Hi, i recently bought an aerobird... i crashed it arleady a couple times since i'm a new flyer..and already bought a set of new wings.. i was just wondering is there anyways way i can make my own wing.. as i know i will be needing more and its so pricey to get a set of new wings each time? like can i got to a tool shop and grab a sheet of special plastic or sumthing? please help

put clear tape on the leading edge and the trailing edge of the wing that will protect it... if your crashing the aerobird... i would make sure you have everything setup right... cause i have flown this bird and its very forgiving ..

if u have ever heard of the SPAD planes before u can make a wing out of the coroplast those planes are made of. Coroplast is that stuff at your gas station they put sales for pop and stuff on, its like plastic cardboard. go to the electrics general dicussion and search for a thread called $2.00 fighter/aerobird wing by screamin_injun. he describes it pretty good

-john

Repairing an Aerobird wing with packing tape doesn't really work very well if
there is a crease. It might fly, but at the first real stress, its gonna fold
and you are going to crash.

The tape has no body or stiffness of its own and the folded area of the wing
has had the foam compressed. Net Net, nothing to resist the next fold. If
you open the vinyl and fill the crease with something that is stiff you can
get pretty good results, but it is tricky. I tried building foam from a can
that you use to seal around windows. Works OK, but very messy.

A better solution is to get something thin but stiff, like a strip piece of
wood, but balsa is probably too soft. 1/16th or 1/32 ply, if such a thin ply
exists, or a thin piece of plastic would work. Bond it to the wing with
double sided tape. A 1" wide piece of plexiglass that is thin might work. It
can flex, in fact a bit of flex is good, but it must resist folding. I would
say 8" wide would be the minimum width I would suggest, and I would go 2/3-3/4
the length of the wing, say 25" to 30", as a recommendation. Be sure to
center it left and right so you don't unbalnce the wing. The bird can handle
the weight of a light piece of plastic or wood. I have also seen wood dowels
or carbon rods used. Anything that will resist the folding of the wing.

Attach it to the wing with doublesided carpet tape or something that will bond
it to the wing. Then use packing tape on top of it to smooth out the air
flow. Stretch the tape to create a smooth surface rather than fitting it
tight around the edges of the strip or dowel.

If you look at the Firebird XL wing, it has a carbon rod embedded into it when
you buy it. Other similar planes, like the T-hawk, have these supports in
their wings when they are new.

Give it a try. Don't depend on the tape to keep the crease from folding
again.

I may add a support to my new wings from now on.

Hi All you Hobby Zone Bird Flers,

I had read a posting refering to COROPLAST as an alternative material to use to make home made wings and tails for the Areobird. I can't seem to locate that posting in order to re-read it. Does anyone know what path I can take in order to relocate it?

One thing I was wondering is how that guy concaved the underside of the wing? Or is it necessary to be concaved?

I live so far away from the nearest hobby shop and it would be nice to be able to make my own wings and tails with an alternative material.

Also I have read about tapeing the wing with double sided carpet tape and or strapping tape. I can't see where you achieve the support necessary to prevent the wing from folding.

I have also read to attach a piece of plastic to the wing 1" wide x 30" long with double sided this carpet tape then add strapping tape purpendicular to the wing.

has anyone taken this advice? If so could you tell me which one you used succesfuly?

I enjoy my Areobird but if I'm going to make it last I need to do all the modifications necessary to continue my enjoyment.

Thank You,

Jerry07_58

try some of this stuff

www.depronusa.com

this is what has worked for myself piglet, ive had 4 of these birds in the series and have found that polyken360-17foilmastic tape will keep the wing from folding,getting chewd-up on a rough landing and also hinge material when that canopy snaps off.its very ridged and the extra # didnt effect the flight caracteristics. its about 7 dollars a roll u.s. , more than enough for a couple of years!! i love my aero, they are basicely avery good product you can find this tape in almost every hardware store, good luck and let us know how your doing!!

Thanks midnitedew and flip,flop,fly!,

I will try to locate that tape FLY!

midnite, I take this DUPRON is equivelant to COROPLAST?

There are two reinforcements being discussed and you are getting them confused.

1) Using tape on the leading edge is to provide a little extra strength should you bang the wing into something.

2) Using tape on the trailing edge is to help keep the propeller from biting a chunk out of the wing if you hit the wing tip when you land. Clear tape will not prevent the bite, though it will allow you to sorta replace the missing piece.

I use cross hatched, fiber glass reinforced tape to protect the areas on the trailing edge. When the prop hits the wing, it does not cut through it, it just pushes the wing out of the way.

The other reinforcement reltates to repairing a wing with a fold or crease in it so that it will not fold while you are flying. Read my post above.

depron is foam, similar to what hamburgar meat is usually packaged in.... it should be strong enough if you use some type of reinforcing tape, carbon fiber or if you tape on a carbon fiber rod or fiberglass rod, the guys that build foamie airplanes use that stuff all the time, you might want to post the question at rcgroups.com in the foamies forum...