Last weekend I had intended to take a break from my prototyping and home improvement efforts and just go flying. Looking around the shop I realized that I didn't have anything to fly in a local FAC contest. All the older prototypes and contest models that I had been flying were either suffering from too many field repairs or hangar rash. Even my demo models were rather beat up. This needs correction.
A big part of the problem was that I had not paid enough attention to storage and transportation. I'm working on this also but there is so much involved with this that I will put it into another thread.
I cleared the prototypes I was working on off the bench and started evaluating the tired models. Realizing that I had some new demo models in process I also emptied my trash can next to the bench since some of the models would not be worth repairing...decision time.
My OE-2 demo had a broken motor stick. Since I have revised the OE-2 with a lifting tail (less nose weight, better glide) and no laminated wood (no curved wing tips or tail outlines so doesn't need it, lighter) the OE-2 went in the can. The second incarnation of my Legal Eagle had some damage and doesn't fly that well anyway so in it went. My demo F7U also had a broken motor stick. I have another one in process with the new pre-printed white skin so in the can.
My Bostillation that had been converted into an autogyro could be an airplane again so I glued the center tail back on, removed the rotor mast (just rubber banded on) and reinstalled the wing. My original Bostillation needed some tissue patching but was otherwise OK. Since some of my customers fly the Bostillation as an Embryo I will put wheel pants and exhaust stacks on one of them. In the Bostillation box I discovered a Guillow's 500 series Hellcat that I started about a decade ago. It was simply in need of paint and markings but the canopy yellowed and cracked so I will have to order another canopy to finish it.
My actual Embryo, Wright Amount of Wrong, prototypes had gotten pretty beat up. They both needed recovering. Upon examination I found field repairs to the most recent one had turned the fuselage into a banana so it went into the can. The other one is being recovered with the new pre-printed skins.
My Double Trouble demo is flyable, even though it has field repairs from having a winder dropped on it at the field. However, I built a new, current level, fuselage for a demonstration so I will finish that one with pre-printed skins as my demo and just fly the other one for fun. (There is another Double Trouble that is slightly fatter to accommodate a motor, battery, receiver and servos but that's not going to be flying until next year.)
The Satellite demo/prototypes are a flyable but need some work. The original, high wing, prototype of the Satellite was in good shape except that the V tail had gotten squashed, so I built a new one from a production mis-cut sheet (yes I do save the mis-cuts for personal use) and will fly that one for fun.
After this is finished and I have things that I am not embarrassed to fly it's back to work.
KF
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Orgy of Repair (Read 594 times)
