I have a trainer that has been sitting in a barn for about 20 years. Motor is frozen up and being looked at by a friend. Main wing has holes and torn covering but otherwise sound. Vertical stabilizer has a wicked curve and has been torn loose from fuselage. It is kinda dirty and forlorn but I would really like to put it back in the air.

I think the engine is a size 40 but I really cant tell. Would it be better to abandon and buy new? Then the question is Glow or Gas.

Replace VS patching covering.

Replace or try to straighten vertical stabilizer. Not sure if plywood or balsa.

Servos haven't been tested yet. Replace or might they still work with newer receivers?

That's all I can think of

First question that comes to mind. How many critters have made this their home over the decades?
Next did it stay dry? The balsa may have a patina from age but it shouldn't be really dark or gray.
If the stab is twisted then it may have got damp and you would need to check the fuselage and wing for twists and turns.
If it is clean and the fuselage and wing are straight then it might be worth the time to recover and make a new stab . Pics would really help to determine what model it is and if it's worth it .
As far as the electronics, I wouldn't trust them even if the animals didn't use it as their toilet. The servos and receiver could be outdated and not work with today's or even yesterday's radios. Again pictures would help showing the inside and the electronics.

As far as repair or buy new well again it depends what the pics show and if this has any sentimental value to you. if not and you just want to get in the air and try this hobby then you may spend more time and money on this than it would cost to buy an entire used trainer plane set-up . Many times folks get a new trainer plane ready to fly with the radio and all of the support gear and then figure it's not for them and sell it. Usually you can pick up a 40 size trainer, radio, support gear(starter, glow panel/starter, battery, tools ,etc) in good/great shape for around $200.00 to $300.00 on Craigslist, local papers, and sometimes at the local RC club fields

I'll bet on the motor being ok just a little fresh oil and maybe a little heat to free it up, the carb will need pulled and cleaned, the tank condition will need checked and new fuel lines of course. If you have your own private place to tinker around on then go for it, cover the holes with scotch tape, epoxy that stabilizer in place and see if you get her to taxi in a big open field, once comfortable with that engine stays running dependably then try a taxi up to airspeed and then shut down, do this a couple times and when you feel lucky feed in a little up elevator lol. Heck you won't be out much, not like as if you spent 3 months building a beatiful model only to crash it in the first 10 seconds.

Dumpster it. If the tail is warped it's been in humidity and maybe even wet, so I'd suspect the whole airframe has warps and bad glue joints. You can buy a new one for about $100 so rebuilding all of that stuff just isn't worth it.

+1 on what jester-s1 said!

Lots of good ideas. I'm thinking of naming the plane Mongrel or Mongo. The plane is listed as a Falcon 56 Mark II. Overall, other than neglect, the plane as a whole seems to be solid. I may try to trade for a used engine from the guy working on refurbishing mine and this weekend see if my new electronics will actuate the servos if I can find a battery for it. It has stayed dry but not dust free so it needs a good bath. Since the stabilizer is already detached I will try to heat and press the stabilizer square, if not then replace it. Do you have any thoughts on Gas opposed to Glow?

If I can get it airborne for minimal expense then I have the perfect plane to learn on. At least that's my thought. Eventually I would like to build from kits.

I 2nd that, a new trainer

[QUOTE=James English;11700906]Lots of good ideas. this weekend see if my new electronics will actuate the servos if I can find a battery for it
QUOTE]


OK Here are some thoughts to ponder. First and foremost this route will Not be the minimal expense entry into the hobby you think and I believe all in this forum who have been 'been around the horn' will agree. This route will without a doubt cost you considerably more by the time you reach a given level of modelinig/flying skills. That's a fact.
Now to your question gas or glow? Well without starting the power system wars I will only say one should start flying on the type of power system they intend to stay with and switching back and forth when you are new and training is not only a bad idea but shockingly expensive.

Last but not least and the reason I quoted you above is the fact you are using old and unknown servos on an old airplane. Well unless your mentor knows exactly what he is doing then cheaping out on servos may well let the smoke out of your new Rx. First understand that just because someone built that airplane twenty years ago does not mean that the servos are the same age. Fact is its common for folks to use old servos in new airplanes and its very likely that those servos could easily be double the age of the airplane.

There are back to a point where servos used four conductor leads, These simply will not only not plug in to a new receiver but they will not work. Then there is the plug compatibility with later servos which used the very, very popular G plug which is simply not compatible with anything today and these are everywhere. These servos can work but require an major change or expensive adapters that are hard to find anymore. Now the best for the last are the popular old Airtronics servos which used a plug with a major polarity change from all the others and if you plug these to a modern receiver it will let the smoke out of your pretty new Rx.

Don,t get me wrong I love anything from a light refurbishment to a major one and even what is called kit bashing and that is making something entirely different out of what you started with.

But they are never ever cheap and sould only be done simply because you love it.

John

Gas/Glow: .Depends.
What support equipment do you have ?
Glow engines are a bit cheaper up front than a typical gas engine.
Gas engines will require an extra battery for the ignition.
Do you want to spend $18.00/gal on glow fuel or do you want to mix gasoline and oil at $6/00/gal?
My 46 glow would get around 11min run time on 8 ounces and my Evolution 10GX gasser gets around 25 minutes on 8 ounces.
For a 20+ year old plane from a barn , I would run the engine it came with until the bearings let go(probably rusted now anyway) and if the plane held together then consider another engine. Again no pictures of what you have so ................

To give you an idea of the cost involved here, you'll spend $30 on covering (yes, it will need it) probably $10 on wood and $10 more on glue, and you'll invest 20 hours of your time. Then if you're lucky, you'll have a flyable plane. If you're not lucky another glue joint will pop loose at the worst possible moment. Alternatively, you can spend $100 and about 5 hours on an ARF trainer and have a known good plane. If you really must pursue fixing this one up, go ahead and pull off the covering and see how the underlying structure is. If you don't find rot or warps or glue joints coming loose then you'll know it's at least a viable airframe. Then you can decide from there if you want to restore it or start fresh. Either way through, go ahead and budget for new electronics.

As the OP stated it is a Falcon 56 MK-2. This plane had beam rails to mount the engine to. To go to gas (I haven't used any small gas engines) the rails and the entire nose might have to be cut off and a firewall might have to be made to mount the gas engine to. If i'm not mistaken, wasn't the stab and vertical fin held on with rubber bands on this plane? If it was a kif and not an ARF ( 20 years old?) then the wings and stab are covered with tissue or slik and dope. If you have someone there that built planes 20 years ago and is willing to help, Ok. If you have never flown anything, a small Park Zone electrict Cub would be a better trainer. After you have flown, then spend some time on this plane, make the repairs and fly it.........

Larry / Instructor

New one! Tower Hobbies sells them "Ready to Fly" engine modern 2.4gh radio installed.

Monocote was around in the early 80's, so it could still be film covered. Regardless though, if the weather has caused the tail to warp and come loose, the whole airframe has likely been affected the same way.

Falcon 56 wasn't a trainer. Semi-symmetrical wing, air foiled tail. Made for a good 2nd plane, good for basic aerobatic training etc. Was a fun flyer, but not a first plane.

Just a heads up.

This is correct.
The original engine was a 0.32, I believe; so the available space is reduced even for a flat bearing 0.40.
Electric power may be a much better option than gasoline.

I learned with and still own an original Falcon 56 with a 0.40 glow engine.
It is a great flying Goldberg design and none of those should go to the trash can.

The servos should go, if they have been exposed to humidity that damages the potentiometers inside them.
The weakest portion of the whole structure is the tail fin, since it was made out of a flat piece of balsa, which is easily warp-able.
The rest of the structure is really solid and could easily stay straight for 30 years if properly stored.

If you don't want it, send it over to Florida for me

I believe we had a k&b 35 on ours. ...


agree. ... Probably not the best plane for gas. .. Go either glow or electric

I am enjoying all the suggestions and am listening closely. Aside from the tail, which appears to be repairable and a good washing, with nominal repairs to the Monocote I think I can have a solid air frame again. The engine may be a good place to start new. My friends are suggesting gas opposed to glow because of the reasons you guys have stated. I will have to concede that new servos may be the best option with the age of the plane.

Being new to the hobby I still have so much to learn. After cleaning the plane up I will be taking it to a local model builder to see if the bulkhead will tolerate mounting gas or even electric depending upon what he suggests. After doing a little research about the history of the plane, at the least I will clean it up and keep it as wall art. Yesterday I went to the field and had a conversation with two of my new friends that they had trainers RTF and at reasonable prices although they are Glow. With 20 mph gusts I declined to try them.

Good idea! Since we still can't see the condition of your plane, taking it to someone who has built/repaired planes is your best bet. If it is a Falcon it would look like the one in these pics http://www.goflyrc.com/projects/Falcon%2056/Falcon.htm and as others have stated it won't be a good first trainer but rather an intermediate trainer after you have flown and mastered some basic trainer planes like a Sig LT-40 and similar. Good luck.

I am not a typical instructor type so just my attitude here. I have no interest in dealing with an old pos when I come to the field, so as long as our paths don't cross you are good to go and do what you really want. I have a .46 trainer nib rtf for $300 sitting here for the next student that is looking. Can't argue with that entry into the hobby.

Gas is not an option on a plane that small. Glow is cheaper and electric is easier.

You're not getting it about the covering. If it has holes in it from storage, the covering has gone brittle. Balsa planes depend on the covering for their strength, so you'll need to replace it.

James trying to convert a little Falcon 56 (not even a Senior Falcon) which is ideal with no more than a .35 glow engine to even the littlest of gassors is, well its an absurd idea and destined for failure.

Something I do not understand? Why is it that so many new folks who are just starting always insist on reinventing the mousetrap? I cannot think of a better way to trip up anyones entry into the hobby/sport than to start suggesting they do all these silly conversions before they even start. That is ridiculous and I have seen any number do exactly that with the result that they quit and go on to something else to reinvent.

The very worst decisions you can make now is to start modifiying power systems. Make a choice now and go with it. If you want to go ahead with the Falcon 56 then fine don,t even think about changing to gas or electric and no bigger engine than a .35. Ideal would be a new OS .35AX.

You want electric fine then get something that will work for you such as a Sensai from tower.

John

We have all been posting here and can continue to post suggestions until the cows come home but no one knows for sure what model plane he actually has and what the true condition actually is. It could be a Piper Cub for all we know !
If the OP would take some time and post some detailed pictures then everyone here trying to give advice based on assumption would know what he is actually dealing with.

I will take the OP's word for it Post #7 "Falcon 56 Mark 11" An inappropriate airplane for a gasser engine. The cows just came home

John

+1

Best option is to start with a proven setup. Less headache in the long run. As you gain experience you can add in all the complexity you want. Starting off with a setup that hasn't been well tried out on a 20 year old plane… quite likely a 30 year old plane if its a falcon, can be fraught with little issues that can keep you on the ground fiddling with things rather than in the air learning.

I'm not saying this isn't a worthwhile project, I would love to fly another falcon, they were a great plane and I hope you can get this one flying again. What I'm saying is while your working on this, consider grabbing something thats hassle free so that when your frustrated with fiddling with this you can go fly and enjoy the hobby with the rest of us.

http://www.e-fliterc.com/Products/De...ProdID=EFL3100