New Builder

[markcr]

Hi All. I just ordered my LSA plans (hope to get them soon) and intend to mostly scratch build. I was wondering if anyone has any initial thoughts on reading the plans for the first time, any specific issues to be aware of (plans related) or any other bits of advice based on your experience with building the LSA. Thanks in advance!

[sbmurphey]

Welcome Mark! My first purchase after the plans was an ltoya art portfolio based on a tip from AKBearhawk. It was one of the best tips I had during the getting started phase. It helped me organize the plans and made it easy to flip pages as I created the mental image of the project.

Eric's manuals are also a great resource if you haven't picked up a set yet. While it is not LSA specific, many of the techniques are similar and I have found it to be a great resource.

Best of luck on your project,

[hausburn]

Itoya portfolio? Great idea!

Sent from my PC36100 using Tapatalk 2

[sbmurphey]

Correct!! Here is a link to the one I have. I ordered mine from amazon.

http://www.artprofolio.com/Art_profolio.htm

[markcr]

Thanks for the tip on the art portfolio. My plans arrived today! I've been looking through them and the first think that strikes me is that there are very few dimensions listed. That sure makes things a lot more difficult. I assume you are supposed to use the full scale Mylar rib template. Is that the template for the full size outside "end" ribs? If so, how are you supposed to measure and build the rib forming templates for the "inside" ribs? Should I use the center lines marked on the Mylar template and subtract the width of the main and rear spar? Maybe this will be covered in Eric's builder manuals. There is very little info in the builder manual that came with the plans. Thanks!

[dedgemon]

Get an engineering scale, use it to pull dimensions off the plans where they're not called out.

[Bcone1381]

When you asked about the size of the ribs, my initial reaction was "all the ribs are identical and are made off the Mylar template". Then I realized I think you mean the differing rib lengths due to the way we build the spars with various 1/8" spar caps strips.

I found this old thread that has a couple different methods and viewpoints dealing with the topic. I hope it answers your questions.

http://bearhawkforums.com/forum/bearhawk-patrol-plans-build/2969-rib-lengths

[markcr]

Yeah, I was referring to the various rib lengths. However, after studying the plans for several hours this morning, it's all looking good and making sense. My previous post was with only a cursory glance at the plans. I'm finding that all the info is there, you just need to dig for it a bit. Thanks for the link to the rib length thread.