ORIGINAL: 2slow2matter
ORIGINAL: bbbair
I swear ARFs are going to be the downfall of the hobby! [
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A hole in the Covering is a simple fix - if you have som spare monocoat left over from your build. As you bought an ARF you don't have any left over scrap and probably don't have an iron to apply it. . .
OK, options;
#1, go to your LHS and buy a roll of covering material and cut off a patch that is about twice the size of the hole, tack it in place with your covering iron and then seal it up and shrink it tight.
#2, find a friend that has some scrap covering and apply as in #1,
#3, Field repair, buy a roll of Tuck Tape* peel off a piece and apply to the wing, you'll be flying in 30 seconds.
*Tuck Tape is a type of packing tape used in Canada by building contractors to attach vapour barriers to houses. It is light weight, strong and the glue will stick to anything! The problem is that it is red with black lettering and once applied it will NOT come off. (not pretty, but you will be flying!)
Good Luck!
Actually, they may be the saving grace of the hobby. It's because of ARF's that you enjoy some of the lowest prices (adjusted for inflation) that you've ever seen in the hobby.
Think about it--a lot of people in the hobby today are in it because of the ARF's. I don't know why people have such a hard-on against ARF's. What's the big deal? People want to fly, and ARF's are the answer if you don't have the time to build a plane. We are stressed enough for time as it is. Not all of us are retired, you know!
More people in the hobby=more buying power=more pressure for better, cheaper technology=more, better, cheaper products--especially electronics. It also = more people in the AMA, making it stronger than ever before as a lobbying service for us. I'm new to the hobby--only because I always wanted to do it before, but couldn't afford it. About a year and 1/2 ago, my brother re-introduced me to the idea, and i was really amazed at how cheap the stuff was now. Not that 300 dollars is cheap, but it's a steal compared to the prices of things back in the 80's when I was a kid! The world's changing--either change with it, or die bitter!
BTW, I've flown RTF, ARF, and Kit. I enjoy building kits, but don't want to spend the time on building one more than once a year--I have a family that wants some of my time as well.
Amen brother. There was a column in either this month's or last month's Model Avaiation discussing this very thing. Sometimes, I feel like the old guys at our club look down on the guys (myself included) who choose to fly ARF's when they really shouldn't. Yes, I didn't build up the wing and cover it, but you know, there is still plenty of building when it comes to ARFs' anyway. Not to mention the fact that you are exactly right when it comes to pricing. They (ARFs) have helped drop the prices of kits and everything else as well. You can get a Tower Hobbies Uproar kit for around $40. Throw a $50 Super Tigre 40 in it with electronics and everything you will have a fun flying plane that cost around $200 total! How much would that have cost 15 years ago?
Additionally, let us all remember that most ARF's can be had and flying at a cheaper cost than most kits (the Uproar is an exception to the rule). Financially speaking, with the increased prices it seems like for everything these days, sometimes it's just purely based on a financial decision by the individual flyer. As such, we should not look down on them b/c they may have less desposable income than say a kit builder or a retired flyer who has less financial commitments.