Building A Replica Aircraft

Part Two

Construction Details

Fuselage and Tail Group

Brief Review

• After obtaining a partially complete Graham Lee 7/8 scale Nieuport 11 project – I decided to reconfigure it to resemble a 1929 Boeing F4B-2 US Navy Fighter.

• Boeing developed the F4B in mid 1928 at company expense as a small light weight fighter for the US Navy.

• The -1 and 2’s had a unique structure as the fuselage was bolted/gusseted aluminum tubing. Wings were all wood (in fact the last of the wooden wing fighters in the Navy).

F4B-2

Objectives

• Utilize as much of the original project as possible.

• All modification must not compromise structural integrity.

• Keep as light as possible – don’t go “overboard” on detailing!

• Maintain the look of the Boeing with out becoming “anal”.

• Have some fun!!

Applying Research

• Drew the Ni11 airframe as designed by G. Lee with the outline of the F4B to see what fit and what didn’t. F4B fuselage required a little stretch in scale to match.

• Ni11 lower wings required an increase in the bottom chord to fit the profile of the F4B.

• Needed to move the Ni11 pilot seat back one bay to fit the F4B.

Additional Modifications

• Change “V” Struts to “N” Struts

• Reconfigure Tail Surfaces

• Add formers and stringers to Fuselage

• Change Tail Wheel Mounting

• Take Sweep out of wings and modify wing tip shape

• Motor mount for A-65

• Move Seat back (15")

Tail Group

• Developed sketches of tail group with F4B outlines within the Ni11 dimensions.

Tail Group

• Began construction using Ni11 sized tubing and construction methods – Aluminum Tubing/Gusset and pulled rivets. Horizontal Stabilizer first

Tail Group

• Followed by the Elevators – built in 2 units.

Tail Group

• Next up the Fin and Rudder – again develop a drawing – staying within the general overall dimensions used on the Ni11

Tail Group

• Construction

Tail Group

• Replaced existing 1”od stern post with a 1-1/8”od post. Fin stern post then slides into fuselage stern

post and is pinned by eyebolt hinge.

Tail Wheel

• Adapted a taper spring w/6” wheel off an wrecked aircraft to the Boeing.

Tail Wheel

• Developed mount and springing arrangements

Arresting Hook

• F4B’s were equipped with arresting hooks for carrier landings – Mine has one for engine starts.

Arresting Hook

Tie down can be released from cockpit – release control also allows the deployment and retraction of the arresting hook in flight (for those low pass photo ops).

Seat Relocation

• In order to maintain the somewhat scale appearance of the F4B the pilots seat needed to be moved back one bay. This required moving some structural members and adding others. This was not done lightly as it would affect the Center of Gravity and potentially structural integrity.

• Original Fiberglass bucket and 2 x 4 mount removed with a 6 ½ lbs reduction.

Seat Relocation

• Fuselage Mods

Replaced ½” dia. diagonal in the bottom of the new seat bay with ¾” dia. tube

Rearranged cross tubing in upper fuselage to allow adequate cockpit space. Added a new diagonal in original cockpit area to ensure structural integrity.

Seat Relocation

Added the necessary seat bracing and gussets to seat framing at seat bottom front and top back.

Utilized a cloth seat from a folding “camp” chair for my seat.

Forward Fuselage

• Graham Lee’s Ni11 utilizes a ¾” plywood firewall/motor mount with (4) ¼” studs to tie to fuselage.

• The studs appeared to be inadequate for an A-65 I intended to install and the ¾” was plywood way to heavy.

• I replaced the firewall with 6mm ( ¼”) Okoume 5 ply marine ply and modified the mounting by using aluminum angle (Plywood savings alone 12 ½ lbs).

Forward Fuselage Mounting of 2 ½ x 2 ½ Angle with bolted and riveted gussets. A-65 engine mount is bolted through plywood firewall into Alum. Angle. Engine loads transferred directly to the fuselage framing rather than the wood firewall.

Fuselage Contouring

• The Boeing differed from the Ni11 in that the Boeing has a rounded shape versus the Ni11’s straight sides and bottoms.

• Formers and stringers were developed and fabricated to replicate the Boeing’s contours.

• Formers also fabricated from 6mm (¼”)

Okoume plywood. Stringers were ripped from recycled Spruce spars.

Fuselage Contouring

Cockpit/Controls

Cockpit/Controls - Brakes

Sheet Metal

Sheet Metal

Sheet Metal

Sheet Metal

Sheet Metal

Sheet Metal

Sheet Metal

Instrument Panel

Fantasy of Flight Model 100 Naval Museum F4B-4

Fuselage and Tail Group

148 pounds

Project Progress Feb 2009 Feb 2012

Aug 2012 July 2012

Current

Left Lower Wing

Right Lower also complete

Right Upper and Center Section

Current

Left Upper and Center Section Near Completion

To be Continued !

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