Oh no! Broken 'bird!
 

I've taken to leaving the wings on my ABC all the time. Today I came home from class and saw my wing deflected off to one side and rubber bands everywhere. Yes, one of the wing mounting points broke off! Argghh! I've had it for less than a week. It's been through 3 battery packs and never crashed. I suspected that if my 'bird ever broke, I'd be the cause. Guess I was wrong! Is there a good reliable way to fix this without risking a break in-flight, or do I have to send it back to HobbyZone?

Matt

RE: Oh no! Broken 'bird!
 

Sounds to me you should take it back. It should definately last longer than one week.

An additional tip: disassemble the wing from the fuselage if when you don't fly. This way you keep the stress off the mount point as well as off the wing and on top of that off the rubber bands.

RE: Oh no! Broken 'bird!
 

Hmm, actually, I wonder if they'd even take it back at all considering that I did all the "strength mods" that are described on this site? I reinforced that tail boom and the motor mount areas with zip ties, etc. I actually did them last night in preparation for the fourth flight which was planned for today but cancelled due to high wind.

I ordered my ABC online after talking to a fellow at the LHS about it. I wanted to buy it at the LHS, but there was about a $65 difference between buying it there ($180 + tax) and ordering online ($115 + $15 shipping). If I have to send it back, I suppose I'll have to deal with either the web store I bought from or ZobbyZone directly.

I was thinking of breaking the other mounting point off, drilling holes through the plastic where they used to go, and then running some type of small aluminum bolt through there to hold the rubber bands in place. Does that sound like a workable idea?

Matt

RE: Oh no! Broken 'bird!
 

It might work, but instead of bolts, try using screws and coat them with something that sticks to the plastic (or better, use a nut from the inside to keep it in place). However, weight might become an issue... Anyway, I'm sure Hobbyzone would probably replace the fuselage if you send them the model and the receipt with a date on it...

PS: i see you're from GA.....if you're near Atlanta, then i can only give you one advice: go to atlantahobby. Their website is www.atlantahobby.com and Cliff, also a member of this forum (cliffw) will probably give you some helpful hints. He's great with customers.

RE: Oh no! Broken 'bird!
 

Here's my temporary solution that just might become a permanent solution!

The idea of reinforcing the 'bird with zip ties inspiried me to try to use them to fix this problem as well. I pulled the broken plastic peg out and ran a zip tie through the hole. I slipped three rubber bands through each side, then tightened it down (but not too tight). This should hold the bands in place. In a crash, the wing can still seperate by releasing the bands on the front mounting point. As a bonus, no more lost rubber bands! (I've already lost two.) I've attached some pictures, and I'll update this after flying a few more times to let you all know how well this method works.

RE: Oh no! Broken 'bird!
 

Looks like it might work!!!

Don't forget to take the wing off when you don't fly though.....it REALLY stresses all kinds of materials involved.

RE: Oh no! Broken 'bird!
 

Do you think it's okay to leave it on with just one rubber band per side, just to hold it in place?

Matt

RE: Oh no! Broken 'bird!
 

I wouldn't.....also there's no reason why.....it takes 1 minutes to put the wing back on...

RE: Oh no! Broken 'bird!
 

You could use a piece of hardwood dowel to fix that, but I do like your zip tie repair. This hobby is all about ingenuity.

Get a length of 3/16" dowel from your local hardware or big box home improvement store, drill out the holes in the fuselage big enough for the dowel to fit through but not so big it flops around, and install a piece of dowel long enough that it will hold the rubber bands.