Not your father's Cardinal.

I had the opportunity to buy a Cardinal kit cheap and took it. I had designed a plane around the Cardinal wing several years ago and it flys very well. I figured I could duplicate that success with the Cardinal itself. I turned the wing tips around, added a canopy, sheet aluminum gear, will use electric power and I built a larger and thicker stab/elev. I moved the stab 1 1/2 inches aft. 1/2 vs. 1/4. I figure it's 28% of the wing area now. The fuselage is covered with some kind of tissue and the rest has Poly-Span covering. So far the fuselage is ready for assembly and paint and the rest has two coats of clear.

New paint.

I finally was able to get the clear sprayed when the humidity was low. I ran the dehumidifier for a few days just to be sure. Using dope paint makes a huge difference in how the plane looks and feels to the touch. When I finished this one I brought out another of the same lineage and paint brand and stripped the paint off the fuselage. I sprayed the fuselage with white dope a few hours ago. I'll have to wait a few days for it to cure before adding the trim colors. One of the vendors has a sale on and I bought a kit for half price. Then I got an email ad with 30% off everything so I ordered another 4 station battery charger. $62.00 off can't be overlooked.