Hey, well I was out yesterday with my buddies about to fly my Nexstar again and I thought I would try to put a digital camera on the plane. The camera I was using was a Kodak digital camera, I put it just about right at the CG... atleast I thought, as I tried to take off it took A LOT longer than usual and I should have just throttled down but me being anxious to get some onboard footage kept the throttle all out and it finally lifted off, it was flying fine, just a little bit nose heavy but all and all it was alright, I did a few loops and quick turns etc... but as I was just flying nice and level all of a sudden the nose dipped vertical down, I pulled up as hard as i could and nothing.... the nexstar slammed right into the ground at full speed as me and my buddies just stood in disbelief. I'm guessing this was from interference from a camera not designed to be on RC vehicles? or maybe just a sudden shift in cg? Idk but as we walked over to the crash sight I saw it.... the wing was off and in perfect shape which I was very happy when i saw hat and the plane was in tact! I got closer and saw the spinner and prop were ruined, and the front end balsa wood was crunched, but nto completley so I figured Some tape could fix that up. when I got home and looked the plane over, the wing had a problem too, the metal bar that holds the wing halves together was bent, so I put it in a vice and bent it back straight... I got electrical taped and just taped the entire front end over and over again, It looked okay! and I went tothe hobby store right after the crash and got a new prop and spinner... Installed those and I figured I should try a test flight. Well today I tried it out.. and GREAT just as great a flying plane as before and I did rolls, spins, quick moves etc... and everythign went perfect, 4 perfect landings and I was VERY pleased with my repairs..... Heres some photos of the repair to the front.



New pictures of the actual repair are the last two pictures due to the help of the guys on this form the new repair consisted of some ca on the balsa to straighten it all out instead of just using tape to keep it all together.... and some covering on the canopy... there was a lot of balsa to be repaired.. more then i thought and now all i need is some sort of white covering for the rest of the front... thank you to everybody thats been helping me in htis form.


alright I posted some final pictgures of the final repair.... thanks to all!

[&:]mmmmm kay do you fix your car like that? J/k I have done that. just not with my nitro planes. just my little ez bee

When the oil residue starts going to work on that tape... hold on[:@]

No, when the oil residue starts to drip on that beautiful tabletop, then hold on. If there is a Mrs. Chevypower1930 she is gonna murder someone. [X(]

hahah nooo thats exactly why i have a plug in the exhaust tip! and yea i know thats why I didn't leave any part of the front untaped so that the oil wouldn't get in between the tape, but I nkow it will eventually get to the tape and I'll have ot really repair it... but it flies absolutley perfect and after every flight i whipe it down thouroughly... hopefully it'll hold up, It wasn't a horrible damaged front end so if the tape does start comin off... no major flight effect will occur.

If you were to bring that to a club I'm afraid I'd have to ask the safety committe to ground that plane. I've never done that before, but I would in this case.

really? I mena i just joined a club and haven't brought this one there yet.. is it really that seroius? i mean you can't fly damaged planes? so if you crash a plane and its not serious you have to do a full rebuild or else?

and btw the whole fuselage including the taped part is as strong as new.... I just put tape on it because the convering was peeling due to the crash and I didn't want the rest to come off due to air getting under it.. and just a few LITTLE peices of balsa broke... I mean if you asked the safety commission to ground my plane due to that... your an idiot considering I've flown that plane with the repairs and it flies just like new and is just as strong as brand new... so I mean i don't see the big deal. and if it was gorunded I'd just go fly it at my buddies farm so whatever

What happens when G forces or vibrations stretch the tape and the motor isnt centered?

Be careful mate.

Before you go calling anyone an idiot... In your original post you say the only repair to the damaged balsa (and light ply thats in there) was to wrap it in electrical tape. If it comes loose in flight or worse when its on the ground after you fire up that engine and it breaks loose you may change your mind as to who the idiot is. Now understand I am not calling you an idiot. Look at where I am from, I can apreciate some good ole fassion RedNeck inginuity. But I think your "repair" is structurally unsound. which is why I made my first comments. Now if you repaired the structure and just used the electrical tape as a covering substitute... fly on my freind I will be right there beside you laughing with you.

Noooo yall don't understand haha.. the motor mounts and the whole front fuselage is COMPLETLEY STABLE... as stable as before... just LITTLE pieces of balsa were sticking out and the covering was ripped.. thast what the tape was for.. i just rapped it so many times so it wouls tick to itself because it woudlnt' stick to the plane w/ ANY oil residue on it... there was not even a need for the fuselage repair.. it would've flown fine.. but i decided to so the covering would not rip off..

the main repair was the bent rod in the wingjoint... and of course the new prop and spinner... the tape IS NOT holding the plane together... just holding the covering on. sorry about the idiot comment too... iw as just frusterated that yo uwould ground a plane that is prettyt much just cometically dammaged

some club rules state that any pilot can ground someones plane for safety reasons. however the issue needs to be resolved right there. I couldn't ground your plane then walk off and fly.
if you have done a real good inspection of the fuselage, and the area at the firewall. the structure is not cracked.
In that case go fly.........

Just curious, why didn't you use CA to repair the broken pieces of balsa and ply followed by a repair to the covering? If it is not structural, then it would be a lighter way to repair than putting half a roll of electrical tape on that plane, and it would look better.

But, if the crash was hard enough to bend that steel spar bar, you may have other damage that you are not seeing. Be very careful. Remember that there is more at stake here than your Nexstar. Consider what happens if that thing comes apart during a flight and slams into someone, or someone's property. Then how would you feel.

Have someone at your new club look it over carefully, no matter how it flys right now. That bent steel bar is an indication of a possibility of more and serious damage elsewhere that you are not experienced enough to see.

Example: I had a Nexstar during my training days and I never bent that bar and I had some interesting minor crashes. I tore out the main gear on one occasion and pushed the gear back into the fuselage. The damage was under the covering and was discovered while doing the repairs to the landing gear. It was simple enough to fix, but was definitely sturctural and hidden to an inexperienced flyer. My instructor found it and we fixed it on the spot (at his house a day or two after I broke the main gear).

DS.

Lright well thanks for the ideas for the repair... but Im new to this hobby and I don't even know what ca is? where can i get it and how do I use it to repair things... thats why I just used electrical tape because i've never builta plane or even ACTUALLY repaired it.. thanks... i think im about to take the tape off today to the controversy just on here haha

is ca just glue?

alright well Im going at it trying to ACTUALLY repair it.. and its looking a lot better.. Im using crazy glue to put together the balsa and the front canopy part of the fuselage was mroe damaged then i thought..... the covering was still on at first but i took it off and ya it was crunched... i fixed that so far nad it looks great... thank you for your comments guys.. and sorry for anything rude i siad to Stangguy... just frusterated as it was a STUPID crash because of my ignorance of trying to get a good shot haha... and im new to the hobby and so far its been a GREAT entrance..... even the guys at the club that have been flyin for 30 years told me I had a natural feel for it... haha but anymore help on how to repair the covering would be greatly appreciated

Good luck on the rebuild.

Only advise I can give is:

1. Take your time. Make sure everything is straight and true. It doesn't cost you any money or frustration to think on things a little before committing to glue and balsa.

2. Make friends at the Local Hobby Shop (LHS). Find the ol' coots. And ask them for help/advise. They'd probably love nothing more than to pass on their experience and stories to a youngin'.

hey thanks vms guy.... I'm already about done with the repair.... it was actually bad at the canopy part.. but that didn't weaken the structure of the firwall or the entrie structureo the plane... its as strong as steal now haha.... i pushed in on it nad its not budging.. i also had to do some rpairs to the undercarriage but im missing some balsa wood... and theres some empty spots so what can i do about that?

Alright I posted some pictures of the repair almost complete in the original message... after the tape job haha.... let me know what you think of hte new one.... Just have to find some white covering of some sort I guess to cover the other areas other then the canopy.... here they rae VERY VER YVERY happy with it and thank you to all that have helped... I understand the taping repair was not a correct repair and was just lazy and well.. dumb haha any comments... or tips are greatly appreciated..

Alright heres some of the pictures of the new rebuild or repair! thanks to all! just a little left to do and keep this form going!

Just a thought. How much was the metal spar bar bent? If I remeber correctly, it comes bent for the dehedral. The accident would have destroyed a lot more of the aircraft if the accident bent the bar. BTW, I have crashed a few Nexstars myself

it was bent more then it was from the factory.. it was bent like off centered so thats what made me know that it wasnt' right... i left it SLIGHTLY bent in the middle for the dehedral.. But its fine i've test flown it and everything and everyting went flawless.. i beleive that it went nose first and then just fell on its side and thats what bent the bar... i was expecting a lot more hten what happened.. but it wasn't prety haha.. i looked over EVERYTHING else and its all great... and i repaired everyting else

Alright all Im posting some final repair pictures! got some ultra cote white covering from the lhs and here it is... let me know what yall think please! would you stilll ground this plane!

Im still the guy that orginally said I'd ask the safety committe to down your plane......so now that you have looked and made your repairs good for you. If you bent the metal spar I'll bet there is damage to the wing as well.
Anyway welcome to the hobby it can be a great time, or can get kinda lonely down there at the end of the pits.