I have finished the tail skid and the ventral fin of my Bede BD-4C airplane! After fiddling around with bits and pieces for months, it was a huge celebration to bolt the tail skid in place…
rivet the front half of the ventral fin to the bottom of the fuselage…
rivet the back half of the ventral fin to the bottom of the tailcone…
attach the tailcone to the fuselage and screw the two halves of the ventral fin together.
🙂 wOOt 🙂
Nice looking job, Art. My first thought about the tail skid, though, was “Really, that’s it? Won’t the skid wear down, dragging on the tarmac?” (But then I don’t know anything about airplanes.) I presume the designers took that into account, I was just assuming there would be a wheel there. I guess that would create more drag though. Thanks for sharing your progress.
You a funny man, Don. I put the third wheel where it should be… in the front. 😛
Woot indeed! The skid looks too pretty to get dirty. That either means: 1) You don’t plan to land, ever, once you’re airborne; 2) The skid is for emergency purposes only, and you expect your three-point landings will use the front wheel. Please tell me #2 is correct.
Yes, #2 is my intent. And the tailskid also gets used as a tie-down point, a place to attach a rope.