Hi guys,

I um.....LAWN DARTED my kyosho calmato trainer today!! The wing came off clean and well..... the electronics are still OK. (Anyone need a good wing for a kyosho high-wing trainer)??

I bought a H9 super stick 40 ARF and the wing panels do not fit exactly with the spar in place. One panel is slightly forward by about 1/16" or less. I have not glued the panels together yet, but I have installed the aileron hinges etc...

Is this amount of irregularity acceptable in the center of the wing? Should I sand the main and sub spar to force a fit and use lots of epoxy? Should I call my congressman? Or should I just curl up in the fetal position and cry myself to sleep....again.

ARF stands for ALMOST ready to fly right? I think we need to be more specific when defining the word 'ALMOST'. (Just an opinion).

Thanks in advance, and NO... I don't know what I'm doing, why do you ask?

Can you post a couple of pictures of the problem??

Ken

Ken,

I will make an attempt to post a pic or two, but that may be above my pay grade. I will try to clarify, just in case:

It's as if the wing spar is a bit further forward in one of the wing halves, less than the thickness of the ply that surrounds it, probably within mfg tolerance.

If you look down on the assembled wing, the right half is slightly forward, so that there is a small corner in the center of the wing, on the leading and trailing edges.

It sounds like the wing panels are either misaligned, or mis-drilled. you could probably get away with it by shimming, but if this were my airplane, I'd call the MFR and explain the problem, then ask them to send a new set of wings. It may take longer to build, but you'll be better off in the long run.

Yes, you probably could make adjustments, but it wouldn't be worth it. You paid for a new airplane - you should not have to deal with this. The mfr won't give you a hard time about it. He will probably ask for the original set back, so save the packing.

Sorry about losing your other trainer...

Pictures would be nice, to see if we imagined your problem correctly.

Bob

If you bought it from a local hobby shop, take it back and talk to them. It's not really their fault or problem, but the good shops.....

And no matter what, I'd get on the phone right now to H9. There actually is a better than 50-50 chance they will not want the bad wing panels back, and an excellent chance they'll send a new set that'll get to you in a heartbeat. And while you're waiting....

1/16" really isn't an awful problem. I've seen Sticks put together that badly before, back when there weren't any ARFs, and if the rest of those Sticks had been built better, they probably would have flown ok. And while you're waiting on the new wing..... If I were you, I'd think awhile about how to work up a couple of staggered joiners. It would be a snap for someone with any kind of saw and a small sheet of hobby plywood. You'd really just be turning thin plywood into thicker plywood that's got a stagger in the middle. Measure the thickness of the spar and how far the holes are off. Those measurements will tell you if building a staggered spar will come close to fitting.

And I'd go to your flying field and ask some of the guys there who build how they'd make the two halves match up. If your field is like mine, you'd probably get a couple of guys offer to cut out the pieces for you.

You say you can sand the original spars. If it's easy enough to do, just sand one side. Then shim that side to fit it's hole. Don't get into the habit of filling bad fits with epoxy. It's not a good way to build. And if the wing joint assembly didn't already suggest wrapping the joint in glass, you do want to now. That will make up for any lost strength in the spars at the centerline.

If all of the above sounds out of reach, then you're screwed. And have no other choice but to wait for new wing panels.

I like to always try to work out some real valuable benefit from problems like this. For example, if you don't have a band saw, you really need one to cut out the little plywood pieces. Or maybe turn this problem into an excellent reason to get a belt sander! And a saw!

BTW, have you checked to see if the misfit wing, when joined together, is out of alignment so far that the wing hold down bolts won't thread into the fuselage?

Have you tried to turn the joiner spar around? There is no dihedral to those wings, so the joiner should fit in either way. You could sand down one half of the joiner so that the wing will line up--then epoxy it all up. Add some fiberglass to the center section and the wing will last as long as the rest of the plane!

Thanks for all the quick help!!

I discovered that although there is a slight alignment problem, most of it is due to compression of the balsa on one wing -half, in the center on the LE (probably from shipping). That being said, there is a small, but perceptible alignment skew of approx 1/32". I can live with that, I think.

I intend to call H9 and see if they have any recommendations, and hopefully they will be nice enough to send me a new wing.

I HAVE ANOTHER QUESTION THOUGH!!

The manual calls for 3/8" dihedral, but to line things-up properly the way they are cut, I get over 1/2" of DH. How big a problem is THAT??

Should I just use as much epoxy as needed to achieve the prescribed DH?

um....medic!!

ON a 6 foot wing (I'm guessing) 1/8" extra dehdral is nothing,,lots of trainers have 2 or 3 inches of DH in them... and off by 1/32".... H9 may a laugh at you about that one....Rog

Regarding the epoxy, dry-fit the halves until you get a perfect wood-to-wood bond, with no gaps. Then, use 30-minute epoxy to join the wing halves.

The reason for using 30-minute epoxy (I'm about to start a debate here... ) is that it gives the epoxy time to soak into the wood fibers for a stronger joint. But, that joint will only be strong enougn to work if you have a tight wood-to-wood joint, using as much clamping pressure possible. Put some kind of pressure on the joint (tape, etc., and clean up the squeeze-out with common alcohol. Then, check your alignment again while the glue is still wet (the wet epoxy will let the wood slide, so be wary of that) - and correct any misalignment. Then, let it set overnight...

I don't know if your H9 instructions call for it, but you might want to lay a band of fiberglass around the joint, top and bottom. Folks use CA or epoxy for this joint. I use epoxy (again, 30-minute) thinned with a couple of drops (literally) of alcohol to make it spread easier. Then, I pour some more alcohol into myself (usually Canadian Club or Jameson's) and wait for this to dry also.

I agree with flyingrog that the 1/8" difference is nothing to be concerned about. Don't think of using epoxy as a gap filler in order to get the wings at the 'correct' dihedral. That will result in a weak joint.

Bob

My mistake, I misread the original post. I thought you were talkning about an ultrastick--that's why I said there was no dihedral. I guess the superstick has some.

I agree--the joint between the two root ribs should be as tight and flush as possible. However, the wing joiner might be a tad lose (not much, but could be a tad) and that wouldn't be a problem. I mean, it shouldn't fall out, but you don't need to have to hammer it in either!

Sounds like you are on your way. I doubt H9 will give you a new wing over such a small problem. I wouldn't even bother with it--stuff like that drives up the prices for the rest of us!

I have to respectfully disagree with 2slow2matter on one item - otherwise, I agree with him... the joiner should be a snug fit. As he notes, you shouldn't have to bash it in with a hammer, that's too snug and puts undue stresses on the joiner pocket. It should be a snug fit. The epoxy will act like a 'lube' to help you to slide it into position, even for a snug fit. But again, this goes back to clamping. No glue joint is of any use unless it's clamped. A snug fit will ensure that you have good wood-to-wood contact. The more surface area in contact, the better.

2slow, please don't consider this a flame, it's just my opinion...

Bob