Gap Sealing Elevators & FLAPS

[frank williams]

Some times the application of tape seems to some like the controls are too stickey and the tape caused a binding.  What we are really feeling is the increased sensitivity of the controls.  A deflection that took 30 degrees of elevator/flap, now only takes 18 degrees.  25 now equates to 16...... 20 to 14.5 ..... 15 to 12 ......10 to 7.5 ...... and 5 to 4.   The real killer though in the planes trim, is the unsymetrical effects that probably occur from right wing to left.   Its a wonder we were ever able to fly these things! 

Nowadays with oil free systems, I'm considering something like cloth layered between two sheets of wood.  You would build the wing trailing edge and the flap leading edge together.

[Jack Pitcher]

"Nowadays with oil free systems, I'm considering something like cloth layered between two sheets of wood.  You would build the wing trailing edge and the flap leading edge together."

Sort of like the sealed hinge strips that Ralph Cooney, Foremost products, had available some years ago. He used Tyvek sheets, the kind from mailing envelopes, sandwiched between balsa sheets. I believe that the adhesive was contact cement. He made up whole sheets laminated that way and then cut into individual strips complete with v-notches using a special multiple cutter saw blade that he made up. I have some in my possession but have never actually used any. I checked his web site and they are not listed there so he must have dropped the product idea.

Jack

[Frank Imbriaco]

Thanks everyone who commented. On film covered  R/C models, I have had good success using transparent Ultracote. So , I did likewise with two of my stunters and I'm pleased with the results.

[steven yampolsky]

Those that feel sealing the hinge lines made their ships fly worse are missing the point.  Sealing the hinges allowed them to discover their ships weren't trimmed to their optimum capability and the lack of seals was disguising that inferior state of trim.  It would behoove those fliers to start their trimming process over again because now the airplane is capable of being trimmed better than it had been before.

Another reason is that they could have used an R/C hinge line tape which is so thick and oosing glue. Like this one here:

http://www3.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin/wti0001p?&I=LXJGT1&P=ML

Then they would spend three hours trying to remove it without pulling paint. I mean, there must have been those kinds of people out there. I would have never done that myself! 


Steve

P.S. I became a fan of taping hingeline after talking to Mr. Fancher. I have built my very first Classic airplane: Van Loo's Chipmunk and was having all sorts of issues with controlability. Ted was very patient with me and has spent 30 minutes giving me a personal, over the phone, lesson in proper model trimming. Thanks to Mr. Fancher, I was able to trim the model well and win quiet a few contests with it. Thank you for the lessons Mr. Fancher!!!