Crooked Tail Feathers
 

I started building a trainer kit back in the 80's when my would be instructor retired and moved out of town. The kit was put aside.

I recently started to finish the kit, thinking it would be good kit building training, even if I didn't need a trainer anymore.

I rubber banded the wing on it for the first time yesterday and sure enough, the tail feathers I glued on nearly 20 years ago are a rotated a few degrees counter clock wise when viewing the plane from the prop end. Holding a transparent protractor up to it, and aligning it with the wing, it looks like 3-4 degrees.

Other than having to listen to my fellow club members commenting on my building skills, is the 3 or 4 degrees likely a big deal? Will I be able to trim it up with just a couple of clicks of trim? It is a trainer and has a fair amount of dihedral in the flat bottom wing.

Thanks for any feedback.

Dave

Crooked Tail Feathers
 

Dave:

It will fly fine.

The misalignment will cause a slight bit of yaw coupling to the elevator, but with a flat stab you wont notice anything in level flight.

With up elevator it will yaw a little bit right, down elevator will tend left.

But not enough to make tearing it apart worthwhile.

Is it were supposed to be a highly capable aerobatic ship it would be different.

Bill.

Crooked Tail Feathers
 

Thanks Bill!

I'll just brace myself for some good natured ribbing ...

Its a 15-20 sized plane with a 'convenient' OS25 FX mounted to it. I don't know how areobatic its going to be, but I'm thinking it will be faster than I'm used to ... maybe not ...

I suppose that if I really wanted to do it right ... I'd fix the tail, put a nice streamline nose of it, build a semi-semetric, extended and reinforced wing for it, and sling a couple of 10's or 15's under the wings to give it that B-26 look ....

... but since it's taken me 18 years to get it this far, maybe I should just stick with the plan in hand.

Cheers!

Dave

Crooked Tail Feathers
 

... or maybe keep the nose and make it a tri-motor ...

Crooked Tail Feathers
 

Dave:

Look here:

http://www.rcuniverse.com/showthread...79#post1116662

Check post #9 for a really nice looking twin bash on a Sig Kadet.

Bill..

Crooked Tail Feathers
 

Thanks Bill,

hmmmm ... maybe a twin Aircruiser 25 is not such a bad idea afterall. I'd hate having a perfectly good fuselage lying around with no one to fly it...

Here I thought kit bashing was a bad thing ... and it turns out I've been kit bashing for 30 years.
When I was a kid I took a wing from a rubber band powered Hawker Hurricane ... added twin booms, twin rudders, one cox 0.049, and made myself a control line plane out of it. It flew pretty well until I plowed it in going straight down and snapped off the tail feathers. After that, I never could get the tail light enough to balance properly ...
Cheers!