Sikorsky S-92

Well a few of my friends and I were sitting around the fire on a Saturday night drinking some of "Tickles" famous sour mash when all of a sudden...

Oops, Wrong chapter.

Over the years I have taken on several Sikorsky model builds. A Len Mount RAH-66 Comanche, a Scale Jet S-76 and most recently a scratch built S-67 Blackhawk. It seamed fitting to choose another Sikorsky produce for my next project.

I am a member of the SIkorsky Historical Society, sooo "out of production" reference material is not difficult to obtain. I looked at several vintage aircraft to model and thought about the Sikorsky S-72 RSRA built for DARPA. A one of a kind
flying test bed with wings and thrust engines and just a cool machine. My 67 is also a "one off" aircraft so most are unaware it ever existed. What is it that no one has? How about an S-92.

Drawings were obtained for an undisclosed source and we were off to the races. Coach-E (Evan) was able to source CAD drawings of the S-92 and section it for 3D printing. There are 13 sections to create this buck. each section took roughly 45 hours to print. There is a 1% in-fill for strength and each section is joined with 3mm dowels for alignment. The fit to assemble the sections were perfect.

After gluing the sections together and a bit of sanding with some 80 grit the buck was ready for some High Build primer. I put on 3 good coats of the HB primer which filled the small fine lines from the printing process and gives a nice finish. I just did the bottom side yesterday and plan to get the the top hopefully today or over the weekend. It will need sanding and some filler here and there and a repeat on the primer to get a nice finish to work from.

This is going to be a fun project. The S-92 makes a presents in the air and on the ground.

PS:

Diner was amazing last night. Smash Burgers with Grilled onions and Shishito peppers on a toasted Dave's Killer Bun and a nice slaw.

UIH

Stay tuned,

B

This has been fun. After laying down a few nice coats of high build primer it was time to sand. The process here was to put the primer down heavy enough to fill the “valleys” from the printing process and to sand off the “peaks” to give a fairly smooth finish. Well it worker pretty darn well.

I used 100 grit for this process. That may be a bit heavy however a few more primer coats will be applied before final sanding. Overall it is working out great. Their are a couple spots that will require some filled where during the printing process it appears the print head zigged when it should have zagged.

Once the fill areas have been addressed another few coats of primer then sand again. Next sanding session will be with 320. When that sanding is complete and any minor issues are addressed then a nice thinner coat or two of primer and work towards final sanding with 600.

If i keep this up it wont be long before i can start thinking about mold baffle boards.

Stay tuned.

To answer a few questions.

Michael,

This is not the finished fuse but a “buck” or plug to make a mold from. I have attached pics of the process on my Sikorsky S-67 Blackhawk

The goal would would be to reproduce the fuse if needed. Off the top of my flat head I believe there will be roughly 30 mold sections to complete this fuse assembly.

I am not a fan of screws to attach cowlings. All cowlings on my S-67 are held in place with magnets. I plan to follow the same process with the S-92. It just makes thing so simple for access.

Uwe,

The material is PLA and roughly 1.2mm thick with. 1.5% polygon in fill for support. Each section has a solid sheet surface at one end to bond to for some additional strength. Its like bulk heads at each join section.

The alignment tubes that run the length of the fuse also add a ton of strength. This is the first time I have used this process and thus far it is working out great.

Attached are photos of my S-67 molding process.
I will follow the same process.

B.

And my Comanche is Bad Ass.

About time I got back to this thing. Now that the NATs and IRCHA are behind us …

ITS TIME TOOO GET READY TO RUMBBEEELLL!!!

Ha. Dat funny.

Anyway moving forward on the buck filling some minor alignment imperfection at the section joints working to get another few more coats of HB Body Pro P 307 4:1 HS primer sprayed down on this thing.
Can not say when it will be ready for priming but able to put a bunch of hours on it over the past couple days.

This is the dirty part. Add a little filler, sand, repeat repeat and repeat. I really should not complain as the printed fuse saved a ton of work cutting templates and sanding foam. I have been trying to come up with a “name” for the buck. In my professional career I have never referred to the heli I have worked on as “she” or “her”. Planes are girls, helis are Men and kick azz.

I will come up with something along the way but if you have a good idea for the “bucks” name lets here it. Dang. Maybe it name will be “Buck”.

Thanks for dropping in and having a look.

UIH

B

Threw in a couple pics of of 66 and 67. Great machines. 👍

Was doing some work at Kearny Heli Port and got a chance for some detail photos of an S-92. With 20 + years working R&D for SA, and another 20+ in the 76 corporate heli industry, I never had a chance to work on the 92 much less crawl around on one and give it a good look over. Maybe one day that will change. Not as big as stuff I have worked on in the past (53 series) but what a cool machine.

There will be a ton of detail work to complete on this thing. I do not plan to mold the rivets, but do hope to give “placement reference” to as much detail as possible. A few pics.

UIH,

Its been sometime since I have posted on this thread. The NAT's and IRCHA are behind us, life sometimes throws a slider or a breaking curve ball that must be addressed but we are still moving along.

After some deep thought, (and for those that know me, that is a monumental task) the buck needed some modifications to help simplify the molding process. First, the tail emergency float provisions were incorrect. The "Sea State 6" float provisions outboard of the main landing gear would be difficult to mold around. It would add a couple extra molds to the sponson areas on each side. It would be much easier to remove these features and mold these parts separately to be installed if desired on the fuse. It also helped to simplify the over mold making as well.

After cutting off the tail and SS-6 provisions, I covered the areas with small pre made sheets of 4oz glass. I made a bunch of these sheets sometime ago mainly to make access panels or external structural detail parts.

Here are a few pics of the modification plus a few pics during a maintenance flight around NYC.

UIH,

B

Not a ton of progress lately. I am lucky I have access to the full scale counterpart. I have snapped a ton of pics. Sometimes it takes a few days or even a week or so to take the time to review the photos.

Took some photos of the TGB area a bit ago and noticed this area needs some help. Rain, cold, windy, tomorrow so sounds like a good shop day. Here are a few pics of the TGB area that needs to reworked. Will post more pics of progress tomorrow.

B.

Hello folks. As usual been a while since posting. I find myself up to my, whatever which takes time away from important schnizzle. It is “all good” so not officially complaining but you get the drift.

While loading stuff to take to the NATs, I out the 92 into my van. It has a specific space as each heli and was in its space. During loading, the aft hatch was open along with the side doors so some air could move and for access. As the afternoon progressed, of course the sun moves which ultimately snuck its way by the aft hatch and onto the nose of my 92. We all know how PLA hold up to direct sunlight.

It was noticed once at the NATs. I worked to addressed it once home however was not happy with the results. I reached out to Coach E to have a new nose section re-printed and began the task of rhinoplasty on my 92.

It actually went very well and very easy. I marked the area just short of the seam and cut through the outer skin. Used a 12” fine hack saw blade to cut the internal structure and in less that 1/2 hour the schnozz was removed.

After removing the guide pins and installing new ones, the new nose section fit perfectly. It was bonded together and is ready for primer to move forward.

Replacement of the nose was far easier that trying to repair it. With less that a couple hours of work it is ready for primer.

A few pictures.

UIH,

B

PS. Dropped in a pic of an engine failure we had a few weeks ago. First stage stator on a 36B

Merry Christmas Folks.

Well it has been a bit since a progress update. The new nose section has a few coats of primer and looks great. Been sanding the buck and its looking real nice for the last finish coats of primer.

Looking over a full scale, the tail needed a little “detail” attention so doing a bit of “old school” mock to to add some details.

I wacked off the TGB fairing and shaped another. Still need some work but getting there. The TR side also needs some attention so working on that as well.

A few pictures.

Merry Christmas my friends.

B.

Twas a few days after Christmas and all through the shop, not a squirrel gathering in the yard as Lola watched by the door…

This is what happens when you watch glass dry. I have a sign ya know.

Anyway, I glassed up the tail rotor faring mod on the buck. Plan to do the TGB side today. During these time of “hurry up and wait” is when i do some of my best work or I like to think so. This afternoon was no different.

Many times during a build I just need to stand back and look at schit and think about things. How will I do this, how will I install that and we cant forget about the other thing. Today was no different.

Today I was contemplating just how I will section the buck with the parting boards once I start making the molds. This being a fairly complex buck this has to be right from the get go. Some molds will be pretty straight forward, the forward main rotor fairings, tail pylon, tail boom etc.

My S-67 being the basic shape of a fish was fairly easy. Two haves for the main fuse, two haves for the tail cone and pylon and the basic fuse was done.

My thought with the S-92 is a bit different for the main fuse section. From aft of the cockpit to just forward of the empennage to be molded in 3 sections. Basically from the fuel sponsons center water line down as one big section and the sides from the sponson center water line up to the upper cowlings on each side.

The cockpit section would be two haves as well as the tail section. All upper cowlings will be removable with the race-car being maybe two sections, right and left MGB fairings and the aft engine dog house all removable for access.

I will be back in the shop again today so will lay some lines down for what I am thinking.

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year folks,

B

Some pics of my thoughts on the mold lay out and some of the mechanics.

UIH,

Hope everyone's New Year is off to a good start. Its been cold up here in Zoo York. No dastardly snow yet which is a good thing.

Getting closer to get the final coats of primer on this thing. Still have some detail sanding to finish up but did get the TGB fairing adjustments finished up and all glassed.

My shop has no paint area so pretty much restricted to an impromptu paint booth I make with a 10x10 pop up and plastic drop cloth sides from HD. I can not heat the tent as there are not enough BTUs available to do so there fore we look to redneck or back yard engineering to get schit done. I do have access to a full size paint booth but save that “perk” for the finish paint jobs.

When i have to paint and it BA cold out, the evening before I will run the heat up to about 70° in my shop. This warms everything up to prep for paint. After the paint is mixed and everything is ready to spray, I carry the buck to a table set up outside and spray the desired section. Once done I pick it up and carry it back into the 70° shop to dry over night. A day or sow later or when ever I have the time, repeat finishing the remaining area. BAM!!

A bit crude but it does work in a pinch.

UIH,

A few pics.

It has been some time since an update. I really needed to get some more primer on the 92 plug where I did mods on the tail and put a new nose section on but work travel, weather too cold or wet, (thank god no friggen snow,) and just getting a reasonable weather weekend to address this task finally happened.

I warmed up my shop to 70° this morning. This warmed everything up, the plug, primer and all the other things to get this done. My plan was to set up a small table outside even though only about 50° today, but warm everything else up needed for this task. Once ready to spray the areas, I got everything ready, carried the plug to the small table put down a coat of primer then carried the plug back inside to the warm shop to wait about 20 minutes for the second and 3rd coat. Worked out pretty good.

Now that the modified areas have 3 coats of primer, I can sand the entire plug with 400 in prep for the final primer application and final sanding with 600 or 800. At that point I can “wax on” “wax off” get some baffle boards made and move towards the mold making process.

Here a few pics.

Thanks for dropping by

B.

I am tired of sanding. Good thing it is 99% done. Ready for final primer on the buck however, weather is not too good for painting sooooo…
… lets start making some mold templates for the baffle boards.

I start with heavy construction paper I get at Michaels in a pack of 10 or something like that. I cut a few sheets into 2” strips and cut and trim as required to get a nice fit around the buck. Once the construction template is fit, it will be used to transfer to the dry erase board to cut the baffle board to make the flanges of each mold.

A little out of step due to weather but making progress.

Some pics of the 92 and a couple of my 67 with the baffle boards.

Thanks for watching

UIH,

B

UIH,

Work has kept me away from significant progress on the 92. That changed a few weeks ago, not by choice however I will have a couple of months to work on the important stuff.

I finally got the last coats of primer on the buck. The detail sanding around the inlets has been done so now on to the overall fuse sanding. Once complete the waxing can begin and fitting parting boards to get this thing molded. I had hoped to be mush further along by this time in the build but schnitz happens. Maybe I can catch up over the next few months.

I know the pics look redundant but a few of it all primed up.

Thanks for dropping by,

UIH,

B

I finally made it to the buck waxing process. This hunk of plastic looks pretty good. I have the dry erase board to make the mold parting boards and will get Ro to help me run them through the table saw in the next day or so.

After waxing will start fitting and placing the boards and get some glass on this MoFo.

UIH,

B

I have reached the mold making step. I fitted parting boards to the first section to be molded. Originally my plan was to do the entire under mid section in one piece. It is 19” across from sponson to sponson. Splitting it for me make a more manageable section to do the lay up. Getting the first section laid up will give a great starting point for following mold sections.

I will fill the board gaps, get a few coats of wax on everything, and we can get this section laid up. The plan it to mold a section every few days but we will see.

There is a fuse in my future.

A few pics.

Uih,

B

After thinking on the mid section a bit more I asked Ro to sleep in the shop so I could put the 92 under my pillow. Once I regained consciousness and had the PB&J she left in a brown paper bag for me to eat when I woke, I decided to go back to the original idea of molding the mid section in one piece. This looks much much better. Less angles to work with and a more straight forward lay-up. Sometimes you just have to sit back and smell the coffee.

UIH,

B

UIH,

Its time to lay up the first mold section. Its been waxed and all seams have been filled with clay. I know, “old school”. Will begin with resin and add a bunch of carbon fiber powder to “paint” the section being molded. Next will mix up some more resin and add some high density filler to make a nice fillet around the sharp edges and corners. Will mix up some more resin wet the area and first cloth will be one layer of 2oz cloth. Next a layer of 4 oz cloth followed by 5 or 6 layers of 6 oz cloth.

All the cloth has been cut to size. Have a box of nitrile gloves, mixing cups, stir sticks, glass rollers, paper towels and all the other implements of destruction ready to go for tomorrow morning.

This may be the biggest single section of the mold. All other molds sections will build of this base.

Will post progress pics tomorrow.

UIH,

B

Yesterday was a pretty busy day laying up the center section on my 92. Went through a bunch of epoxy resin, mixing cups, 1 and 2 inch brushes, stir sticks and nitrile gloves. Very happy with the out come when I put it all to bed last night. I moved the assembly on the bench a bit and will need some help moving this thing around. Will make my way out this morning to check things out.

A few pics.

B

Another section of the mold laid up. Hope to lay up the ramp door area tomorrow. Not sure if i will continue down the tail or move forward to the nose section. I have yet to find a solution for the upper cowling mold sections. The plan is to have the entire upper cowls be removable for mechanic access in 4 sections. Race car or forward pylon section, engine inlets and covers, and aft dog house. I have yet to come up with a solution as to just how I am going to do this. I am sure it will come to me sometime soon.

UIH,

B

…Ping Pong.

Been a bit since I posted progress on my S-92. Have several sections of the mold finished. All is going pretty good. The goal is to have all the upper cowls to be removed very easily. I would like the cowls and fuse to have flanges and attach with pins and magnets opposed to a “shoe box” type flange with screws. Where the aft dog house meets the tail drive shaft fairing is the tough part. The natural seam line along the cowlings roll onto the top of the fuse. The idea would be to make it in the fewest amount of mold parts with the fuse flanges molded with the fuse side sections so when removed from the mold the flanges are done. There is a solution just have to find it. If you gents have any thoughts please share.

Its gaining weight every day with added sections. Its getting close to 80 lbs. i am guessing when all mold sections are done it will be in the 110-120 lb range.

A few progress pics,

Thank for stopping by,

B.

I removed all the tail section molds from the buck yesterday. Everything came out great. I was able to lay up the mold section for the LH engine cowl as well. There were concern about removing the mold due to the complex angles around the inlet and the small bumps where the hinges are located and the dip or causing a slight negative draft on top pf the cowls. This section came off fairly easy. I was able to lift the inboard side of the mold to clear the draft and they popped right off. That was a close one.

Next is what I feel is the most complex section, the aft dog house. I use the dry erase board as my “parting boards”. They work great for straight flanges. This area has some curves that need to be addresses when the molds are made. I ordered up some “chipboard” I saw being used on one of the car shows. I have some 3M PTFE teflon tape to cover the chipboard for making the curves in the next mold sections. Worth a shot anyway.

Here are some photos of the mold sections removed. Only a couple areas left on the buck to mold then I can begin to lay up the fuse sections.

UIH,

B

I saved the best for last. Well the most complex part shall we say. As mentioned i want all the upper cowls removable for access. I want them held on with magnets and pins. I want , I want… you get the point.

Until the other day I was unsure exactly how the aft dog house would be made for the final part to one piece. Positive drafts, negative drafts, sharp edges, “OH MY”

Looks like I have settled on 6 mold section to make the dog house. Most everything was done in two. Now all we have to do is hope it works.

The first sections that will be laid up is the upper section around the exhaust followed by the area just below. That will be 4 molds. Everything aft will be 2 haves. Joining the parts will be pretty simple to make a simple part when complete. I am sure there may have been another solution however with the sign I earned years ago this was it. Plus I listened to a lot of Incubus this week.

Some pics.

UIH,

B

We could use a nice cool day up here on Long Island zoo York. Good thing, tomorrow is supposed to cool down.

A quick video of my S-92 mold progress. I actually had to so some real work this week but getting back to it today.

Thanks for stopping by,

Uih,

B.

Well now. I have reached a milestone or was it a stone wall. Let me get back to on that one.

Over the past days I have finished up the upper cowl mold sections. These were pretty tough and took time to figure out. I wanted the cowls and fuse to have flanges to use magnets and pins to hold them in place opposed to a “shoe box” type cowlings. The upper cowls are 40” long. All these cowlings will be removable for access. There are 12 separate molds to make the upper cowls but all will come off for access in 4 pieces, race car, right and left engine cowls and the “whale tail” engine exhaust section.

The side fuse panels are the only remaining mold parts to lay up and the main fuse will be complete. Its taken about 3 gallons of epoxy resin and who knows how many yards of glass fabric ro get to this point. I am really looking forward to getting some fuses popped out.

Here are some pics over the past week or so as the mold sections were coming together.

As always thanks for dropping by,

UIH

Butch.

A quick update.

Reached a huge milestone. The mold sections for my S-92 and finished. 👍

UIH,

Video of molds and access plan.

B.

All the mold sections are complete. A total of 26 sections. I have not made the mold halves for the stabilizer yet and it will follow shortly. The 4-5 coats of wax on each section will be finished up today when it will be time to start making some parts.

There are about 11 or 12 sections that are good size. I am contemplating bagging the larger sections something i have never done but think this may be the time to give it a shot. I do have some of the required equipment. The remaining is in my cart I just need to push the button.

Here are a few photos of the mold sections. Maybe I can do a hand lay-up of some small parts very soon.

Thanks for dropping in.

Some pics. I dropped in a basic power train general arrangement.

B

…Well almost.

Over the past several days I have finished laying up all the main fuse sections, joined each section into sub assemblies and tomorrow is the day to join all sub assemblies to make the complete basic fuselage.

It has been a journey to get here. Had a bump or two along the way but we made it.

Attached are a few pics of what has happened over the past week or so.

The Reveal is just around the corner.

UIH,

B.

UIH,

My S-92 cam out of it shell today. Looks pretty good.

Some pics.

B.

The first production tail cone is complete. Taking a slightly different approach moving forward.

Have not posted in awhile so figured it was about time.

The past several weeks have been good. I took on the task of bagging all the fuse parts and after a slight learning curve, I am very happy with the results. I also addressed a couple other minor issues noted in the lay-up process to streamline the process. Some strategically placed placed .125 foam placed in the tail cone and pylon sections made a HUGE difference is rigidity in the tail section.

The vacuumed bagged parts are coming out great. The use of peel ply gives a great finish for future frame bonding and gives a very nice overall finish. Using the peel ply even when not bagged has worked out great as well.

Here are some photos

Thanks for dropping by.

B.

Here are a few photos

I had a visitor drop by the shop this past weekend. Good friend, fellow modeler, and collaborator on the S-92 project Sean Sheldon was in the area for business and had some time to get together. We got together around 11 Saturday morning and after some coffee we got to work.

Sean took on possibly the most complex fuse part to lay up. The area below the whale tail and behind the engine exhaust. Sean also joined the 3 main fuse sections to complete the basic fuse on S/N #2 while I did the lay up work on upper cowlings and fairings.

Sean also brought over some nice new parts for the powertrain.

Later that evening we got together with Rich Sands along with his better half, my better half Ro and of course Lola for a great diner and drink.

Here are a few pics.

Thanks for dropping by,

UIH

B

Happy Halloween folks,

Been busy with finishing up S/N 002. Very happy with how the parts came out. None of the parts have been cleaned up of any flashing and right out of the mold but all fit real nice to the main fuse. I had never done any vacuum bagging prior to this. I am very pleased with how each part comes out. I added some .125 structural foam in the tail boom and pylon that made a huge difference in rigidity. I have some new stuff called Lantor Soric from ACP composites I will give a try. It has the ability to form around curves which will be very interesting.

Here a few pics.

Thanks for dropping by.

UIH,

B

Good evening folks,

Haven posted in a bit. Nothing of real substance over the past weeks or so or just maybe some re-runs if you will. Began some lay up on SN #003 tail pylon using the Lantor Soric XF. This stuff is pretty cool. I used the 2 mm thickness on this fuse opposed to the foam core an am very happy with the results. The foam is ridged where the Soric will form around curves. The ramp and entry door will the Soric for strength. Thus far I used it in a flat area but plan to use it in curved areas of the fuse. I did cross a milestone. Have all the frames sized and cut to fit just waiting on a supply of 2mm birch ply to begin cutting. Going to put my Stepcraft to work. I did use it to draw al the ribs for sizing.

Did the lay up and bagging of the lower ramp section tonight. This vacuum bagging has been working out real nice. Part consistency is far better plus the internal finish is great with using the peel
Ply for bonding.

Here are some pics.

Thanks for dropping by,

UIH,

B

A nice Friday night in the RCHeliwerks shop. Working on the design and required structure for the ramp.

What have I gotten myself into?

UIH.

B.

Merry Christmas Gents,

Ok so where does this guy come up with chapter titles?

Anyway, been a busy weekend in the RCHeliwerks shop. Working fuse 003 which is coming along nicely.

As I have been moving forward the overall process has adjusted to fit the end results. Fuse 001 was a hand lay up. Overall good but no where near what I had hope for. That in turn moved me to vacuum bagging. Never been there so I do not have a “T” shirt. Keep in mind “yours truly” is may not be the sharpest tool in the shed and I have a sign to prove that , (see past post).

Anyway, through this learning process, I have found a process the works very well for what I am working to accomplish.

A few pics of the work over the past couple days.

Thanks for dropping in to see the madness.

Merry Christmas my friends.

B.

Happy New Year my friends.

Over the Christmas Holidays I was able to get a lot of work done cutting bulkheads and working to get the structural design finalized and to check the fit of each part of the puzzle. I think my SC had about 14+ hours of run time cutting structure for #002 & #003 plus parts for subs.

Everything came out very nice with one exception. The aft bulkhead for the MLG actuator mount rails was drawn incorrectly. Both sides are equally off .5”. Oops.!!! That may have been the night “Coopers Daughter” happened by.

Fortunately it was not a big issue to adjust and re route the bulkhead for the perfect fit.

Some time you never really know just how things fit together even after everything has been mocked-up and checked for fit. The mechanic mount rail sit very high in the structure. The swash sits above the upper cowlings. Placing the mechanics high in the fuse will keep the main shaft as short as possible and allow a a ton of space in the cabin section to transport what ever one wishes to transport.

Looks like another wet and cold weekend in the Zoo York so hope for many hours in the shop. The goal is to have the cabin structure all cut and fit together outside of the fuse.

We will see if that can be accomplished.

Happy New Year and Thanks for for dropping by,

UIH,

B.

Hope all are off to a good start to 2024. I for one am happy to send 2023 packing.

Been pressing on the past weeks. Got a lot done with finalizing fit of structure. Now I can load some lumber then the file push start and after about 5 hours I have the structure in my hands.

Everything fits together real nice into the fuse. With vacuum bagging each fuse is practically identical. There is a bit of a puzzle to get everything in the fuse and then standing all in their correct place.

I started fitting the tail drive log and very happy with how this is working out. The plan is to mount the TR servo just below the IGB but until the power train is 100% mocked up and everything in position one never knows just how stuff fit.

It has been fun thus far working on two birds side by side. The only down side, I am running out of room.

A few pics for my friends.

Thanks for dropping by.

UIH,

Butch.

Good morning folks,

I have been moving along on my S-92 project. The structure is roughly 95% complete and fits into the fuse very well. It’s nice having S/N 002 and 003 next to each other to verify structure fit between each fuse with little to no differences. The end user may have some minor sanding for proper fit of structure to fuse.

We have chosen JP Hobby retract assemblies, wheels, and possible brakes on the main outer wheels. It will use Horizon Hobby struts which will require modification in length for this install. The retract assemblies have been mounted to the mount rails with 6-32 inserts and hardware.

Next will be assembling the mechanics and mounting them to the mount rails. This will be used as a “fixture” to align everything so the tail drive can be mocked up and the fit checked. Once this is complete, I can move forward with getting things bonded together.

That will be a monumental achievement and a step closer to getting this thing in the air.

Attached are a few photos of the recent progress.

Thanks for dropping by.

UIH,

B

Hello my friends.

Has been some time since an update. Figured it was a good time since somewhat of a milestone has been reached. I finally got the power train all mocked up.

There were some changes along the way, an adjustment here, an adjustment there etc. S/N 002 “was” being built with the Vario 50° IGB. Also the TR control servo was to be installed below the IGB. Those two items did not work out as planned. The pylon on the 92 is greater than 50°. To get the TR in the correct position the IGB was too far forward in the tail boom.

There was not a lot of room under the IGB to mount the servo plus due to the size of the IGB, the servo would not fit under the IGB. It has been relocated just aft of the mechanics on the LH side. I will use an idler are on the IGB for tail control. I use a similar setup on my 67 and it has worked great.

The mechanics still need final assembly to get all gear mesh set and each shaft correctly positioned.

There are a couple other minor things that needed attention but it all came together over the past day or so. This brings the project closer to bonding the structure in place.

I will get a basic weight as it is configured now with fuse, (including cowlings) structure, and power train and keep tabs from here on.

Some pics for your viewing pleasure.

Thanks for dropping by,

UIH,

B

Good morning Gents,

I have not posted in sometime and figure its about time. Most of the work done over the past several weeks has been to get the retract system up and running.

The retract assemblies are from Turbines RC aka JP Hobby. The struts are from Horizon Hobby, an upgrade for one of the Big EDF F-4 Phantoms. The struts did require some mods to fit as needed. The main struts needed to be shortened and different springs installed. The nose strut required a bit more modification but pretty simple overall. Now that the gear is fitted, the retract mount rails and nose gear structure can all be bonded in place.

It took a bit to get the nose wheel steering correct. I have the over drive installed on the servo so when retracted the servo was not overdriven. but after thinking about it, I fly Jeti, and it has logic switching. I will just turn nose wheel steering off when retracted. DUH!!!

One step closer to getting the mechanic mount rails bonded in which will be the last major bonding process.

The mechanical and avionic installs will begin shortly after. Let’s hope things begin moving along at a better pace from there. My hope for the maiden at the latest down in Hindsville this September at the Southern Scale Challenge in September. We will see.

Thanks for dropping by,

“UIH”

Butch

UIH,

Today was a huge step forward. Building 2 test articles at the same time takes some minor planning. When bonding, having a plan is a pretty good idea.

Today 002 was ready for bonding the gear structure is and mechanic mount rails into place. 003 was ready to bond structure in after tacking in place.

I really like the aero-poxy. Personally I do not like using it over and over. The goal is to be able to use one cartridge for each bonding section. Well after many years of building I finally got it right. Ha.

This pretty much ends the structure assembly and I can move forward on the installation of the powertrain and move closer to flight.

We will give it a day or so for all to set up and move on from there.

Thanks as always for dropping buy,

B

UIH,

Time to post up some progress. I have reached a point where I can begin the final assembly for the powertrain in preparation for flight. First the motor shaft needs to be replaced with a modified shaft (actually a Mikado main rotor spindle) to install the Vario clutch assembly. This is pretty straight forward. As a side note, with the motor apart I did lube the bearings. Everything fit together real nice and the motor dropped right in.

I also mounted the MKS 575 low profile servos with a couple screws for the tome being as I am sure they will come out a time or two before final assembly.

I plan to assemble the swash stay this evening and start setting up servo to swash links and continue with the swash to pitch horn links. I will use turnbuckles on all these links as it just makes everything easier.

Another step closer to bench runs.

Thanks for dropping by,

Butch.

UIH,

It’s finally time to cut the hole for the swash and work towards fitting some cowlings among other things. I made a copy from the drawing to get the correct shape and size for the hole then got the wiz wheel out and started cutting. Came out nice.

I also did the final install of the motor and clutch assembly. The mechanic module is about complete less servo to swash links which should be here in a day or two. Once all this is complete I can start rigging the head. I added a shelf to support the ESC and will add another forward of the mechanics to hold the Central Box along with the brake and gear controller. The RX packs may also mount on this shelf but we will see how everything fits.
Main battery’s will stand vertical just behind the cockpit to keep weight as far forward as possible.

There are a few other little things that need addressed however the plan is to have the power train mechanical pretty much finished up by weeks end then move on to the electrical and wiring.

A side note,

I picked up some blade bags from TGM (Tyler Gray Models). I have 4 or 5 bags one for each model. If you guys are looking for blade bag, this is a great bag. Well constructed with a quilted lining for protection and handle for carrying. I threw in a few pics. Check them out.

Thanks for dropping by,

B.

Got off to a good start this morning. Was not the best flying day so took advantage for a shop day.

Work just about everything. Did some gear mods, installed the MDM servo to swash turnbuckle links, finished up a spacer for the swash stay, did a run out on tail drive shaft, installed 4 carrier bearings and assembled the shaft log, swapped TGB input claw couplings which required shortening of the IGB to TGB shaft, installed all shaft end plugs, loctite all set screws just need slippage marks added.

Anyway took a bunch of pics.

Thanks for dropping by,

UIH,

B

Got the first spool up on my S-92 this weekend. Everything went about as smooth as it could possibly go. I am working towards a maiden in the next few weeks. There is still a long way to go but getting there slow but sure.

A quick video and some recent pics.

I have a feeling at 50 pages i will max out the story. If that is the case, I will begin a "flight envelope expansion" thread of the progress.

Thank for dropping by,

Butch.

Well well well,

After a couple years of working on these things, we can see the maiden flight just around the corner. Both aircraft will be at the Southern Scale Challenge in Hindsville next week for the event. Aircraft 002 just needs the finishing touches and it will be ready. Aircraft 003 will have the mechanics installed at SSC and finish up some wiring and will also be ready for its maiden. If all goes as planned it will be great to collect photos or videos of both in the air together. The maidens will mainly focus on getting off the ground and into a hover. If this goes as planned, will see how they respond to control inputs then adjust as accordingly.

It would be nice to get into forward flight and complete a few patterns but we will have to see how things progress.

The electrical is not the finished produce and installed for the maidens. After the event I will take the time for clean the install up and make it look pretty.

Here are a few pics.

Thanks for dropping by,

B.

It has come to the point where the build phase of these two machines is mostly complete. Yes there are odds and ends that still need to de addressed but we are ready for maidens on both machines at Hindsville this week.

This will be the last post for this build thread. I will begin a Flight Envelop Expansion thread to log the future progress covering test flights and getting subsystems up and operational.

Here are a few photos of S/N 002 and 003 ready for the trip to Savana for maidens.

As always thanks for dropping bt and I look forward to posting flight test progress.

Butch.