Ken Binks' Adagio

The Adagio was a classic during the very early turnaround period. Still using 60 size engines, in Ken's own words, 'it was the most purest aircraft I have ever designed'.

Following on from the Pacemaker, I have been working on the manufacture of an Adagio. As you can imagine, the time to produce plans and machining files is in the order of many hours but the results are satisfying. What I aim aim to produce here is a build thread of the second kit prototype. Not that there was anything wrong with the first, just didn't take any photo's!

Fuselage sides with doublers attached. Gone are the days of using contact adhesive to afix these. The lightning holes provide excellent access for using thin cyano to wick underneath.

Stringers around the edge of the fuselage sides (5mm x 12mm balsa).

Using the radio tray as well as the central formers to ensure the correct angle for the formers. Gurantees the centre is square by locking together.

A rear crutch ensures that the fuselage is perfectly straight as it is aligned with F3. Note slots for rear upper fuselage supports.

Rear upper sides and 12mm top sheeting applied. Top glued with aliphatic resin, rest uses a combination of thin and medium cyano.

Front fuselage pulled together with F1 and the nosering.

Top front 12mm sheeting applied. Saw cuts in engine bay section of sheet allows it to bend round the slight curvature the top of the fuselage has at the front. After carving and sanding these visible slots will be filled with lightweight filler and sanded.

I like the crutch Steve, though I bet I could still build a banana even using that. The GP Skybolt I built last year recommended wicking cyno under the doublers but I couldn't bring myself to trust it so used Dunlop Thixofix as I always do.

Foam or rib wing?

Foam wing and tail Bob. Balsa sheeted applied in a vacuum veneering table for good adhesion. Wings already cut and sheeted.

Steve

Looks super, 10-15% smaller would make a terric electric powered aerobat.

(to keep it in the 2300-3500 3S LiPo league)

wash your mouth out Gurth!

The very thought .Yuk !

20 minutes carving and sanding lead to the fuselage approaching it's final shape.

Back to the wings now. Edging and servo box glued with aliphatic and U/C blocks with epoxy.

All edging planed and sanded down apart from final curvature to L/E.

Servo boxes are some I CNC cut from lite ply and which interlock together.

The wingtips are angled at 45 degrees which affects the dihedral angle. When used with fixed U/C, (as in this case) the top of the wing is flat. When used with retracts, the centreline of the wing (when viewed from the front) is flat.

Wing panels around 10 to 11oz each at this stage.

Great work Steve, almost makes me want to build another!

Come on Dave, whats stopping you!!! It's a while since I did those last Adagio wings for you.

Ends of aileron cut out with a bandsaw.

A scalpel is used at anangle towards the aileron centre to cut the aileron and waste area out. This leaves a small triangle of foam to be sanded off.

Aileron now cut out. Excess foam to be sanded off can be seen.

To reinforce wing at inside end of the aileron the facing 6mm sheet extends 50mm in towards the root.

Facing balsa now in place.

Moving on to the engine bay, the front lower fuselage with sheeting and 1/64th ply pipe tunnel.

That's Very nice.

Are the plans available anywhere?

Martyn

Ditto, I would like a set of plans... I think a set of retracts would look good in the plane.

Scott

On to the tailplane. First picture shows facings out of 6mm and L/E of 10mm balsa. Note inner end of elevator is faced with 2mm lite ply to help prevent knocks and dents.

Complete tailplane after sanding, ready for joining.

First look at model with wing bolted on. Model weighs 3lb at this stage.

Rear fus block roughly shaped and ready to accept the fin and tailplane.

Trial fit of fin into locating slot. Fin is 3mm outer sheeting on a 6mm frame.

Tailplane and fin in position and trued up with fuselage and wing. Initially glued in place with a combination of thin and medium cyano. Course mix of finishing resin and micro balloons gives a secure fixing before a final filleting witha smoother mix.

Deffinately looking like a proper model now.

Cuts in fus front to enable bending of triangular section and 1/2" sheet filled, ready for sanding.

Tail area filled to ensure smooth transition between surfaces. Epoxy and micro-balloons first then smooth lightweight filler to finish.

Open area between side blocks under wing for the tuned pipe.

Hard points for elevator let into elevator surface for a flush finish.

As above for aileron.

Fuselage has been sealed now prior to glass cloth finish.

Twelve days since my last posting and the work is done. Eddy and his wife are staying this week (who the model is for) and he never expected it to be as far on as this. Ready for installation, weight is just 4lbs!

Proud owner on the right.

lucky Eddy! That's looking very nice Steve