ETpilot

I built this Debonair as my trainer plane for my re-entry into RC flying. So far it has been a good decision for me. This a great flying plane and very suited for my needs. It is also very robust. It can take some mishaps and keep on flying. Mine has seen a cartwheel and a few landing flip overs. Damage; a small crease on a wing tip and horizontal stabilizer. Both are barely visible. I built it in accordance with the plans except I made it a tail dragger instead of a trike. BUT, it has one feature I dislike; those RUBBER BANDS. So I decided to do a modification changing the rubber bands for wing hold down bolts. This is an after the fact mod, so I did not have room for a good fit on the front bolts. They contact the wing upper camber at an angle. I added a piece of auto fuel tubing, cut at an angle, so the bolt heads contacts the fuel tubing square and the tubing contacts the wing at the proper angle. Later i may change the tubing for a spacer I sometimes use. I couldn't find a spacer in the shop. So far it looks good and feels like a pretty solid wing attachment. I will use 2 plastic brush handles as an awl to find and center the front and back bolt holes during wing attachment. This may help on a windy day.

I also repainted the blue wing wrap. I did a lousy job on that paint job. The blue peeled off as a film. What was left was easily removed with a brush. Hopefully the yellow will hold better.


While I was at it, I decided to mod my Life battery balance plug. This is a very short plug hard to reach in my installation. So I made an extension making it easily accessible. I also noticed a little movement in my homemade engine mount. So I added a little aluminum angle to reinforce it. This plane is so easy to work on. All good to go now. Tomorrow I will give her a test flight.