Top Sky 1 DLG Build thread

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In anticipation of the end of the sloping season, I had the opportunity to build a relatively new and reasonably priced DLG: the Top Sky 1 (TS1).

Available now also is the Top Sky 2. It comes in carbon d-box and kevlar skinned wing, carbon kevlar fuse pod and bagged balsa tail section. The bagged tail section would just make the build slightly easier. Before i digress any further this thread is for the TS 1 build.

The TS1 came packaged nicely with all the hardware needed in zip lock bags.

The fusepod is nice and slim. Like most fusepods, it has a strip of carbon tow along the lengths of each side of it.

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Going through the parts:
1. Horizontal Stab and Vert stab does not have any airfoil so I gotta work on it.
2. Nice stocky launch blade. I have to sand an airfoil for that too.
3. The stock wing connectors look chunky. Gonna swap them out for Deans 4 pin connectors. Although on hindsight the smaller connecters from SLT/SLS would have been cheaper and lighter.
4. Standard sized control horns. I guess this is one cost cutting measure.

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Going through the parts (continued)
Wing:
1. balsa root
2. Carbon fibre (CF) tips
3. CF leading edge
4. CF trailing edge

I found that some parts of the TE on the aileron tips have flaked off. The TE edge is nice and thin but i guess it was just a wee bit too thin. Overall the wing still looks not bad.

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First thing to do: Wings

I like to work on one wing at a time that way i can get all the measurements tied down and mirror them on the other side.

Firstly, I marked out the exact position of where to cut the servo well. I used a template made from the servo packaging (reuse, reduce recycle ) and mark it on the wing. Blue painters tape keeps me from vandalising the wing with all the markings.

Once done with the markings for both wings, I then remove the wing skin. Followed by digging out foam from the wing cores. Make sure you have a sharp pen knife for this. I use a fresh break in the blade for each servo well. This particular servo that's going to be used for the wing is a bit thick so i had to really dig all the way to the top wing skin to have a nice flushed fit.

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Next I proceeded to dig two wells on each wing half to accomodate the mounting screws later in the build.

I then taped the bottom of the two wings together and to reduce the chances of "oops" and "@#$%", i lined the toped of the wing with some painter's tape near the root. I anchored one wing down on a flat table with some really heavy books and filled the space between the two wings with an epoxy and micro balloons splooge. I then raised the unanchored wing to the desired dihedral angle and supported it with some books below it. Then it's time to remove all the excess splooged which was pressed out.

I let the splooge cure over night but checking on the angle regularly for the first half hour until it hardens a bit.

PS
I just realised that the first thing i did for the wing was actually to loosen up the aileron hinges. I found that it was way too stiff, so i moved them up and down for about a hundred times and since that did not really work i proceeded to sand the hinge line. This is a very important step as you don't want to overstress the servos with a stiff hinge line. Now the hinge is just nice, not to stiff and not too loose which could cause flutter on launch or dives.

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Boom Preparation.

I cut around 4.5 cm from the thick part of the boom to have a nice tight fit to the back of the fuse pod. I also cut a a slit on the thinner side of the boom for the vert stab.

While I was at it, I also prepared the pylon for the horizontal stab. I wrapped sand paper on the boom and used it as a reference to shape the pylon.

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Taking lessons from my Predator 2 DLG build, I sanded the end part of the fuse pod and wrapped some blue tape for an even tighter fit to the boom. I also sanded the inside of the boom on the thick side.

I then proceeded with sanding an "airfoil" to the leading edge of the vert stab. Then I CAed CF cloth to where the vert stab meets the end of the boom, ensuring that the CF cloth is properly wetted. *remember to remove excess CA, the weight will add up. I hinged the rudder to the stab and went ahead to cover the the vert stab.

After that, I remove the covering which overlapped the CF parts so that the glue will adhere properly on both the stab and boom.

Now the vert stab is permanently fixed to the boom. Pressure....

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Now that the wing joint is cured i slide in the carbon sleeves for the mounting screws and splooge them into the wells i cut earlier. There is some free play here so that i can get a perfect alignment to the tail section. I then mounted the wing, with the provided screws, securely to the pod and dry fitted the boom to the fuse.

I turned the plane upside down and ensured that the vert stab is 90 deg with reference to the floor. At the same time i ensured that the two wingtips are equidistant to the rudder hinge line. Now I let the splooge cure and crossed my toes and hope the alignment sticks. I checked on it every five minutes for 20 mins. Stress. Once the splooge begins to harden, I can start breathing again. Now to let it cure for a few hours.

While waiting for the mounting holes to cure I prepare the glass cloth and the CF cloth which is used to secure the wings together. The rotary cutter is a tool which makes cutting CF and FG cloth a breeze.

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The sleeves have cured and I proceeded to grind down all the excess CF rod flush to the wing. After that i layered the joint with CF and FG cloth which i had cut out earlier. Wetting it properly with finishing epoxy and removing all the excess resin.

Then i scuffed up the boom where the horizontal stab pylon is going to be. This will help in the adhesion.

I also wrapped some kevlar string just in front of the vert stab so that it will less likely to split at that part. I used my dremel to make a long hole for the elevator control horn. I'm deviating from the original and using pull-spring for the tail surfaces. The control horn will go in the boom, making for a nice clean setup. I may do this upgrade for my Predator2 DLGs in the future.

Then i used some FG cloth across the boom and vert stab. Now it's really secured. I used finishing epoxy for this.

[Deedubya]

Reviving this thread.
Where did you get your Topsky and for how much $$$???

-David-

[VinCopter]

You may want to check with Ken, TopSky Viper 2.0 DLG

[Kantankerous]

@ DeeDub

David, so are you finally deciding to succumb to a compy DLG?

[Deedubya]

Thanks Vin, I gotta trip to RCS to make.
Yeah, I'm thinking of getting a decemt DLG. Have soooo much fun with mine but do admire the performance of those molded jobs. Life is too short so what the heck, right?

-David-

[aeajr]

Very nice build discussion. I have heard many good things about the Top Sky DLG.