Slow Stick Wings suggestions

[Jim_Marconnet]

I have a new SS kit to build some time before or after the new DX-6 radio comes in and I am already worried about the wing.

Having seen one SS wing shatter into multiple pieces on a relatively mild rough landing into tall grass on a cold morning recently, I'm a little worried about how many and what sort of SS wings I ought to get and keep on hand so I'll be able to fly for a while when the wind is cooperating.

The wing material reminds me of butcher shop meat tray material with a skin on just the top surface. It's very light, but really fragile as compared with the wings I've been used to on my HZ Firebird Commander IIs. Yes I know they are a whole different class of wings and they weigh a whole lot more per wing area. That lighter and slower-speed is less likely to break than heavier and faster. And that you are not supposed to have even mild rough landings with a SS. Just drift it in onto the big soft Tundra tires (anyone know a good source of them?). But somehow I can predict that I will do some rough landings.

Thanks in advance for sharing your experiences with SS wings. Quantities you keep on hand. Alternatives, if any, that have worked out well for you. Minimum safe flying temperature, whatever.

At $12.50 plus S&H mail order for just the wing, no hardware, looks like I'll be buying multiples of the Slope Glider version ($25 locally) rather than individual parts. Is that the way you do it?

Jim Marconnet

[dee-grose]

I just have one wing. It has a few bumps and bruises, but is still flying. Just don't crash... :D

Andy

[Mars Flyer]

Jim,

I'm not sure the temperature is really that critical. I have flown in a lot lower temps and haven't noticed any difference in stiffness or brittleness. That crash was pretty violent for a Slow Stick. It isn't as tough as a Firebird.

I'm with Andy, plan on not crashing. If you do the wing repairs fairly easily. You'll get the hang of it quickly. Just stay gentle on the controls. When a spiral starts move the stick back the other way or just let go of the stick. The Slow Stick will roll itself out. You might need a little up elevator to level out but the roll stability is amazing.

Rob

[dee-grose]

Yeah, the wing repairs really easily. Here's an example, a month or so ago, I was flying my SS in the front yard to entertain my two-year-old. I landed once in the grass and he beat me to it. Being Daddy's-little-helper, he tried to pick it up to hand it to me. Bad thing was that he grabbed it by the wingtip. Snap! Almost broke a big piece clean off. A little foam-safe CA and kicker and a piece of clear packing tape and it is good as new. That is the worst damage my SS has seen. What you're probably going to go thru more than wings are props and propshafts. Thank goodness they're cheap. :D

[ghee-grose]

You should see my original SS wing! It's beaten & battered but will still fly.

[brn-grose]

Jim,
the stock slowstick wings are quite durable. the only thing i've found they that does damage is a lightpole at the athens sportsplex....so i named my slowstick the "pole dancer" . i've had multiple strikes with trees, other planes, and even a telephone pole/transformer at Dad's. i used 3mm carbon tubes in place of the white stock fiberglass rods..and 2 inch long brass tubes over the outboard portion. yeah the pole dancer is one tough bird.

[GLIDERGIDER]

Jim,
My wing is not the prettiest, but it still flys. I bought a second SS kit when I got into it. You know for spares. Well I've crashed, and broke my motor gear box, burned out the motor, bent the fuse shaft, and mangled the wheels and landing gear, and numerous props, but guess what, the wing is still the original.

Now I do have a story, on its maiden flight 2 years ago, I actually folded the wing doing a loop. It wasn't the wing that folded it was the metal rod on the leading edge. I fixed that with a popcicle stick and packing tape. Its not pretty, but at 500 ft, who cares.

If you are still worried, buy a second complete kit, you will likely need spare parts anyway.
Dave

[ghee-grose]

Dave, on my original SS wing there are two popsicle sticks... one taped on the leading edge and one on the trailing edge. You're right, it doesn't look the best but who cares when it flies good! ;)

[ChromeDome]

Wing - My mods pretty much follow Mars Flyer’s and the SS mod thread. I used the standard kit fiberglass rods but not the aluminum center brace tube. I swapped for a piece of brass tubing. I added a strip of filament packing tape out each panel as the picture shows. This is standard and I always do it for good luck. I also added a strip at the trailing edge. I haven’t seen this done before but my idea is that in a crash the wing wants to keep going forward and this wants to start a tear in the foam from the aft edge forward. The filament tape along the trailing edge prevents this. I added a little foam at the wing root to reinforce the root fore-and-aft at the leading edge. It had gotten beaten back a little and softened up. My wing now weighs 108 grams. It is 2 years old and has a lot of flight time on it.

Fuselage – I strongly suggest a core in the tube. A square cross section is about the worst for stability and is easily kinked (crippling failure in engineering lingo). I used 5/16 square balsa bonded in with Pro-bond polyurethane. A graphite arrow shaft would work well also. The square cross section is great for mounting things but very poor for structural stability

[ChromeDome]

Props are what you will break a lot of. My prop saver is a trimmed servo arm on a shortened shaft. I use girl’s hair rubber bands to hold the prop on. Dental brace bands are the elegant method but hair bands are cheaper and easier to find. It drives through the nut so the socket in the prop will wear and eventually strip out. The GWS prop saver drives through the bands alone so will work even on a stripped socket, but they are easily broken in my experience.