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Old 12-30-2003 | 11:56 AM
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JNorton
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From: Coopersville, MI
Default RE: shoestring?

Let me tell you about my experience glassing the center section of a wing.

My first plane was an LT40 ARF and I did not have a clue. To keep the wing together after I had epoxied it I turned it vertical - resting on a chair with the top of the wing in the rafters of the basement. I had taped the center section together. I looked at it and everything was great. Went to bed. In the morning I was extremely upset to discover that the wing had twisted 3/16 of an inch axially. In other words one leading edge was offset from the other. Bummer.

At the advise from one of my club members I used a model saw and cut the wing in half. Next I epoxied it back together on the bench with one section of the wing flat and the other section propped up. Like I should have done the first time. I was worried it would not have any strength becuse I had cut the joiner, but a member of my club suggested glassing the center section of the wing.

All I could find was 3" wide fiberglass tape at the LHS so that is what I used. I mixed the epoxy with alcohol to thin it and glassed the wing.

Later that year I flew it into a pine tree while landing. Took a 3" chunk out of the leading edge of the wing. Later I tip stalled the plane and cart wheeled it. That was 3 years ago. The center section has held.

I glass my center sections. JMO.
John