triangle

My Feedback: (3)

I've got a 35% Cap 232 by carden aircraft, bought it used but in great shape..... the airframe itself with nothing in it is about 30 lbs a bit heavy..... what can i take out to make the airframe lighter.....holes in the wings? take the foam out fron the turtle deck and the belly of the airplane?? i'm traying to use a zdz 100 that i have laying oround on it
thanks

rmh

Well -if you could carefully take it apart -you could use the material to make two more 35% models --
The foam weighs so little as to really ignore any attempts to scoop it out.it.
The model is simply solidly built - and short of stripping it to bare parts and redesigning each - you are best off, to fly it as is .

BBW Walt

My Feedback: (11)

The only way to get one light is to build it light. During the building process you have control over wood weight, glue weight and everything else in the build along with a busy hole saw. There are carbon fiber options for some existing parts but it wont amount to much. I have figured in the past to "seriously" lighten up a kit from the get go it will cost you roughly 100 bucks a pound for each pound removed. This takes into account, contest 4-6lb stock for sheeting which will alone get probably more weight off than anything else on a Carden,3/8ths contest sq stock to replace the rock hard wood in the kit, light ply substatute on engine box top and bottom. Carbon fiber spinner and landing gear if you "dare" and tailgear assembly. Add that to the price of a new Carden kit and you may be OK with the 30lb model. My Carden Cap out of the box build ended up 28.5lbs with an old 3W100 heavyweight. It flew fantastic...I agree with Dick, fly it like it is

bhall01

My Feedback: (4)

Maybe I'm reading it wrong, but when you say "the airframe itself with nothing in it is about 30 lbs"..... what do you mean by that? Does that include engine, radio, hardware, plumbing, etc.... basically a ready-to-fly 'dry' weight; or do you truly mean JUST the airframe with NOTHING in it?

30lbs ready to go isn't so bad, depending on what engine you have. But if somehow the actual airframe wieghs 30lbs, something is drastically wrong...... may be a dumb question, just curious though.

My Carden 35% CAP ready to fly (dry) with a DA-100 and a B&B smoke system weighs in around 28.5lbs - flys great!

Cheers - BJH

triangle

My Feedback: (3)

its 30lbs no engine ignitions and cowling but probably you guys are right... just trying to get the zdz 100 to work less

rmh

frankly -you either have bad scales -or if it is really that heavy - you are looking at 37 pounds ready to fly.
A new worlds record --
The 100 ZDZ on the H9 CAP is a very good flier and does all the pop 3D stuff great power to weight -typically - 23-24 pounds.
so 24 from 37=13 -which if your weight is true - means you will not have much performance

Kregg

My Feedback: (45)

I think there must be a slight misunderstanding. He indicated that the 30 pounds was without the ignition & cowl, but WITH his ZDZ 100. Given this, he will not be at 37 pounds. The cowl & ignition would be less than a pound easy. He's not in bad shape. Just fly her and have fun!

I will be starting my first Carden build (40% 260) and I was wondering about lightening or at least building light myself. I keep on hearing about tails breaking off when they are lightened to much behind the turtle deck. I have my circle cutter and holesaws for lightening in all of the expected places. Anyone have any specific general tips? Any thoughts on using carbon fiber inside for the build?

jmiracle

My Feedback: (9)

Kregg,

The reports of tails breaking off have been the result of poor servo selection and/or improper linkage setup....not because the tails were lightened too much, thus weakening them.

On a Carden, the best way to keep them light is to watch how much glue you use, especially when skinning all the foam. A little too much glue used on each foam part can really add up.

If you really want to go nuts and are worried about every last oz. of weight, then you can replacing the sheeting and 3/8" sticks with the lightest weight contest grade balsa you can find.

My first Carden build....a 35% Extra.....came in at 28lbs even. This is with a DA-100 on KS cans, and a smoke system. I can remove 1.5lbs just by switching to standard mufflers and removing the smoke system. I can save even more by switching to carbon wing and stab tubes, and carbon landing gear. All of these changes would get me under 26lbs.

The best suggestion I have........build it per the plans, cutting out all the lightening holes suggested on the plans, and watch that glue!

Kregg

My Feedback: (45)

Thanks for your comments. I'm not looking to go crazy with the weight savings. Just going into this with my eyes open. I've built other aircraft of this size, but never with all these sheeted parts. I do like the firmness of a finished Carden airframe to the touch. I will watch out when gluing the stock sheeting. I have seen several 40% Cardens with the foam lightened in the rear fuse area and was thinking that this was part of the tail breaking problems. I can not imaging that the foam lightening of the rear turtle deck would amount to much savings. The CF gear and tubes are a possibility, but my experience with CF landing gear and a 35lb + airframe have been negative. Who make CF gear other than FiberTech?

cstevec

My Feedback: (1)

TnT sells carbon accessories, the landing gear they sell is made by graph-tec & are some of the best. The carbon fiber wing tubes they sell are unconditionally guranteed but I guess a new wing tube won't help much if you trash the plane Seriously though, I have never heard of one of theirs breaking & they have a whole setup for the Carden planes.