Hi folks,

I'm currently building my first plane - a kit built Sig Kadet LT-40. I've got the wing built and have just cut the hinge slots into the wing and ailerons. The problem is, the right aileron seems to be warped along its length i.e. when I test fit it to the wing the middle of the aileron buts up against the middle of the wing TE, but either end of the aileron shows a gap of 1/16" (or 1/8" at the outboard end if I make sure that both the inboard aileron end and the aileron center are tight against the wing TE.) Basically, the aileron is slightly banana shaped!

Is this aileron salvageable, or should I (1) attempt to correct the bend (if it's even possible), (2) replace it with a new aileron or (3) don't worry about it, it'll be fine!

As a follow on question, I cut the hinge slots with a Du-Bro hinge slotting kit. The slots are the correct width and depth, and are cut dead-center in both the ailerons and the wing TE. My concern is that the slots may be a little too loose fitting for the thin Sig easy hinges (the hinge cutting tools are quite a bit thicker than a #11 blade.) How loose is too loose for hinge fitting, and should I just upgrade to some pin hinges instead?

Thanks for the help,
Neil.


P.S. I'm a complete beginner in this hobby and this is my first post - please forgive me if I've got any terminology wrong or have made some obvious newbie mistakes.

By all means go to your nearest hobby shop and buy some new aileron or trailing edge stock and make a new aileron. Trying to straighten warped stock is hard to do with 100% accuracy. Once wood has warped it will always try to find its way back to the lumber yard by warping again. The cost of replacement will be small and you won't have to worry about it in the future. The other alternative is to ask SIG to replace it.
Watch the weight distribution on your LT40. They tend to be tail heavy. Balance is critical but they do fly nicely.

Check out this thread and how it was resolved:

http://www.rcairport.com/discussion_...&threadid=4749

Good luck, Dzl

Hi DzlStunter,

Thanks for highlighting that thread; I'd actually read it yesterday! The difference in my warp is that if you placed the aileron in its neutral flight position and looked down at it from above, the warp would be in the X axis rather than the previous posts Z axis warp. I was not at all sure if I could actually correct the warp using the ammonia and water tricks. I guess if I were going to try that I'd have to soak the aileron with the solution and then pin it into the correct alignment on my work table?

Thanks for the helpful suggestions everyone,
Neil.

If you take another look at that thread, you will find that the originator of the thread ended up with a new set of parts from SIG. It's worth the effort to give them a chance to do the right thing. Good luck, Dzl

My bad [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img] I'll give Sig a call and see if I can get a fresh aileron sent over.

Thanks again,
Neil.

Mindwarp you mentioned that the hinges were alittle loose in the slots you made . The hinges should be snug I would upgrade to pinned hinges. If the slots are all ready cut.
Ron

Yeah, sounds like the best idea. Hinges are cheap, and are going to give me much more peace of mind than the little Quick Tabs would.

Thanks for the help,
Neil.

Mindwarp, the pinned hinges are definitely the better deal. Be sure and use thick CA and don't overdo it, if the hinge pin gets quagged with glue, you'll have problems. I'm flying an LT-40 with a Tower .46, and its a beginner's dream. You should consider adding some small triangular stock to the tailfin/fuselage joint, it's a weak spot.

This plane tends to float on final approach, you'll find yourself overshooting your landing strip. Try a 11 x 5 prop to reduce airspeed at engine idle, it helped mine. Good luck.