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Okay, let’s say you have your radio controlled model airplane already to go flying.  What will you need to get it running and ready for take off when you get to the flying field?

Among the most important items that you will need are glow fuel, a battery source for the glow plug, and some means of starting the engine.  Some fliers will use their fingers to flip the prop to start the engine, but that has resulted in injured fingers for people of all ages and experience level.  A much safer and smarter way is to use a “chicken stick” to flip the prop.  This way your fingers and hands are out of the way of danger.  A “chicken stick” is simply a hardwood dowel with one end that is coated with rubber to protect the prop from damage.  Even better, is an electric starter that connects to the prop with a rubber cup.  It not only is safer, but it is also helpful for getting a “difficult” engine started.  Something to consider for sure.

You will also need a means of getting the rc model airplane filled with fuel.  There are a number of different hand-cranked fuel pumps as well as some battery powered pumps available.  Or if you want to save a little money, you can buy a squeeze bulb that will do the job, although it is less convienent than using the pumps mentioned above.

Basically, what I’ve already talked about is all you really need to get the model running and ready to fly.  However, what do you do if you should be unfortunate enough to break a prop or if something else needs to be repaired.  What if you burn out your glow plug or get a hole in the fuel line?  Wouldn’t it be nice to have a few tools, some glue, and maybe some spare props and glow plugs along?  Certainly it is a good idea to be prepared for making any minor repairs.  It isn’t much fun to just get started and find out that something doesn’t work or you need to make a minor adjustment.  So, how do you organize these things and keep them handy for immediate use when at the flying field?

Come back next time and I will give some more information on what to take with you and a couple suggestions for an appropriate flight box to keep everything close at hand and ready for emergency maintenance.  This is the OldManFlier and I will see you next time.

Well, I am finally getting back to finish the story about my son’s crashed radio controlled Edge 540.  I need to explain what this project was all about and why my granddaughter was in on the repairing of this plane.

She is a senior in high school and needed a subject for a senior project.  Since she is really into RC model airplanes, both building and flying them, she decided to do her project on rebuilding an airplane that was damaged and too valuable to just throw away.  You will see her in some of the pictures shown in this post.

She did her fair share of the work, but got a little help from one of her uncles.  He is an experienced builder and flier and it is his airplane that needed the work.  All said and done it worked well for both of them.  She got a good grade on her project (mainly because the judges could see that she was truly “into” her project),  And Jeremy was motivated to dig out the wreckage and get the “Edge” ready for the Spring flying season.

I included this photo to show you a close up view of the quality of work that went into this project and to give you an idea of the size of this aircraft.  This is the top of the fuselage behind and below the back edge of the cowl.  It is about 8 inches long and about 4 inches wide.  The 8 inch direction is crosswise to the fuselage.

Splicing and insulating the wires used for the remote glow plug extension.  The remote connection is used to avoid making a large unsightly hole in the cowl to access the glow plug connection.  Here Kristen is heat shrinking the insulation on the splice.

Repairing a crashed airplane is all about taking your time and paying attention to details.  What you do at this point will affect the performance as well as the appearance of the plane. This picture shows test fitting the unsheeted frame of the cover.  I could go on for hours about the fine details of rebuilding this plane, but I think by now you can tell that they did a good job of building up the damaged and missing parts. 

    Here is another view of the reconstructed firewall and associated sub-structure.  At this point the engine (Saito 4-cycle 1.80) is installed.  Also you can see some of the fuel line tubing and the glow plug connection.  The top piece of the fuselage that goes above the fuel tank is glued in place and covered with blue ultracote.  We just keep getting closer and closer to being ready to fly.   The next photos  show what the “Edge” looks like after it is flight ready.   This rc model aircraft is so large it is difficult to get a good picture in the shop that shows the whole plane in one shot.   Remember this model has a wingspan of 78 inches and has a “full up” ready to fly weight of about 13 pounds. 

    Below is a close up view of the nose of the repaired model.  Another attempt to show you the size of the plane — that prop is 18 inches long and the spinner is 3 inches in diameter.

    Still another view of the finished project.

    There she is.  All ready to go to the flying field.  This has been an educational project and I know it was a lot of fun for her and Jeremy to work together on this awesome radio controlled model airplane. 

    Now, all we can do is to wait for good flying weather and I will be there for the takeoff with movie camera in hand.  I hope to make a video of both Kristen and Jeremy flying the “Edge”.  Stay tuned for the videos later in the Spring.  Today, it is snowing hard enough to limit the visibility to one half mile… not good flying weather. 

    Keep coming back.  There will be lots more activity on this blog when we finally get to the flying season.  This is the OldManFlier and I’ll see you next time!

This time I would like to do a “show and tell” on one of my son’s wrecked radio controlled model airplanes.   The model is an EDGE 540 made by Hangar 9.  Early last summer he was flying it at the local flying field and had to make an energency landing on the other side of a nearby cornfield.  Needless to say it didn’t go too well.    The cause of the accident was an engine that wasn’t running correctly and as he was coming in for the final approach to land it the engine quit a little too far away from the landing strip and too close to the ground.  Below are pictures that tell the story better than a bunch of words can.  But, I will mix in a few words just to point out what is going on.

For those of you that may not know what an Edge 540 is, it is a 3D aerobatic model with a 78 inch wingspan.  This one is powered with a Saito 1.80 four cycle engine.  The plane has plenty of power and is capable of the whole range of 3D stunts.  The first pictures are showing the damage that occurred in the crash and it is taken in the shop just before repairs got underway.

Damage to the cowl, the firewall and the structural members around the firewall.  The left wing is snapped off and shattered next to the fuselage.                                                         

Here is another view of the damage to the wing and side of the tank compartment.  Note: the aileron is still attached to the wing.  Not very pretty, but Jeremy says it will be like new again.

The left side of the wing with the leading edge repaired and the badly shattered parts cut out ready for the ribs and center spar.  Also, the aileron has been removed to make it easier to repair the trailing edge.

In a blog entry from last November or December, I talked about what to do after the crash.  One thing I mentioned was to pick up all the pieces of the wreckage.  This is especially important when the model is an ARF or RTF.  In all likelihood you won’t be able to reuse any of the parts but keeping them may help you understand the structure of the aircraft and that can be a big help in the restoration process.  It is not too likely that you will have a copy of the plans and you will need all the help you can get.

He does a nice job and tomorrow I will show you some of the steps he took to reassemble the plane and I will also have some pictures of it when it is all done.  Thanks for checking out my blog and I’ll see you next time.