Is this normal?
 

This is the first plane I've owned with wheel pants, so I don't know.

Is it normal for wheel pants to eventually have hair line cracks? I have the Seagull .90 Extra 260 and I flew it about 12 times this year and last night I decided to take the Iron to it to get some wrinkles that re-appeared on the bottom of the fuse.

When I looked at the wheel pants, I saw a spider web of hairline cracks around the landing gear legs where the pants and leg attatches around the bolt. There's a few small cracks on the bottom of the pants near the tire well.

Is this normal?

Pete

RE: Is this normal?
 

In my experience, yes.

RE: Is this normal?
 

I would say yes too, I usually dont put the wheel pants on unless the plane is in a scale compition.

RE: Is this normal?
 

Yup they will do that. Some of the ARF's are made with something else and will get these cracks. I have not seen anything that will stop it. Good Luck, Dave

RE: Is this normal?
 

Pete,

They crack because they are supported from one point, and vibration and field hits overstress the material.

Check these old threads out:

http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/m_27.../tm.htm#279862

http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/m_71...tm.htm#7167382

RE: Is this normal?
 

Yep, even my good glass pants from FGS will crack and they are a lot thicker then the ARF pants. I have sanded off the paint a time or two and discovered the glass was fine but the paint itself was cracking from the vibration and flex. I haven't tried it yet but I was thinking of giving that motor cycle paint that bends and flexes a try sometime. So far it's still just a thought. Like Jay mentioned, I leave the pants off most the time unless the plane is going to be shown for some reason.

RE: Is this normal?
 

You can make pants tougher by using some fiberglass and CA. I have even used CA hinge material to beef around the contact area.

RE: Is this normal?
 

Yes. Mine have all done that. I don't bother putting them on most models anymore. A further problem is that they can bend in and act as brakes and make taking off a problem.

RE: Is this normal?
 

Wheel pants and flying from grass does not work very well

RE: Is this normal?
 

Exactly! Flying from a model airplane grass field is akin to a fullscale airplane flying from a hayfield! If model airplane fields have the same grass on them that greens have on golf courses then that would be great!

RE: Is this normal?
 

There is a cure.

before they are mounted while still new, lay in a layer of 6oz cloth with epoxy resin over the whole inside surface of the mounting side of the wheelpant. Additional filler may be necessary around the mounting area. I do this with all of my wheelpants. I no longer have them cracking.

Ed s