Stearman build

wing No 4 nearing completion. I had to rework the upper wings to introduce ailerons riblets while retaining the wing shape then cut out the skeleton structure.

I glued the aileron L/E ply wrap to a sub spar - then steamed these to preform it. Masking tape used to hold the ply around the front then clamped to ensure a good bond to the upper sub spar.

Its build time again and phase 3 of my Stearman build. With all the major components completed by last April its time to blend the joins and rig the parts .

The winter storms finished off my 10yrs old patio umbrella but i saved the alloy ribs which have come in useful to make setting bars to rig the wings in conjunction with a string line to align the wing spars.

The plans just call for bonding these wing root tie bars to the first ribs but ive fitted some light ply plates to increase the bonding area and used small screws to set the wings fore / aft angle

Many of you know about my love hate relationship with Saito gas engines so in the end I divorced the FG60-3 and sourced a new partner.

This is a Valach 70cc and reputed to be one of finest R/C motors and produced in Czech which i'm currently shoehorning into the Stearman.
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Does the exhaust fit inside the cowl?

No the exhaust fits in the Fuselage - obviously i'll need to box it in and protect file tank and servos. see this example from Toni Clarke models. In this installation you can see the exposed fuel tank above the exhaust. Like my model. the cockpits are open so there is plenty of air flow. The beauty of this exhaust system is it has no baffles so can be installed either way