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Date: Mon, 06 Oct 2008 08:53:18 -0400
From: Ernest Christley <echristley@nc.rr.com>
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To: Rotary motors in aircraft <flyrotary@lancaironline.net>
Subject: Re: [FlyRotary] Dyke Delta flying.
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Lynn Hanover wrote:
> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5-qSl0yQ4pY
>
> Here is a film of a Dyke flying, if you have never seen one. I have the
> plans and have welded a bit on one but never had the nerve to start to
> build. I have a BD-4 kit.
>
> Did you make a set of molds for your cowl. Or is the buck the cowl?
>
> Lynn E. Hanover
>
>   
The buck is it.  In the top pictures, I have the top and nosebowl done.  
Yesterday, I got it propped up on one side to do the bottom half.  The 
buck is blue, because tape, which I'm using as a mold release, would not 
stick to the lightweight spackling that I used to shape the mold.  The 
blue was the ugliest re-decorating leftover that was in the basement.

So far, this is probably the best composite work I've done.  I got 
rip-stop nylon from Wal-Mart.  They had 60" wide for $1/yd.  After three 
layers of 8oz glass and then the peel ply, I laid on an old sleeping 
bag.  Having older kids does have its benefits.  This bag had a Batman 
motif.  That could have possibly been a benefit.  Not sure. 

I stuck the end of my shop-vac on it, the tip covered with a piece of 
corrugated cardboard.  The vac will suck the thin plastic in if you 
don't do that, but it will suck plenty of air through the cardboard.  
Covered it all with 2mil plastic. Taped the edges down with packing tape. 

You need to use a wet-dry vac for this.   Many vacs use the sucked air 
for cooling.  My wet-dry shop vac has separate vents for this.  I 
switched the vac on and let it sit for about 1.5 hours.  I'm using MGS 
epoxy with the fast hardener (the slow hardener cost to much to ship for 
the small jobs I have left), so 1.5 hour is enough to get a set 
analogous to hard taffy.  Went and watched the Iron Man movie.   
Question.  Would one need a multi-engine rating to fly with hand 
thrusters?  Hmm?  Inquiring minds want to know.  Came back, turned the 
vacuum off and went to bed.

Pulled everything off the next morning.  The sleeping bag is usable 
again.  The rip-stop peel-ply came up easier than anything I've ever 
used.  It was just as hard to pull off, but it didn't come apart as I 
was pulling it.  Once it was all exposed, I was VERY happy with the results.

OK.  I'll stop rambling now.