When Balancing a low wing from the Wing Tips. Do you need the plane Inverted. I'm balancing a SIG Sukhoi SU-31. It shows using a balancer at the Fuse Inverted. But they also give you the distance at the Wing Tips. But they dont say if you do it Inverted as well!!
Thanks
Tbucket27

Generally it is much easier to balance when inverted no matter where you support it. Being inverted puts the center of mass below the wing which makes it more stable.

Depends!

I recently bought into using a ceiling-mounted sling and plumb bob method to balance my planes. My planes include high wing trainer (SIG LT-40 & SIG Kadet Senior), low wing intermediate (4Star60), mid-wing toy (ShowTime 50) and bi-plane (SIG Hog Bipe). All were balanced with the planes in a "canopy up" attitude.

I like that this approach balances the plane both laterally (tip to tip) and longitudinally in 1 step. As I consider myself to be a newbie I still have no clue when I look at a plane balanced on dowels whether it is level, nose up or nose down unless it is extreme. The sling method takes "opinion & experience" out of the equation.

Yes, it depends.

Read my "Balancing Upside Down" article on this page:

http://www.rcuniverse.com/magazine/r.../minnflyer.cfm

Gees Mike - you'd think that you do the graphics stuff professionally.

Excellent example (as usual).

Thanks SG, but these little illustrations I whip up are a piece of cake compared to what I get PAID to do