Observations re ARTFs and repairing them

[Stuphedd]

Not sure about where to place this thread ?? but here goes . 

When the factory built planes became plentiful and economic as well as the normally superb covering job , ( I cannot make a good job of covering )many of us acquired one or two . When we eventually crashed them it became apparent that many of the planes were lacking in the adhesive department , the lack of which may have led to their demise . A good few of our club members wished that they could buy the planes in kit form and put them together using a bit more glue !

However I have repaired a good few of these planes , in fact I have just finished a Sebart Katana 30e   which suffered from lack of altitude after a "Blender" recovery !. There were lots of little bits of broken ply , a jigsaw as the guy who repaired the "Angel " said , but putting them together soon recovered the basic shape on which to base the repair . But then a thought /observation came to mind , the front section was matchwood but the rest was in pretty good condition  so the front end had  acted as a crumple zone like some of the Volvos had , This crumple zone bits were a bit short of adhesive but it had  survived for many years of pretty hairy hot dogging , SO having repaired it using plenty of glue , PVA, cyno and  Alphatic?? have I actually destroyed its future repairability?? Because the repair is now stronger than the rest of the airframe ! And was the lack of adhesive on the original done on purpose so you could repair them ?? ( and not a weight /cost consideration !!

 

cheers  

[Mitchell Howard]

42 minutes ago, Stuphedd said:

Not sure about where to place this thread ?? but here goes . 

When the factory built planes became plentiful and economic as well as the normally superb covering job , ( I cannot make a good job of covering )many of us acquired one or two . When we eventually crashed them it became apparent that many of the planes were lacking in the adhesive department , the lack of which may have led to their demise . A good few of our club members wished that they could buy the planes in kit form and put them together using a bit more glue !

However I have repaired a good few of these planes , in fact I have just finished a Sebart Katana 30e   which suffered from lack of altitude after a "Blender" recovery !. There were lots of little bits of broken ply , a jigsaw as the guy who repaired the "Angel " said , but putting them together soon recovered the basic shape on which to base the repair . But then a thought /observation came to mind , the front section was matchwood but the rest was in pretty good condition  so the front end had  acted as a crumple zone like some of the Volvos had , This crumple zone bits were a bit short of adhesive but it had  survived for many years of pretty hairy hot dogging , SO having repaired it using plenty of glue , PVA, cyno and  Alphatic?? have I actually destroyed its future repairability?? Because the repair is now stronger than the rest of the airframe ! And was the lack of adhesive on the original done on purpose so you could repair them ?? ( and not a weight /cost consideration !!

 

cheers  

 

Don't know much about "hairy hot-dogging", but I do worry about my epoxied-in VTP and HTP and how you're supposed to get the replacement parts in - I figure you're just supposed to drill out the existing wood. I've never drilled through epoxy before, wonder if it's one of those materials that just make the drill complain and smell funny

 

[J D 8]

        Twenty five years ago I built my OD three channel fun flyer with the idea of having a "crumple zone" nose.

  15 powered and hand launched rough field flyer. Very "hairybatic" flick maneuver's and can even do end over end tumbles.  The wing seat area was built strong and the nose light.  Wing is also quite beefy and solartex covered never had a repair.

 Called Fun Gus it is still operational and is on its third replacement nose after some whoopsies. Can be flown in strong winds, handy on the Welsh coast.

 

[Stuphedd]

I had a free flight model "Sprite" from the 50s where the whole engine pod , Mills .75, was held on with an elastic band and a cup hook ! Not quite a crumple zone but pretty near it !

cheers