build it


and its mount until all of the other components are in place. Covering and final assembly include /16


gluing the 3 -inch gussets to the top of


the horizontal stabilizer. This will allow the vertical stabilizer to be glued in place after covering. The landing gear, made from 1


/8 -inch


steel rod, needs to be bent and attached. It can be bent with a hammer and a vise, but a more precise method is to use a press brake. I don’t own one, so I took the steel rod to a local machine shop, and the proprietor bent it for me. When the


landing gear is attached to the fuselage with nylon ties, the front oak pieces will need to be grooved with a Dremel tool, to stabilize the formed landing gear. Also glue in a 1 41


/8 /2 /4 x 1 /4


top of the landing gear and attach it to the 1


Attach the wheels, and retain them with the 1


/8 -inch plywood piece on -inch dowel. -inch


wheel collars. Using nylon screws, mount the wing to the fuselage by drilling and tapping the oak wing mounts of the fuselage to #10-32 thread. The 3


/16 -inch wood


dowel struts should be built at this point. Place a 1


/16 /8 -inch


drill bit so it is coming out of the drill no more than 3


to prevent it from wobbling. Drill the dowels to a full 3


/8 /8 inch -inch depth.


Now the #2-56 threaded rods (cut to 7


/2 inch out of the dowel. -inch length) can be inserted into the


dowel struts, and epoxied. They should stick a 1


After all of the outside edges have


been sanded smooth, the structure is ready to be covered. Cover the wings first. Only the upper surfaces are to be covered. This creates a lot of drag, but it also makes the airplane slower and easier to fly. Make sure you wrap the


12 PARK PILOT [Winter 2016]


partway through the balsa and through the nylon hinge, and filled the holes with epoxy so that no epoxy jams up the hinge operation. Solder the connectors to the ESC


wires and battery. Attach the servos with the extender wires. The ESC and receiver can be held in place by wrapping electrical tape around the fuselage stick. Use the gauge supplied with the plans to achieve the correct amount of elevator and rudder travel.


MonoKote at least three quarters around the LE dowel and the TE dowel so it will stay on during flight. When the wing is covered, the dowels


will bend upward slightly. Try to have the same amount of bend on both sides. The nylon hinges, which attach the control surfaces, should be epoxied in place. I drilled 1


/8 -inch diameter holes Photos by Clark Salisbury


The struts are attached to the strut mounts using the adjustable ball joints. Make sure that the TE is higher than the LE at the outer part of both wings. This provides some washout and will make the airplane easier to fly. Try to make the amount of washout equal on both sides. When the model is completely assembled, hold the battery and its mount with elastic bands and check the CG. When the correct position of the battery is determined, glue the mount in place.


x


Probably the best thing about SkyEye is its flying qualities. The aircraft will take off from nearly any grassy or hard surface. I prefer to take off from grass because the tail skid drags. This helps keep the airplane straight without having to use a lot of rudder. If you take off from a hard surface, you will need to use more rudder correction. Flying is simply


Only one battery mount is required. The battery is used as a jig to support the side pieces as they dry. A 1-inch piece of 1/4-inch dowel was glued into the front hole.


The front of the fuselage has the battery mount and ESC secured with a nylon tie. The landing gear, made from 1/8-inch diameter steel rod, has been bent and put in place.


fun and relaxing. The SkyEye Mini will do loops from level flight. If you do fly to take video, I found that the best video comes when the airplane is flying straight and level.


Be careful not to fly it too far away when shooting video, and make sure to get


permission to fly


over certain areas. Golf courses (after or before hours) are perfect for this. I always fly where there won’t be people, and I think this is common sense. When landing, cut the throttle and the airplane will quickly drop. As you get close to the ground, feathering up with elevator will probably not be enough for a smooth landing. You will need to add a touch of throttle to grease the landing. I promise you will have fun!


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