Flite Streak Leading Edge.

[Andrew Tinsley]

Hello All,
            When I get back home (from a great vacation in the US!), I shall be building some more Flite Streaks for a group of youngsters learning to fly stunt. I stuck rigidly to the GMA style of leading edge, the last time I built a couple. I found the construction a little odd compared with the European way of building. Carving out the leading edge section was definitely slow work compared to my normal methods!
  Anyone modified the leading edge design of the Flitestreak? If so, how did you do it? I am considering a square spar for the tip of the LE, followed by generous sheeting back to the main spars, i.e the traditional Brit method. Ideas, comments......anyone?

Andrew.

[Jim Thomerson]

That will work.  The actual design is two pieces at an angle, as it is in the Brodak kit.  It was changed to a solid leading edge in the TF kit.  You might make a molded leading edge, which is a very neat way to go. 

[Dennis Moritz]

The Brodak Streak, far as I can tell, duplicates the George Aldrich airfoil. The Brodak Streak looks and flies like the original. It uses a typical half inch leading edge mounted corner out front, diamond half spar cut into the ribs. (THE MOST TYPICAL wing construction, like a Twister, in case I haven't described this well.) The outside half diamond is then shaped as a half moon. The wing also uses capstrips. Seems like an improvement on the original. Sheeting the leading edge, using a C-tube or D-tube construction would be more rigid and more work.

[pat king]

Andrew,
The Flite Streak wing is very light structure. The two piece leading edge is a lot more structure than a smaller square on edge. A square leading edge with sheeting to the spar will give you good "D"-tube structure. It will probably be heavier than the two piece leading edge wing.

Pat 

[Russell Shaffer]

I have built two with a 1/2 square LE.  Just modify the rib shape to take a square piece and use spruce or bass for the spars.  I didn't sheet the leading edge, and it seems to be plenty strong enough. 

[Dennis Moritz]

The ARF uses a half inch leading edge. They fly like the TF kits far as I can tell. Not that much wood in a Flite Streak. If you want it light, I'd be careful to select light wood. Since these are to be flown by learners, I'd build them with AAA balsa, not the real light stuff. Spruce spars make sense. I found that reinforcing the center of the trailing edges with 2" pieces of 1/32" ply laid flat along the top and bottom of the trailing edge sheets, adds greatly to the survivability of the wing.  (Man that's a long sentence.)