Fiberglassing my Cessna 182
03-23-2004, 04:41 PM
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Fiberglassing my Cessna 182
Hi there,
Im in the process of starting my second ARF model. Its a Model tech Cessna 182 with wing span about 190cm, all made by balsa. Estimated weight by the manufacturer is 4 to 4.3 kg.
It should be powered by a .60-.90 2-stroke or .90 to 1.20 4-stroke engine.
My idea is to use the max power so most probably I will power it with a 1.20 4-stroke.
Since its a scale model I decided to cover it with a thin layer of fiber glass and then paint it in order to make it as close to the real thing as possible. Weight is a BIG matter so what I did was to cover a small piece of wood with the same fiber glass I will use on the plane in order to get an idea about the actual weight. That was a BIG surpsise. The fiberglassing of a surface of 10cmX20cm=200 weighted 12grams. A rough calculation of the planes surface gave me something like 17788 square cms. So 17788/200=88.94 multiplied by the 12grams I ended up with 1.067 kg extra weight on the plane (fiberglass).
Can anyone tell me if my assumptions are correct? And if Im correct, 1 kilo of fiber glass plus the extra weight of the paint on the Cessna 182 will be ok and able to fly ?
Any sugestions, infos or any other help is most wellcome.
Many thanks for reading this, happy landing to everyone.
Panicos
Im in the process of starting my second ARF model. Its a Model tech Cessna 182 with wing span about 190cm, all made by balsa. Estimated weight by the manufacturer is 4 to 4.3 kg.
It should be powered by a .60-.90 2-stroke or .90 to 1.20 4-stroke engine.
My idea is to use the max power so most probably I will power it with a 1.20 4-stroke.
Since its a scale model I decided to cover it with a thin layer of fiber glass and then paint it in order to make it as close to the real thing as possible. Weight is a BIG matter so what I did was to cover a small piece of wood with the same fiber glass I will use on the plane in order to get an idea about the actual weight. That was a BIG surpsise. The fiberglassing of a surface of 10cmX20cm=200 weighted 12grams. A rough calculation of the planes surface gave me something like 17788 square cms. So 17788/200=88.94 multiplied by the 12grams I ended up with 1.067 kg extra weight on the plane (fiberglass).
Can anyone tell me if my assumptions are correct? And if Im correct, 1 kilo of fiber glass plus the extra weight of the paint on the Cessna 182 will be ok and able to fly ?
Any sugestions, infos or any other help is most wellcome.
Many thanks for reading this, happy landing to everyone.
Panicos
04-01-2004, 11:38 PM
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RE: Fiberglassing my Cessna 182
In my opinion fiberglassing the whole plane will make it a brick... 1kg=2.2lbs and that is a lot. If you want it to look scale then why wouldnt you want it to fly scale? 80-90% of all R/C planes are powered way more that scale and all R/C planes weigh a lot less than scale... A Cessna is no performer... Of sourse with the right power you can make any plane an aerobat. If you are dead set on painting I'm sure you could apply some kind of laquer to the balsa and paint it... Wouldnt be to heavy then... I can't go into detail but if you go to a construction/building forum I'm sure someone there could help... Good luck!
04-02-2004, 08:39 AM
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RE: Fiberglassing my Cessna 182
It's possible to cover a plane with fiberglass and paint it for very little weight gain over plastic coverings, but you need to be familiar with the techniques. It's been discussed here a number of times, and a couple of members have websites showing specifics.
Do a search and you'll find loads of info.
One thing; I don't know that plane, but you can NOT fiberglass over open bays. The plane must be entirely sheeted, so if your's has open bays, don't even try.
Dennis-
Do a search and you'll find loads of info.
One thing; I don't know that plane, but you can NOT fiberglass over open bays. The plane must be entirely sheeted, so if your's has open bays, don't even try.
Dennis-
