Aerobird Challenger

[narkelo]

hello, i just got an aerobird, and inevitably i crashed it. :(
(im new, this was my maiden flight.) :eek:

after about 5 minutes of airtime. i lost control and the plane came down.
the foam wing broke, and the canopy from the fuselage broke off (the door that hold the battery in)...

any suggestions on getting it fixed..?

[pics comming soon]

thanks for your help! :D

[narkelo]

http://www.fiu.edu/~recka001/images/crash/DSC01669.jpg
http://www.fiu.edu/~recka001/images/crash/DSC01677.jpg
http://www.fiu.edu/~recka001/images/crash/DSC01680.jpg

thanks again for the help.

[catcher]

What hapened?Mine did that once,we tried so many things I will not list then,so you pretty much have to order a new canopy cover.
Hope this helps.

[Ken-Ohki]

minor damage.

I used 2 small Zip ties to secure the canopy after mine broke off Via 2 sets of holes i put in the canopy and the Fusilage.

You want to make sure your curcuit board did not come loose.

Now the wing, replacements for the ABC are usualy under 20 bucks. And can be repaired using variouse methods.

I have used nothing but tape to secure a break like it seems you have, it lasted for months before it loosened up and made me think it was gonna give again.

The next time I repaired it, I used Gorilla glue ( available at sears ) to glue it together and Used tape to secure it. I used just about full lenght strips of tape on the underside, and wraps over the leading and trailing edge a couple of times too.

I also did another strenght reinforcement. I took a dremil to the underside of it and cut out a channel for a 14 inch bamboo skewer, Put gorilla glue in the channel then the slewer, then covered it closed with packing tape. This really really made it super strong. Out of 6 wings I have repaired like this, for both myself, and my friends, Only 1 has failed, and it hit a teliphone pole at full bore, THe wing semi shattered on 1 side, but held together enough to sorta control the landing. Ive seen hits like that just shear a wing off, but this one held.


Ken-Ohki
" I make things do what I want them too, The Hell with what they are designed to do."

[bobbygee]

You can probably get the canopy back on with duct tape. Tape on the inside for looks. If that doesn't hold as you'd like, use the small cable ties as suggested.

That wing should turn out OK if you go at it with 2" wide clear packing tape.

Go on the underside first from wingtip to wintip. Put a little tension on the tape as you go. Work from trailing edge to leading edge. Overlap both trailing and leading edges when you get there. It may take a couple of layers of tape. Remember to keep tension on the tape.

That should do it.

Check the tail boom and make sure it hasn't gotten jarred loose. If it has that will cause you control problems. There are some kmods top do to fix that and you can do a search for them here.

Good luck!

Remember, if you fly an Aerobird, packing tape is your friend!

BobbyG

[narkelo]

thanks for the great suggestions!!
will work on it tomorrow, and maybe post some pics of my repair.
i have ordered a replacement wing, but will try and salvage this one.

catcher: i was flying around trying to get the hang of things, and i lost altitude and hit a tree at full throttle.. (doh!!) :eek:

hope i can get back in the air ASAP.

[Cirip]

narkelo,

I've been in the same situation a while ago. The first crash really broke my heart. I followed Ken-Ohki's advice and glued the wing with Gorilla Glue. The wing was in 2 pieces, completely apart. Glued it with GG and reinforced with tooth picks. Flew again like a charm.

The second fatal crash happened when the wing folded in a tight loop. Guess what! The other side of the wing folded, not the glued one. I am in the third fatal crash now, but didn't have the time to fix it, but I plan to glue the wing again. I bought a spare wing but I won't install it untill I beat the hell out the original wing.

For the canopy I started with duct tape, but the tape breaks apart. I replaced it with fiberglass reinforced tape. It seems to have better adhesive characteristics as well. I also secure the canopy with rubber band. Works for me.

I also suggest you to search for the "recommended mods for the ABC". I did them all and I have no regrets.

Good luck,
Cirip

[Spencer J]

I have abn Aerobird Challenger and haven't crashed it that bad-but I did crash it into a tree and it was in there for 4 days, 2 of the days it rained and 1 of them it snowed!! :eek: Talk about eyeballs popping out! :eek: :eek:

[glydr]

My first crash had me moping for days! Cheer up - there will be plenty of cooler planes in the future. (My hanger has grown around another 8 since that crash!). Incidently the glider that I had crashed (speed 400 direct - Whisper EP by THunder Tiger) remains one of my finer flyers even after a couple of repairs.

Remember to keep the repairs as light as possible!

[billrcpilot]

Clear packing tape and G Glue will always be your friend when flying these types of planes, i have a fighter bird and have dinged the wing so many times i've lost count.

Bill

[rockcrawl]

Remember, if you fly an Aerobird, packing tape is your friend!

LOL, I couldn't agree more.

I did crash it into a tree and it was in there for 4 days, 2 of the days it rained

I recently got my Challenger back from a tree. It had been rained on several times, but the electronics still work.

[Spencer J]

LOL, I couldn't agree more.



I recently got my Challenger back from a tree. It had been rained on several times, but the electronics still work.

You forgot the part where it snowed one of the days!!!! Talk about DUR-A-BLE!!

:durable: Darnet!!!!! No smilies for durable. :mad: :( :D :D :D ;)

[Tomcat Fan]

Packing tape will fix ANYTHING on an aerobird.
It's just absurd.