tony0707

In over 20 plus years of flying mostly 40 and 60 size--GLO--airframes ( some 1/4 and 1/3 scale as well )
I must have a list of 50 to 75 things i have learned to do to keep my planes flying super reliably
Airframe : ( not in any order)
1 wrap my hays or sullivan tanks with duct tape,to stay a bit more presurised
2 soak all balsa under a control horn ( after pin holes ) with Ca ,and install the horn
CA to strengthen any other balsa or hard wood as needed
3 Use fuel tubing on all clevises
4 Use hayes clevises
5 The center of the fuel tank sb in line with the carb center
6 A see thru fuel filter - always
7 my wing to stab incidence is Zero and the engine is set at zero ( all on the same parallel plane ,to be pulling in exactly the same direction-- straight foward
This is done in the shop ,in a stand on the bench
Planes trim out and fly on rails
8 balance the plane front to back And left to right
The left to right balance ,when correct ,will cause the plane to center itself ,when being balanced
i do front to back ,with my fingers ( usually 1/4 to 1/2 inch behind the leading spar Or by the plans location ) and hang the plane from the ceiling by the engine to do left to right balance of the wing ( engine not on compression stroke ,so it can move )
9 balance all props ,to reduce vibration ,that can damage the radio equip and airframe With the engine running ,place your hand on the fuse ,the damaging vibration will Amaze You
10 Stopped using spinners and go with higley prop nuts ,to simplify prop changes
11 Correct size wheels ,for your runway surface
Taildraggs , just work a bit better on grass runways
21/2 or 3 inch wheels on a taildrager ,will handle any rough surface
12 fuel proof engine and tank areas
I use Sig buyterate clear dope to fuel proof ( old school and light )
i use the same clear dope to fuel proof under my Ultracoat at any seams i know i will have and then clear dope all seems on top and around any decals you may have
The clear becomes invisable
13 Use Ultracoat to cover ,as it is one of the lightest material for covering ,and weight counts
The Formula for performance is ALWAYS --Power to Weight Ratio
Lighter accelerates and deccelerates FASTER
That equals greater performance and unlimited vertical is always my goal
14 Always reinforce the base of the landing gear
I use 1/4 inch 5 ply ,plywood for that
1 use 1/4 by 1/4 hard wood ,under every one of my servo screws ,so screws penatrate deep into the wood
I have seen servos falling out ,after an airframe lands ,at the field , NOT mine
15 i always use the same fuel for the same engine , as the temps the different fuel will produce wil effect the way Glo engine perform
Effects the piston and sleeve clearences
Improves engines long term performance


More to come ,but do add any info you might feel has enabled your aircraft to improve there overall longeverty
i have many of my planes for 15 - 20 years ,many with hundreds of flights and still going strong

Do check out my gallery ,right here

Jennifer Curtis

Number one thing is pre-flight inspection.
Planes always last longer when problems
are found and fixed before flying. This also
helps prevent flying with wrong program selected.

Number two is keeping records, and reviewing
them. Before I fly, I check what fuel the plane
likes, and how it likes to be tuned. Not much of
an issue if you only have one plane and fly it
often. Other records like how quickly it burns
fuel, and how long the receiver battery lasts
also help a lot. When I break a prop and can't
find the part that shows the size, the records
tell me. etc. etc.

Number three. Never step over an airplane or
any part of it. Never hold it with my legs or ankles.

Number four, but possibly most important:
Never fly when I don't feel fully competent
and ready for it.

Jenny

speedracerntrixie

My Feedback: (29)

All good points so far, my addition seems easy but few do it these days.

Be meticulous with your build. Tight glue joints, quality materials, don't take any shortcuts. As said earlier, measure your airplane during construction to make sure all thrust angles and incidences are correct. If assembling an ARF do not assume everything is correct, measure. Once finished trim the airplane well. Pushing the trims until it will fly level hands off is not trimming. There are several trimming charts available online, print one up and follow it. Correct trimming will include adjusting the CG, adjusting the thrust line, measuring your surface movement to make sure they are moving the correct amounts but more importantly that they are moving the same amounts. Example if your right aileron has more throw then your left. An airplane that is trimmed correctly is easier to fly and will be more predictable thus live a longer life.

tony0707

16 I always wire tie ,all my electrical connections ,and use --- only ---GE silicone two , to secure the electrical connection to something solid in the fuse (other silicones fumes will damage radio equipment)
I use the same silicone to install my fuel tank , and the foam rubber i wrap my receiver and batteries in to something solid in the fuse
The silicone is a shock absorber ,and can be remove very easily if needed ( pulled apart)
17 I silicone my crystal in my tx and rx ,so they are not affected by vibration , had a crystal once break the base of a receiver ,from motion
18 Remove the back cover of the TX ,tighten down the screws on the gimbles all the way down ,so that the stiks go to center more quickly
I make the stiks as long as i can ,with the adjusters ,this gives more of a feel ,and slows the input ,giving me more of a control arch
19 Keep glo fuel closed tightly and in a cool place ,when using it
20 Always remove any fuel from your tank ,at the end of a days flying ,or it will get nasy in there
21 Always run out any fuel in the crankase ,to increase bearing life
I do not use after run oil ,if i will be flying the plane the next day
If you use afterrun oil after every day of flying ,the oil will have to be burnt off the following day ,before you can get a good NV setting
Do use afterrun for storage ,until you deside to fly the plane the next time ,which could be over a year ,as i have many planes
22 I use the red sullivan push rods ,with metal rod in them only and Hayes clevises
Always be sure the red rod covering is attached to the fuse ,mid way thru the fuse ,or the push rods will flex and reduce your control surface travel ,and make for a less than -- on rails flying feel
23 All my detail stuff ,is done on a work bench in my shop
alleron travel ,elevator travel , rudder travel incidence ETC
24 i always will cycle my Nicad rx battery when i take a plane off the walll that has been there for a long time , to be sure of no battery issues
The TX is cycled from time to time ,but holds up as a rule ,much longer than the rx batteries and the TX has its own meter
I build all my batteries for years ,using mostly 1000 ma and 6 volts on the RX ,which increses speed and holding power of the servos
I started with Nicads 20 plus years ago ,learned how to cycle and care for them and NEVER had a battery problem in all that time
So i stay with them
Lipos are just more than i choose to deal with
I will not put my family and home in harms way for a hobby

To be continued :

JPMacG

My Feedback: (2)

-Pay attention to the height of the tank relative to the carburetor (glow engines).
-Sideways mounted engines work best (glow engines).
-Every engine seems to have it's own set of peculiarities. Spend some time to learn them.
-Four strokes like fresh fuel. Two strokes are not as fussy.
-An Enya #3 plug works well in just about everything (for me).
-Running more than 10% nitro is an expensive indulgence with modest benefit if any.
-As tony0707 said, NiCd packs are very reliable, rugged, easy to handle, and last many years.
-Stay with Sanyo or Panasonic cells - watch out for counterfeits.
-The best charger for NiCd and NiMH is the old 60 mA wall wart that came with your transmitter 10 years ago.
-Peak detect chargers ruin battery packs.
-I like Dubro prop nuts - cheap, rugged, easy to install, engage starter cone well, and last forever.
-Tail draggers are easier to set up, require less maintenance, and handle grass runways better.
-For grass runways, use large wheels - 3 inch diameter or more.
-Plan to spend many flights getting your trims, balance and transmitter settings just right.

A. J. Clark

I keep a log book on all my battery ( tx, rx, and ign ). Each spring I cycle them before I fly them to check there capacity.
Then again at midseason. Then from one year to the next I can seen when the capacity is starting to go down. I use a
marker to date every battery when it went into service. Then there's no question how old the battery is.

aspeed

+1 on the prop nuts. I make all of my own out of 5/8" or 3/4" aluminum hex stock with a radius like an acorn nut, but drilled and tapped through. Just to add something else to keep on topic, Every hard landing, wiggle the landing gear, tail , and twist the wing to check for "softness", and tilt the plane nose up, and shake it, to get the clunk back at the back. Sometimes the battery and receiver gets loose on me too. Hmm, maybe others don't make hard landings?

RACE 66

Merry Christmas Every One !

aspeed: I just go onto this the other day. I had seen an illustration of using a plastic drinking straw as a stiffener for your fuel line in the tank. This way it is impossible for the line to "kink" in the forward position. I cut the length of straw just enough where by the fuel line/straw swings easily back and forth in the tank prior to installing it. I will be using this on my next build for 1/12 size - .15 powered Reno racers.

tony0707

25 After test running the engine on a bench , to be sure it is on point
i use a tach to verify my top RPM numbers are correct and all is well
Take the plane to the flight line
Raise the antenna on the Rx ( i do this once for the entire day , as to not forget that , as planes can fly away )
Check your trim tabs on the RX ,so they are located were they SB,if you have prior flights
Before every flight ,run up the engine ,and work all control surfaces, so you are good to go
You are ready to taxie out onto the runway

aspeed

Yes, I have used the pen tubing for this. A lot of my smaller planes like the .15s have such a short tank line that they barely flop around enough already. The 6 oz and larger tanks are good for this mod.

FlyerInOKC

My Feedback: (6)

When you purchase a new engine follow the manufacturer's break in and adjustment instructions and prop recommendations. Different engine do break in differently and its the manufacturer who will know best. Only after breaking in the engine experiment with prop combinations. I have purchased son really great glow engines on the cheap because they were flown without breaking them in or adjusting them correctly.

Air tool lubrication oil is a good, inexpensive after engine run oil and should be used every 3 to 6 months if you don't fly the airplane. I prefer Marvel Mystery Oil for Pneumatic tools myself.

When researching a prospective new engine you have never run before ask more than one person (the more the better) using the engine for an opinion. Ask how they broken in the engine, type of airplanes they used it on, the fuel used, and any quirks they found along the way. Don't forget to ask them what their style of flying is and how the engine met their needs.

Always use a muffler and use the pressure fitting to pressurize the tank.

tony0707

I second the fact that -Peak charging destroys nicad batteries ,and the acucycle elite peak charger , from Tower hobby is the worst purchase i have ever made in the hobby ,and Tower would do NOTHING to Fix this inferior product, they claimed was the best charger ever --all BS

I use -Digi pace two charger and cycler-- for my nicads ,bought my last one for 5 dollars ,at a swap
Very good tool for nicads

26 I find that when i go home from a day at the field , I sit and --write down all the things happened -that day ,that may require some attention
Thinking through the days flying ,helps me keep the airframe in a good state of repair
A hard landing for example would require you examine the balsa for cracks ,especially under film coverings ,the could lead to the cracked balsa failing
That should be done when you identify the problem ,if you are still planing on doing more flights and are at the field

27 Use the ESV before every flight ,to determine nicad battery condition

28 Every plane has an --index card --,written in pencil so details can be adjusted ,with all special details for a given engine and airframe

29 I always use the same fuel for a given glo engine ,as this keeps the cylinder temps generated the same and that effects the clearences to the piston and linner clearences
Very important to maintain good compression
My fuel of choise is Mogan Omega 15% ,and i use it on all my engines ,so i am only carring one fuel always
Everything runs great on this stuff
Omega is a blend of Syn and castor oil
Castor oil is a must in glo fuel ,and protects the metals more ,when needed most ,and the going gets hot internally
I will add ,two onces of Castor oil to my fuel when I run any glo engine that is not a major brand ,to protect the metal

tony0707

30 Always RX off first ,when returning from the flight line ,or someone on your channel ,could control your plane and engine ( dangerous )
31 First flight :

I do some flight balancing on the first flights
The plane has been balanced front and sideways at home
I add weight to the tail usually in 1/4 onces ,until i can just hang a bit on the elevator on the corners and have the plane fly the race track pattern
Doing that gives --all my aircraft ,--the same kind of stick feel ,on the corners

if you are carring some up or down elevator ,when the plane is trimmed to fly straight and level, you need to shim the wing ,( back or front of wing)to change the wing incidence ,the exact amount of elevator ,you are carring
That will bring the elevator back to level ,where you want it to be

Record your trim locations on your RX ,to lock in for future flights
You may want to install some expotencial to soften the stiks travel ,at the sticks center ,while having full surface deflection at full stick

tony0707

Glo starter :
Tower carries a --gray glo starter --,that takes rechargable C batteries
This is the very best glo charger ,i have ever used ,and never has run out of power with the first battery used in it

31 The engines idle Must fly the plane to the ground when the throttle is shut down
The average idle i use on most of my engines is about 1,000 RPMS
The idle should be adjusted to allow for the daily wind speed ,down the runway
I will shut down the throttle and find a mark on the ground ,when i do that ,that i can relate to
That would be on the down leg ,coming on to the base ,when needed i go back on throttle 2-3 clicks ,just enought to keep the foward motion, then shut down again The idle now takes over to land the plane
If going to fast ,just go around and adjust where you shut off the first time ,based on your ground marker
I like to touch down just a slight bit before were i am standing on the runway ,as this gives me the best look at what the plane is doing ,so i can adjust and bring the plane to my feet

tony0707

32
One of the most common mistakes ,that will destroy an aircraft ,is having the ailerons reversed
Be sure they move correctly before you leave the shop
33
i only fly Futaba equipment for my 23 years
My instructor flew Futaba for 30 years before i started the hobby
Never a radio issue in all my time ,i an still on 72 mgh for that reason ( if it ain 't broke ,don' t fix it )
I am not , a new gaget ,i need it kind of guy ,but look for tried and true performance at the field i

34
I have used K&B 1L glo plug for all the years i am flying ,in all my engines
A medium heat range ,that is extremely reliable an durable
For years they were the glo plug that most shop had on hand ,but that has changed
You have to look for them now ,but they are available

35 All glo engines SB run a bit rich on take off
About 2-300 off peak RPM ( doing the pinch tubing test ) ,as all glo engines will go leaner as the fuel in the tank goes down
If you are lean on take off ,your engine will go leaner ,and the heat will shut the engine off ,so you are now dead stick
Always be prepared in advance for a possible dead stick ,by thinking out a location you might land the plane in
Once the engine goes out - yell Dead Stick ,as it will give you and others the chance to clear the runway for you if you can get back to it

FlyerInOKC

My Feedback: (6)

The most important lesson (from my .020/.049 CL days) keep your fingers away from the spinning prop if you want to keep them!

tony0707

36
When any engine starts to run a bit odd on the bench
Will not hold an idle or shuts down on the top end ETC
You need to be sure that ,AIR is not leaking into the engine
If you see the engine is running a bit hotter than usual ,by taping you head with your hand ( do not grab it ,it will burn you )
Be sure that no air is getting into the engine thru the gaskets ,by tightening the head bolts ,OR from the tank
I use double tubing ,at all the tubing connections ,as the engine sucks fuel from the tank and needs tight connections
I do the same with the needle valve ,to reduce any possible air leak ,there
A glo plug change may be in order ,especially if your prior flight was lean
Lean flights KILL glo plugs

37
In theory you should NEVER run a glo engine lean ,as the heat produced can damage and warp the aluminum engine parts
Castor oil bonds to the internal engine parts ,to protect them as much as is possible ,that is why it is a must in glo engines
I do all my own engine work for years ,and see very little wear of any kind ,when the engines come apart
Many of my engines have a lot of time on them ,and perform like new

tony0707

Amen ,on watching the very dangerous props

38 Wheel collars :
Remove the very soft alan key head bolts that come with them ( and constantly strip ) and replace them with an alan kety head bolt of the same thread size
No more wheels falling off

39 Wire landing gear ,just does not give me the ground handling I require ,aluminum or fiberglass works ,with large tires that will roll over a lot of crap on the ground
Prop clearence is some of the issue with the correct gear

40 i build with CA as a rule ,so i move along ,with the build
For sheeting it is best to join them with Tight bond water proof glue ,as it can be sanded more easily ,which is not the case with CA

41 A very good tailwheel is a great thing to have
I have built my own tailwheels for a number of years
They can do wonders for the ground handling , of a tail dragger

tony0707

42
I replace a lot of the wood in a given kit ,very often
The center wing joiner is replaced with 1/8 or 1/4 5 ply -plywood depending on the planes size ( 40 or 60 )
firewall is 1/4 5 ply
under main gear 1/4 5 ply
under horns 1/16 ply ( pin holes and CA the balsa ) Balsa under horns ,get crushed ,cracked and can flex reducing control feel
tailwheel 1/8 5 ply
You need to have some good wood ,so your screws have a good bite ,to hold tight
We are building for the long haul here , by reinforcing the areas that take the abuse of flight and rough landings

43 Wing hold down bolts
I use 4 --metal bolts --and very hard ,hard wood secured to the fuse
Either the wing stays on Or it gets riped off ,no nylon bolts that fatique over time and with use

tony0707

Keep in mind that ,these are the things i choose to do ,to make my aircraft extremely good for years of flying ,and really may not be for everone

Hindges:
I chose to use the CA type hinges on all my control surfaces
Never had a hindge failure
I mark the location of --half the hinge --on my control surfaces ,keeping one - 1/2 inch or so from the end of the surface ,to prevent any flutter
I then cut out the marked hindge ,1/2 way thru the control surfaces and scoop out a pug i have made ,so that the hindge fits down into the control surface ,half way thru it
The indentation i have cut out gets pin holed and CA'ed ,then the hindge is installed and that is CA'ed again
Now i take the plug i had removed earlier and CA that on top of the cut out indentation
Now the balsa will be a little high in that spot and will need to be cut smooth and level
You can use vasoline in the crease to prevent the CA , from getting to stiff there
Do that to every hindge on all the control surfaces
I have no faith in the cutting the slot ,slip the hindge in and hope you glued it in right ,idea

Do seal all hindge lines ,so as to improve there contol authority
I use film coverings due to there light weight ,and often just iron the gap between the control surface as i cover a surface with one piece of film

FlyerInOKC

My Feedback: (6)

Whenever possible before building a control surface line up the leading edge to the trailing edge of the part it will hinge on and make the hinge slots by going thru the leading edge into trailing edge, this will make for perfect alignment regardless of the type of hinge used.

jlguru

Buy quality engines. I finally had to concede that I am not a master engine tuner/mechanic/trouble shooter. When I bought cheap/used engines, it was always a trial and error struggle resulting in poor runs and dead stick landings. I ended up tearing up air frames trying to get a cheap engine running right. Since then I've standardized my fleet with 2 stroke OS engines with great success. I always use OS #8 glow plugs and Omega 15% fuel. I understand what to expect from them, how to tune them, how to repair them, and how to run them. I rarely have dead stick landings. And, I seldom tear up air frames anymore. Life has gotten much better and plane longevity has gone way up.

Live long and prosper
Jerry

FlyerInOKC

My Feedback: (6)

Way to go Jerry, sticking with a known quality really makes a difference. I buy a lot of second hand NIB OS Max FP and some Super Tigre engines. The new old stock are easy to find and reasonable to buy. Guys buy them, never run them, and then can't find anyone wanting 2 cycles until I come along. I use a 15% Nitro fuel in everything I own and have good luck with it. I own a few Saito 4 strokes but they are the only 4 cycles I buy and they like the same fuel. Recently I picked up a .10 FP and a .15 FP, both were still new, in the box, and still had the LHS tag on them. I already have a kit for the .15 and a project planned for the .10.

flycatch

My Feedback: (26)

Read all the post and allot of the suggestions are mandatory but usually are not adhered too. One thing that has not been mention when using gas or 4 cycle engines is the retainer servo horn screw. This screw will back out when screwed into the metal output shaft of the servo gear train. This does not apply to a servo using a nylon output gear. "Blue" loctite must be applied to this screw or due to the engine knock will back out. The servo arm may disconnect from the servo. I speak from experience and this may lead to a crash.

FlyerInOKC

My Feedback: (6)

4 cycles weren't mention because Tony was aiming the thread at 2 cycle engines, his preferred power plant. I prefer ball links on the connections to 4 cycle carbs and quite often I find a DuBro # 665 4 Stroke Throttle Linkage makes the setup a lot easier.