rtfm
Well-Known Member
Hi,
Partly because HITC wanted to introduce me to a very seasoned designer/builder of composite airplanes, and partly because he thinks Chris Conroy is a great bloke to visit, the two of us met up at Chris' place which is somewhere between where each of us lives. HITC in his great big four wheel drive, and me in my tiny SMART car.
And what a great visit it was. Chris has been designing and building aircraft for over 50 years, and there's not a lot he doesn't know about how it is done. His workshop rambles from one building to the next, including lean-to's next to his shop and under the house. Aircraft are parked outside under the trees. As are molds. Inside the house, every spare surface is covered with photos of planes, books about planes, pieces of planes, and scattered all over the place are model aircraft which catalogue his life as a model builder spanning a half century.
Wow. And my wife complains if I leave aircraft magazines on the coffee table...
Milky coffee and biscuits, and tales of flying exploits - before Chris asks to see photos of the Razorback. Out comes the mini iPad and the phone. And with some relief, the little plane is greeted with some complementary remarks. Except that he didn't really fancy the vertical leading edge of the fin. And then out came the paper and pencil, and between Chris and HITC I was given a lesson in how to build a mold. Complete with details of locally available materials. Polyester for this, Vinylester for that. How to make the mold flanges. How to join the halves of the fuselage once pulled from the mold. Scribbles and arrows and drawings.
And then the tour of the workshop. A plug stands ready under the house. We discuss how it was built. And finished. More names and details of local companies who can supply all materials. A brief discussion of spars, and how to make then in sections and join them. Aluminum vs carbon. Sections of wing brought out and examined. The workshop proper was just like mine. Tools piled on work benches, stand-alone work surfaces laden with bits and pieces, half made artefacts spread out to cover most of the real estate. And everything covered in a fine coating of dust. Some great tools - old and venerable. Some newer. Quite a few air-driven. I have a compresson, and have never thought of using air tools. Cheap as chips. Why not? And I make a mental note to visit the tool shop ASAP and buy some. We discuss glass cloth, weights, weaves.
There is just too much going on, and I begin to lose the plot in the richness of the stimuli.
More milky coffee, some more story-telling, and I'm in my little car, driving back down the driveway on my way home, with a grin which stretched from ear to ear.
What a great visit. Next time (Chris has promised to give me a call when he's about to make his molds so that I can come to help and learn) I'll take some photos.
In the meantime, visit his web site.
Home - Conroy Aviation
Regards,
Duncan
Partly because HITC wanted to introduce me to a very seasoned designer/builder of composite airplanes, and partly because he thinks Chris Conroy is a great bloke to visit, the two of us met up at Chris' place which is somewhere between where each of us lives. HITC in his great big four wheel drive, and me in my tiny SMART car.
And what a great visit it was. Chris has been designing and building aircraft for over 50 years, and there's not a lot he doesn't know about how it is done. His workshop rambles from one building to the next, including lean-to's next to his shop and under the house. Aircraft are parked outside under the trees. As are molds. Inside the house, every spare surface is covered with photos of planes, books about planes, pieces of planes, and scattered all over the place are model aircraft which catalogue his life as a model builder spanning a half century.
Wow. And my wife complains if I leave aircraft magazines on the coffee table...
Milky coffee and biscuits, and tales of flying exploits - before Chris asks to see photos of the Razorback. Out comes the mini iPad and the phone. And with some relief, the little plane is greeted with some complementary remarks. Except that he didn't really fancy the vertical leading edge of the fin. And then out came the paper and pencil, and between Chris and HITC I was given a lesson in how to build a mold. Complete with details of locally available materials. Polyester for this, Vinylester for that. How to make the mold flanges. How to join the halves of the fuselage once pulled from the mold. Scribbles and arrows and drawings.
And then the tour of the workshop. A plug stands ready under the house. We discuss how it was built. And finished. More names and details of local companies who can supply all materials. A brief discussion of spars, and how to make then in sections and join them. Aluminum vs carbon. Sections of wing brought out and examined. The workshop proper was just like mine. Tools piled on work benches, stand-alone work surfaces laden with bits and pieces, half made artefacts spread out to cover most of the real estate. And everything covered in a fine coating of dust. Some great tools - old and venerable. Some newer. Quite a few air-driven. I have a compresson, and have never thought of using air tools. Cheap as chips. Why not? And I make a mental note to visit the tool shop ASAP and buy some. We discuss glass cloth, weights, weaves.
There is just too much going on, and I begin to lose the plot in the richness of the stimuli.
More milky coffee, some more story-telling, and I'm in my little car, driving back down the driveway on my way home, with a grin which stretched from ear to ear.
What a great visit. Next time (Chris has promised to give me a call when he's about to make his molds so that I can come to help and learn) I'll take some photos.
In the meantime, visit his web site.
Home - Conroy Aviation
Regards,
Duncan
