Funtana S90 Wing Repairs

Joker 53150

Mmmmmmm, balsa.
Mentor
The reviews I've seen say it does a really stable harrier. Maybe you can try out some 3d once you get it fixed!

Possibly, but that plane won't hit the workbench for a while. I've got a Rascal 110 to finish up first followed by more work on a 1/4 scale Citabria as the priorities. There are a bunch of other "rescue" projects that I'd also like to get started on as well as some "in progress" builds.
 

Chuppster

Well-known member
Possibly, but that plane won't hit the workbench for a while. I've got a Rascal 110 to finish up first followed by more work on a 1/4 scale Citabria as the priorities. There are a bunch of other "rescue" projects that I'd also like to get started on as well as some "in progress" builds.

I can totally identify with that. Have my airplanes are projects...
 

Joker 53150

Mmmmmmm, balsa.
Mentor
My Balsa ADD has me running in circles right now. One project is done (Telemaster) and ready to run, another is undergoing a slower repair (Cessna). I thought about getting started on mounting an engine in a P-47, but this project grabbed my attention instead. o_O The right wing was a big repair job and the left is minor by comparison. The overall structure seems pretty good, but lets get the covering removed and see what's hidden below!

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Overall, not too bad. The bulk of the work will be cutting out the old hinges to make room for new ones. A few ribs are broken, mostly on the aileron, and the sheeting by the fuselage has been punched in at one spot. Hardware for the aileron control horn is interesting - two servo screws and a machine screw (not meant for wood), all covered with a little Gorilla Glue. That wasn't fun to remove...

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The bottom of the wing with covering. Again, damage doesn't appear too bad.

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Along with the repairs mentioned above for the top of the wing, the servo screw holes need to be filled and re-drilled for the new replacement screws, as these are all stripping out. The covering came off pretty well, and the replacement will be just like the original. I may see about getting replacement graphics made for this plane (the originals are probably long out of production).

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Joker 53150

Mmmmmmm, balsa.
Mentor
Repairs to this wing are pretty straightforward, and common to what you'd find on a well-loved swap meet plane - a few broken ribs, bad hinges, ripped covering, etc. First up for the repairs is fixing the hinges. The original hinges had a pinned center meaning they couldn't be taken apart for service. The ones I'll replace them with have a removable pin so the aileron could be removed easily in the future.

The old hinges need to be cut out, which leaves some holes to fix.

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I then draw an outline to match the "plug" I cut. Once the plug is glued in place I'll have to come back and cut new hinge slots.

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Here the plug is glued in. When the glue cures I'll come back to plane and sand this flush. Now to repeat it 9 more times!

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This rib in the aileron was the worst of the damage on this wing. It's kind of "missing" about 1/3 of the wood, so I'll have to cut a new rib using this old one as a template.

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Aaaaand done. A little sanding to make it flush with the rest and that fix is done.

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And that takes us up to now. Repairs are all done, and were pretty quick and easy on this wing. I still need to cut hinge slots for new hinges, fill and sand as needed, and do a little tweaking to the wingtip to match what I did on the other wing and it'll be ready to cover.

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Joker 53150

Mmmmmmm, balsa.
Mentor
Hinges are done and the final repair piece is pinned and glue is drying. As with the other wing I capped the end of the wing and aileron - this time was just to match the work done on the other wing, where the capped end was to hide & strengthen all the damage. This wing just needs filler and final sanding, and it'll be ready to cover. Covering will wait, however, as I want to get back to the Cessna 188 project now. :)

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