Carmatic, Dual rates lets you pre select two different amounts of control surface movement, High rate= most deflection, Low rate= lesser amount of deflection . The sensitivty of the surface movement is controled by the exponential function..... OK?.

looks like I've figured out what I need to get my plane repaired. One thing I don't have is a proper saw to cut this wood. I'm not used to cutting things so small. I don't think my radial arm saw or chainsaw is going to work (kidding)

what's best?

Kevin, If you are cutting small cross section wood like up to 1 inch square or sheet up to 1 1/2 inch wide, consider getting a mitre box and saw set from the hobby shop or Tower. If you want nice cuts on wider sheet you can get a nice thin detail finish saw, (Stanley 20-331) double sided blade from Home Depot or Lowes. A decent band saw is a real plus if you have room for it. There is of course the tried and true method of cutting sheet using the good old number 11 exacto blade making a series of light repetative cuts....

STOP! You will be suprised what the manufacturer will do for you in a situation like this... See the thread I have linked here:
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/m_4876737/tm.htm
This is a story about a freind of mine whose RTF trainer had an inflight failure and Hanger 9 replaced the whole plane for him free of cost... even shipping.

By the way... Your instructor probably learned on an old Kadet and they originally did not have ailerons. Just throttle/elevator/rudder.

Good luck, have fun, never quit!

I appreciate your thoughts, and if there would have been more damage I would have gone that route. 2 reasons why I'm just going to fix it.

If I got a new plane it would take longer to put it together than this simple fix will. It will be stronger than ever when I'm done.

and if I got a new plan I think I would strenthen up this area anyway.

I just had to buy a couple chunks of wood and some covering and its good as new. If I would have nosed the plane in or something, I'd be on the phone stating my case.

Thanks

Kevin, your choices of saws are as follows - choose the one that best fits your needs and budget (Although, BOTH types are good to have)

http://www.widgetsupply.com/page/WS/...aw-blade/BDM80

http://www.amazon.com/Delta-SS250-Sh...0?ie=UTF8&s=hi

the X-ACTO looks perfect for know ... thanks!

Not to beat the subject to death, but making sure the servo linkage is attached in the appropriate place is pretty important. The only thing I didn't see brought up was mechanical advantage. Setting the throws accurately at the servo is important. Not that making small changes at the radio is bad, but you don't want to make extreme changes there. You would be giving the control surface too much leverage and causing servo gear failures or servo stalling. Just a thought.

2nd Day ... plane is fixed! Repairs went well. Beefed up the weak spots and recovered. Covering went smooth except for the fact that the origional covering reacted at a lower temp than the monokote I bought for repairs. After I figured it out, it went good.

Went to the field. A great day. I warmed up with my instructor and then went straight to take-offs. I was pretty nervous, but made it with no problems. Did 3 or so and then a cross wind picked up. My instructor loves it when this stuff happens. Another chance to teach me something I guess. I had to "fly" a bit on the take off to keep the wing down and then release the pressure after leaving the ground and fly as normal. It feels great to see things work.

Then, my first landing ... a bit shaky, and steered it off the runway after touchdown a couple feet, but SUCCESSFUL!! It felt great. I'm loving the plane, engine, and radio. I'm truely grateful for this site and all the information. It made things easy!

3rd Day ... got to the field .... windy! Didn't unload my plane, didn't think I'd fly. Watched a bit and was getting ready to leave. Sure enough, the instructor stopped me and convinced me to fly. Another chance to teach again. He said he would take off and land and we could play in the wind a bit. I agreed. The skill level of these guys is impressive, especially considering the changing conditions. Anyway, good lessons on making smooth turns with the wind. Entering the turn easy into the wind with a strong exit ... then entering the turn hard with the wind with a shallow exit. It worked great. I was still able to make consistant figure 8's and maintain my elevation and direction. Then he showed me how to slow the throttle down to idle and sit in one spot in the air. It was awesome! Kept the nose up and played with the rudder to keep it straight into the wind and the ailerons to keep it level. He claims its great practice for landings. I stayed in one spot for what seemed like a long, long time. Not sure how long it really was, but it was very cool to work the controls to keep it steady aginst the changing wind. Pretty cool.

Well ... thanks for all the help. Good flying to you all!

Kevin

Also, one thing to bring up about EPA's are that the lower the EPA the lower the servo resolution. While you probably won't notice it at a beginners level, as you get more advanced, it will make a difference in precision aerobatics, etc. I also recommend using dual rates on a trainer when you get comfy. it makes flying trainers hella fun for your entire RC career. Everyone loves a 3d trainer. :P