Strut issue.......

Ron, I was not satisfied with the wire that Larry wanted to be used on that design. I sandwiched 1/32"ply by adding a additional rib to each side of the strut. That being said, I wouldn't just poke a hole in your covering. If you decide to use the wire strut, I would certainly rough the wire up and insert it into the rib or laminate over the wire with a piece of fiberglass cloth and epoxy. I would then use a piece of 1/16" balsa on the flat with a slight notch in it for the strut wire to protrude through. The piece of 1/16" would glue from leading edge to trailing edge on the bottom of the wing next to the rib the strut is attached onto. A little trick is that once you have the piece on the table, roll an Xacto knife on it and the piece will curl. This will conform to the airfoil shape allowing you to glue it right next to that rib. This of course would require you to recover or at least the portion the rib went through. This was another determining factor as to why I used the ply strut. This allowed me to cover the wings and then plug the struts in later. Ken

Thanks Ken,

I was afraid of that. I did a good covering job too..... Lot's of good ideas though thanks.

Sorry Rusty I should have been more clear I was referring to the wing struts on a biplane.

Ron

http://f1.grp.yahoofs.com/v1/QHODUJjBLlidg1bVc3NOyeUKSicIvcU2AVsmysoaahhkNWhD8yUXk-_tpaA_v697umr3ZQnh4A7__fyW9Gcr/QUEEN%20BEE%20PLAN%20PAGE

I like Kens idea, you'd only need to redo one rib bay per side, maybe use a different color and make for a wide stripe?

Mark Boesen wrote:http://f1.grp.yahoofs.com/v1/QHODUJjBLlidg1bVc3NOyeUKSicIvcU2AVsmysoaahhkNWhD8yUXk-_tpaA_v697umr3ZQnh4A7__fyW9Gcr/QUEEN%20BEE%20PLAN%20PAGE

I like Kens idea, you'd only need to redo one rib bay per side, maybe use a different color and make for a wide stripe?

Yeah, it's a good idea the only problem is I will have to redo the wings while on the plane. And there is not a lot of room to work.

Regarding wing struts I have a healthy respect for their importance.

My first "foamie" many years ago was a RC Piper J-3 Cub w/ Fox .15 RC for power.

In the rush to get the plane into the air I deleted the provided struts substituting packing tape on the underside of the wing.

Off the plane went in a nice ROG as it climbed into the air. At about 100 feet I chose to bank the plane back toward me and decrease some of the elevation. Over-controlling I put the plane in a steep dive which was putting it too close to the ground.

When I pulled the plane out of the dive the wings folded as in prayer. The plane then augered straight into the ground and broke into several pieces a total disaster. I salvaged the radio gear and the Fox both of which lived to fly again.

Moral of the story: Wings structs are essential on certain designs. Do what you need to do but DON'T omit them.

cribbs74 wrote:What's the best way to add wing struts after the wings have been covered?

Any ideas?

How about cutting a piece out of 1/16" that surrounds both upper and lower airfoils? Sort of like this crude drawing:

With film coverings if you round the corners you may not be able to ever tell it was patched except by touch.

You probably will need a small ledge to seal the film to against the strut so it stays in place.

Phil