Workshop Tips — Build Straight to Fly Straight

Workshop Tips — Build Straight to Fly Straight

It’s always interesting to see the diverse interests of those involved in building and flying giant-scale aircraft. Some RCers are involved completely in aerobatics, while others focus on building exact scale versions of full-size subjects. No matter what  interest have, care and caution must be taken while building your model airplanes. Aside from proper building materials and making structurally sound glue joints, it is equally important to produce a straight and true airframe for your airplane to perform as intended and stand the test of time.

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Having a straight airplane is a must, as no computer mix can completely compensate for a badly warped airframe. The straighter an airframe is, the more neutral it will be while flying. I can honestly say that I have had many airplanes that only required a few clicks of trim (with minor changes to the CG), and I owe this to proper building and alignment.

My recent project is a Super Decathlon from Exclusiv Modellbau, and it features a two-piece, 132-inch wingspan and is a rather complete wood kit intended for an experienced builder. Using the Super Decathlon as an example, let’s focus on the proper alignment between the horizontal and vertical stabilizers in relation to the wing. Of course this can be applied to any giant scale airplane you are building…

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1 Comment

  1. Build Straight to Fly Straight – theory applies to ALL scales as well as to Giant scale.

    HELP!!! Long time ago I recorded 1940’s swing songs as a “timer” for flights. Worked much better than “guestimation” or engine sound. I also added “nose art” appropriate to the tune. EXAMPLE: C&W music “Strang of Parls” plus Glen Miller’s “String of Pearls” equaled a perfect 7 minute flight. Appropriate nose art is 5 1940’s girls walking. Two versions – facing the observer and exact same group walking away from you. I located and saved the “back” view but cannot find the “front” view. Can anyone help?

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