so we just get this new avistar 2... takes us about a week to put togethor (me and my dad are big time newbs) we finnally get it togehtor i take it out front... run one tank through it fine... now i go to taxi it in our street.....

after messing with the idle a little bit i finnaly get it to go. and within 2 min it dies... (thsi is not the problem) i go to wheel it in and i pick it up by its fin (with the front wheel on the ground) i saw others do this at my local track and what happens??? the fin snaps off [&o] i was so shocked i think i just sat there in the street for like 5 mins... the worst part is my dad wasnt out there and i was so afraid of telling him i just wanted to kick the plane and throw it off my roof. after picking it up and wheeling it in i had to tell him...

is there anyway of fixing this??? can i just glue CA glue the fin back on without a problem... im so mad righ tnow its not even funny.

also iv done this with my own trainer before and nothing happend worked fine whats the big deal with this new one?[:@]

I think you're lucky it happened how it did. Much better for it to have happened on the ground, then while you had it up in the air! [X(]

Yes you can use medium Ca to stick back together.
Only tail tow with tail-draggers. It's like balancing and rolling a wheelbarrow with one center handle. So much strain on the thin balsa.

Do NOT use CA. It's not strong enough. Use 30 minute epoxy.
Dennis-

The CA on CLEAN wood is fine, will be stronger than ajoining balsa wood.
However, the epoxy will give you more working time to make sure all is
squared up well. Its a good thing it came off while on the ground, and not
while flying. Sounds like you had a week joint to begin with. (assuming that
it came off clean, not splintering the wood)
Hope this helps.

And next time, push the tail down to raise the nosewheel. Let it roll on the main wheels

As DBCherry said, use EPOXY, but don't get carried away with the amount. The 30 minute kind is so you have enough working time to make sure everything is aligned correctly. The problem with CA is it's brittle. It is stonger than the balsa, but little bumps will gradually crack it. Epoxy stays a bit flexible so it can absorb bumps better. Every ARF I've ever assembled, has said to use epoxy on the tail feathers, think there's a reason for this?

Piper,

I would say the primary reason to use epoxy on tail feathers is cure time. You need the time to get the tail assembly set square before the glue sets up.

While I agree epoxy is a better adhesive for this, I wouldn't run out and buy epoxy if I only had CA at the house. I think its more important to ask what kind of break it is. If its a clean break, the no matter what kind of adhesive you use, you want to avoid just doing a butt joint where the two pieces join back together end to end or similar. Some kind of strip or triangle needs to be glued alongside to provide additional surface area for adhesion and extra strength. This repair can be done with CA just as well as epoxy if approached correctly.

Also almost forgot to mention that you should always be very careful trimming back the covering prior to installing the tail feathers on the plane. If you use an exacto and press too hard, you are cutting the wood very slightly and reducing its strength.

Duke

If it came off in your hand when you grabbed it, might I suggest having someone check it out real well before it flys so it doesn't have the same thing happen in the air to say something like, a wing.

Medium or thick CA is perfectly good for that repair, if the broken-off pieces mate-up cleanly. CA actually makes a stronger joint than epoxy (and very much stronger than the wood itself) -- provided that there are no significant gaps. If the bits don't mate perfectly, use epoxy.

It's not clear. It came off or broke? Huge difference in the repair depending on how it broke or came unglued.

I would recommend that rather than just glue the fin back in place and leave it at that, that you should consider adding some balsa triangle-stock to strengthen the area.

For a review of a trainer that I did here on RCU a while ago (dunno if it is still accessible), the model arrived with a broken fin. As part of the review I posted a series of photos and instructions on how to make a simple but strong and lasting repair.

Since I'm not sure if the review is still around, here's the pic's to begin with, and I also enclose the text that accompanied the pics in the review:

Beginners frequently bump the fin during transport, or turn the model upside down the first time they taxi in a strong cross-wind, etc., and need to make this kind of repair - so we may as well take advantage of the opportunity to show you how easy this kind of damage is to fix.

First, simply realign the fin, making sure that it is both straight and vertical, then use thin CA to glue it back in place. Next, we take a piece of 3/8" 'triangular stock' balsa, and cut a piece of the appropriate length. Sand its ends for an aethetically pleasing shape, then cover it with a section of the excess iron-on trim strip that Falcon Trading provided for the wing center section. (They conveniently provide quite a bit more than you need for just the wing!). Strip a small section of the covering away on the fuselage and fin as shown below (right), so that we will have some exposed wood to glue to.

Note the pushrod clearance for the tri-strip on the left.

Finish by using some 5 minute epoxy to glue the tri-strip to the fuselage as shown in the photos above. Note that the tri-strip on one side must be shorter in order to clear the pushrod.

Hope that helps,
Gordon

"He who establishes his argument by noise and command shows that his reason is weak." - I like that... something I've always said but never so eloquently

If the fin snapped off. you do not want to just butt-glue the fin back together. You may want to use some 1/8" dowels to reinforce the joint. You want to drill a couple or three holes in both the fin and the fuselage for the dowel. cut them about 1-1/4" to 1-1/2" long and glue them in. A plain butt-joint won't have the strength you need. White glue or carpenter's glue is about as good as any for this purpose. Of course slow-cure CA or epoxy would also work.

Yes, to give you time to line things up...... vitually any glue is stronger than balsa. Epoxy takes a bit to cure, therefore being user friendly espesialy for beginners.

If CA we prone to cracking from vibrations or bumps over time, I would have a few planes that would be jigsaw puzzles, held together only by the covering, so that doesn't wash.

Sideloading in excess of that normally caused in flight are the reason you plane broke. Pick it up by the fuselage next time, and maybe change your name too.

Just glue it with wood glue or epoxy or gorrilla glue. The body is probably lite ply. CA doesn't bond to lite ply so well. I read in this post about dowels and not joining it if it's smooth. Yada yada. Just do what I say then take it in your own hands and test it. Simple.

Gorrilla glue??? Not good for butt joints, if you use it, make sure you read the directions....CA glue is great for light ply when properly applied. Scuff any surfaces on ANY ply before gluing.

I agree, gorilla (poly) glue should not be used for stright but type joints.
I think it is excellent glue, just not for but joints.
The nature of it expanding, contributes to a week joint.

hey guys thanx for all the replys... we brought it to the local club and they helped us thanx for all the replys

Cheap pieces of crap are the A.R.F.s.

Build it yourself and know every jointeth.

Use only wood or epoxy glue.

Kraus

Young Jedi airbatic -- learn the way of the force -- hundreds of thousands of ARFs are happily flying, while thousands of kits are being built by misguided "specialists".

I've done far more damage to my planes on the ground then in the air, so this one applies to more then beginners! I have a couple narrow hallways to walk out of when transporting my planes, and I've hooked the elevators on corners more then once, nothing like the sickening sound of balsa breaking just when you are loading up the planes for a perfect afternoon of flying!