I'm building an electric launch sailplane from parts I've gathered. It needs a horizontal stabilizer, so I started by making some foam cores using the Freak V2 Horizontal airfoil. I used CNC cut templates to pivot cut the core. One half has some ridges on the bottom surface which I hope I can fill and sand.

My hollow Fr3aK wing suffered minor leading edge damage in a midair collision at BASS. At the time, I just taped over the damage and continued flying. I showed the damage to a couple expert builders, and the consensus was that it should be repaired, since the damage was on the throwing peg side. Now that the contest season is over, I've commenced with the repairs.

First, I felt for soft spots and taped around the damaged area so the cuts would bisect the masking tape. The tape should help stabilize the fibers on the surface of the skin, to minimize splitting. I used a Zona razor saw to make two parallel cuts, roughly perpendicular to the spar. Since it wasn't practical to make the cut parallel to the spar with the saw, I used multiple light stroke of a snap-off razor knife, cutting straight down through the top and bottom skins.

After the damaged area was removed, I used the edges of the cut out area to mark a block of scrap foam to fit. I cut the foam to fit with the saw and knife. I used 5-minute epoxy to glue the foam block in, filling the removed skins. After waiting for the epoxy to fully cure, I carved the foam to rough shape using the knife. I removed the original tape and re-taped to protect the undamaged, adjacent surfaces, and sanded the foam flush with the wing. The epoxy at the edges didn't sand well, so I used the razor knife to carve the slight epoxy bead flush. There were very small indentations and gouges, along with a low area where I had...Continue Reading

Finally got some time to wire the new battery for my Supra #430. Got the channel assignments and trims sorted, and the camber settings harmonized. Took it out in the yard for a bunch of hand tosses to tune the elevator trim. I could make one circle from a hard throw in cruise trim. It glides a lot farther than my Sapphire, and is a lot more responsive to the rudder. Circling felt a lot more locked in. Looking forward to putting it on the winch.

I now have epoxy and fillers with which I plan to make a DLG pod mold. But first, I'll try a simpler mold for servo covers.

CC ICE HV80 (configured for low timing = high efficiency), Rhino 6S 3700 25C (not fully charged), APC 14x8.5 E
76.6A, 1569W in, 8890 RPM (71.6 MPH pitch speed)

Peak Amps need to be closer to 60, so I'll try a 13x8 E next.

Made the deep rails. Tapered balsa SS doubler to match ply doubler thickness near tail end. Drilled and filed rudder cable exit holes.

Yesterday, my wood order from Sig arrived. This is the majority of the balsa I need for building two Genie LT/S fuselages. I still need the carbon fiber spar caps, and a vacuum system kit.