Hi,

I'm new here so I will probably be asking some very basic questions!

We found a 15-year-old RC gas-powered plane kit in our basement. Looks really great. Impressively large. It's a trainer so hopefully it won't be too hard to fly... none of us have flown one before. My son and his friend spent the day working on it. I just joined in. We're stuck now because it came with a bottle of "Top Flite Supreme CA Glue" which is solid as a rock. Obviously it wasn't meant to go 15 years without being used.

So, my first question in this forum is: is this just the same thing as Crazy Glue we can buy anywhere, since they both say they're cyanoacrylate, or are their different formulas such that we really need to find an cyanoacrylate that's made for bonding balsa in model plances?? The bottle doesn't have any detail about what's in it except mentioning cyanocacrylate.

Thanks in advance for any help of insight!
Gary


<br type="_moz" />

It's basically the same, but CA glue comes in different thicknesses. Crazy glue is more medium thick, which makes it stay where you put it. That's handy for some building tasks, but it is not as strong for others because it doesn't soak in. Most model building is done with thin CA. You assemble the piece and get it perfect, then hold it or clamp it and put a drop of thin CA on the joint and let it wick in. You'll also need some quality 30 minute to 1 hr epoxy for the high stress parts.

If you look at the kit building forum, there are numerous threads walking through a build from unpacking the box to the maiden flight. They will be very helpful to you in learning about building methods to ensure a straight and strong model. If you build it crooked it'll never fly right, and if you don't fit the parts right the plane won't hold up. You'll need some tools, mostly a FLAT building board and lots of clamps early on along with basic hand tools and a drill, and you'll need covering tools (an iron and heat gun) later once the woodwork is done.

Many thanks for your response!

One thing really worries me. You said "If you build it crooked it'll never fly right". There is actually an issue already. The kids epoxied the wing halves together (in this kit, the wings came prebuilt and pre-covered) in such a way that they are not exactly aligned. One is at maybe 1/16th or 1/32 of an inch angle compared to the other; that is the front edge of the right half is raised and the back edge is lower by that much. This is a fairly big model, I'd say the wing is about 4' long, so we're hoping that that 1/16 or 1/32" of twist won't make much difference. There's no way to undo it now, so if it is absolutely not going to fly right it would be helpful to know that now before we spend more 10's of hours on this kit. We can chalk it up as a learning experience (be much more careful!) and try again. We can use the transmitter, engine, etc. on a new kit, I assume, if this one is already destroyed.

Thanks again!
Gary<br type="_moz" />

Gary, find a club near by and join it. The guys will give you some hands on pointers during the build. Help[ you in engine choice, and most importantly teach you how to fly.

You don't mention whatkit you found. Does it have an engine with it? What about the radio. You are going to need these before covering and depending on the kit, they may be necessary early in the build. Some more information about what you have would be helpful in providing you useful information.

Don

I think joining a club would be great. There is one; we don't know anyone there yet but it really makes sense to join.

The plane is a Tower Trainer 40 from Tower Hobbies. My wife bought it, as I mentioned, 15 years ago. She got advice from someone at the time who told her what transmitter, engine, etc. to get and she got EVERYTHING. But then we both got incredibly immersed in careers and business; and then kids were added to the mix and we just never found the time for the plane. it ended up just sitting in the basement for 15 years, until one of the kids got to be 13 years old, and extremely interested in engineering. He's determined to go to MIT, he loves the idea of building things like this, and now he's trying to do it.

I'm really impressed at how quickly people here are responding to my newbie questions. What a great community!

Thanks,
Gary<br type="_moz" />

Gary: You said a 15 year old "gas" powered plane. Is it really gasoline powered or "glow fuel" powered? Glow fuel is Methanol with Nitro-Methane and a blend oils, usually 20%. There is a huge difference. Gasloline powered models are usually pretty large in size. Note.. usually.. because there are smaller gasoline powered engines out there, but not 15 years old.

Since you did say Tower 40, then this is a glow powered plane. Semantics, but it usually helps to get the terms right so we can offer help that goes in the right direction. By the way, the Tower Trainer 40 is one of the good-guys.... well, most of the trainers out are good guys.. they are all pretty good in their own way, with few exceptions.

Do you know what engine is on that plane? How about your radio system?

By the way, my niece just graduated from Harvard with her Ph.D. She was on a full scholarship for her chosen program. Not MIT, but Ivy League none the less. We're pretty proud of her.

CGr.

Gary, the straighter the build the better the plane will fly. Small twists and bends in a trainer won't make it fly better but most the time you won't notice. It's a good habit to build as straight and true as you can. Most twists and bends can be trimmed out in flight with your radio. I have seen planes with more twists in them then a snake and still fly well enough. Next time the boys will do better and the third one will be even better then the second one.
CA glue seems to be the same no mater what name it is sold under. I buy a three tube pack at the dollar store and keep a tube in my flight box. I buy it in 8 ounce bottles at a wood workers supply store or at one of the local hobby shops. I use a lot of thin and medium. The thicker it is the longer the cure time. If there is any foam in the plane then keep the CA away from it unless you buy the foam safe CA, normal CA will eat the foam as quick as acetone.
You can also use any of the normal old wood glues. Tite Bond is a good one. CA can give you a cold like symptom if used too often in an enclosed area. Wood glue gives you a lot longer working time also.

CGRetired,

I'm sure you're right about the gas. I just meant it wasn't electric. Thanks for the encouragement about the robustness of trainers and about the Tower Trainer 40 in particular.

Hey, congrats about your niece. That's wonderful. I'm wondering what her field is??

Thanks!
Gary<br type="_moz" />

Gray Beard,

First, I have a gray beard as well!

Thanks for the input on the glues and for the encouragement in terms of the small twists and bends so far... No foam in this kit that I've seen. We may try a wood glue since we have one, that's good to know.

Thanks again!
Gary

For future reference also, what you have is an ARF, not a kit. A kit is a box of sticks that you have to build and cover. An ARF (almost ready to fly) is mostly built and all you have to do is the final assembly. Good news is that that plane is still being made by Tower. They even sell replacement wings for $40 in case you wreck them but leave the fuselage intact.

Wow, that's great info that they still make it in case we break something!

It really seems like a lot of work to us it's challenging and time-consuming for my son and I as newbies to feel that this is "almost ready to fly" but I do fully understand that if we had to make the wings etc it would be way, way more time consuming!

Thanks,
Gary<br type="_moz" />

No sweat. At times, we just have to know the particulars and many often just use gas as a fuel type when there is a bit more to it than that, as you can see.

Adrienne has her Ph.D. in Micro Biology and is doing medical research on, I believe, Alzhiemers Disease.

CGr.

Please use CA in a well ventilated area, preferably a cross breeze vented to the outside or be outside! The fumes can stay in suspension in the air in a closed house for many hours well after you cant smell it. The fumes are more harmful to young children, the elderly and pets than healthy adults. Excessive exposure signs are lung congestion and/or immune system response like runny nose, sneezing and sinus congestion. Get to fresh air! If you have trouble breathing, seek medical attention. Repeated over exposure can lead to permanent health conditions.

I'm now sensitized to CA so I'm very careful not to get a strong whiff in my nose or in a few hours, I'll be digging up my Albuterol inhaler trying not to drown in the fluid in my lungs.
Please don't get like Me.

Many thanks for your warning about CA. I really wasn't aware that it is so harmful!!!

Gary, the term is ASSEMBLING an ARF and BUILDING a kit. Just a fine point in terms. A lot of us call building from a set of plans SCRATCH building but true scratch building is to build from plans you have designed and drawn. Some of us are very touchy about the terms. I build a lot from plans but I still call it scratch building from plans, that way people know what and how I am doing something. Over the years terms have been a heated subject a couple of times. I don't worry too much about it unless I see ARFs called kits and assembling an ARF as building unless I see it written in a magazine. Then I know the writer is an idiot and it's not an article worth reading. If we know you are speaking of a glow engine but you say gas not too many people care but you will be corrected by someone.
In a crash or shall we say a hard landing the wing is almost always a survivor, it's the fuse that takes the beating. Most people have a good collection of wings. If you have an instructor he will set you up on a buddy box. I tell my students to not give crashing a second thought. Most the time the student can't get the plane to do something I can't save it from. I have one old student I have to keep telling to take the plane higher because he is too low for me to save the plane if he does something silly. He soloed and is a pretty good pilot but he has been out of it for a few years, It's a re-train. I don't worry too much about him but he tends to do things with the plane without telling me he is going to do it. Not good on an old guys hart!!!

Thanks. Great about your niece. That's incredibly important work.

Like many things, it's time and amount of exposure. If you use a few drops hear and there, it's not going to bug most people, but if use a half an ounce or so in an evening in a non ventilated, average size family room, there's a real good chance you'll get symptoms like a cold or flue, and each time you do it, it can get worse and last longer. A respirator with organic vapor cartridges can help, if say your in a heated garage and don't want to let the cold in when you have a lot of gluing to do. It's also good idea to let the parts you glued stay out the living area for a few hours as the glue sets and fumes out.

Cats and even more so, birds are hyper sensitive to many types of fumes.

It's especially bad when you're standing over your work and that little puff of smoke that it makes when it hits the wood goes right up your nose. It makes your brain hurt!

You have a GREAT plane to start with. I personally think the Tower trainers are the best going, but some people like Chevy better than Ford, so who can say. I think we would all be interested in what engine and radio you have with the plane. Just to be curious.

Hmm... I'm having trouble locating the box the engine came in. I'll ask my son about it later The engine itself says on the side, "OS Max FP" and "E-3030". The transmitter is a Futaba Conquest FM FP-4NBF. 4 channels, 3 servos.

It's helpful to know that the Tower is really good. Hopefully it will be built in a way that brings out its good qualities!<br type="_moz" />

I don't have a favorite, I have a few I don't like though. I use the trainer someone gives me when I instruct or use the students plane. At the moment I'm using a WRITE/WRIGHT/RIGHT FLYER???? It's really ugly, really beat up, I installed one of my good engines,{let the student break it in for me} it has my gear in it and it fly's outstanding!!
All new pilots want to solo and move on to cooler planes so I get a lot of free trainers. A trainer is perhaps one of the biggest kicks to fly in the wind and you don't care if it dies. By flying a trainer in the high wind you will be a pilot that will be able to handle all flying conditions and not freak out every time the wind comes up. NEVER GET RID OF YOUR TRAINER!!!!
Unless you give it to me!!!!!!!!!!!