Post by loopy87 on Jul 2, 2010 19:21:05 GMT 1
Hi everybody!
After flying my SC for a few weeks and breaking several wing struts (not to mention cowls, props, wings, etc.), I decided I needed to come up with my own solution for the struts. After looking at the mods that others have done, I settled on the fishing line/leader approach. But I wanted to make sure there was a little flexibility built in for hard landings (crashes?).
Then the idea hit me. I had recently done some AC work on my car (lucky me), and I happened to have an assortment of hfc134a-approved o-rings lying around. So I screwed a snap swivel into the fuse and connected it via o-ring to the struts. The struts are firm enough to do their job, but there's also some give available in case of pilot error.
I tried them out yesterday, and they seem to work great. See pics below.
Overall view of the gear, battery box and struts connected with o-rings:
Closeup of the short section of leader connecting to the struts. I used metal crimp fittings on the leader and covered them with shrink tube for a tidy appearance.
Closeup of the swivel screwed into the fuse with o-ring connecting it to the strut.
Closeup of the struts connected to the wings with swivel snaps.
Here's a look at my battery box mod. As you can see I went the "popsicle stick" route. But I used strips of basswood. They're thicker and wider than a popsicle stick. I also reinforced the sides of the battery box with square-section strips of basswood epoxied to the fuse. I sacrificed the x-port, but I wasn't really planning to use it anyway.
Anyway, let me know what you think.
Happy flying!
After flying my SC for a few weeks and breaking several wing struts (not to mention cowls, props, wings, etc.), I decided I needed to come up with my own solution for the struts. After looking at the mods that others have done, I settled on the fishing line/leader approach. But I wanted to make sure there was a little flexibility built in for hard landings (crashes?).
Then the idea hit me. I had recently done some AC work on my car (lucky me), and I happened to have an assortment of hfc134a-approved o-rings lying around. So I screwed a snap swivel into the fuse and connected it via o-ring to the struts. The struts are firm enough to do their job, but there's also some give available in case of pilot error.
I tried them out yesterday, and they seem to work great. See pics below.
Overall view of the gear, battery box and struts connected with o-rings:
Closeup of the short section of leader connecting to the struts. I used metal crimp fittings on the leader and covered them with shrink tube for a tidy appearance.
Closeup of the swivel screwed into the fuse with o-ring connecting it to the strut.
Closeup of the struts connected to the wings with swivel snaps.
Here's a look at my battery box mod. As you can see I went the "popsicle stick" route. But I used strips of basswood. They're thicker and wider than a popsicle stick. I also reinforced the sides of the battery box with square-section strips of basswood epoxied to the fuse. I sacrificed the x-port, but I wasn't really planning to use it anyway.
Anyway, let me know what you think.
Happy flying!
