The lower wing main panels have been assembled to the center section, the 1/16″ balsa sheet skin has been added, and the ailerons have been built in place. Now it’s time to do all the final shaping and sanding. I have finished sanding the upper wing surface to shape and fine sanded it to the […]
As I got close to finishing the lower wing it became obvious that an important detail of kit engineering had been overlooked. The plans indicate that the entire lower wing center section as well as the innermost rib bay of each lower wing outer panel are to be sheeted with 1/16″ balsa. The usual method […]
The outboard (main) panels of the lower wing are built the same way as the upper wing, with two changes. The upper panels are swept back and have no ailerons, while the lower panels are straight with ailerons cut in. Just as with the upper wing, I spaced the front and rear spars off the […]
Let’s get started on the lower wing. Unlike the upper wing, which consists of two outboard panels which are each swept back in relation to a center section, the lower wing is straight (unswept) , but the outer panels still attach to a center section which is built separately. With the upper wing I had […]
The next step in building the upper wing is the shaping and sanding. I have heard guys who want to be model builders complaining that they “don’t like sanding”. I don’t get it…while putting all the pieces together in the right relationship is great, I especially enjoy the process of trimming and carving and sanding […]
The next step is the assembly of the outer panels to the center section and the addition of some braces and gussets prior to final sanding. I started the assembly by lining up both outer panels in exact alignment with the center section, in position over the plan, with the center section spaced up off […]
We’ll start building the outer wing panels with the top left and right…they are a bit less complex because there are ailerons only on the bottom wing. As with the center section, I am using a magnetic building board system. I have placed spacers between both the front and rear spars and the building […]
The Great Lakes 2T-1A trainer is a biplane. The lower wing includes ailerons, some dihedral, and no sweepback.the upper wing has no ailerons, more dihedral, and pronounced sweep with a straight center section. The plan presents one drawn superimposed over the other, so that you must pay attention to exactly what you are working with. […]
I love old balsa wood scale model airplane kits, especially the ones featuring printwood, where you cut out the parts yourself. Most of those I come across are for free flight rubber powered models from the 1950’s and earlier. Some of those are big enough for practical conversion to electric power and radio control. There […]