A newcomers questions

[benjam]

Evening every one from Brisbane, Australia.

I love the camaraderie of this site between all the interested parties.

I am contemplating getting a s7 kit. My wife has already said yes!!

Although I am reasonably handy, I have no technical training. Am I biting off too much by thinking I can build on of these aircraft to the same standard I see demonstrated in all the photos? I, too, will be working in my 6m x 9 m shed out the back of the house and then transporting the components as they are completed to the air field hangar for storage and final assembly.

Now for the real questions: Has any one covered their kit build with the Oratex aircraft fabric?

Has anyone got a dual throttle system to enable both pilots to fly right handed? is it do-able?

Cheers.

[efwd]

Welcome Benjam
Short answer. Yes, Yes and I believe Yes.
The throttle part I can only go on memory but Im not sure who it was that did it. Maybe they will reply.
I like to say, These KF manuals are far better than an IKEA furniture assembly manual. You will have questions for sure but there is a lot of support here (with photos). Have you ever assembled a BBQ or a lawnmower? OK, possibly over simplified when considering some aspects of the build. There are spots where the anxiety can build. I still get anxiety when people post about installing the wings. I checked and rechecked my measurements over and over that day then still went to bed to rest. Then I measured again in the morning before I drill the holes into the spars. People from all walks are building these planes as well as other planes and Ours has one of the best manuals out there I am told.
As for Oratex, many of us have used it. I believe you might find some photos of mine on my thread EFWD. Check Cherrybark and John Evans thread as well. It is a pretty nice product but it too has its quirks. Some say that it is too transparent and others would prefer paint to smooth out the tape edges as Oratex has exposed tape edges. I have damaged my fabric twice, I have recently discovered, and the fix (an iron on patch) has been an absolute blessing. 5 min and both of my patches were cut out and ironed on. Certainly it would have taken much longer had I used Poly Fiber. Certainly not knocking that stuff though. The painted aircraft are coming out beautiful. May use it next time should I build another.

[jrevens]

Hi benjam,

I believe I was at least one of the very first to use Oratex on this site. I tried to post pictures during my build, so you may find something useful if you search “John’s Build”.

[Dorsal]

Welcome Benjam,
Yes I believe you can as others have stated. As to the right hand flying (I was a dedicated right hand flyer) after the first hour or three of left stick I now wonder what I was so concerned about.

[benjam]

Thanks for the replies, Gents.

I will give it all some thought.

It has me a bit excited though!

[DesertFox4]

Ben. First off, welcome aboard. Glad you discovered the most exciting aircraft available.



Second. The double throttle has been done. Ends up, in my opinion, being a complicated solution to a non-problem. Also location of a 2nd throttle makes ingress and egress from the cockpit a little more difficult as they will stick out into the door opening some no matter which side it is located.


As far as the building part, you've already cleared the hardest hurdle in the entire build process. You got the go ahead from the wife. The rest is completely doable. Enjoy the forums. Lots of skilled people here to help you if you need.

[colospace]

I guess I have been remiss in not posting a picture with the wings installed, but there are some of the wings and fuselage separately under Turtle Build. There are several of us on this forum who have used or are using Oratex.

[rosslr]

HI Benjam,

Good to see another project being started down under!

You will enjoy it and don't be too daunted by the task or the skills needed - the manual is great, the kit is very good and the help from the factory and on this site is amazing!

As for your interest in the right hand option, I suggest you look up Ben's build ( from Sale in Victoria. he is doing that and a very good good of it too! he will be more than happy to chat about it and I am sure he will share his design with you if you are still wanting that option - that's the beauty of being 'Experimental'! You can do what you like! (within reason!)

You'll find Ben's build blog on this site as follows:
mcgaero
Aus S7 Kitfox

Good luck with it and let me know if I can help in any way.

cheers

ross

[Tom Waid]

Welcome to the forum.

Before you tackle the complexity of a double throttle you may want to get some dual time in a tandem seat airplane such as a Cub. You may discover, as I have, that having the throttle on the left is not a problem. It's something that you immediately adapt to.

[jrthomas]

On the subject of flying with left hand on stick and throttle on right, it's not a problem to relearn. I had flown for years with a Cub-like setup, center stick and throttle on the left. The 1st time I flew my buddy's Model 2 from the left seat, it felt very strange. Maybe it's muscle memory or something but my left hand didn't want to cooperate. I felt at first, like you, that it was going to be a problem. I was in the process of building my Model 4 and considered moving the throttle. The second time I flew the Model 2 everything fell into place. I never gave it a second thought. I think it's just a matter of relearning. I'm still amazed at how quickly I was able to adapt. I bet you'll do the same. James Thomas