Woodruff-X

I have an old Duraplane Trainer 40 that I'm trying to learn on. I need to balance it but I have no idea whew the balance point is for this plane. The "plans" don't show it and I don't have the book for it. Anybody also own this plane that could tell me? Also I'm curious if anybody else flying this plane finds that the tail shaft (aluminum channel) alows the tail to shake back and forth. I find that just using rudder to steer is impossible because the tail is rocking back an forth.

Flying Foot Doc

My Feedback: (2)

I had one of those a LONG time ago. I think I balanced it somewher around the front 1/3 of the wing chord. There may be people who have had good luck and good flying with their DuraPlanes, but I can't say the same about mine. never flew well,and now it is just a distant unpleasant memory. I always thought I would go back to a Balsa USA Stick 40 plus, which I did like when I first started 14+ yrs ago. But I never did, ....so many planes just so much time.. Good Luck, Doc

submikester

My Feedback: (6)

I flew a durabat for a very long time a very long time ago. Yes the tail flexed a bit much but all in all it flew well enough and I enjoyed the heck out of it.

YOu could always build some ailerons onto your trainer and have a full 4 channels.

jquid

I too had a Durabat-I referred to it as the DuraBrick, as that was how well it glides when you loose an engine!

lakedunmore52

I just started to build one tonight. Looking through the plans it calls for the CG 3 5/8 from the leading edge. As I have flown duraplanes for years I find that it is not that important where the CG is. I oversived the engine. Using an OS 50 on mine flies great and my CG is 1" back from the leading edge. Of coarse I usually fly mine at full throttle. Just go out and have alotof fun with it.

lakedunmore52

I forgot to mention alierons are a must.

Woodruff-X

yeah I have ailerons, having a problem with the motor (OS 40 FP) quiting mid-flight, so I thought I'ld throw an extra fuel tank on (thinking that air in the fuel from unsteady flight is the cause), but needed to rebalance. Well several crashes later I removed the extra tank (too much weight) retuned the needle valve and it flew great. Later that night I tried to show it to my friend and his dad, of course the engine quit and an emergency landing into their firewood pile left a huge tear in the leading edge. A Dura-Trainer just doesn't stay aloft and float back to me in an emergency like a Kadet does. Love Those Kadets!!!!! Thank you guys for your info.

davo580

general rule of thumb it is about the wing spar

spawndn72

I have found that they fly better with no landing gear.

Thumprding

About the spar area is correct.

Take the landing gear off and it flies a lot better, glides a lot better too.

franklin_m

I have a Duraplane Trainer 40. Built completely stock, by the book, with an older O.S. 40 FP turning a 11x5 (more like 10.5x5 now) for power. I've got almost three gallons of fuel through it, and I love the plane. Mine is balanced at 25% of the chord and it flies fantastic.

Will it float like most other trainers? No; the wing loading is higher. However, it taught me to slow down in the pattern and fly good solid landings. Have I had deadsticks? Yes. Does it come down like a rock? No. Again, it's higher wing loading than most trainers, but it's not a space shuttle-like glide ratio either. Just like any plane, it's all about energy management. Once the engine quits, whatever you have in the way of kinetic energy (airspeed) and potential energy (altitude) is all you've got. You can trade airspeed for altitude, or altitude for airspeed, but only so far. Again, just like a real plane, once you suffer an engine failure, the pilot has to evaluate energy status, winds, distance to runway, and heading in relation to the runway and make an immediate decision on a plan and then stick with that plan. As a personal habit, when flying any newer and less reliable engine / airplane combination, I try to keep my flight a little on the high side, a little on the fast side, and as close to the runway as I can stand. That way, if I lose an engine, I've got plenty of energy to point the nose down, head toward the downwind end of the runway, and set up for my one and only landing pass. If I come in fast, so be it. I set landing attitude and just let the speed bleed off. Better a controlled or semi controlled excursion off the end of the runway than a stall at low altitude.

Just my 2 cents.
Frank