i put the ailerons on my funtana ,i pinned the hinges and set it up like the book said and now i have a little less than a 1/16 inch gap. my question is,, is this to much gap? should i seal the gap or is it really necessary? has anyone else had to seal the gaps on their funtana? i always seal the gaps on my fast planes, i don't know if it will make a difference on this plane. thank's for any help;; Larry

If the hinges go in very easy then you should seal it. If it is a little hard to get in its fine then.

This is one of those controversial topics. I plan on flying my Funtana at 3D speeds and I don't think the sealing pays off as much, especially if you have the gap they specify in manual (yours is good). I believe the manual says to try and get it to 1/64th of an inch. They don't tell you to seal it. I'd only seal it if I botched it and the gap was huge (happened to me on a Fun Fly..OOOOPS!!) []

Joe

I sealed the hinge gaps on my AW 60/90 Edge...it was about 1/16 of an inch...made a noticable difference in the response of the surfaces at all speeds...including 3D speeds.

MAN, i got my answers FAST, you guys are really on the ball;;; thanks for the help guys. anybody else have any opinions on whether or not to seal the hinges? thanks Larry

hmmm...interesting. Maybe it makes the control surfaces more effective even at 3D speeds? Now I'm starting to think about doing it. Also maybe it makes the effective wing loading less since the gap is sealed? Just theories.

Did you do all of the control surfaces or just the ailerons?

Joe

I do it on all surfaces...I make it a practice to do it on all my planes now...

I seal all my hindges, for aerodynamic enhancement as well as added security. A note which you my find interesting, back when I was into soaring (full scale) we always sealed the ailerom hinges with flexible tape, I would even have the canopy sealed after I was in. Any fairing or sealing makes a difference, did you realize that a 'round' red beacon light on a plane produces the same drag a the full verticle stab if it is unfaired sitting on top of the rudder? Round = drag, thats why stuts etceteras are airfoil shaped. I even use fairings on exposed servos, even though small, the exposed flat edge in the windstream is drag, especially important in pattern and formula racers. I found it interesting in the latest Model Airplane News seeing the pictures of unlimited racers with exposed external servos, can't understand that concept.

Len

Sorry all, typing faster than my proofreading skills, many type-Os........

Len

What type of material can be used for sealing on the Funtana?

I have not sealed the aileron hinge gaps on my Funtana. The gaps are 1/16" or less. I agree that planes with smaller ailerons and/or faster flying speeds could certainly benefit from sealing hinge gaps. However, one has to wonder if sealing the gaps on the Funtana would produce any measurable or noticeable effects. As far as aileron effectiveness goes, the Funtana certainly does not need more being that the ailerons are so massive. My Funtana rolls like a twist drill with 3D rates.

Ken Pavlou

Once you seal the hingelines on ONE plane, especially an aerobatic plane, you will not fly with them unsealed ever again. The difference can be dramatic and ALL the hingelines need equal attention.

Clear monokote or ultracote can be used and work fine, get the trim seal iron as it makes working in the hingeline very easy.

I usually just use clear packing tape... slice it in half length wise, it's worked good for me. Never had a problem with it coming off either.

Do you have any problems with it sticking to itself when its pushed together?

no you shouldn't have a problem with tape sticking because the peice of tape over the hinges is folded over on itself.

Does everybdy agree???

If you're going to do it, I think it would just be easier to use Ultra coat. The tape would be hard to get deep into the hinge and would stick on the way down. The Ultra coat can be pushed down into the hinge with a thin ruler and then just iron down both sides, one to the wing/stab and one to the control surface.

This is the way Hanger 9 showed me how to do it in the Ultra Stick 40 manual:

-Get some Ultra coat. Clear is best to use on any color.
-Cut a long strip strip 3 inches wide. Make the length to be just short of the length of the hinge line. Use a big straight edge and a hobby knife to cut a perfect strip.
-Fold the whole thing in half with the adhesive side on the outside. You will have a long 1.5 inch strip folded over.
-With it folded, cut it down to 3/8" from the crease. This may vary on your hinge depth. Make sure the crease reaches the bottom of your hinge and that you have a 1/4 inch lip on both sides of the hinge to iron down.
-Take the adhesive protective paper off the adhesive side.
-Use a thin ruler or straight edge and push the fold into the hinge so the tip of your fold is touching the hinges.
-While you're holding the crease all the way down to the hinge, start ironing down the 1/4 inch part that sticks out of the hinge to the wing and control surface with a cover iron. Iron down both sides of the seal but you really don't need to iron inside the hinge (on the bevels). In fact I think that would add more friction.

I used a feeler gauge to get exactly 1/64 th gap all along my hing line on my Funtana. I doubt that I would see any change if I sealed it so I won't. Also with the huge 3D throws on this thing, I don't want the sealing to cause any extra friction or binding in the hinge. Sealing does seem to add some.

Joe