Balancing
 

Hi all. merry christmas to you all.


id just like to know your best methods for balancing your plane without resorting to purchasing from the shop. i know how far back from the LE i should be etc but dont wanna buy on. id prefer to fabricate one.


many thanks

RE: Balancing
 

I just use the "Two Finger" method

RE: Balancing
 

i could always ask the wife. shes usually sticking 2 fingers up when i ask her for something ;)

RE: Balancing
 

that should work out great, if you can get her to stand still long enough for you to check it out:D

RE: Balancing
 

:D:D:D

RE: Balancing
 

two equal height dowel rods, with pencil erasers on the end will do the trick. Rich

RE: Balancing
 

You can even use to wooden pencils and balance the plane on the erasers. Drill two holes in a piece of wood an stick the pencils/dowels into so you can set the plane on them without falling over.

Ken

RE: Balancing
 

You mean I spent all that money for a fancy balancer and I could have used pencils with rubber erasers? Jeech... :D

RE: Balancing
 

i never thought of that :( so simple even i could do it. ill hold em in the old black and decker workmate. i knew id find a use for it. shame i chucked all the kids pencils on the fire [X(]

RE: Balancing
 

And you thought they were only good for kindling!! :D;)

RE: Balancing
 

It's 30 bucks lasts forever, works well, and even has a ruler built in to measure back from the leading edge...and lastly the tips of the verical rod has a larger area than a pencil eraser....
then again there is something to making your own...just a few thoughts

RE: Balancing
 

Hey Jetmech. How's your daughter doing? Hope all is well.

Yeah, I like my balancing jig. It's pretty nice, actually. The pads to rest the plane on are nice and large. I used it for the first time on my Goldberg Progege. I was delightfully suprpized to see that it was just about perfectly balanced without having to add any weight.

I'm sure the eraser trick would have worked fine too, but the placement of the erasers may end up on unsupported monocoat.. needs a little forethought before doing this.

Have a Happy, Safe, and Prosperous New Year!

CGr (Dick)

RE: Balancing
 

Hi PM me. I'll send you a free spread sheet all set up fpr you. You can use it over and over again.

RE: Balancing
 

SoCal, what does the spreadsheet do for you? What sort of information is given?

CGr.

RE: Balancing
 

Two fingers for me. Actually, have the Great Planes CG Machine, but never used it. :eek:

RE: Balancing
 

If you are alone, and use the two-fingers method, you sort of run out of hands to make a measurement.. if you want to make a measurement, that is.

CGr.

RE: Balancing
 

I use to use my fingers and still do , at the field . But I like the CG machine for my builds . frees up my hands and I like being able to adjust the CG points so easily .

RE: Balancing
 

Or build yourself one of these.....HAPPY NEW YEAR all !!!!

http://webpages.charter.net/rcfu/Con.../BJConstr.html

RE: Balancing
 

Here is mine in action. Too simple to build....

Yes, I know the Tiger is supposed to balance upside down, I checked it both ways. The only thing you have to watch for is clearance at the rudder / vertical empennage.

RE: Balancing
 

I like the fancy balancer, I think it was well worth the money.

RE: Balancing
 

I have a Phoenix 330s extra that I have installed 2 Futaba s3004 servos on the elevators. There seems to be to much slack or movement in these servos with power on and in the nutural position. A-Should I change these servos with digitals or B-what servo would there likly be less movement. THe movement is about 1/16 inch at the tip of the servo arm.

RE: Balancing
 

sorry I posted theis wrong!!!NuTs!!!!

RE: Balancing
 

I would be interested in getting a copy of the spreadsheets.

EKF

RE: Balancing
 

I just love the two pencils. I am going to build me one. Thanks
baylor

RE: Balancing
 

This costs money but will work for nearly everything throughout your flying career. http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/m_6784083/tm.htm

RE: Balancing
 

Even cheaper than 2 pencils :D.
Take a long loop of string and hang it by it's middle over a hook in the ceiling and support the fus in each end of the loop. Hang another piece of string from that hook with a pointy weight on the end as a pendulum. Level the fus and wings parallel to the ground and the pointy pendulum shows the exact CG front to back and side to side.

RE: Balancing
 

Sounds good! I'd be having a stroke worrying about the string breaking though! LOL Parachute shroud line would be great though, with a plumb bob. How do you measure the distance from the lead edge though?

RE: Balancing
 

D.I.Y. version:

http://www.tomlaird.com/articles/balancer/balancer.htm

cheers

Tom