a few quick questions. where is the c g located on the fully sheeted wings? the book talks about the rear edge of the sheeting? also how do you retain the hinge pins? i,m thinking a plate screwed into the tips. i want them to be removable.

Balance the plane about the center of the wing tube at first, then afjust to your style of flying. Normally the hinge pines won't come out because the fuselage is there, but if you want to secure them a little dab of rubber glue will do it.

I assume you already have the plane?

TF

yes, just never did an arf before. i,m talking about the outside of the pins at the tips

A piece of clear tape will secure them quite well.

The rod is 1 piece, so if you secure it at the inner end it will not be able to slide in either direction. Use a dab of rubber glue at thge inner end.

A piece of tape on the outer end can't hurt either.

TF

tom, a few more. i would like to mount the tank on top of the tube. any real issues with removing the hatch cross brace? and last {hopefully, with a single elevator servo. mount it on the outside mount, yes?

Yes to the outside mount. Putting the tank on the wing tube is a waste of time, the CG doesn't change notoceably with the tank in front of the tube. Other than that I don't know.

TF

ok, btw , i was talking about the aileron hinge pins, which you can't access from the inside. the stab pins have nowhere to go

I've heard about bushing to make the hinge last longer, what is the material and how do you bush the hinges.

All of the planes except for the first dozen or so come with brass bushings already installed, and we have had almost zero incidence of wear since then. I'm pretty sure that all of the wings and stabs from the earliest planes have been replaced with bushed units.

TF

i must say tom, i,ve always been a kit builder, but so far i,m impressed. everything is going very smooth and all fits appear almost perfect. the motor mounting instructions were clear and resulted in a perfect alignment. i am going to wait for some new hitecs around april 1 before i fly tho...,

what i can't deciede is where to put the rudder servos. my gut says in the rear of the fuse in the cutouts, but theres also the tray up front and pull, pull cables. what have other people done? any pics of the rudder set-up would be helpfull. thanks.

What engine will yoiu be using. I normally tell people to get an initial balance with all the other stuff anstalled before deciding on the rudder. Also remember the plane has 2 wing tube locations so if it comes out real tail heavy you can use the rear tube to adjust the CG.

TF

da 150 with mtw canisters

i should also add, i,m more concerned about precision than balance

With a DA-150 and KS cannisters are most people using the rear wing tube. I'm going with pull pull and 2 servos for the rudder, 1 servo each elevator and 2 in each aileron. One receiver and 2 - 5200 li-ion batteries for flight pack and an EQ-10.

I think you'll want to use the front tube.

I've got two and on both of mine, I've got one servo per elevator, then one servo each side on the rudder in the back of the fuselage. I did find that two 5955's would get some blowback in the rear on rudder if going full speed. Anything slower and it was fine... Therefore, I upgraded them to 8711's and it flies great with 2 in the rear in a push-pull configuration. For me, this is the ideal config and works very well, easy to setup through the radio, etc. I use the rear tube socket for both planes with the rudder servos in the back. If you have any questions, feel free to pm me.

I'm going to use 7955 with un-regulated li-ions at 8.4 volts full charge. Servos should have plenty of power.

That's what I was going to suggest, the 7955s are now certified to run on regular lithium batteries without regulators.

TF

is there a trick to getting thoes 2 lower cowl screws in with the headers in the way? or will the tabs hold it in place?

Just use the tabs/hooks, the screws are just there to confuse you.

TF

I thought I was close to flying my Extra and I picked the plane up and just broke the bottom, obviously I lifted in the wrong spot. I was supprised by how weak the bottom is. Has this been normal or am I just clumsy.

Almost all airplanes are made with just stringers and covering on the bottom. You have to be careful where you lift.

It's made worse on a big plane becauise of the weight, you generally need 2 people to handle them. This is the main reason that I don't fly the 40% size planes, I am normally by myself and I just can't manage a 40%er into and out of my vehicle without doing some kind of damage.

TF

With any of the larger planes it's a good idea to get in the habit of lifting from under a bulkhead.