Hansa Brandenburg build log

Hansa Brandenburg *build log* [page 3]
	December 2007..... This will be the over-wing fuel tank.....roughed out from a piece of foam on my lathe and fiberglass covered. The drawings were researched and drawn by Luis Jove in Spain.....none of this kind of detail was shown on the plans. On the real aircraft this tank acted as a fuel gravity tank to the engine.....fuel was hand-pumped up to it from the main tank under the pilot's seat.		The tank has now been painted with Humbrol silver and finished with automotive clearcoat. It will mount on top of the wing. Note the glass tube running vertically at the rear of the tank, The pilot could see the level of fuel in this tube.
	January 2008..... The guy in the front seat needs one too, so I had to build another compass.....this one will attach to the outside of the front cockpit under the sheet alum. protecting cover. The Albatros logo is a waterslide decal made on my computer. The flying wires are silver painted fishing line with fine alum. tubing for fasteners. Tailfeathers are mostly completed.....I thought the tail surfaces were going to be too floppy but they have become very rigid with the bracing and wires. The pull-pull systems seem top be working fine. The fabric has been painted with one coat nitrate dope, two coats of color and a single coat of gloss clear. Wood surfaces are spar varnish
			Final painting of the iron crosses on the wings has been done. Base coat is nitrate dope followed by two coats of butyrate dope. The crosses are also dope. I used mylar low-tac paintmask and cut the crosses out by hand. The mylar peels easily and leaves a very sharp, crisp edge. A top coat of clear dope will finish the wings.
	Roll-out Day !! (February 2008) Twelve months and a little under 1000 hours and here's what I have to show for it. Generally I'm very happy with the results even though it has not flown yet. If I had to do it again there would certainly be some changes but it looks OK doesn't it !! First flight day....May 9, 2008 some grim faces here.....contemplating the task at hand...... Take-off roll Take-off and climb out was uneventful although I could already see it was going to be a bit of a slug. slow, sluggish and not too responsive. The real Hansa is reported to be that way too so I guess I should'nt complain. Two clicks of down trim was all that needed.....CG seems perfect and the power is adequate. There is a lot of drag here and I had too much rudder-aileron coupling.....the turns were not the best but easily correctable. The landing was a bit hard (the thing got too slow and just dropped). Two of the landing gear wires broke and a tire came off but no real damage. Next time it will be better.
		The Hansa was good enough to win the pilot's choice trophy at the 2008. Comox scale contest. This airplane is currently FOR SALE..... (see the for sale page)
	Comments on the Arizona Models Kit..... I was not able to recognize the shortfalls of this kit at the start but as the construction progressed I slowly discovered just how bad it was..... The so-called “documentation package” supplied with the kit is incorrect and not satisfactory for scale competition at any level. The plans are accurate, but little more than an outline. Believe it or not such important information as dihedral and c/g is not mentioned anywhere on the plans. No engine installation suggestions at all. Length of wheel struts and cabane struts are not mentioned and it must be calculated from the isometrics. No dimensions of materials are shown on the plans and the stock of wood supplied does not match the plan requirements.....I was short of wood in many cases and have huge bundles of other wood that will not be used. For example, there was six tail skids in the kit and four foot pedal assemblies. There was no bill of materials at all. Other stuff was missing altogether...... some of the instrument kits were duplicated in 1/3 scale and in 1/4 scale and materials to build them was incomplete at either scale.....most of the instruments were not for the Hansa. The pilot's seat supplied was for a Sopwith. Only four brass landing gear attachments were included, the plan calls for eight. The dummy engine, gun and instrument kits were very crude, to get them to look near like they should a LOT of work is required. They are nowhere near the quality and accuracy of the Williams kits. The kit is not at all what I expected for a $1500.00 kit. To make matters worse, Jamie at Arizona Models does not answer e-mail so don’t expect any customer support from them. Anyone contemplating the purchase of an Arizona kit should read this forum thread before they buy. http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/m_99734/mpage_1/key_/tm.htm home