New member...

20 years ago, I built a Goldberg Mirage electric, a 77" Top Flight J3 cub with a .61 Webra blackhead, and a 2M Spirit woody RES (single piece wing).
I didn't get much flying in at all, never got very good at it - lost interest in the hobby and sold off all my stuff except for the 2M Spirit.
A couple months ago, I was showing what remained of the 2M Spirit to my 13 year-old son, hoping I could spark some interest and managed to break the wing joiner dihedral brace. We went to the LHS and bought a Great Planes Electricub, and started building that about a month ago - and I managed to source a new-old-stock 100" Great Planes Spirit (woody) and bought that too.

Then I started to examine the damage on my 2M Spirit and recognized that repairing it won't be too dificult at all - so I peeled of all the monocote from it's wing, removed the spoilers and am in the process of putting it back together too.

It's good to be back.

Good to have you back!
And it's refreshing to see another builder at it again!
Nothing like flying and having someone ask "where'd you buy that?" and being able to say "I built it from a kit!" (or plans as the case may be)
Have fun!
Mike.

Thanks for the welcome, I'm going to be picking up the couple sheets of 1/8 ply this weekend, the 1/8 balsa
to re-do the damaged ribs and root ribs along with the 1/16" sheeting to plug the holes up again, and a new roll of white monocote.
here's a iPod pic of the wing I need to repair.

While you have the covering off, I highly recommend the changes suggested by Dick Williamson at http://www.charlesriverrc.org/articl...spiritmods.htm They made the bird fly very well.

Alan

I've read of these same mods, and it's a no-brainier to try it, so I will.
When I do my '100, I'll also sheet the leading edges out to the tips.

I think if I had a Spirit 2M that I intended to fly, I'd build a really light tail and then extend the rear fuselage two or three inches. Or cut it off and use a light tailboom. They're under damped in yaw, which is fine until you try to slow down and turn in a thermal.

If you do the wing mods, make sure you keep everything near the tips as LIGHT as possible.

I have measured balsa density (usable balsa, mind you) from 3.5 lbs per cubic foot up to 23 lbs per cubic foot (in a Guillows kit), so balsa selection is important.

A Spectra kit from GP I got about 20 years ago turned out to be made out of ironwood

I just picked up a couple pieces of balsa from the LHS to start repairing my 2M spirit.
1/16" sheet and 1/8" sheet - they are marketed by Rebel... and they are heavy too.

It's a good thing I didn't need too much material for repairs.

If you want light wood from a hobby shop, take a postal scale or something and weigh the sheets. Chances are, SOME of it will be light, unless too many guys are looking for light wood and take it first.