a not so perfect wing ... and flying??
10-07-2002 | 05:44 PM
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From: Memphis,
TN
a not so perfect wing ... and flying??
The dihedral shouldn't be much a problem. If you lay it so that one side of the wing is flat, how far up is the other wingtip? It should be about 1 to 2 inches or so.
As far as the wing saddle goes, can you give some more info on it? Will the wing slide firwards and backwards alot? Put 12 rubber bands on it and try.
Trainers are generally forgiving in building and flying, but if you did make a mistake, your instructor should spot it unless there is a structural problem inside the plane that is covered up by your covering. No pun intended. You might consider having someone look over it before you cover it.
As far as the wing saddle goes, can you give some more info on it? Will the wing slide firwards and backwards alot? Put 12 rubber bands on it and try.
Trainers are generally forgiving in building and flying, but if you did make a mistake, your instructor should spot it unless there is a structural problem inside the plane that is covered up by your covering. No pun intended. You might consider having someone look over it before you cover it.
10-07-2002 | 06:52 PM
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From: gone,
a not so perfect wing ... and flying??
Which is too short?
A bit of opening showing with the wing in place? You can go ahead and fill the opening with styrofoam double-stick taped in place, preferrably at the rear (pusing ithe wing to the forward end of the wing saddle)
The wing doesn't want to go into the opening and sit evenly on the fuselage? Trim the trailing edge of the wing to allow it to drop in, then patch-cover to keep any fuel from being able to get at the balsa.
Double check that the aileron torque rod ends aren't hitting anything first... Might just need to trim for them to clear.
OR, you can add 1/8 inch thick hard balsa rails on top of the wing saddle (if its a flat bottom wing...) This would allow the trailing edge to not be blocked at the rear, making the wing rock from side to side.
There's a LOT of room for error, and the plane could still fly. It just might not fly as smoothly as is desireable. An extreme example is that I've got an old trainer I've flown in R/C Combat, and after a mid-air collision, it kept flying with nearly 1/3 of one wing missing, and the other aileron non-functional (broken clevice). It wasn't easy to get it on the ground without further damage... but I managed it. I've seen a lot of BAD looking planes fly just fine too...
A bit of opening showing with the wing in place? You can go ahead and fill the opening with styrofoam double-stick taped in place, preferrably at the rear (pusing ithe wing to the forward end of the wing saddle)
The wing doesn't want to go into the opening and sit evenly on the fuselage? Trim the trailing edge of the wing to allow it to drop in, then patch-cover to keep any fuel from being able to get at the balsa.
Double check that the aileron torque rod ends aren't hitting anything first... Might just need to trim for them to clear.
OR, you can add 1/8 inch thick hard balsa rails on top of the wing saddle (if its a flat bottom wing...) This would allow the trailing edge to not be blocked at the rear, making the wing rock from side to side.
There's a LOT of room for error, and the plane could still fly. It just might not fly as smoothly as is desireable. An extreme example is that I've got an old trainer I've flown in R/C Combat, and after a mid-air collision, it kept flying with nearly 1/3 of one wing missing, and the other aileron non-functional (broken clevice). It wasn't easy to get it on the ground without further damage... but I managed it. I've seen a lot of BAD looking planes fly just fine too...
