I was approached by a Chester-based friend last (2014) autumn and asked whether I’d be interested in building him a full-size V1 for his Re-enactment Group activities.
Not one to turn down a challenge I accepted and soon got to thinking about how to do it. The dimensions caught me out: around 27ft long and 16ft wing span, it is quite a big machine. A visit to Cosford last year allowed me to take copious measurements and photographs. Also, a 1/18-scale model was purchased via the Internet and this helped prove some of the dimensions and layout.
I thought that others on this Forum may like to see how I did it. Whilst having an idea of the basic concept for forming a circular-section fuselage, it was still new territory for me and ideas and schemes that were, at that point, unproven and more to do with boat building than aeroplanes.
As usual, optimism got the better of me and it turned out to be a much bigger job than I expected. It was also delivered late, as the funds available only just covered the materials cost so I had to break away on a frequent basis to earn a crust.
I’ll go through the various stages and the techniques used post by post so it may run into a few pages overall. However, if you have as much satisfaction reading it as I have had building it, then it will be worthwhile.
I will write it in much the same order that I built it. Whilst this may not provide continuity as regards each assembly’s construction it will be easier for me and will add to the suspense. As of this moment the main fuselage and flying surfaces have been finished in primer and delivered. I am just completing the final stages of the motor section with only the forward support fin to do so it is as good as done – bar the shouting!
Due to the way it was built and the space and time constraints, I have not (yet) seen the device as a complete assembly – this will have to wait until it has been painted and attends its first show at Hooton Park for the Northern Forties event on the weekend of 22/23 August. Of course, each part fits the next, it’s just that I haven’t managed to put it all together in one place therefore, like me, you will have to wait until then for a picture of it in one piece.
Please feel free to ask questions as I go along. I’ll try and make the posts weekly, or as the fancy takes me. I haven’t decided yet.
Order of construction:
1. Front fuselage section
2. Main wings
3. Centre fuselage section
4. Tail fuselage section
5. Tail feathers
6. Motor section
Front Fuselage Section
A full-size plan was drawn on a piece of 8ft x 4ft plywood of the outline required and, from that, the diameters and positions of the formers was plotted. A planked construction was the logical method to make the fuselage sections and the optimum number of planks for the diameter was decided at 24. This meant that each former would have to be 24-sided and each side or facet would have to be angled along the fore-aft axis as well to seat the planks at the correct angle.
Also, a central core or axis would have to be employed which was sufficiently rigid and strong to support the whole thing when complete. It was decided that, just as a boat would be built, that the formers would be removable afterwards leaving a monocoque shell. This would then be reinforced at the various attachment points and have front and rear bulkheads fitted.
A “Master” plank was carefully measured, marked and cut as a pattern as all the planks would be the same.
1. Plotted formers
2. forming angled facets on sander
3. Planking the section
4. The planked nose section ready for shaping (it’s come out as a large pic in my preview function).
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Next time: How to make a giant wood lathe.
Till then, Anon.
By: Flanker_man - 28th August 2015 at 19:33
Why don’t you team up with Sally B?………………..
en
By: Arabella-Cox - 28th August 2015 at 18:48
A 100ft portable ramp – now that would be a challenge!
Anon.
By: stuart gowans - 28th August 2015 at 18:31
You made a nice job of that Mike, have you started on the launch ramp yet?
By: adrian_gray - 28th August 2015 at 09:28
Very, very impressive. Well done, Anon!
Adrian
By: Trolly Aux - 28th August 2015 at 08:24
Brilliant work well done.
For the the smoke system you could use a film smoke generator and a fan inside the tube, will pump out more than enough but you would need a small generator tucked away for power.
By: me109g4 - 28th August 2015 at 00:00
Awesome,, and nicely done .Many thanks for the thread.
By: Arabella-Cox - 27th August 2015 at 23:00
The Debut!
Finally, the bit we (well, me anyway) have all been waiting for – the unveiling.
Owner applied some surface detail and the paint scheme. I’d like to have been able to do the final painting so that it could have been spot on. However, time precluded this and also, the owner had expressed a desire to have some input into it having had his specially mixed Hellblau and Dunkelgrun sat in tins in the garage for the occasion.
I am pleased with the V1 but thought the final result belied the tremendous effort and time put into it. Main thing was the owner was very happy and gave a good demonstration of “defusing” the device to the assembled visitors on the day.
The CO2 “jet” worked well though emerged from the tail pipe as a wisp, not a jet, due to the large diameter and minimal discharge. It really needs a large gas source to do it justice. Plans are afoot to enable an industrial-sized high pressure CO2 cylinder to be rigged up for next year. What was surprisingly good was the noise; It didn’t sound anything like a pulse jet but was of sufficient volume to turn heads, and added another dimension to the whole escapade.
Now I can get back to finishing Aggie Paggie over the autumn and winter. There’s still a lot to do and the stand needs modifying too ready for her final roll-out next season, then she’ll be off to a museum somewhere to while away her days.
1. DANGER UXB
2. “Firing”
3. Which wire to cut, the red or the blue?!
4. Defusing demo
5. Genuine 1940’s stethoscope too
6. Rear view
7. It had to be done – Yours truly with “The Bomb”
8. Home time, after a successful first event
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That’s It Folks.
Anon.
By: Arabella-Cox - 27th August 2015 at 22:24
Finishing and painting
The centre section was covered in fibreglass-filled paste for strength and sanded smooth. Funds and time did not permit the whole thing to be finished in this way but the strength would be needed in the middle section. The moment of truth – would it all line up and look right? All three fuselage sections were assembled and some last-minute filling and blending done to give a smooth contour overall (most important).
Painting (by myself) was confined to grey primer/filler, final detailing and camouflage scheme being done by the owner. Wings and centre section were painted then rigged to allow the rear spar connection holes to be marked on the centre section and drilled as well as the main tubular spar bolt holes. Nice to see large assemblies coming together at last.
Owner picked up the V1 and transported it home to do final finishing. Photos show fitting of motor section and test “firing” of CO2 motor (again!). In my absence, the owner finally got round to doing a full assembly mounted on his trailer. This was the first view I had had of it assembled in its entirety albeit not in the flesh – this would have to wait for the Northern Forties event.
1. First main assembly for final blending of sections
2. Spraying the filler/primer
3. Painted sections
4. Wing and centre section rigging
5. Finished motor section
6. Preparing to “fire”
7. The CO2 “jet engine”
8. First complete assembly (by owner) – It’s BIG!
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Final instalment later.
Anon.
By: Ossington - 27th August 2015 at 08:55
Well done guys, lookin’ good.
By: me109g4 - 27th August 2015 at 02:15
Some pics of the completed V1 please?
By: Arabella-Cox - 26th August 2015 at 22:32
Rudder, elevators and windmill
Rudder and elevators made from 18mm plywood. LE rounded, TE tapered to symmetrical section. Carry-through tube of 10mm steel through fuselage to connect elevators together.
The windmill or air log was a small but distinctive part of the V1. Again, easy to make with the trusty drill doubling as a lathe, the blades were made from a medium-density plastic sheet, which meant they were tough and flexible. Two pics of the windmill show the part-finished stages. The finished article will be seen on the completed V1.
As I write this, the V1 replica has just debuted at its first show – the Northern Forties event at Hooton Park on the Wirral. It elicited a lot of interest, especially when its CO2 engine was “fired”!
1. Completed and assembled tail end ready for primer
2. Windmill spinner of mahogany and filler
3. Part-finished windmill blades
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By: Arabella-Cox - 26th August 2015 at 22:19
Fixtures and fittings
The final stages were the manufacture of the various brackets to join the whole thing together and some of the smaller airframe parts.
The real V1’s nose section was joined to the centre section by four long lugs, which each had a bolt through to pull the sections together. These were easily made by taking a piece of flat bar and welding a section of 1/4in BSP pipe down the middle of it. This was then cut into eight sections (four pairs), the pipe trimmed back and then each bracket glued and bolted to the body in the appropriate place. The pictures will explain.
The rear section was joined to the centre section by a different method. Four tongues of steel flat bar were glued and bolted to the inside skin of the centre section rear bulkhead and projected rearwards. These would slide into a socket in the rear section, which was reinforced with another piece of flat bar. When fixed and with the centre and rear sections assembled into the correct relative positions, each connection was pilot drilled through for the fixing bolts. After drilling out to the required size a nut was then welded onto the inside face for the bolt, which would hold the parts together.
Final job was to run a tap through to clear the threads and test-fit the two together to check it all worked.
Rudder and elevator outer hinges were also shaped and drilled to enable the hinge bolts to be fitted. Just like the full-size, there was a bolt at the end of the rudder and elevators which acted as a hinge but could be removed to allow the appropriate section to be removed.
1. Long lug (8-off) assembly ready for fitting to nose and centre sections
2. Lug glued and screwed into position, just requiring some filling and trimming to finish
3. Rear section pick-up for projecting tongue of centre section. Captive nut fitted before assembly
4. View of tip of tailplane and elevator outer hinge bolt assembled
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More later.
Anon.
By: me109g4 - 13th August 2015 at 01:40
Very impressive, looking forward to the finished product.
By: Arabella-Cox - 12th August 2015 at 23:27
Motor Section – final assembly
With the main sections fitted together it only remained to fit the smaller components.
To transfer the CO2 “blast” from the motor section through to the tail pipe section, a steel pipe was fitted from the bottle compartment through to project beyond the last bulkhead. This was just glued in place using the polyurethane expanding glue, which proved to be perfectly adequate.
The pylon, having to do a job of work supporting the main body of the motor, had to be of substantial construction. To this end, a piece of steel box section, which fitted inside a section of aluminium box section, was used for glueing and screwing to the motor section. A piece of the ally box was trimmed and fitted at a right angle to the steel box and the two strongly riveted together. This provided the basis for transferring the loads down into the body and was, again, glued and screwed in position.
The pylon falsework was then constructed to fit around this, being suitably angled on its lower rib/surface to match the taper of the rear fuselage section. This whole assembly was then fixed in position and then 20-gauge aluminium was used to make a front and rear fairing pieces to give the aerofoil shape. After this was fitted, the projecting aluminium box section was trimmed flush with the pylon lower surface.
For the rear motor support (the loads for which would be directed through the steel LE of the fin), a steel spigot, made from an old bolt which was a reasonably snug fit inside the fin 20mm box section, was utilised. This was welded to a small extension to the lower tail pipe support bracket at the tail end of the wooden section.
This, then, was the motor section completed. Like the rest of the aircraft, it turned out to be surprisingly large and heavy.
1. Steel “jet” tube through motor section to tail pipe
2. Steel and aluminium fabricated support. Note: lots of rivets
3. Pylon falsework built around support
4. Aluminium skinning fitted
5. View of pylon showing the socket, which would be used to mount the motor to the main body
6. Overall view of the completed motor section (minus tail pipe)
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More later.
Anon.
By: Arabella-Cox - 12th August 2015 at 18:00
Motor Section – tail pipe
Quite simply a tube rolled from 1mm plain mild steel sheet, welded down the join and held to the rear centre section by four brackets. Whilst relatively light, the tail pipe was big at just under six feet long. Pilot drilled to the brackets, the holes were then enlarged to accept four mushroom-headed bolts. The pilot hole extended through to the angle brackets and once these were drilled to the correct size, a plain steel nut was welded to the inside surface.
Finally, after a test-fit of the tail pipe, the three wooden parts of the centre section were glued and screwed together thus making the motor section complete. This thing was getting heavy as I could barely lift the assembly onto the work bench! The last assembly would be the front pylon, which would mount the engine to the main body, and the rear spigot mount.
1. Rolled steel tube tail pipe
2. Pilot drilling tail pipe mounts to brackets
3. Screwbolts to mount brackets to centre section
4. Brackets screwed and glued to centre section
5. Joining centre and rear-centre sections
6. Joining centre and nose inlet sections
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More later.
Anon.
By: Arabella-Cox - 12th August 2015 at 17:37
Motor Section – rear centre section
This was the bit that incorporated the taper from the main motor section to the tail pipe. It needed the usual two formers – front and rear – and the support structure in between, which would also provide the “land” to which the plywood covering could be screwed and glued. This support structure needed to be substantial as the motor section was supported between two points – the nose inlet and the front of the tailpipe so 100mm x 50mm section was used, suitably angled at its front and rear ends to incorporate the taper required.
As with the other minor assemblies, 4mm ply was used to cover, screwed and glued resulting in a very strong and light structure. This would be glued to the motor section at the front but at the rear, where the (steel) tail pipe would attach, there would have to be brackets so the motor section could be broken down into two main assemblies. It was around 12ft long and quite heavy too, when finished.
Another small but important job done at around this time was the internal support structure for the 150mm diameter CO2 fire extinguisher inside the motor section. A couple of 18mm ply quadrants, suitably trimmed and recessed to hold the cylinder firmly were made and then screwed and glued in place. Finally, a couple of lightweight over-centre locking straps to hold it in position during transit.
1. Simple but strong internal structure
2. Ply covering finished
3. 18mm ply CO2 bottle support quadrants
4. Supports fitted and bottle test fitted – note discharge horn pointing into tail tube position
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More later.
Anon.
By: Arabella-Cox - 6th August 2015 at 22:32
Motor Section – nose inlet
Made, quite simply, from eight layers (rings) of 25mm MDF, this component was heavy – remember, diameter was nearly two feet so there was a lot of one sheet of MDF in there. This didn’t help its manufacture as during the early stages of turning, the eccentricity of the shape and the weight caused problems. However, as the weight came off and the whole lot began to take on a circular form, the job got easier and more satisfying. There’s nothing like turning a piece of wood into a smooth curve for job satisfaction!
There was a slight wobble during final stages due to the inadequacy of support for the drill (some screws and the vice) but this wouldn’t show when not rotating.
1. “Stack” of rings glued and screwed together. Weight is around 25Kg
2. Method of attachment to drill – support board drilled to take a large bolt and nut, mounted in the drill chuck
3. After rough shaping the final form is beginning to show
4. Almost finished. The outer shaping is done, just some scraping of the inside of the intake to finish off
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By: Arabella-Cox - 6th August 2015 at 22:15
Motor Section
It was decided at an early stage that a CO2 fire extinguisher would be incorporated into the motor section so that some “smoke” and noise could be generated to bring the thing to life a little. This meant that a purpose-built hatch/compartment would need to be built in to allow mounting and access. Therefore, the motor section would be built in four sections: Nose intake ring, motor compartment, tapered section and tail pipe.
The different components threw up a number of challenges and I will outline these as I go along. I decided to build the motor compartment first as being, effectively, the centre section, the other components could then be fitted to it as they were finished.
1. 9mm ply circular formers ready for assembly
2. The assembled formers and 18mm ply supporting structure
3. Hatch structure
4. 4mm ply covering glued, rolled and pinned in place
5. Final sections of ply covering being fitted
6. Covering hatch
7. Motor centre section prior to final trimming – note hole to inside right for “jet pipe” and horn of extinguisher.
8. Finished components. The diameter of this section was just over 22ins so the assembly was quite large
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More later,
Anon.
By: ErrolC - 6th August 2015 at 22:09
Great stuff Mikey, can’t wait to see it fully painted up!
Can I order a V2 when you have finished this one :stupid:
Omaka have half of a ‘dud’ V2 (what was left after the top half was blown to many thousands of bits, upended in a small diorama behind one end of the crowd line).
By: Arabella-Cox - 6th August 2015 at 21:10
How would you want it delivering, Si – on a trailer or vertically at twice the speed of sound?!
Thanks, Bill. Are you coming to the event at Hooton to have a look at the stuff?
Anon.
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July 22, 2015 at 11:30 pm