Construction
Ed’s design is 1/5 scale with a 112-inch wing. The plans are excellent-quality full-size CAD drawings. He has produced CAD drawings for Proctor kits for sometime.
Ed offers laser-cut ribs, formers, and plywood parts. A fully articulated main-landing-gear assembly is a must-have unless you have a machine shop. There is an excellent fiberglass cowl and helpful vacuum-formed ABS parts.
The key component that sets these plans apart from all others is the cockpit insert. This is jig-welded from aircraft-quality chrome-moly steel tubing. It duplicates the full-scale Storch’s tube frame within the cockpit area. It is fully structural and supports the wings, struts, and main landing gear.
(Click on pictures to
enlarge.)
Kit contents. Laser-cut plywood forms the
front and rear cockpit bulkheads and the cockpit floor. The insert frame is
threaded to bolt directly through laser-cut holes. Forward and aft of these
bulkheads the construction is of conventional wood methods.
The main landing-gear mounting points and wing-strut points are attached to the underside of the plywood floor. I added the rectangular hole in the floor to hide the receiver.
It’s starting to resemble an aircraft fuselage—or perhaps a lunar excursion module. The optional main-gear assembly has been installed. Landing loads are transmitted through the upper-gear strut to its attachment point, which is an integral part of the cabin insert assembly. The bottom end of the strut includes the axle housing, which is jig welded from machined aluminum parts. It also houses the springs which give the gear a 2-inch travel.
The wing-mount assemblies slide onto threaded rods of the insert and bolt permanently in place. The plywood blade will slide into a matching pocket in the wing assembly.
The cockpit side walls,
door, and window framing are taking shape. The manufactured insert replicates
the main structural framework of the aircraft, but not the sidewalls, door, or
window frames. At this point you can apply your own ingenuity and building
skills.
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