flimsy motor box
 

I noticed the motor box on my Katana seems to be a little flimsy torsionally. I can twist it pretty easily. It is just sitting in the slots on the firewall. It is not glued in yet. Although it doesn't appear to be moving in the slots. Should I consider some type of diagonal bracing or will it stiffen up once I get it glued in?

RE: flimsy motor box
 

Chewy ... they are usually strong enough for our usual flying but if you want to fly hard 3D it can break, its been known to do so in some top brands. An unbalanced spinner will also contribute to motor box failure. What you can do is to use some balsa tri stock to reinforce the box to firewall. Then maybe some bracing for the box itself. I like that Extreme Flight did with its new 47" Extra 300 XP. They use CF tubes to secure it. Have a look at the attached picture, its a great simple solution.

RE: flimsy motor box
 

The guy who invented this idea with the box out front should be shot and pi##ed on. Worse idea ever. Extend the firewall out to the back of the motor like it used to be. Short aluminum extensions can be used to place the motor at the proper distance for the cowl.

Gord.