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Old 10-15-2006 | 01:54 PM
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Fastsky
 
Joined: Dec 2001
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From: Calgary, AB, CANADA
Default RE: balance side mounted engine?

If the plane is a trike gear, I rest the tip of the tail on the bottom of the fuselage on a pencil placed length wise to the fuselage on the freezer and lift the plane by the nose cone while hanging on to one side of the wing. Then I make sure that the plane is level and then carefully loosen my grip on the wing and see if it starts to tilt to the side or if the plane remains level. I may push the plane slightly to one side and then the other if the balance seems to be ok. If it is, it will self right itself. If the plane tilts to the side, I use some electrical tape and stick on a piece of weight beside the outside edge of the wing rib on the outside edge of the wing opposite to the tilt. Then I check the balance again and add or delete some weight until the plane balances. From experience I can usually guess how much weight to start with. When I have the weight I need, I make a slit in the covering over the wing rib and use canopy glue to glue the weight in. After the glue has cured overnight I patch the slit with a piece of covering. If the plane is a tail dragger, then the only difference is that I rest the plane on the tail wheel to check the balance. I use canopy glue instead of epoxy because it remains semi-flexible, flows around the weight easier, and won't let go. [8D]