d0m

hello.

flying my challaneger for the 4th time. landed it, took off again, and it started spinning. and moving away, it wasnt going down. i could control anything. it just kept going, so i turned the throttle off, and it carried on going, so i turned the transmitter off, and started running. foung it about 600 metres away in a garden.

Damage sustained:
Tail wings snapped
Wing cracked and bent
fuselage compressed and mashed being repair.

all the electronics are intact.

So checking the site, for a new fuselage and wings, its £70 i havnt bothered checking the tail prices, because there are so many little bits.

Im severly not impressed, it was almost like it was out of range at about 200feet!

i got the plane for £120 you think i should call it a write off?

i need advice quick.

I will post some pics up tomorrow.

Thanks

DOm

DFalpha

My Feedback: (3)

After I see some pics I think I can help I started with the aerobird and have mashed and disfigured every but of it so dont worry about it........ ill help you get it up again

d0m

cheers.

but im not kidding the fualage is beyond repair.

it must have flown itself into the ground, because where the prop would be, it has been pushed into the rest of the model.

The Vtail has come off and snapped (nowt a bit of sellotape cant repair.)

and the wings are slightly bent i think.

I've just taken some fotos and put them on the internet. Do you think the damage is reprable?

To see them go to http://81.86.184.164/stuffs/plane/

Thanks for your help

Dom

DFalpha

My Feedback: (3)

hehe! you are lucky...... Iv had mine smashed alot more than that... You will have to buy a new tail and wing.... but the rest is repairable. First unscrew the two screws in the motor so it hangs free....... there is a retainer so put these parts in a cup for safe keeping. Next your are going to use two screwdrivers or sticks (one from the front and back) and gently bend out out the plastic far enough for the prop to be free when spinning...... Next reatach the canopy.... Drill 2 or 3 small holes on the top just before where the old hinge was.... now drill 3 in the cockpit window and insert 3 tyraps into the holes and cut the ends off... then you want to remove the foam blocks from the fusealage and line them with a few strips of foam tape and insert them back in..... And push the canopy on either side to secure them...... My fusealge is boulged too and to securly hold the battery I simply atached a few pieces of balsa wood on either side to secure it. finnaly atach the new wing and tail and your good to go.. I usualy keep a spare of each on hand....... Hope this helps.. I will post some pics of my chalanger later

d0m

go to http://www.ripmax.com and could u specify the exact part numbers of the tail i will need, because there are so many bits of tail, im not sure wot i need and stuff.

thanks for the plane repair instructions. will try it tomorow.

thanks again

Dom

BobbyGee

My Feedback: (3)

It sounds as if what happened may have been that your v-tail had flattened out. If the angle becomes too open a v-tail will lose effectiveness.

Yours looks easy to fix. Tape down the center and re-mount it to the v-shaped base plate. Make sure that when you re-attach it it has a prononced "v" shape. If it sits to flat it will happen all over again.

DFalpha has very nicelydescribed how to repair your fuselage. As to your win, put some epoxy in the crack and close it up. Then run 2" packing tape spanwise from wingtip to wingtip across the top and the bottom of the wing. You can completely cover the wing with a layer of the stuff. Make sure it's taut. You'll be amazed at how rigid it becomes.

BobbyG

DFalpha

My Feedback: (3)

great adive on fixing tail and wings........ its good to have a spare, these are the parts you need..

Z-HBZ3520 wing
Z-HBZ3530 tail + accesories

It said they were white though

DFalpha

My Feedback: (3)

heres a pic of my damage... with some early test fixes

Scar

My Feedback: (3)

Dom,

One of the things commonly performed by experienced flyers is the range check. You collapse the transmitter antenna, point it at the plane (switches both on) and walk backwards. When you reach the point at which the servos start twitching, you should be over 100 feet away, preferably more. If your crash was due to being out of range, you probably don't want to be re-using that receiver. Was the previous landing a hard landing? If so, it may have jiggled the crystal loose, or cracked something in the circuit board.

Good luck,
Dave Olson

DFalpha

My Feedback: (3)

Good point scar... Also If you are using the original TX batteries replace them..... A few crashed happened after the plane went up and out of range do to low voltage in TX.... went out of control and hit a house 400 FT away

d0m

ok, about the wing, should it bow in the center?

Also, you said i should put some balsar wood on the fusalage to reshape it. Do i put the wood on the inside or outside?

Thanks again.

I really cant thank you enough, when i saw the plane, i thought it was a write off.

Dom

d0m

okay, i have started the restoration job. I have successfully repaired the fusalage. I took the motor out, and pushed the plastic at the back, out. Then i put an elastic band accross where the cockpit would be to pull the fusalage in and stop the bowing.

I have just started on the tail. i sloted the two parts back in the V. But just to make sure, could someone please measure the angle of the V on their challenger, so i can match mine up, then selotape it.

While im waiting for a response, i'll selotape the wings.

Thanks.

Dom

DFalpha

My Feedback: (3)

the properly shaped tail measures from tip to tip exactly 1 FT

When you tape it, it will be flat. It is the V shaped mount which shapes the tail.....

As to the balsa wood this is not what reshapes it.. On Impact the foam gets compressed and the sides slightly bulge. because of thise the battery will no be secure. So you should put as much inside with foam tape to make the battery secure.

d0m

thanks for that. i will go secure the tail now.

As for the bulge, i have fixed that. There is a plastic rod that runs through the polystyrene on the inside and on the outside of the model, there are to little lumps where the rod is held. I pulled them out a bit, hooked an elastic band on it and did the same on the otherside, so an elastic band runs along the cockpit front. it keeps the bulge in.

Thank again, you're a true hero!!!!

buickgs66

just some thoughts on your aerobird, my lhs sells a performance kit? for the aerobird,it comes with a complete tail wing ,all hardware,and 7 cell battery for $30.00, i bought one when i crashed and broke the tail,extra battery was the key for me,tail section is orange and the same as original... 3 inch clear 3m packing tape works great for repairs, new wing in 9.00 at my lhs, i had alot of fun with mine, just outgrew them...into 3d pigi and shock flyer now that i learned to fly with aerobird, oh yeh i am looking to sell 2 complete aerobirds with 7 batteries,4 wings many extras, will take $ 150 for both plus shipping all in original boxes one has 3 flights and they come with all original manuals,cd,streamers ect. both like new with only minor ding in nose and 2 wings have tape on them but 2 wings are new in packages, batteries are 30 each,2 chargers ect channels 3-4 e-mail me with aerobird in the subject or woud delete if i dont recognize sender ,,,,thanks scott

[email protected][img][/img]

d0m

theres a CD? i didnt get a CD with my aerobird probably why i crashed it[&o]

d0m

wahay!!!! im done repairing it after that nasty accident. Just spent like half an hour getting the tail at the right angle. I've not tested it yet. I will get some photos of the repair job up in a bit, if it flies.

Thanks for all your help, i just hope it works.

Thanks again

Dom

DFalpha

My Feedback: (3)

your very welcome...... as to the CD its no good....... Just shows them flying and trying to cell u the Sonic combat module

d0m

ok, just been for a flying test.

Got up there and it was too windy (well if the model was brand new and everything then the wind would have been ok, i mean its to windy for a lump of sellotape with a bit of plastic and foam stuck to it) but i did a range check, and everything went ok, about 400 meters away and everything was responding, so the radio's and electronics seem to be fine. Ill go up there later if the wind has died down a bit, if not then i will try tomorow and tell you the results.

wish me luck!

Dom

DFalpha

My Feedback: (3)

GOOD LUCK........ glad to hear its airworthy

d0m

ok, went out and got it into flight. from a hand launch into the winds, it flew fine, then started banking to the right a little, so i turned it all the was, so it was going with the wind, then as it got purpendicular to the wind direction (above some power lines which have never caused problems before) it started turning to the left, it then went all the way to the left. at this point, i realised i had no control over the plane, so i switched off the throttle, then the remote and started running for it. When i turned off the remote, i noticed it glided perfectly, rite accroos the valley (about a mile.) So i went to get it (i could see where it was, by the tiny fleck of.... ORANGE on the horizon) When i got there, i noticed the undercariage (the wheels) had come off, the front cover (the black bit) had come off, and the prop had come off. Allthese bits were found within about a 3 meter radius. So i put the prop back on, and realised it wasnt paralel with the wing. See the picture below.

So anyway, we walked the mile to get it and putt he prop back on, and returned to the football pitch and cricket pitch from where we had been flying it. We stood under the power lines with the plane, put the aeriel up oin the Transmitter, put the throttle to half, and started walking away, after about 50 meters, the throttle started twiching on and off, and the rudder was "trying" to move (you could hear the servos humming) By This time, it was getting late, so we packed it in, and came home.

from what i can see on closer inspection of the prop and motor, one of the screws on the side of the motor has come undone (it is still in there, but doesnt apear to be holding the motor in place) and from the fusalage getting pushed in from the last crash ([link=http://81.86.184.164/stuffs/plane/]http://81.86.184.164/stuffs/plane/[/link]) i think i will have to insert a rod or something like that, to stop it popping itself back in.

Anyways, like i said earlier, when i cut the controls in the flight, it glided perfectly straight, which leads me to beleive that there is no damage in the wings causing it to turn (so the repairs were successful)

What do you think it could be?

Thanks again.

Dom

DFalpha

My Feedback: (3)

had the same problem.... try replacing transmitter batterys. if that dosent help its a radio problem

Scar

My Feedback: (3)

Did I understand you to say you were flying under the power lines? Or were you just doing a range check under the power lines?

The frequency spectrum is sort of swamped with stray signal emission, around power lines, at least it's a possibility. You might want to try flying elsewhere.

Good luck
Dave Olson

d0m

i flew over the top of the powerlines, and thats where it started turning where i didnt want it to, i also did the range test under the power lines, just to confirm that there was problems.

Im gunna try and get it touch with the local flying club in hudderfield, because they have a field up on the moors where they fly.

Thanks

Dom

p.s. i will replace the transmitterr bateries and try again.