Jim with a model of Pioneer III... note a gull wing!

Oct 27, 2001

	Jim Marking on the locations of the dtube ribs.

Sept 18, 2001.

	The spars have fittings!
	Spars close up

	Progress! Jim and Patrick working on fitting the wing spars!
	And finally the drilling!

August 10, 2001, The controls are roughed in.... and work just fine!

April 4, 2001 preparing the rudder plug for the mold!

March 26, 2001 Jim is busy building a plug for the rudder!

	Jim Laying up a fuselage bulkhead Mar 16, 2001
	Jim grinding a hole in the seat pan for the control pan... Muggs (ears back)looking on, not quite appreciating the noise factor!

	January 2001, Jim in the welding shop on the controls
	March 14, 2001. Some controls installed, and wing frame welded

September 5, 2000- The various rib molds and parts for the root section of the wings are now complete. We are now ready to make dtubes!

January 11, 2000 - both the Dtube molds are complete!That was some job that took a lot of time and patience..

July 20, 2000- We now have two spars made up and Jim has been very busy finishing the control designs.

Jim Testing the Dtube mold a few days later. note the multi layers of cloth at the right end.

Patrick applying the Gelcoat to the plug. Jan 05/99

December 1, 1999. The left dtube is finally ready. We successfully covered the Dtube plug with shrink wrap. The Process was rather well thought out and went together with very little difficulty.

Jim at the controls of the Hair dryer! Here Jim is heat shrinking the plastic film covering the dtube plug.Jan 05/99

November 10,1999. The Pioneer III dtubes are glued to a long flat table and the fine filling, and sanding of the foam has begun. We will spent a lot of time getting this Plug correct so that all Dtubes will be perfect. The next step is to shrink wrap the entire plug.

	Patrick and Jim hot wiring the dtubes. November '99
	The hot wired Dtube pieces of foam. Note a Monarch in the background.

November 02,1999. Jim has some more visible progress on the Pioneer III. He and Patrick spent time finishing hot wiring the dtubes. So progress on the plug for the dtubes is progressing!

May 11, 1999
Jim has been working on the fuselage of the prototype. The main fuselage and tail are now complete and Jim is making molds for the interior. The main spar molds and D tube ribs are complete.

September 5, 1999

Below is displayed the Pioneer III fuselage beside the Monarch.

October 10, 1999

Jim is busy still working on the final details of the controls. Adjustable Rudder pedals are made.

Tim's Report on the progress of the Pioneer 3 Fuselage mold. December 12, 1998

Mon:
Tim ,Jim, and Matt K. worked on laying up the left rear mold for the Pioneer
3. Things went rather well especially for Tim who had never really done a large wet lay-up. Of course Matt and Jim are old pros! Start time was about 11:15am and finish was about 6pm. Kurt arrived from Boston about 4:30 and was an observer for the first day.

Tues:
Tim, Jim, Kurt and Fred worked on the right rear mold today. After removing the 1/4 inch ply flange that the first mold was layed upon and repairing minor damage with modeling clay, the second mold half was wet out upon the flange left by the first mold.

Wed:
Tim, Jim, Kurt and Matt worked today on the lower right half. As with all lay ups: 11 plys were used for each mold. First, a heavy layer of gel-coat with black pigment is brushed on the plug that was prepared with 2 coats of wax and PVA. Then after the gel coat tacked up, 2 layers of 6oz. strips, cut on a bias, were put down over all of the sharp inside and outside angles. Then we put down 3 layers of 6oz. cloth over -all, folowed by 2 layers of 10oz., 4 layers of 18oz. roving and finally a finishing layer of 10oz. The first 4 layers were wet out with 20 min epoxy resin and the rest were wet out with 2 hr. because it is a bit thinner and wets out easier , especially in the roving. The final 10 oz. really helps to finish off the mold and keeps the roving layed down so it doesn't stab you when it gets hard.

Thurs. Tim Jim Matt and Kurt again "Plugging" away!

Fri.: Jim Matt and Fred finished it all off! The moment of truth will come in about a week when the molds will all release from each other like water off of a ducks back! We hope. Call it an early X-mas present.
Best wishes!!

Tim

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