Is it better to attach the wing with rubber bands or bolt on. Thanks.

If you are still in the "bump & grind" stage, elastic bands are life savers.

rubber bands for beginners. Less damage will result on a bad landing. Use about 8 No 64 rubber bands for a 5 pound trainer (.40 sized). Use bolts when you are through the training period.

either way is fine... I like bolts and think they are easier... but both work just fine (assuming you use the proper bands and proper number, and replace them when needed)

Youll save money with bolts. I went through 2 bags of rubber bands, which costs like 4 bucks total, but hey, if i would have stuck with rubber bands, i would have been the one paying.

The biggest reason Rubber Bands give problems ? Some planes do NOT have the posts sticking out at least 1" to 2" on all 4 corners.

Oil and zippy turns cause the wing and body to shift around. Every few tight turns a band hops off unnoticed. Then it is history as they seperate.

Once you can pull a loop or 2 with confidence and land OK. Figure out or ask someone to convert to a bolted in wing.

The biggest reason Rubber Bands give problems ? Some planes do NOT have the posts sticking out at least 1" to 2" on all 4 corners.

Oil and zippy turns cause the wing and body to shift around. Every few tight turns a band hops off unnoticed. Then it is history as they seperate.

Once you can pull a loop or 2 with confidence and land OK. Figure out or ask someone to convert to a bolted in wing.

It's not the "loop or two" that defines the time to switch to bolts -- it's the achievement of smooth reliable landings, without occasional groundloops [:'(] or cartwheels [:@].

I think either way is fine. If your plane is designed for one or the other, build it that way. If designed to have a choice, the choice is yours. Rubber bands most the time allow the wing to pop off in a less then graceful landing, doing little/no damage. However, you really should have some way to assure the wing is straight and centered and that it's positioning is repeated everytime it is banded on. Bolts and alignment pins assure positioning and repeatablilty at the expense of a greater likelyhood of damage in a hard landing.

6 to 1/half doz. to the other!

I flew planes with rubber bands for 15 or 20 years. They work just fine. But then I started building scale models, so I use bolts now. Bolt on wings look better. Its mostly a cosmetic thing. I generally used about 12 to 14 bands when I flew. Wipe them off good when you take them off and you can re-use them several times.

Some guys use a tupperware container 1/2 full corn starch to store the old bands. They say it absorbs the oil. At least I think they said corn starch.

One thing about rubber band mounted wings: the wing might sit slightly different in the saddle from one flying session to the next. This can make the trims change a click or two. And on low wing airpalnes, with the landing gear attached to the wing, the wing will shift very slightly throughout the day as you do many landings. Just a little. You won't have any of these issues with a bolt on wings. But bolt on wings require more work when you initially build the models.

If you expect the wing to pop off during a crash, with rubber bands, then you need to run the bands parallel to the fuselage. If you criss cross them , they won't pop off. I generally criss crossed mine for a more secure hold. You can parallel all but the last 2 bands, then criss cross them. They will secure the others , but may offer a better chance of the wing releasing in a crash.