ORIGINAL: balsabandit
I can't believe that there are no modelers in your part of New Jersey. That area used to be ( well in the 50's anyway) a hotbed of model airplane enthusiasts. Could be that they are all either dead, or have like me, moved to Florida. Do you have a local Hobby Shop? I'll bet that there are some of us, "Old Timers" that can help get you on the right track. (No Troll intended here so don't even start) I don't think that you will find the level of expertise that you need from those of us who have only done ARF's. You need the help of someone who understands Aircraft structures. Find an old guy (yeah like me) who is retired, or semi-retired, and let him get his teeth (if he still has any) into this. I feel that this may be your best out. At least since as you have said that you don't want to trash the entire project, you could build a new friendship, and learn a completely new facet of this hobby.
Bill
It's funny you say that. My dad probably planted this seed in me. He used to build balsa kits and always wanted to fly them (but never got there). He used to take us to Thompson Park in Jamesburg to watch the RC planes. My parents retired to The Villages!!! Pretty funny huh!?
To answer your question, my town hobby shop closed about the time I bought my first 3 channel (2 months ago). I've passed that shop for 8 years and never went in. The day I crashed my Cub, I went to buy parts and they had just closed the doors. No biggy though. There aren't any other shops withing 20 miles or so. But I found a place in NYC that I can hit on the way to or from work. I can get parts there, but like everything else in the city, it's not a great place to "bond."
I looked at the model again this morning. The trailing edge of the wing can be bent straight, and I think a little heat may hold it there. And the ailerons are both out of alignment so to speak, in the same direction (or symetrically). So whatever impact they will have on flight, they should cancel eachother out. Once I get the new fuselage, I will see if that is better. If so, I will work with that and straigthen everything else as best I can. Then I am going to fly it. If it crashes, so be it. I think by that time I will have learned a lot of what to look out for, a little about how to fix it, and I will move on to something else to fly. But maybe it will fly well enough, or even good, so that I can keep flying it (and move on to something else new to fly!!).
Incidentally, I've thought about getting another "easier" plane to build so I can get in the air. But I have to believe that they are all going to come with challenges built in, so I am actually thinking about seeing this Cessna through first. I hate to keep running out and buying a bunch of parts and a plane and having two or three of them lying around because I can't finish them. At least, that's what I imagine might have happened.
Stay tuned!!