Sniper by JK Aerotech

Here it is - just out of the box:

In this photo, I'm covering the vertical stabilizer - you can see the horizontal stabilizer & rudder are already done. To create the horizontal stabilizer & elevator, you simply cut off a piece (which becomes the elevator) & tape it up. To create the angled gap between these two, I used an old soldering iron - it quickly created the gap - I don't recommend doing this unless you practice quite a bit on some scrap pieces. You really have to be quick & accurate when making cuts using this technique (soldering iron). A sanding block would be a much safer method of creating the gap.

The wing was cut with a really nice gap so the ailerons would flap without interfering with the wing. In this photo, I'm placing a "wedge" in between the center section of the wing where there were no ailerons. This step probably isn't necessary, however, I grabbed this portion of the wing to pick it up & this portion almost snapped off, so I wanted to "beef it up", in this area. I cut the wedge from a piece of scrap - already formed - the inverse piece of the wing plus a bit more - worked great - fit nice & was a quick solution. I didn't use any silicone to fix it into position, just tape on both sides.

In this photo, I'm placing the bottom spar (fiber tape) - I pretty much followed the directions this time (see the T52 site) and everything came out as perfect as possible.

In this photo, I'm taping on the ailerons - using a wee bit of tape to hold the popsicle sticks in place. Here, the bottom tape has been applied and I'm ready to remove the sticks & place tape on top of the wing. You'll notice the scissors in the photos - they're great to use as long as you keep them CLEAN - keep a bottle of mineral spirits handy to wipe them off as soon as tape gook builds up on them.

To follow the method for attaching the elevator & ailerons using tape, follow this link:

In this photo, I'm using these phone books & a hobby battery to weigh down the fuselage while the silicone is drying. You can see the plastic wrap on top of the fuselage - just a step to help the silicone from sticking to the phone books - it worked well. When gluing things together using silicone, it's best to hold the items in place for 24 hours. You could also use epoxy here or perhaps Dap Kwik Seal tub and tile adhesive. You'll probably want to add a small fillet of silicone between the mating surfaces.

In this photo, I'm gluing the tail surfaces to the fuselage. Again, you can see I'm putting plastic wrap between the plane & the table - to minimize the mess. Also, you can see the drafting triangle used to check alignment - the vertical stabilizer came out perfect.

Here's the model - almost finished!!! I can't wait 'till I can hit the slopes!!! After fiber & packing tape was applied to the wing, I ended up with a right wing which is perfectly straight but the left wing has, maybe 1/8" dihedral. This will be easy to fix with another stretch of packing tape below the left wing, however, I will probably wait & fly it first before going this route.

Balancing the Sniper before digging the locations for the receiver battery, servos, & receiver - this method works well - before I taped the wing, I drew a line to indicate the CG (center of gravity), which made balancing much easier - this also made taping a bit easier because the line provided a visual reference for putting the tape on straight. I used this balancing jig later, during final balancing.

I held the battery in place with just a wee bit of tape so I could reposition it easily but have it still stay in place - I ended up not using the switch - more on this later . . .

Once the position for the components was finalized, it now becomes my favorite part of building a foamie - DIGGING!!!! YEAH!!!!

Here is a servo "well" I'm creating using a new, sharp blade from a jig/sabre saw. I started tracing around the base of the servo using an X-Acto knife - the initial cuts were made with the X-Acto, then I dig that out using the letter opener. IMPORTANT - make sure the size of the well is SMALLER than the servo - because you want to squeeze the servo into position. If done properly the servo will be pushed into the well for a very snug fit holding it tightly in place. Be sure to make a relief cut for the servo wire (not shown).

In this photo, you can see the battery in position and the receiver also. If you put paper around these items, they can be removed much easier, without enlarging the opening. I trimmed the paper so I had just enough to put the ends together for a grabbing "tab", then I folded the paper up so it fit inside the opening. Here you can see some of my favorite foamie cutting tools: jig/sabre saw blade, letter opener, hobby knife and X-Acto. Notice the receiver antenna is held in place with a bit of tape - during this process - just to tidy things up a bit.

Instead of using a switch & wiring harness, I just wanted to plug in the battery pack directly to the receiver, so I created a little door (used a hotel door key - thinner/lighter than a credit card). See the "tab" at the end of the tape - it's my "handle" to open the door - use a similar hinging technique used for the elevator & ailerons - strong & light.

With the servos, battery & receiver in position, now it's time to install the control rods. I'm holding the elevator in position using popsicle sticks & rubber bands - do this for the ailerons too. It's quick & easy to adjust the control surfaces using wire with a kink in it - it's hard to distinguish the kink in the control wire in this photo, but it's there.

If you need help in making z-bends, go here:

More of the same - this time, making control wires for the ailerons. Again, note the popsicle & rubber band "clamps" - these clamps only have a rubber band on one end - slides over the area to hold it in place - you don't need strong holding power, just enough to hold it while you're making the control wires.

Make the kinks symmetrical - looks great when done properly:

Final balancing - mine took 30 cents here - properly balancing any plane is VITAL!!! Perhaps even more critical with this plane - follow the directions properly!!! The nickels were positioned on the bottom of the fuselage - this was taped-up, of course.

Ready for testing:

Here I am with the Sniper after a few dozen test flights - notice the mushed wing corners - COOL!!!! The plane was tossed into a very gusty (& cold) wind at the top of a gentle slope. I was just trying to get a feel for balance, & trim before hitting the real slopes.

Uh . . . now, I guess it's time for me to find some slopes.

Hmmmmm . . . guess I should've thought about this before . . . hmmmm . . .