ok, i am going to start my build thread for the lt 25 on friday, and wanted to see if i could post pics. if this works, here is the pics of my mangled f-27 stryker. it still flys pretty good and i added the yellow paint so i can see it better. i personally think everyone should try flyin these things as they are a blast to fly ( but still pretty tricky to see and learn on)
PS
does anyone have any tips or suggestions for my build of the lt 25? i would greatly appreciate any advice as far as what i should or shouldnt do/use with this kit, ect ect.....[img]

[img][/img]

Congrats on deciding to build! It's a lot of fun and rewarding when you get to step back and look at what you build out of a box of material.

Couple of LT-40 build threads here and here. These prolly show similar construction pics n such that might shed some light on your build.

To post your pic in-line in full size enter the following in the message body:

and you should see..

Congrats on moving up to WOOD planes. I think you will find them easier to fly in the long run and you will eventually be able to fly planes just as agile as the Stryker. It appears to have had a "rough" life. Take your time on the build and biuld straight and all should be fine.

thanx for the advice guys. i will check out those lt 40 builds, but i was wondering just how similar the two planes are. if i was to download the lt 40 manual, would it be good enough to help me understand the build process, or should i just wait until i get my kit?

I don't think the manuals are available online, but I could be wrong. If available, just download the LT-25 manual.

I had both and the LT25 is more frisky flyer than the LT40. BOth make good trainers as they are capable of very slow flight and landings. Building tips: when you join the wings together, make the wing joint so that you have 2" of dihedral. Its a lot less than the manual suggests. The plane will still have self righting abilities and will handle windy conditions much better. Second tip, pick up some standard axles instead of using the bolts for the wheels. The bolts tend to loosen off and cause one of the whels to bind. I also went with a 1" tail wheel instead of 3/4" but I don't know if it really makes much difference. I also went with 3" Sullivan Sky Lite wheels for our grass field. Handles much better on the ground. I did modify the wings for 10-32 nylon bolt mounting but you don't need to do this. I just learned to hate rubber band mounting after flying an LT40 for 2 seasons. [>:] Other than that the plane is a nice flyer and will do a decent knife edge.

so, would you rccomend using a bolt on wing or should i stick with rubber bands? if i use rubber bands, is it hard to convert to bolt on?

If you think you will be having some landing "incidents" I would start off with rubber bands. They are slightly more forgiving and can cause less damage in minor accidents. You could prepare the plane for screw on attachment at a later date but, quite frankly, I'd just stick with the rubber bands.

bruce is right, I have watched some trainer planes with rubber band mounted wings hit a chain link fence and watched the wings pop off with no damag except for some minor scuffed up covering. I went with bolt on mounting on the LT25 because it was my sons plane and I would help him repair it if it encountered any hobby bumps. ALSO I had # kits behine me by then so i was confident in modifying the wing and fuselage for bolt on mounting[8D]

Fatsky said a mouthful here. While it's entirely possible to modify the wing to use wing bolts, if you don't do it correctly you could wind up with a wing that will pull off. I have seen this happen first hand. We had a guy at our club the "converted" a wing to wing bolts, and on his first flight on a turn the wing pulled off and gently floated to the ground, leaving the fuselage to become a lawn dart. It turned out that all he did was drill through the balsa skin of wing and add some bolts. The point I am trying to make is that you need to properly strengthen the wing around the wing bolts and the mounting pegs at the front of the wing. While not difficult to do, it is extremely important to be done correctly.

Hope this helps

Ken

i think i'll go with the rubbers, but i might beef up the wing for bolts later if i decide to do it. another thing.....how many rubber bands should i buy to "keep me going" for a while without having to always stop at my lhs to get more. i really should avoid going there if i can, b/c i always end up buying more than i came for

You can go to an Office Depot and buy a big bag of #64 rubber bands pretty cheap.

http://www.officedepot.com/ddSKU.do?...g=true&An=text

or

http://www2.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin/wti0001p?&I=LXL434

You decide. Don't reuse too often and clean well if you do.

About 10-12 per assembly.

OK, no Office Depot near you but you get the idea.

Pick up a couple of bags of #64 rubber bands from Office Depot (or Wal-mart). Use 12 rubber bands when you fly. And throw them away at the end of the day. They are very cheap insurance for your plane, so I wouldn't risk using them multiple times.

Ken

gotcha going to pick up some tomorrow

The Office Depot bands state that it "Meets Federal specifications AA-131A".
What in the world is that
Google Time

That means their suitable for an intercubicle rubberband war in a Govt. Office Complex

It's similar to aircraft parts interchangeability as long as they meet the same MS (Mil-Spec). Yes there are other constraints too but this gets you in the ball park.

http://www.tbpc.state.tx.us/cat_page...5_a6_0306.html

ok well i'll make sure my rubbers meet all federal specs, and my specs as well!