Sickle wing delaminated
 

A friend of mine has a Sickle ARF. The upper left wing surface delaminated only after 20 flights. Fortunately he got it back safely. See pix below, Sickle is out of my wish list for sure!

Last pix is a nitro guy tried to help with a duct tape...... nice try Jon!

Luke

RE: Sickle wing delaminated
 

Ouch!!! Terry, you did a great job landing that wounded bird...

Woodie

RE: Sickle wing delaminated
 

<span style="font-size: larger;"><span style="font-family: Comic Sans MS;">This is typical when they want to build composite wings and want to keep her really light, not that this baby is light. At least its down in one piece, minus a bit more. :)</span></span>

RE: Sickle wing delaminated
 

Thanks for the report. I'm going to add a 1 inch piece of clear packing tape to the leading edge of mine. I think the air gets in a causes a pressure inside the wing.
Yes the wing is actually pretty light on the plane for a composite and this doesn't surprise me at all. I'm sorry it happened to your freind. I know that he can obtain a replacement wing panel. Mike

RE: Sickle wing delaminated
 

Dang, that sucks Luke!

Seems like it's time to start building from kit form again!

Chris

RE: Sickle wing delaminated
 

Hey Luke with 20 flights on it did you guys form an opinion on the plane's flying ability? Mike

RE: Sickle wing delaminated
 

According to Terry, it has potential. Problem is way too heavy. He has Planttenberg motor which is almost 4 Oz lighter than AXI 5330/FAI, the total weight wasaround 11.5 lb.

RE: Sickle wing delaminated
 

Luke I actually make weight with the Pletty. I've found the plane to fly a little too light for my tastes. So in reality I think a 11.5 pound Sickle would probably fly pretty well if balanced properly. Trouble is it deosn't make weight. Mike

RE: Sickle wing delaminated
 

Mike,

We talked all about the weight issues on a Sickle build forum. I could get very close to making weight if I used lighter batteries.

The biggest flying difference that I found between it and my Integral was the rudder authority. The Integral doesn't take much to fly knife edge/stall turns versus the Sickle which takes a lot more. Also, the Sickle fuselage is bigger and heavier than my Integral which helps it "lock in" on a line (or works against you on a snap?).

I am about to see if the manufacturer stands behind their product (or not) by asking them for a replacement left wing. I'll keep this forum updated on what transpires.

Time to put my Integral back together (it only has 341 flights) so that I have something to fly.

Later,

Terry

RE: Sickle wing delaminated
 

Hey Terry you want to contact Bear.
He's the GM of the company. They were helpful when I thought I needed a new canopy. Turns out that we were able to fix it as good as new.
Terry that is strange that you refer to the plane acting locked in. I find mine to be the opposite so far. I still think I have a CG problem. Where did you have yours in relation to the wing tube?
I've found the plane rolls better than anything I have ever flown. It's remarkable in that reguard.
Snaps were so bad in the beginning that it scared me. Mine look pretty good now with less elevator and much more aileron and rudder all setup on a condition switch.
Light lipo's are an option if the plane can still balance with them. I took so much weight out of the nose of mine that balance is an issue even with the lipo's pushed up to the firewall.
So far I have no mixing at all on knife edge. Plus the choices out there for lighter lipos is poor.
Do you feel the plane would benefit from a canolizer? I kind of think it needs the fin to be a little higher and the Canolizer might help it. Again 2 ounces would be added aft of the CG and that's a problem.. Thanks for your input. Sorry that your wing did that and again I'll now take precautionary measures to hopefully avoid the same fate. Mike