My arrow is fluttering :(

[TangoUniform]

The last time I took the arrow out, I was flying around and I started hearing this low pitched vibrating sound. Luckily I was with one of the guys that has graciously taken me on as a student, and he told me to bring her down as she was fluttering. Come to find out the aileron on one side has wallowed out. The left side has around a 1/16" of play while the right has about 1/4". How do recommend I fix this problem? Cut the hinges and fill the hole is the only option I can think of, but I thought I would throw it out there and possibly learn something.

as always thanks
Tango

[indoruwet]

Wallowed out ??? You mean the aileron now is away from the wing and has a rather large gap at the hinge line ???

Remove the ailerons. Check that they are flat and straight.
Install new hinges right next to the ones that were there before.
What kind of hinges were in there before ??
Make sure that you can move the aileron all the way through the recommended stroke.

Now a safety procedure. Move the aileron all the way down. Hold it there, then apply a wide strip of monokote over the hinge, and press the monokote into the hinge line. Do the same on the other side.

Should fix the problem.

[TangoUniform]

No, sorry for being very unclear. The hole the control rod uses to manipulate the aileron is wallowed out (ie instead of a hole with diameter of 1/16", it is 1/8"+). Not sure how it happened, could of been some harsh handling when we were tuning the engine. I know in norman wood working, I would mix up some elmers and sawdust and fill the hole, but I thought there might be a cool trick.

[Viper Pilot]

Replace the control horn!!

[TangoUniform]

It's not the control horn. The servo attaches to a control horn that connects to a rod that runs from the center of the wing out to an aileron, in the aileron there is a hole where the rod is inserted. This hole has been wallowed out and allows for too much play.

[Viper Pilot]

. . . I know in normal wood working, I would mix up some elmers and sawdust and fill the hole, but I thought there might be a cool trick.That IS a cool trick!!!

[trab1925]

So what your push rod was just glued in a hole to the aileron?????

[indoruwet]

You should always save the wood dust you generate from sanding or sawing. Good to fill cracks and whatever. A heck of a lot cheaper than micro balloons !!!

[indoruwet]

It's not the control horn. The servo attaches to a control horn that connects to a rod that runs from the center of the wing out to an aileron, in the aileron there is a hole where the rod is inserted. This hole has been wallowed out and allows for too much play.
Do not know about everybody else, but maybe I am dense today or something. Still can not figure out what exactly the problem is. Picture please.

Now IF I think I know what you mean, then there is "a too big hole" in your aileron ??
If yes, then find a piece of hardwood dowel. Cut a hole in the aileron slightly smaller than the dowel, so that the dowel will press fit into it. Make a plug from that dowel and glue it in the hole. Now you have a hardwood part where you can drill the original hole again.

[TangoUniform]

I'll figure out tonite how to post pics and take a snapshot of what I am talking about.

indoruwet
You're not dense, I realize my description is lacking.
I'm finishing my basement... got plenty o sawdust, problem is, no shop to work in until it is done and the wife has nixed using the table in the meantime. sometimes life isnt fair :)

[cynjon]

I'm pretty sure the OP is talking about torque rods...From what I'm understanding here, the area where the torque rod enters the aileron is "hogged out" and allowing huge amounts of slop in the aileron.

I'd recommend the glue and sawdust fix, or simply fill the area with epoxy.

Pics are always helpful, however, since terminology is not always universal.

[ivanc]

Is the rod loose inside the aileron or inside the wing? In either case I'd cut the balsa wood adjacent to the rod in the aileron or the wing (bottom so the repair is less seen) - I'd cut it as close to a rectangular shape as possible. Then mix some epoxy and glue the pice I cut out back in place so there's no play. If it is in the aileron I'd put epoxy between the wood and the rod. If in the wing - I'll try to keep the epoxy away from the rod, but even if it gets on it it is not a big deal - it will not have a lot of adhesion to the metal rod and you will be able to free it up (carefully after the exopy has cured). Patch the covering with the same color trim or just with clear tape if you don't care much about the looks. ;)

Ivan

[aceldama]

In foam and balsa I like to take a section of hard plastic tube (the kind used to run pushrods or antenna wire through) and glue that into the foam/balsa. And then I insert the control wire into the plastic tube. I've had no wear yet.

[indoruwet]

I'll figure out tonite how to post pics and take a snapshot of what I am talking about.
Ok, here's how you figure it out.

When you answer, press [Go Advanced].
Kind of fun, since you can add those funny faces ....
Write your reply.
Scroll down until you see : [Manage Atachments] and press that button.
A dialogue comes up where you now can "attach" files.
Everything you have on your pooter is a file, even your pics.

TIP: See if you can reduce your pic size to no more than 640 x 480 (or less than 100 kbytes. For some of us, those huge files take a long time to download.
Go here, to get a pic resizer (free)
http://www.faststone.org/

Now just press [Upload] and wait until it is done.
Close that dialogue window, and finish your message.

HTH.

[ctdahle]

I know in norman wood working, I would mix up some elmers and sawdust and fill the hole, but I thought there might be a cool trick.

I wondered how those carpenters in Normandy did it...:)

Actually, the cool trick in model airplanes is similar, except we use epoxy and microballoons. Balsa dust seems to completely disapper when you try to mix it with glue.

[ctdahle]

You should always save the wood dust you generate from sanding or sawing. Good to fill cracks and whatever. A heck of a lot cheaper than micro balloons !!!

True, but cheap is relative. Balsa dust is free, so microballoons are infinitely more expensive. But a can of Sig Microballoons is like what? 3 bucks? It takes me several years to use up one can, and dipping into the can is a heck of a lot faster than trying to scrape up enough balsa dust to make a real paste.

[indoruwet]

Yep, all relative. Funny how you start saving pennies.
I guess it is not the cost as much as "Oh yeah, I've got to pay for this now".
Once you did buy that can of micro balloons, you say, why did I not do this before ?

I have been "thickening" glue with sawdust for years.

Reminds me of club dues. When it went up from 20 dollars a year to 25 dollars a year, guess how many complained !!!! And the same people would, without batting an eye, fork over another 100 dollars or so for yet another trainer because they crashed their umpteenth plane ... again ...