tony0707

HI IF you do have stess cracks under monocoat (film )-you can stik pin holes in the full length of the crack and fill them with THIN CA-will be strong as new or stronger-applys to soft balsa sheeting in high stress places as well

tony0707

HI I choose to use SIG clear dope to fuel proof the fuel tank areaas it is lighter than epoxythe film coverings will stick to the clear so also use it anywere you think hot glo fuel may seep under you covering (behind the muffler area-ailerons )is also good to use on seams and decals -get invisable when dryclear dope will seal balsa that has been fuel soaked and make the wood hard again-you might want to use K2R-if real bad-or alcohol if slightly bad to prep the surface first

tony0707

HI if using glo fuel-i find it helpful to wipe off the bulk of the oil from the plane after every flightto prevent the oil from getting a chance to soak into any part of the planes balsa wood or in time it could make the balsa wood soft and subject to structural failure-that is why we fuel proof-or cover in film-paint or what everkeeping the fuel off the balsa is a good policy

tony0707

HI to reduce fuse drag-i seal the fuse all i can to prevent air from getting into the fusei use GE SILICONE TWO on the wing seat-between the wing and fuse -let it dry-then slice it with a knifeit will seal very nicely when the wing is put back on the planeworks well with film coveringskeeps fuel out also

tony0707

HI Keep your ears and eyes focast on the plane in flightmany times you will get a warning something is going wrong-a strange sound-a sudden change in a trim-no sound =dead stik-often you will have seconds to save the plane-always know were you will try to land the plane if any of the above gives you a chance to do so-always trying to land into the wind-as you will have a longer glide with a tailwindif you loose the back of a muffler -do not come down to an idle the engine will die keep the engine running on high end-as you no longer have the muffler pressure in the fuel tankwith the engine outgo to down elevator to increase your airspeed-stay off up elevatordo not get fancy and try to turn-land the plane as straight on as is possible-as you will loose airspeed in a turn using up elavator

tony0707

HI THE rod holding most mufflers together-will in time fatique from hot -cold temp changesremove the rod use JB weld to join the muffler at it seam and plug the hole on the end at the same time-never lost a muffler after doing thatapplies mostly to glo enginesi only use the 6 hour cure JB weld

tony0707

HI IF using tricycle gear-be sure the plane is sitting level when on its gear-this will effect your take off greatly -if nose up-you will rotate quickly-if nose down you will rotate more slowly-require more elevator inputuse as wide a landing gear as is resonable -including spacing out the axels as much as is possible- glue the wheel hubs to the wheels it prevents left to right motion -all the above will improve your ground handling

tony0707

hi build all your high wing planes with a straight wingno diahedral-they will be easier to fly and land as diahedral makes the plane fight against you trying to center the wing and fusea flat wing stays were you put it until you put in a new controllow wing planes must have some diaheadral-or the rudder will will not work as is intended

tony0707

hi do range check- an aircraft that has not been used for a period of time or just builtyou should go out 80-90 paces-have the first section of the antenna up- hold tx in front of your body- best to do this home -so you have no other radio interferenceyou can then judge if your radio equipments range is good or has been reduced over a period of timedo not fly the plane if you do not have control at 80 paces-people near the plane could effect the radios control distance-try to range check in the same controlled environment-so changes can be easily noted

tony0707

hi always have the screws that are holding your servos in there traybe completely into the wood below the servo-if the servo tray is only 1/8 plywood-put a piece of hardwood below it were the scews are anchoredyou must have your screws secured into wood fully-and then i still have seen the screws -unscrew due to fuse vibration-i have seen a plane land with four servo screws-out of four almost totally unscrewed-and the fellow was a very accomplished builder for many yearsdo check your servo screws and all other screws - every 10-15 flights as normal maintanencecan save your plane to fly another daydo landing gear more often

tony0707

hi always secure the clip from the battery to the RX to something inside the fusethis clip must not be able to move and become intermittant- or all control is LOST- it can be heat shrinked - and then attached with GE SILICONE TWO- -so you have a built in shock absorberit can then be removed easily to change out your battery when required