I recently got a free plane from my friend, and when fixing it up i noticed a fairly large hole in the top of the wing, as well as 1 or2 smaller ones in the bottom. how would i go about fixing these holes?

Also, from one of my different posts, ive picked up that the best airplane fuel is around 10% nitro (OS .40). I was also wondering if trying to fly without any training is just a dumb idea.

Thanks

For the time being, and depending on how large the holes are, you can just patch them up with packing tape. And yes, flying without instruction will 99% of the time end up in a game of 52 balsa pick up.

10% is ideal. 15% is simply more expensive and won't do much/if anything to help the performance in that .40 LA

either use the packing tape method (which is great on a beater plane) or geab a roll of covering or a piece of adhesive covering for 2.50 at the hobby shop. Just dont fly it without fixin it.. OR ELSE

Other alternative buy a roll of blenderm tape from the pharmacy and then you've got some spare for the future and can use it on your hinges as well !!!!!

Fix it right. If you are at the field, and accidentally pierce the wing covering (or covering anywhere else for that matter), then I would agree, a light packing tape (not masking tape, duct tape, or that tape with fiberglass string in it, just that thin layer packing tape available at such places as The UPS Store and so on) would be a good TEMPORARY FIELD fix. This is so you can continue flying.

After you are done, and head home, remove the tape and FIX IT RIGHT.

Get a roll of ultracoat or monocoat or whatever.. that either matches the covering or is a contrast to the covering on the wing. Cut a patch out that is slightly bigger (perhaps a half inch) than the hole OR cut a patch in the shape of a stripe or a star, a design, in other words.

Trim off the fray covering within the hole area, clean the area to be patched with alcohol and let it dry. Make sure that the area is oil free (oil from the engine exhaust), then place the covering over the hole and carefully iron it on. If done right, it can look better or become invisible (if the covering matches).

As far as the fuel is concerned, hey, get what your local hobby store has in stock. 10%, 15%.. will all work just fine. A more critical issue with the fuel is the oil-blend content. Most oils are a blend of castor oil and some other type of oil. Make sure that this oil is at least 18% oil. The blend is not that critical, but it should have some castor oil, but the overall percentage should be at least 18%. Most are 20%. The fuels that have more oil blend is usually for helicopters, and often has a higher nitro content. So, 10 to 15 % nitro plus 18% minimum oil is a good choice. You will be paying around 11 to 14 dollars per gallon for this.

CGr.

> I was also wondering if trying to fly without any training is just a dumb idea. <

I will suggest how you can save the gasoline it would cost to go to the flying field. Just put your model on the floor in your garage and jump up and down on it- the result will be the same. Do follow the mainstream advice and find a club with an instruction program.

Actually its quite a common idea and it can work of course but almost invaribly at a cost of a far greater level of expenditure of money, frustration, lost flying time as well as a much greater road block to your ultimate success which you may or may not have the motivation to persevere.

This will also deprive one of the actually very important part of the hobby/sport and that is the social interplay with your fellow pilots most often found in the club environment.

John

That's pretty good, Daveand right on target.

I have found the best thing to clean areas for patching is to use the monocoate trim solvent. If you are using monocoate for the repair, then use caution when placing the patch as it will adhere immediately. If using Ultracoate, you can peel it off and re-position. I do not cut patches with sharp square corners. Circles work best, or squares/rectangles with rounded corners. They look better and don't peel up as easily. Oh, I always re-seal with an iron, even though the solvent will stick it down.