Tidnab

My Feedback: (51)

I aquired a partially assembled Telemaster Senior with a damaged wing half and fuselage.I figured how to fix the damage and am reading threads on how to reinforce weak areas and improve the kit.One area I'm not clear on is sheeting the fuselage to strenghten that area.What type and thickness of sheeting and what areas to cover.Do I cover the whole side or just certain areas.And sheeting parts of the wing.Thickness of sheeting and what part of the wings to cover.Also the wing halves are already built,but not covered.Can I still make it a two piece wing or am I stuck with a large one piece?Any help appreciated

jbarnes

I built the Senior last year and had two failures with it, both times the horz stab broke. Investigation yielded that the leading edge repeadtly broke which then caused the trailing edge to break and then things got hairy on the controls. I managed to save it both times. I was driving the plane hard which is not what you do with a Senior. The twist in the fuselage is a real problem in my mind. So, I decided to build a new one with the following mods.

1) Bolt on wing.
2) Sheeted bottom of fuse with 1/4" balsa.
3) Sheeted top with 1/4" balsa.
4) Sheeted sides with 3/32 balsa. (entire side front to back.
5) Sheeted horz stab 1.5" LE and 1" TE with 3/32 and cap stripped the rest of the ribs in the stab.
6) Increased rudder size to ease ground handling.
7) Took most of diehdral out of the wing (1 degree, orginal was 4 degrees).
8) Used dual aileron servos.
9) Boxed the main spar.
10) Beefed up landing gear area with another 1/4" ply plate.
11) Put a set of 3/16" gear with a 24" span to make it more robust and easier to land without scraping a wing tip.
12) Sheeted the wing from the center for 3 bays on each side with 3/32.

I did not do the two piece wing but I did reduce the overall size of the wing by deleting one bay on each side. I don't believe you will be able to do a two piece wing on an existing wing that has been glued together. It would be easier to build a new wing than attempt to tear apart the existing wing. Good luck, I'll post some pictures of mine in a couple of weeks when I get done with the covering. Jerry.

Tidnab

My Feedback: (51)

Thanks Jerry,for the info.I'll have to try what you did to your Senior.I'll have to see if Hobby-Lobby or Aerocraft R/C the makers of the kit sells a wing kit or I'll have to build one from the plans.I have a new OS 61 FX I got for it. With beefing it up will that engine be sufficent?I can build wood hull boats, but this is my first attempt at a plane.Luckly it's already started,but needs repaired.I guess I have to start somewhere.Thanks again.

jbarnes

Yep, that OS will be fine, thats what I had in my first Tele and it flys it just fine. Thanks, Jerry.

Rodney

I've built several of these. I usually sheeted the fuse with 1/16 inch sheet balsa which did not add much weight and definetely eliminated the twisting under load. I also removed all the dihedral from the wing, made them bolt on and increased the rudder size by at least 50%. No matter how you build yours, I'm sure you will find it a pleasure to fly.

Tidnab

My Feedback: (51)

Jerry or Rodney,Would eliminating 2 bays from the end of each wing(the wing tips aren't on yet) and making the wingspan about 12" shorter,be ok seeing that there is damage to each wing in that area.That would also make the ailerons shorter.If I could get the dihedral braces out or just cut them off and could find a way to drill the holes equaly for tubes to make a 2 piece bolt on wing with little or no dihedral,how many ribs would have to be drilled through?Would the ribs have to be reinforced with an added layer of balsa or thin plywood?Asking all these questions because a new wing kit is $65.00,over 1/2 the cost of a new airplane kit.

jbarnes

Eliminating a couple of bays is no problem. The Senior is a floater and even with two bays missing it'll still float on you. Ailreon's being smaller is not a issue either.