A quickie build here. This is a Parlor Fly. Wingspan is 12" and weight without rubber is 4 grams.

I was not very particular with this build as can be seen by the puckers and wrinkles and rough edges in the covering. But for a 'knock-about' living room and late evening toy, it will do.

Now to prep for the Senator Cook-up!

In all my years of rubber flying I've never given a thought to having props replaceable - but that is a very practical system if such need is required.

Is that long shaft projection to be trimmed back?

Hi, Ken. I can't remember where I first saw this, but on first glance I thought it was made from a wheel collar. I tried and tried to figure it out, when all at once it hit me. Doh! (Homer Simpson moment) It's an E-Z connector, not a wheel collar!

Anyway, it's simply a short piece of 1/16 ID brass tubing soldered to the e-z connector stud. Easily done, and yes, you're right, changing a prop is as easy as loosening the set screw with the appropriate size ball driver (or allen wrench), slide the e-z connector off, then the prop. It doesn't get easier than that.

P.S. It occurred to me later that none of what I've talked about works without the rest of the mechanism. So, here are a couple of close-ups of the the tension spring and the stop screw. There is a washer against the forward end of the tension spring that is soldered to the shaft. And, as you can see, the stop wire is also soldered to the shaft.

This set up also negates the need for braiding your rubber by holding back the last few turns that only create drag anyway.

Maybe that's a bit clearer than I left you before. 

Ol' Reliable by Malcolm Abzug.

Mygosh! David: you and Mitch are prop carving fools but what I would give to meet yall and parlay for several.

The Mini Hobbies is beautiful and cant wait to see those inflight photos, as for flying it seems to always be just a little too windy here unless you get up before the chickens and I aint no chicken. I may need to grow some feathers and get up to finally fly some a/c that are still sitting in my corner of the apt.

I completed the MiniHobbies today. Wingspan is 24" and AUW is 35 grams without rubber. Prop assembly alone added 6 grams! They add up fast, don't they?

Some test glides in the back yard indicate... well I'm not sure what they indicate. Jim (Moseley) said it was not a floater, and he was right. CG seems close, but I really haven't dialed it in so maybe an issue there. A good firm toss sent it straight ahead, but the glide path resembled a stream of water out of a water hose. Could be nose heavy without the rubber in it, or may need positive shim on the wing, or negative on the tail plane. More experimenting needed for sure.

No, I'm sorry to say they haven't. I guess I'm a lot like Mitch. I build, and build some more, but a place with plenty of room to fly, and the fact that there's no one within 70 miles to fly with, pretty well takes the fun out of it.

The act of committing "rubber powered flight" seems a long way off right now.

This is my 75% KK Senator. I really need to get serious about trimming while the weather is right. Just hard to leave the building board long enough t get it done.