My latest bonehead move

Built the wingtips for Vector .40. Sanded, hollowed, glued the left one on with no problems. Then, I installed the weight box in the right wingtip. Did a pretty good job, I'm thinking. Glue it on, go watch my alma mater lose, go back to check out the wing and THE WEIGHT BOX ACCESS PANEL IS ON THE TOP OF THE WING INSTEAD OF THE BOTTOM! AAARRRGGGHHHH

I think that I will just pray I have the right amount of weight in the tip, putty the access panel and go on.

My planes usually are destroyed before I get around to adjusting tip weight anyway!

>My planes usually are destroyed before I get
>around to adjusting tip weight anyway!

That is a dynamic I am very familiar with.

I have found the best way to avoid it is
to not build in the first place.

Ron B.
F4Fguy

Why not install another weight box on the bottom side ,seal the seam of the top one and don't tell anyone?

A second weight box would be pretty expensive. I would pull the old one out, patch the hole, and re-install it from the bottom. Actually, I did the same thing on my long-term Bansheesh, but decided that it would be much handier that way. Fugedaboudit, as Ty would say. Steve

Mitch, its Ben, Email me, [email protected] Thanks BEN

well, I put the weight in the box when I installed it. However, my math was bad and 8 1/4-ounce weights = TWO ounces, not one. Obviously, you should never be impaired by football when installing weight boxes or doing Really Important Math. Bottom line is I have to get in there anyway to remove some weight and it seems my blind nut is spinning when I turn the bolt. Ergo, I will have to cut into the bottom anyway, so I might as well do some surgery.

Here's one that may make you feel better, especially about tip weight gone awry...

Ever heard of Hurricane model airplane engines? They were made back in the 40's and 50's. Turns out they were a Canadian product. Just today I read a story about the guy who invented them...

Seems when he was young, him and a couple of buddies got together to build a (full-size) airplane. He was the engine man. They got the thing all built and ready, but he needed a new magneto, so he sent for it. They put the plane in a field till it arrived. In the meantime, the sun made cracks in the covering, just enough to let rain water get inside the wing.

Next day they got the magneto, and got the plane ready for its first (and last) flight. It took off fine, but the first time he turned it, the water inside the wing all ran into the low tip, and the plane spiralled into the ground (the pilot lived). Seems that before anyone could arrest them (for flying an uncertified plane without a license), they broke it up and buried it, and thereafter denied it ever existed...

Don't sweat it too much Tim. I believe I installed the weight box on my mustang on the inboard wing, the first one that is.

Hey, Clean.

That's no problem. Just put in a fill valve and blow a little helium into the box. Then you shouldn't need any tip weight in the outboard tip, thereby decreasing the plane's overall weight and increasing performance! What more could a guy ask for!

Heh, heh, people like you make me look normal! I once put on the inboard tip, but forgot to bring the leadouts out and, yep, forgot about them and built the tip without the slot. Lots of new cuss words and sawing and looking over my shoulder to make no one saw this. I though I was doing the outboard tip. Garage full of paint fumes, two in the am. But I did get a little better.

Mitch: One of the guys in California built this awesome Scale Wing, PA65 powered Corsair, goes by the first name of Kurt. (don’t want to swell his head) Anyway he has a Jamison with the tip weight box on the top. He does a nice job with some Ink Lines and it looks really good. Says he hates turning it over to change the weight.

What's the problem? Now, when you forget to put the lid back on the tip weight box, the weight won't fall out. Assuming of course, that you don't go inverted, which you wont of course, because we always remember these little omissions as the model is launched so you'll know not to go inverted.

One of modelling's great moments is that sick knot in the pit of your tummy as the model leaves the hand and you remember something you forgot to do.

Let's see - I've built my fair share of identical fuselage sides. Did build a wing with the leadouts out the short wing once but that was discovered before I put the tips on so it wasn't too much of a problem (boring, surely it's more fun when you cover it before discovery), I've put tip weight hatches in the top of tips before, made upside down fuel tanks (I hope you are all noting the use of the plural form). All in all though, I think the mistake that's caused me the greatest grief was taking up this &^^%$ hobby in the first place - thank goodness for all the good times.

Ya know, I did real planes for a while and finally figured I had more fun (and life expectancy) with models. I'll still fly a real plane, but I won't build another one until I'm laid off with a butt-load of extra cash. I kind of figure those two are mutually exclusive, so I figure the average traveling public is still safe.

Kirk Wicker
www.wingwalk.com

My Latest bonehead move was taking a flight on my friends Cardinal. Made it a whole three laps before a wingover and when I pulled out to the inverted promptly sanded the vetical fin down with 100% grit asphalt! The plane is back to flying shape, and I mean the shape the rudder was before it tookoff. I guess I did need those couple of extra inches after all....Hmmmm?