DERF-54

My Feedback: (48)

I am currently building a 42% 3w ultimate bipe and I am looking for some ideas or help. Has anyone out there built one of these kits? I want to reinforce the landing gear area and a few spots inside the fuse, for the landing gear I was going to put a layer of carbon cloth halfway up the sides of the fuse and maybe some lite ply formers. As for the rest of the plane I am not sure weather I should build lite formers and tie them together or just use carbon tape and run a strip from the hatch to the tail and a couple around the inside of the fuse? Any info would be great.
Thanks Fred

Big_Bird

My Feedback: (1)

Fred,
It's pretty hard to give advice when you don't know anything about the kit. Do you think that it was not designed properly for strength? Do you think that you will be bashing it down pretty hard on the gear? Have you contacted the manufacturer/designer about your concerns? What size engine do you plan to use?

The latest designs on aerobatic planes, especially those intended for 3D, totally astonish me on how lightly that they are built. Very little reinforcing. However, they hold together just fine unless you smack the ground with them.

Ken

fryfly

My Feedback: (8)

sounds like the kit should be fine without any reinforcing if you plan on bringing it in with more force than the gear will already take from it's originally design you better just plan on buying another plane,probably won't be much left of that one.

DERF-54

My Feedback: (48)

The reason I ask about the gear area is a couple of people have had this plane and said that the fuse breaks right in front of the gear mount. The plane is a light glass fuse. I will be flying off a grass field and figured I would just add a little insurance to the gear area. I figure the plane should weigh about 38 lbs. when finished.
As far as the rest of the plane I have to install a couple of formers for the canopy hatch and I was told to attach them to each other to help tie the front of the plane to the rear for a bit more structure. That is why I ask if using carbon would be ok instead of building a bunch of wood and adding the extra weight.
Thanks for the replies
Fred

fryfly

My Feedback: (8)

probably would be okay but just remember if you do come in a little hard and something is going to break I would rather break the gear out clean rather than ripping out half of the front end, food for thought!