2016 Building and first flights of the Enigma K77
 1 April 2015 Enigma I start building a new plane based on the Trivial Pursuit. First task: build the wing and centralise the controls with my laser. Note that the flap horn aligns with the centre of the ribs. |
 2 April 2015 Enigma When I'm not using a tuned pipe, I bring the controls out of the bottom of the wing to make the front line UP. |
 3 April 2015 Enigma Ball bearing bellcrank. 3/32" Rod locates the bellcrank in the centre while the rest of the controls are installed. Can later be installed/removed from the bottom. |
 4 April 2016 Enigma It's a year later and progress is very slow. I use the laser to centralise the wing in the fuselage. |
 5 April 2015 Enigma Laser to align the wing on its ROLL axis. |
 6 April 2016 Enigma Laser to centralise the stab. |
 7 April 2016 Enigma The laser ensures that the stab is horizontal. |
 8 April 2016 Enigma First time I've done it this way - Wing tip tabs installed and aligned last. |
 9 May 2016 Enigma Finally, construction is complete. |
 10 May 2016 Enigma The balsa cockpit weighs 8 grams compared with 20 grams for a plastic one. |
 11 May 2016 Enigma The finishing process begins. The tissue covering is not tissue, it's heat shrink fabric. It probably adds a couple of ounces as it takes a lot of filling. Dope/talc of course. |
 12 November 2016 Enigma More months pass as other projects take priority. Base 2K White is on, wet-sanded with 1200 and touched up where I go through. At this stage, the whole airframe has a delightful, perfectly smooth unshiny finish. |
 13 November 2016 Enigma Invisible pink unicorn is painted. Registration is masked and ready for paint. |
 14 November 2016 Enigma Cockpit painted silver with black frosting. |
 15 November 2016 Enigma Wheels painted Unicorn pink. Masking continues. |
 16 November 2016 Enigma The sweeps of colour follow the Fibonacci sequence. It takes all day on the computer to get this the right size. |
 17 December 2016 Enigma Finally finished December 2016 |
 18 December 2016 Enigma Metallic purple with 2K clear really sparkles |
 19 December 2016 Enigma Studio shot with Affinity Photo - Photo editing software for the iMac. |
 20 December 2016 Enigma Another studio shot |
 21 20 December 2016 Enigma At KMFC preparing for its maiden flights. Pictures taken with iPhone 6. |
 22 20 December 2016 Enigma Built to Trivial Pursuit plan with different top block and fin/rudder. 65½ ounces. RO-Jett 76 |
 23 20 December 2016 Enigma After all that, It flies! I have 3 flights. Well, sort of 3. |
 24 20 December 2016 Enigma First flight: I do three loops, no inverted and run the tank out. It is a bit fast even for 69½ ft lines at 5.00 secs/lap. |
 25 20 December 2016 Enigma Second flight: engine quits after a couple of level laps |
 26 20 December 2016 Enigma Third flight: engine quits after 1½ loops and glides safely to land. Problem sorted out later as rusty crankshaft intake (rust kills plugs). New plane looks very promising. It flies with wings level and no hunting. Pink shoe laces to match the invisible pink unicorn. |
 27 November 2017 - Some alterations I can't leave well enough alone. I didn't want to buy yet another engine. Honestly. But, I couldn't resist buying Kaz Minato's K77. It took a lot of fettling to get it to fit plus a major cowl rebuild. If there is a secret to making these work, it's to fit a Ukraine 14.2 X 5.5 wooden propeller. |
 28 November 2017 - Some alterations With a prop this big, I need a longer landing gear. These are made by Ian Heath in Queensland (07 3349 2628). I also fit a pair of C/F wheel pants at 1 oz each. Ouch! All up, the plane now weighs in at a smidgeon under 70 oz. |
 29 November 2017 - Some alterations Despite its weight, it flies beautifully. The K77 works extremely well with the Rainbow prop. (Update 2019: Works even better with Yatsenko 13.8 X 6) I had to make a bigger tank for it though, about 200 ml. |
 30 January 17 2018 Mark Batty test flies Enigma. Results: Engine run and thrust good. Not enough line tension off the wind. Could turn sharper. Turns better inside than outside. Line tension overhead not good. Return to the home page |
