Yet another Art hobby thread was started today asking pretty much the same questions, so I posted a link to this thread; and in doing so, I noticed that this one pretty much fizzled out after the first couple flights.

How is it holding up for you? Have you broken / repaired / changed anything else?? AND did you ever get a chance to weigh the thing!?!

I agree. This plane does not need ailerons.

Firstly, the kit is pretty heavy by modern standards so really try to add as little as possible with glue and what not. The stock rods are heavy, but with a NIMH battery in the nose it should balance fine if you keep things as forward as you can fit them. Yes the rods are heavy and I would not blame anyone for replacing them. The balsa tails are where the real weight is though.

Wing wise, The wood skin is durable, but the throwing wing tip needs a lot of help. We built it "by the book" and ripped the blade/tip off by the fifth launch. You need to link the blade to the wing skin to spread the load. We ended up using a 1 inch strip of kevlar 7 inches long wrapped around the wingtip and installed the blade through that. Not too pretty, but has been holding so far. Three ounce glass might work too if you make the strip wider and add a second layer right around the blade.

I also substituted Minwax polycrilic for the Dreft spray coating that's suggested. I did that because I could control the coverage better and also thin the polycrilic with water to keep the weight down. A LOT less sanding is needed too.

Ailerons on this kit are also a point of contention for me. They have to be cut free when you get the kit and it's really easy to make things ugly because of the force needed to cut through the wood. If I were to have a do-over on the kit I would build it as a two channel plane.
My reasoning is that it's too heavy to be a comp plane any way and adding the two wing servos only makes it heavier. The plane launches like a pig too....so in my opinion the two channel will be better for over-all performance. Launch will be about the same either way, but saving the weight of the wing servos, wiring, and hinge tape will make a huge difference in the glide performance. The wing will also be more efficient without the hinge gap sucking air.

You can always go back and add the ailerons too if you want to.

SO that's my 50 cents on the subject.....don't spend it all in one place
Nate[/QUOTE]