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Old 08-24-2005 | 08:26 PM
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hopkimf
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From: Batavia, IL
Default Inadequate Fuselage Section Mid-Wing Arf

I just broke up a Tower hobbies supplied Phoenix Sukhoi after an accidental dump into the weeds. The Sukhoi was real cheap...maybe $88 or so on sale. It flew OK. But the problem with this plane and most of the mid wing ArFs is both the lateral and vertical strength of the fuselage in the wing area. Since the wing takes most of the section out of the fuse (and the wing or deck below the wing contribute nothing to fuselage strength), there is little to resist lateral or vertical loads in an unintentional landing. I've built GP Caps, Hangar 9 Caps, you name it. They're all the same. Lots of section where it isn't needed and not enough where it is. The fuse is a big tubular section ahead of and aft of the wing. But in the wing area it's cut to nothing.

I have decided this will be the last plane of mine to suffer from this weakness. I'm going to beef up that area in my current and future planes to make sure the section in the wing area is close to the sections ahead of and behind the wing. It won't keep me from breaking them up, but I believe it will help eliminate a weak point. Comments welcome.