Here’s the finished, covered plane fully assembled ready for its first flight. From a few feet away you can’t tell it has suffered from crushed wings with a hole in one wing. I refigured the total working time and I spent about 4 hours to both repair and assemble the plane.

In summary, this is a very basic, straight forward repair. While some people may seem intimidated by cutting open a wing, especially on a new, unassembled plane, it’s not difficult. Just think through the process and follow some basic steps:

1) Look at the damage, and don’t be afraid of the 4 P’s – push, pull, poke and prod. You will be surprised at the damage that can be found with your fingers.

2) After you haven determined the extent of the damage, remove the covering as required, and start assessing the damage to determine how you need to remove the damaged areas. This is where you want to give the structure a very good visual inspection.

3) Don’t be afraid to cut into the structure. There isn’t a part on a plane that a modeler can’t fabricate and use to replace a factory made part. Make sure you take your time cutting away the damaged pieces that need to be removed. Some can be left in place and fixed with a doubler attached to them.

4) Decide what parts need to be replaced, make templates and fabricate new parts. Test fit the parts as you go along making adjustments as required. If a part doesn’t look or fit right, then cut another one. Balsa is cheaper than a complete flying plane.

5) Take your time replacing the parts making sure you have good glue joints and everything fits correctly. Pay attention to the surrounding structure so you put everything back straight. After it’s all back together, reapply the covering, and check the balance to make sure nothing has changed.

6) Take it out and fly! When you get to the field, give the plane a thorough inspection. If you have any doubts, have another club member check it over. Then double check everything to make sure you didn’t forget to hook anything up or hooked something up backwards. For the first flight, depending on the type and location of the repair, treat it as the first flight the plane has made.

The most important thing to remember is to take your time and seek help or ask questions if there is something you don’t understand how to do.