Littlest BipeStik

[KevinC]

Back to the wings. Only slight additional mods. For both, I drilled 1/4 inch "lightening" holes in the ailerons/trailing edges using a Forstner bit in a drill press to get a clean cut in the soft balsa. For the upper wing, the ailerons are glued into place as a fixed trailing edge. I also trimmed the unnecessary part of the upper decking - total savings = about 1g

For the lower wing, I trimmed the triangular end pieces and made a new set of longer ailerons out of 3/32" basswood (also drilled with lightening holes). No particular reason other than I find it easier to cover that way rather than the wing tip hanging over. I also sanded the shear webs a bit thinner to save another 0.5g. The side pieces to hold the landing gear are now epoxied into place. I accidentally grabbed the balsa pattern pieces rather than the plywood finished pieces for this. Naturally, I only I discovered this moments AFTER the thin CA set to hold them in place for the epoxy... Fingers and toes crossed that it's strong enough.

And so, here are both wings, ready for final sanding and covering.

[KevinC]

If it survives maiden/Willy Wing Contest verification flight, I'll add a pilot and some decals. I'm too close to the weight limit to add them before the verification flight for contest entry. Thank you to all who contributed knowledge to make this build a reality - especially Ed Larsen who, in addition to a wealth of knowledge, graciously donated a motor and prop better suited to a biplane that what I had.

[KevinC]

Barely but, Barely counts! Took off, flew (erratically but more or less controlled), and landed safely. Now I just have to tweak the balance and/or adjust the incidence of the upper wing.

Maiden/Willy Wing Verification Flight:
https://www.facebook.com/reel/1473022363286436

[KevinC]

Official Weigh In for the Willy Wing 2024 contest. Barely counts! 246.4g AUW

[KevinC]

I had the incidence of BOTH wings wrong. Bottom wing was negative and upper wing was significantly positive. Flattening both out to approximately zero incidence made it a lot easier to handle. However, I also apparently overestimated the required size for the tail feathers because it's VERY sensitive around the elevator axis. I severely cut back elevator throw and added 40% expo which definitely helped but it's still very uncomfortably sensitive on the elevator. The end result is very much a mixed bag. On the one hand, I can't seem to make it stable enough to be a comfortable flyer - therefore it is unlikely to be a regular in the weekly rotation. On the other hand, it DOES fly and I learned a LOT during this very fun build, which has given me confidence to pursue other mods and kit-bash ideas. I will definitely try a biplane mod again - most likely one based upon the Barnstormer since that will require far fewer modifications.