It has been some time since the previous update, so just to let everybody know, I am still at it ;-)

This is how the fuselage components look today, frame and longerons only:

This is how the formers look:

And this is both the above together:

The above with planking:

The separate components:

And all together:

What I learned so far in fase 2:

• It is very easy to lose sight of component complexity. It is very easy to create a perfectly fitting component that is impossible to make.
• Another variant on the above is creating components that take a long time to make or require multiple orientations to be machined.
• Then there is the case of perfectly fitting components, but impossible to assemble.
• Next up: using base materials that are too expensive. I discovered that I was using a rod with a length of 1.05m, which is not a good idea since that means a standard length of 1m does not fit and a 2m tube must be cut down to 1.05m. Leaving 95cm of waste. With a price of, say, USD15 per meter, and using 4 of those rods, that cost roughly 60USD too much. Much better to change the design and use 1m rods.
• Perfectionism: the bane of every design… especially CAD/CAM designs. I have now adopted the approach that not all components will be completely formed on the CNC, but rather many of them will need additional work before or after assembling (glueing).

Well that is it for now.

Btw: This did sharpen my design goals. I do want the plane asap, but I also like building. Thus creating a “builders plane” is a double win to me. Just creating a perfect design that is simply assembled in an afternoon, especially if that means a much higher price tag, is not my kind of thing.

Oh, and I have not finished the CNC machine yet… bummer.