Build Log Medicine Man - English
Build Log Medicine Man - English
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The summer before ninth grade, in 1985, I was stuck at home while my usual friends were away. I started talking with Eddie, the World War II vet who lived across the street, and during those 3 months he taught me the fundamentals of model airplane building. His lifelong hobby, which he had learned during the Great Depression, became my own, and it inspired my career as a flight instructor and developer of UAVs for the U.S. Air Force. I designed the Medicine Man to reintroduce this largely lost art, drawing on my own experience and discussions with fellow modelers. I made it a glider because gliders are the purest form of flying machine, theyre cheaper to build, and they develop piloting skills without the distraction of engine management. Its R/C compatible so you can fly it in city and suburban parks, or you can make a free-flight version for larger expanses. Its 5-foot wingspan makes it stable enough for beginners (larger planes are more stable), yet with the wings dismounted it will fit in a small car. I hope you enjoy it!
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Step 4 Cut the tails curved tips and hinge slots for the rudder and elevator
To cut the tails curved tips, hold the plan up to a light and pin it aligned over the assembly. Lay them down, plan on top, and punch through the paper with a pen at about 1/8" intervals, following the curve to make a dotted line. Remove the plan and make a connect-the-dots cut, following the line. Finish by holding the elevator piece (H-1) against the fin and blending their combined outline into a smooth curve. Draw and cut hinge slots for the rudder and elevator, centered as shown on the plan. Use sandpaper to bevel the leading edges of the rudder and elevator along their hinge lines, so theyll rotate freely. Sand all surfaces to the rounded cross-section shown on the plan.
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Step 6 Pin the 2 sides together and sand their perimeters down so they match.
Drill two 3/16" holes in each fuselage side as shown on the plan for the wing mount pegs. You can twist the drill bit through the balsa with your fingers. Separate the sides and sand the bevel shown in the fuselage top view into the tail. This makes the 2 sides handed, mirror-images rather than identical.
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Step 9 Readjust
Readjust for trueness along both sides. Pinch, glue, and pin the cross-members at the front (station 1). Check that the nose is square, and if it isnt, persuade it into position with a heavy, upright object such as a brick or a full bottle. Daub a second coat of glue onto these front cross-members (theyre under quite a bit of stress), and allow to dry 1 hour. Spray down the entire fuselage and let it dry overnight, to further safeguard against the dreaded banana fuselage.
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Step 20 Cover it
Follow the instructions that come with your covering material. A single 72" roll will cover the entire model if you plan ahead. Heres the usual procedure for iron-on plastic. Cut out and lay a piece of covering over a section of the airframe. Smooth out the covering. Use a 350F iron to first tack down the corners, then seal down the perimeter. Shrink and smooth the entire section by working the iron gently over the surface. Repeat for all model surfaces. Cut a fringe into any curved edges to seal them down without wrinkles.
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Related Make: Online posts: Using Paper Airplanes to Learn About Flight: http://blog.makezine.com/archive/2010/01... $2000 Homemade Airplane: http://blog.makezine.com/archive/2010/01... Medicine Man Glider in MAKE, volume 17: http://makezine.com/17/ Make: Projects Roundup http://blog.makezine.com/archive/2010/07...
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