A dream fully realized.

LAST EDITED ON May-07-04 AT 03:32 PM (CDT)
 
While not all are expected to have noticed, in some forgotten thread I was whining about our use of inappropriate phrases ("center of gravity" when discussing "balance point), and questions which can have no useful answer: "How much tip weight are you using?"

In building my new Skyray 20 I went with tips carved from block. Having hollowed left tip there didn't seem to be any reason to gut right tip and I used a gram scale in making this determination. This seemed even more logical when noting that resulting model was destined to be merely a Cool Thing Profile and so there was not to be a neat-o tip weight box and lid from plywood, just an open hole with an anchor imbedded for a 4-40 screw, opening to be taped over. Or not, depending upon the mood.

The result was predictable: With all tip weight removed, even stainless 4-40 screw tossed, the model flew as if it was about 5 to 7 grams tip-heavy.

A couple nights ago I removed a strip of MonoKote from bottom of tip and began rooting around with implements of destruction. Next day there was still just a touch too much tip weight. Last night I dug around some more, even in the open tip-weight box.

As I use hard-point handles and so have (literally) hundreds of line clips varying from too short to quite long I also measured pieces attached to leadouts and substituted longer (heavier) clips which have same variance in length as those used earlier.

As a result of all this terminal silliness, there is a good chance that when someone asks me how much tip weight I am using in this model I will be able to answer, "Oh, I'm not sure. Something like two or three grams, maybe four. I know the plans call for one ounce/28 grams, but what can we expect from a designer named 'Mikey'? Besides, it works for me, and I would like to suggest it will work great on that stock Skyray of yours."

Finally, I bared my soul about this during a recent phone call to our Local Stunt Hero whom I refuse to identify. (Paul Walker.) He admitted that years and years ago he actually had to fit a tip-weight box to one of his own models, said device being installed in the *left* wing tip.

So at least I am in pretty good company, even if it was a stupid mistake to have made.

(And my model is cool, although Ron thinks that the moral equivalent to having a cool Volvo.)

He admitted that years and years ago he
>actually had to fit a tip-weight box to one of his own
>models, said device being installed in the *left* wing tip.

I had to do things like that a couple of times.

ALL you guys are cool!! Paul

Jimmy Casales accidently put the tip weight box on the top side of the Wingtip for one of his Spectrums. Wendy gave him a hard time about it. He said it was to make sure he remembered to adjust the trim every flight !

Dan, you ignorant slut!

If you had followed my standard practice of hollowing both tips until you could see light through them, then installing an outboard tip weight box, you would have found that the weight box wasn't big enough to hold the required lead..

So. Now you'll have to use the Aggie Solution, an inboard tip weight box.

Wuhhh hhuhh huhhhhh!

[photo not recovered: 3e69bb3870f12ad5.jpg]

"What the world calls originality is only an unaccustomed method of tickling it." -George Bernard Shaw

And by the way, next week when you have trouble finding that Xacto knife, you can cut into the wing and remove said knife.

Whats that quote, "The best laid plans of Mice and Men...?"

If you left the Xacto knife inside the wing, what are you going to use to cut into the wing?

>If you left the Xacto knife inside the wing, what are you
>going to use to cut into the wing?
>
>:+

Ron B.
F4Fguy

Danny Rutherford took an axe,
and gave his Skyray forty whacks.

THANK YOU DAN!
I was within an hour of covering the wing of my own Skyray. Now I am within an hour of removing 3/4 ounce of lead epoxied to the outboard rib.
I'm reminded of a comment by Bob Smiley in an earlier thread. He and Bob Whitely were trimming Smiley's Primary Force and they removed all tip weight. What's going on here?
Derek Moran

>THANK YOU DAN!
>I was within an hour of covering the wing of my own Skyray.
>Now I am within an hour of removing 3/4 ounce of lead
>epoxied to the outboard rib.
>I'm reminded of a comment by Bob Smiley in an earlier
>thread. He and Bob Whitely were trimming Smiley's Primary
>Force and they removed all tip weight. What's going on
>here?

Lotta engine and muffler hanging out on that side.

Thanks, Brett. That's what I figured. It's the reason my orange plane is a sidewinder- saves weight.
Derek

Danimal,

Don't leave us hangin' here! Boil it down and give us a pithy "The moral of the story is ...."

Dave
LA_Flyer

PS-Don't the human factors guys call this "fixation?" You stare at a malfunctioning fuel gage. It must be malfunctioning: it says empty, has for the last hour, but the engine is still running --while you fly into IFR conditions with your VFR training.

>Danimal,
>
>Don't leave us hangin' here! Boil it down and give us a
>pithy "The moral of the story is ...."
>
>Dave
>LA_Flyer
>

Dave,

Your answer is obvious: I don't do pithy.

>Dan, you ignorant slut!

>If you had followed my standard practice of hollowing both tips until you could see light through them, then installing an outboard tip weight box, you would have found that the weight box wasn't big enough to hold the required lead..

>So. Now you'll have to use the Aggie Solution, an inboard tip weight box.

>Wuhhh hhuhh huhhhhh!

Larry,

But I have been down a similar road before. Beautifully carved and lightened tip block, no structure to use in securely anchoring tip-weight box in place.

Alas, the saga continues. I got all the easily accessible balsa hogged out, even took chances with coming through the covering on top of tip. Still not enough. Closed it all up with fresh MonoKnote, less open tip-weight box. Which had itself been lightened in that most of the floor (roof? ceiling?) was removed as well, leaving only anchor and some supporting structure.

Tiring of flying the model tip heavy, last night I cut the coolest interference-fit slot in bottom of *left* wingtip, the idea being to slip in a 5-gram piece of lead, glue with CA, close with film and forget about it.

Just as the weight came flush with tip, oooops! that sucker popped on through.

So. A bigger hole, weight tacked with thin CA, excessively globby wad of 5-minute epoxy. And closure.

With any luck at all, when asked how much tip weight the model is carrying--you better believe I will be asked repeatedly and by all the usual suspects--I will be able to point to a single 4-40 x 1/2" screw with two or three washers under the head.

And Larry, was your opening salvo the first in a competition to see who can slide the nastiest four-letter words under SSW radar?