Bug HLG

Thank you Paul for your useful advices Yes I have ordered the plan but it is probably going to take weeks to come, since I live in New Zealand, which is so remote and most people would think is part of Australia. I do have on hand a copy of the magazine from the library, and from what you suggest I'd better photocopy / scan the pictures rather than relying on the one with the plan. The only thing I worried about with balsa is cutting the parts to right size and shape. Am I right in saying that for such a small plane that is not much room for error? With foamie it does not really matter if things are bit off, coz they will fly regardless. I guess I will buy myself an x-acto knife, since this is what most people use. Some web sites speak of scrow saw and disc sander although I honestly don't want to shell out that much money right now. I will however look at pawn shops and second hand market and see if I can pick up some used ones... Thanks again Paul Henry --- In BugHLG@yahoogroups.com, paul@b... wrote: > I assume you purchased the plans, and are going to > scratch-build one. > Your goal with the bug is to keep it light. I use a gws > single-conversion receiver that weighs about 5 grams. > The original design calls for a 555 receiver, but I > wouldn't use anything larger. > > Balsa skills: > The original article in the june 2001 RCM issue has > great pictures which the photocopied article you get > with your plans is lacking. I've scanned that article. > If you have a fast connection, I would be happy to > email you the pictures with captions. > > There are no great skills required other than to build > light. You could download several manuals from Great > Planes kits, such as the Fundango. Their instructions > are almost like textbooks in the way they present > construction techniques. The pictures area in this > group is also a great resource. > > You might as well put a cruciform tail on, as well as a > peg in the wing. It launches straight with the > cruciform. > > I think the bug would be a decent HLG for a > first-timer. Don't hesitate sending it off the edge for > some light-air sloping. > > By keeping it light, you'll keep it durable. So, other > than applying some CA to the wingtips and tailfeather > LE's any other weight will be a detriment. "The heavier > they are, the harder they fall." > > You'll need a small sanding block, a square, small > drill or pin-vise, 2-56 tap, medium CA and some > 5-minute epoxy. The only power tool that's required is > a dremel (or similar) with a cut-off wheel for trimming > the carbon tubes. Use an exacto to cut your ribs. I > prefer photocopying the ribs, and use some 3m77 to > tack the photocopy to the balsa sheet and carefully > cutting on the outlines. It's very accurate, and you'll > cut all your ribs out in less than an hour. Of course, > you'll also need an iron and heat gun. > > When flying, a bottle of CA in your pocket will > probably be all that is ever needed for expedient > repairs.