RCU Forums - View Single Post - wing covering
View Single Post
Old 06-20-2008 | 03:34 PM
  #2  
Jburry's Avatar
Jburry
Senior Member
 
Joined: Jul 2006
Posts: 566
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
From: Cape Spencer, NB, CANADA
Default RE: wing covering

No pictures to show, but several members of our club fly very wrinkly planes. Since our aircraft produce lift by flowing air over carefully shaped surfaces, deviations from that shape will affect the lift they produce. Their lift/drag ratio will be affected to some degree. That said, the wrinkly planes seem to fly pretty well. I'm sure that flight times are somewhat reduced, and most importantly, their stall characteristics are probably negatively affected. Wrinkles on top of the wing will have a much greater effect than those on the bottom.

You have some wrinkling around servos on each wing panel. Why not just fix it? If you can't simply iron it out, cut out a roughly circular patch around each servo bay, enough to remove the bulk of the wrinkles. Then cut a new patch piece, overlapping about 1/4" all around, no sharp corners (cut'em rounded to prevent peeling). Tack it down with the iron on low heat, then turn it up to shrinking temps and tighten it up. Should be about 1/2-1 hour's work.

Even if you leave it alone, for sport flying you probably won't notice..... Depending on just how bad it is and how much wing is affected..... and how much differently one is affected than the other..... If you flew pattern (doubt you do or you'd not have asked), you likely would notice some effects.

J