diggs_74

Let me set the stage for you all... I have about a dozen or so Q40 flights under my belt on an old Napier that flies pretty well just not that fast.. I recently purchased a slightly used Lyle Larson Dago Red and moved my gear into that. Tonight was the maiden and as you can tell by the name of this post, it didn't fly that great. As a matter of fact I would consider it unflyable.. I did manage to return it to the earth in one piece after about 10 seconds in the air. I checked everything over real well and didn't see anything out of the ordinary. I thought maybe these just need to get going a little faster before they start flying well... I increased my aileron throws a little and sent it up again. I know, not the smartest thing to do. Guess what, the faster it went the more it rolled left and the more right aileron input I gave it. When the right stick bottomed out I flipped on the high rates and shut it down, again somehow returning to the safety of the ground but not as nicely as before.

So, the question is do I try the heat method to staighten the wing or do I try to find a new one? There was some leading edge damage that will have to be fixed... Do I fix that before trying to straighten the wing? I would prefer to fix it and get it flying as I just sent in my entry form for the NMPRA Champ race in Houston next month...

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated..

Thanks.

garys

I've heated a molded wing with a heat gun to twist it. It worked fine, but if you get it too hot, the paint will suck into the glass. Not a big deal other than it doesn't look as good. I've also heard of people using the oven in the kitchen to heat most of the wing panel more evenly. I've never done it, but it supposedly keeps the paint from sinking into the glass as much.

diggs_74

I just got done reading Darrol's article on the procedure for straightening wings... The question I have now is do I fix the minor leading edge damage first or straighten the wing first?

garys

If the damage isn't too bad, I'd probably straighten it first, then fix the LE.

diggs_74

The damage is a LE crack that had been fixed before I got it... I would like to fix it first I think to make sure the skin is stable... Otherwise, I think it will "pop can" on me when I try to straighten it...

garys

You'd have to really overheat it to get it to "pop can", it doesn't take much heat at all to get a molded wing to move. That being said, if it's basically just a split leading edge, it really wouldn't matter if it were fixed before or after. If it were a bigger repair, I'd probably try to straighten it before fixing it, with the idea that maybe the fix will help keep it straight. Who knows?

DHG

My Feedback: (7)

Lee,

I'm with Gary on this one: straighten it first, then glue the sides of that leading-edge split together and finish the repair. If there's a twist in the wing, the top and bottom skins will want to move past each other at the LE as you un-twist it. Then, when the wing is straight and the edges of the split are in proper register, you can pin them together permanently with a good glue joint and it'll be less likely to re-twist later.

The mechanics are sort of like what's involved in an earthquake fault. Do you have those in Wisconsin?

Duane

diggs_74

No quakes here in 'Sconie land but I get the idea After looking into it last night a little deeper I would agree that the repair may aid in holding the wing straight... I'll tackle it tonight and report back on how it went... Maybe I'll even take some pics and post them. Thanks again for the info..

diggs_74

I didn't take any pics because it took about 5 minutes to do and rechecked it a while later and it didn't move so I assume it will stay put. I cut out the damaged area of the leading edge and replaced it with some balsa block and glass... It's as painted as it's going to get so I'll have to see how it goes.. Maybe this weekend if it doesn't rain.

Something for you guys to try the next time you have to do this... After checking the incidence on the left wing I moved the meter to the right side (warped side) and saw that I had a delta of 2 degrees different. I didn't feel like holding the wing until it cooled so I hung some light weights (needle nose pliers) off the bar of the incidence meter until it went past were I wanted it by about a degree.. Then I went and ate dinner... When the weight came off it was right on where it needed to be.

splatt

Rain, rain, stay away. At least for our last darn race before the snow flies.

Hope your wing stays straight, I still need to effect repairs on my Dago, hate being on the bench while the weather is still nice.

Wonder if the corn is down yet?

diggs_74

I doubt it... If he didn't take it down by now he probably will leave it up until it's all dry... If he was going to green chop it he would have done it by now I would think..

If it doesn't rain I'll bring out the Dago for a test run... At least that way I can get it on the course... That's assuming that the fix corrected the left roll issue.

daven

My Feedback: (1)

Looks like rain. I drove by the field this morning, and the corn is still there. Problem waiting for things to dry out a bit.

diggs_74

Test flew the Dago tonight with the straightened wing... Amazing how nice they fly when everything is on... I think I need to go a little more as I still have a little right aileron trim in it. Other than that the thing flies like a dream.. Thanks for the help all.

garys

Glad to hear it worked for you. It may be something you have to adjust every now and then, but you got the hang of it. Jim Allen has a Miss Ashley that gets the wing straightened about once a year, as over time it creaps back in. No biggie, especially when you consider how long that poor thing has lasted. It's beginning to look like hell (had a test flight mid-air the morning of it's first race, and a few since then), but it still gets the job done.

diggs_74

Yeah, I think I'm going to work on it a bit more and then try and put it on the course on Saturday... However, Saturday is the duck hunting opener so I'll have to weigh my priorities..

splatt

Skeet shooting Q-40's...

diggs_74

Ooooooo, wouldn't that be fun... That sounds like something we'd do here in WI....

daven

My Feedback: (1)

Actually, thats something you'd do in WI after drinking a twelver.

BUDMAN27

How are you guys flying 185 mph airplanes at night?

Super Splatter

We duct tape birthday candles on the wing tips

BUDMAN27

wouldn,t that make em to heavy?