Help! Is this plane gonna be a problem?

[PropHawk]

I am building the plane that is going to teach me the fundamentals of RC winged flight. The fuselage and tail are similar to the FT Storch. I liked these pieces because of their large surface areas and ease of construction.

The wing I have made from foam insulation board salvaged from a building supply dumpster. It has very large "grains" but is very light and very thick. I have 2 bamboo spars inserted in each flat end of the wing while the winglets are glued on with turbo tacky craft glue. After I got wing the size and shape I wanted I used 77 spray adhesive t to apply tissue to smooth out the grainy texture of the foam. I could do it somewhat cleaner with less wrinkles but there's not a chance i could get a smooth and wrinkle free finish using this method. I like the idea since it is low weight and very cost effective.

Will these wrinkles and imperfections cause a problem as far as erratic characteristics or instability?
I can put clear packing tape over the wing to further strengthen while allowing for an almost perfectly smooth finish. Yes it will be stronger and will look a million times better when on the ground but i'm afraid it'll not fly as slow as it would at the absolute minimum weight. Appearances aren't a huge issue at this point . Weight, costs and repairability are major concerns. I'm hoping for a somewhat slow flying 3CH plane that I can put ailerons as I progress.

I feel as if this plane is going to be extremely too heavy after just now doing the calculations. And yes you are right, I didn't and should have done this step as soon as I had an idea of the the type and size of plane I wanted to build.

But I didn't therefore I need your help if you can. The weight consequence of adding the clear tape to the wing is substantial. I predict the wing going from its current 168 grams to at least 300 grams.
That would bring the 1300mm wingspan plane to an estimated 1.3 kilos all up with 2200mah 2s lipo, 480 22000Kv motor and 40amp esc.
In an RC airplane I can see Where 1.3kg to 1.1kg could make a huge difference. If the wrinkles in wing surface aren't an issue I may shave some weight by losing the landing gear and going with plywood firewall instead of the aluminium piece i've constructed. I may also abort the "power pod" and install electronics on the fuselage and reconfigure the motor mount. If I can get the plane to 900g or under 1KG i think ill be ok. Do you have any pinions, suggestions, jokes, funny looks or insults about anything i've written?

 

[Merv]

Will these wrinkles and imperfections cause a problem as far as erratic characteristics or instability?

No, I don't think the wrinkles will cause any major flight issues.

If I can get the plane to 900g or under 1KG i think ill be ok.

I agree, 900-1000g will be a flyable plane. Most of my planes are similar size and all are under 850g (30oz). I cover all of my planes, entirely, with colored packing tape, no paint.

I use bamboo spars, one on the top of the wing & one on the bottom to form sort of an I beam. Make the spars 70-80cm (30") long.

 

[BATTLEAXE]

Welcome to the forums, I see you have been here for awhile just haven't posted much. I will say the Storch is an excellent trainer, it's light wing loading and surface area creates an enormous amount of lift,, flies and glides around nice and docile. That being said, since you already have the fuse built out of foam board I would say just build a new wing with the same FB according to the designs. It will only cost you a couple bucks and some time, but it will be so much more worth it for learning to fly. That way you have the best chance to take out variables not knowing if it's the wing you already have or you as a novice pilot, if that makes sense.

As far as learning to fly on a 3 channel there are two ways to go. From what I read in your post I am guessing you are looking at going with a rudder/elevator/throttle set up, known as RET. This although has an easy initial learning curve to get yourself prepared for flight, it actually causes more problems that you have to overcome as a new pilot, and can be confusing when you do decide to make the move to ailerons. Another way to go and the way a lot of RC pilot instructors prefer to go is the aileron/elevator/throttle method, AET. Still only 3 channel so it is easy and is actually more intuitive, easier to predict, easier to correct, and more real time responsive. Given that once the rudder is added later it is a smoother transition, making rudder input more of a bonus as opposed to a crutch. Plus going from RET to 4 channel tends to confuse most new pilots because the controls are now moved from the right stick to the left stick, causing you to retrain your brain, like learning all over again. Just a thought.

The important thing is to have fun, build lots, fly lots, crash often, then repeat.