Like a pilot of candidate RC of beginner, I suffered two air crashes mortals in my short career from vol. the accidents were due to the failure by radio: the communication between the transmitter in hands of my instructor and the receiver on the aircraft failed and not even my experienced instructor could save the planes. The experienced pilots said to me that the accidents arrive at all the pilots early or late. Thus, I was laid out, mentally, for an accident, particularly after my instructor saved my many times of planes--when I placed had in the danger during my training courses. A certain plane is crushed the result in a total loss of the plane; other breaks the result in the various levels of damage which can be repaired.
My first accident, an easy sport of large planes, had like consequence a total loss on June 6th, 2009; my second accident was in November 2009, and have like consequence of the fixable damage. I decided to fix the damaged trainer, a provocant project considering my experiment of building, the small working area, and the inventory of tool. My last model building was made almost 50 years ago, and the materials and the techniques of construction changed rigorously since then. I planned to fix the trainer to be a special occasions of study for the building and repair of my planes of RC. Fortunately, I belong to a club of RC, insects of field RC of Sanderson, and the members of club helped me in all the project. The gathering of the tools and materials necessary and the achievement of repair were made during several months; a modeller experienced with the tools and materials necessary could have probably achieved repair in a few hours.
DAMAGE
The damaged trainer was a trainer 40 ARF of turn (to prepare almost to fly) which was given to me by another member of club. The nose needed a complete rebuilding, just as made the support of wing and other sectors of the fuselage, such as the sector of principal landing gear. The cover also needed a good number of repair work. Fortunately, except some damage of back edge, the wing was in good condition.
REPAIR OF THE NOSE
Early in the project, I decided to replace the standard attach-type built of engine of engine by a large frame of engine of engine of Planes.46-sized. This would require to connect of old holes of assembly and the new holes of drilling for the large planes go up. My first stage was to remove the old balsa of the bottom and the top of the nose. After the drilling of the holes necessary of support of engine and the installation of the nuts plug for engine-assemble bolts, I Re-stuck the wall fire resistant of existing engine in the place. I also added 1/16 a “thickness of plywood to the interior sides of the compartment engine to stiffen the end before fuselage.
A member of club drilled the holes of support of engine in the frame of engine of engine using his press of drill and I typed the holes with a tap of 6/32: I used live 6/32 with cylindrical head with print to fix the frame of engine of engine and the engine. After having coated the interior of the compartment engine of a thin coat of epoxy (diluted with isopropyl alcohol of 99%), I bolted the new frame of engine of engine to the wall fire resistant. My next stage was of remount the fuel tank.
I stuck flexible piping to the cradle of fuel tank to help to damp out vibrations of engine. On an end of a member of club, I used the flexible piping of a kit of repair of sling-shot bought at my local department of sports of Walmart. Before installing the fuel tank, I painted the compartment with a thin epoxy coat for the fuel proofing. I also had the practice the silicon adhesive around before fuel tank to isolate further the tank from the vibrations of engine and to seal the compartment of tank of any fuel leak of compartment engine. I covered the top of the compartment of fuel tank of trap door made from 1/8 “plywood and recovered the bottom of the compartment with the new balsa.
NEW LANDING GEAR
Since the landing gears, the nose and principal, was damaged, they had to be repaired or replaced. I decided to replace the 5/32 “principal landing gear of wire with a landing gear “of more durable superb force” by DU-BRO. The landing gear of DU-BRO is made starting from a damping composite matter and will not yield out of the form as the speed of wire did it. Moreover, I envisaged to use larger wheels for the force and the nose gear: I decided to use 3-1/4 wheels of” Dave Brown “Lite Flite.” I felt that the gear landing to improve would make the trainer more durable as I learned how to fly--and being a good installation for our grass field, too. Moreover, with the levelling, I thought that the plane would detect better on the ground and, because of the ground clearance additional, would decrease the possibility of damaging an engine during an approximate landing.
In order to achieve the levelling, I replaced the first time the strong point of original principal landing gear by one 3/8 “broader plywood base to attach the speed of DU-BRO. Under plywood, I reinforced the strong point with the triangular balsa of 1/2”. I used four live 6/32 “with cylindrical head with print to firmly mount the landing gear of DU-BRO to the fuselage. The landing gear can be painted and I envisage formerly in the future to employ a red painting of jet for this.
For the nose gear, and to level the planes longitudinally, I folded a DU-BRO “5/32 universal wire of nose gear.” A problem with the landing gear of wire is nowadays that the commercial landing gear comes with an electrodeposition which increases the diameter of wire slightly. This creates a problem by employing it with the commercial parts, machinées for 5/32 “wire, such as collars of wheel. I found that I had to employ a little drill #20 to increase the collars of wheel and also engine-to assemble the holes nose-speed thus very would adapt.
REBUILDING OF THE SERVO PLATE
The servo plate also had to be replaced. Although some could consider this a overbuild, I employed a piece of 1/4 “plywood for the plate. Initially, using certain of chart, I made a gauge of the plate and then cut the plywood plate with a jigsaw. In conclusion, I drilled holes for the servo screws with little drill of 5/64 one”.
REPAIR OF THE WING
Only one small CA was necessary to repair the wing. However, a new arrangement was required for the wing placing of the fingers. I stuck a block of lower balsa at the edge of attack of the wing and stuck two fingers of positioning in the block. I built a new old plywood to accept the fingers and stuck it in the fuselage. This arrangement made for much more a wing of fixing that the old man, weak arrangement. I re-used the original wing of DU-BRO maintenances of the blocks for the bolts of back wing of edge.
ELIMINATION OF THE OLD COVER
In this moment, I decided to remove the old cover of fuselage. Since I had never made any cover and did not have the necessary tools the ones of, I returned visit to members of club to learn as much as I could before ordering tools and materials. Thereafter, I removed the cover and then removed any adhesive of surplus with methyl ethyl ketone (M.E.K.). Once the old cover was stripped, I could clearly see other sectors which owed Re-being stuck or reinforced.
COVERING OF THE STABILIZER AND THE VERTICAL AILERON
A sector which had to be reinforced was the tail. The stabilizer and the vertical aileron were not assembled firmly. I decided to cover surfaces with 1/64 “plywood and to reinforce the joints with the fuselage with 1/4” triangular balsa. Previously, I had to balance the trainer with much weight of wire fixed at the tail. I calculated that the additional weight by the reinforcement could usefully replace some or all the weight of wire (in fact, when repairs were achieved, the balanced plane almost perfectly). Before covering, I crossed far the rudder and the elevator from full-balsa: those would be replaced and Re-articulated later.
I was accustomed to thin CA to attach the first side of covering: I could reach all surfaces of contact by the open side. In order to attach the back, I attached the back edge and allowed the first time CA to completely place. Afterwards, working towards the leading edge, I applied thick CA approximately to 1/3 of resident surfaces of contact, held covering downwards until the whole of CA, and passed to the 1/3. according to. Thick CA granted enough time to me to place covering quickly before the whole of CA I had the practice Xacto with a blade #11 to balance excessive covering. Where necessary, I employed additional thin CA around the edges of covering. After sandpapering of the edges of the stabilizer and aileron, covering mixed well in the edges. When covering was achieved, I added the 1/4 “with triangular balsa reinforcement.
COVER OF THE FUSELAGE
After having filled holes and gaps of filler of Hobbylite or DAP spackling and to sandpaper all smooth, I was ready to begin the cover with the red and white monokote. Starting with the bottom of fuselage, I covered the fuselage. After the cover of the fuselage, I evaluated work as 10: look at good of 10 feet or more. My next work should be better.
NEW ELEVATOR AND RUDDER
I cut a new rudder of 1/4 “balsa; I employed 3/8” provision of trail-edge for the new elevator. The articulation of the elevator to the stabilizer was not too difficult. I had to replace the slits of hinge on the old stabilizer because the old hinges were always in wood: I used a knife of Xacto with a blade #11 to cut the new slits. I grooved the leading edge of elevator to be matched. Because of space more limited to replace new hinges on the rudder, and opinion of a member of club, I chose to use the hinges of phase of Beams, which had to be stuck in small holes. In order to cut the leading edges of the elevator and the rudder, I built a small gauge of bevel-sandpapering. The bevelled gauge functioned well so that the soft rudder of balsa but so that the necessary hard current of edge postpones is razor envisaged with approximate bevel before final sandpapering on the gauge. After cutting, I covered surfaces of monokote red and then attached the rudder and the elevator to the stabilizer and the aileron.
VOLTWATCH2
It was necessary to replace the plywood windshield, and I decided to assemble VoltWatch2 here. I employ VoltWatch2 to monitor the battery of receiver--a bottom grade of battery can lead to the accidents! I cut a small slit in the windshield and assembled VoltWatch2 under the slit. I covered the slit of small piece of monokote clearly given by a member of club. Installed this way, the LED of VoltWatch2 are protected and the level of battery can be easily supervised.
IN THE SKY
March 30th, 2010, my instructor completely checked the trainer before we led to the field of vol. Vérifie on the ground once were achieved, controlled us had completion for two successful flights of test. I would like to thank the members for SFRCF, my club of RC, which helped me with this project. Mercies special are due to the members Bob Beatty, Richard Robb, and Bob Andrew for their assistance, council, and ends.