there is much more opportunity to "jump around" in terms of the construction sequence. The use of temporary hardware-store hardware gives you the ability to tear stuff down as many times as required until you are ready for final assembly - something that usually happens after finishing.

A note about the tail boom that most folks seem to have missed. The tail boom can be removed (unhook the rudder cables and pull two bolts), which permits the gyro to be tileted back and rolled into a standard garage. The machine will tilt over backwards with the tail boom off due to the weight of the engine, so the boom has to be replaced to store the gyro in the garage, or you can make a short 2x2 stub to use in place of the boom. The use of a stub allows you to store the gyro in much less space.

Ralph

[Doug Riley]

Ralph, I put a sack o' cement on the 'Bee's seat for garage storage and for maneuvering in/out the door. (By the way, did you get the private message I sent you through this forum?)

KDOG, you mean my father? I didn't actually confess, I just left the thing put together and let him find it in our cellar shop. He wasn't amused! He was a Cub pilot and an aviation lover, mind you, but he thought gyros were widowmakers. (Heard that one before? It was truer then -- early 70's -- than now.) Sadly, he died a few months before I got that original Bensen gyroglider flying.

I like to think he would eventually have become a gyro convert. Wish I could give him a ride in the big Dominator tandem now...

[KDOG]

Just picked up a nice drill press and some bits... wicks just called me to verify my order. ITs really happening!!! Somebody pinch me!!!

[Brian Jackson]

I'm about 4 days behind you, Kevin! What kind/model drill press did you end up getting? Did you get a vice attachment for holding your material? Since we're starting our Bees about the same time, it'll be interesting comparing notes with you during our construction. It'd be great if we could do narrative pictorial documentations of our projects and web them. When did Wicks tell you to expect the arrival of your materials? And what lengths did you order the materials cut in for shipment?

Hey, I feel your excitement!

Brian Jackson

[KDOG]

Its a Delta 10" drill press with 2.5" of travel. They had a cheaper one there (Lowes) but it looked/felt a little TOO cheap and only had 2" of travel. I picked up some drill bits and a nice square-level that has the 1/32 markings. I am going to photo-document everystep of the process so I can share with everyone!!! Dang, having problem with pics....standby....Darnnit!!! How do ya upload pics?

Anyway, they haven't given me an ETA on my tubing but the are coming in the 6' for the tail boom and the 4' for the keel, I have the mast tube coming from StarBee since I can't find another supplier that sells the 2x2 in 3/16. I found a metal shop that deals in stainless steel sheet. I might take a ride up there and see what they got. Thats all I have now, until payday!

[Brian Jackson]

Groovy, Kevin. I've worked with a local laser cutting company in the past. I was thinking about using them again for cutting some of the plate parts like the shock plate, rotor cheek plates, etc.

[scottessex]

Get some center drills, they are bits that have a large shank and will not walk.
use it for drilling pilot holes before you step up to 1/4"etc.

LEAF also sells a drill jig for drilling tubing.

A good set of machinist squares come in handy also. Lots of sharpie markers layout fluid, and a spring loaded center punch.


I just bought a DELTA 16 inch drill press, my bench top one was worn out.

Let me know if you have any questions, I am rebuilding right now, But I make my living as an aircraft mechanic, so if you have any questions about specialized tools, let me know.

Keep us posted!

[Brian Jackson]

Hi Scott, and thank you for offering to answer some building questions. Actually I have a couple. I've never used layout fluid before, but I assume it's the blue dye for locating hole center crosshairs, etc? How exactly does that work? And what are all the sharpie markers for? I had also read that the aluminum should be drilled with Kerosene as a lubricant.

Lastly, when deburring the thru-holes, is it desirable to create a very tiny chamfer(+/- 0.01"), or leave the material square (no chamfer)? What is the accepted method and tools for deburring small holes?

I know these are probably idiot questions, but where aircraft are concerned I like to cover every detail, leaving nothing to chance or ignorance.

Thank you.

Brian Jackson

P.S., by the way, nifty homepage!