Rebuilding a crashed ARF Bird of Time

To start off anyone from the darkside reading this thread will immediately disappear in a puff of Nitro coloured smoke - you have been warned !!!

A mate of mine who was silly enough to be seduced by that bloody *lectric crowd had his (choke, gasp ( forgive me Lord Nitro) electric power assisted Bird of Time up to around 200 feet when the stabiliser servo - (a metal geared one) decided to go on holidays. The result made every one at the field cringe. Being an old fool who is known to embrace lost causes (NO GASSER - NITRO IS NOT A LOST CAUSE ) I was given the bits and challenged to rebuild it.

Being a properly anointed Knight of the Nitro Brigade I immediately gave all that distasteful electric stuff back to the owner - not that it was much use - even the you beaut folding prop had to be dug out of the turf and took the bits home to contemplate a proper burial - errrrr I mean rebuild. As the Bird of Time is one of my all time favourite models I decided to restore it to it's proper pure glider configuration. The following photos are a little hard to look at if you are an aeromodelling enthusiast - rather like looking at gruesome forensic photos of maimed bodies. But I WILL win the bet and rebuild it - as it is a pure glider even those darkside zombies might be able to look at the rebuild - I won't mention the power pod with a 40 2 stroke till the very last moment



The sad remains


Port outer wing panel


Port inner wing panel


Starboard inner wing panel


Starboard inner wing panel


BIG crack in the FRP fuselage - it's nearly 8" long


Even the all flying stabiliser got damaged


This is where the offending servo lived

Now before any sharp eyed observer tells me I KNOW the two inner wing panels are the wrong way around -all the same comments or thoughts or suggestions are welcome. NO Tony and Gasser - fitting an electric motor is not a good thought or suggestion.

That looks extensively broken young man.
though it looks fixable, it will be a long job.

shame about the electric though, think how quiet it would be with it.

ermmm thats a bit broke so broke even the gheko is trying to escape- or maybe he is escaping from the 2 stroke threat

Point one - Tony what could be more silent in flight than a pure thermal glider?? - only those from the darkside would contemplate turning it into a flying sowing machine.

Point two - Willow - I will forgive your frivolous remark because of your undoubted tender young years however if you persist you will be strapped to a chair and made to watch endless repeats of control line team racing.

You are a brave nitro man to tackle that one Grumps, thats seriously broken

Ahhhhh How did the two words, brave and nitro come in one sentence?? I am weakening where is my Tutu

Garry

It started as a box of bits so now it needs a bit od TLC and itll be a beauty.I have a glider,I have a cute new SC15A, what you think Grumps could I would I what fuel tank.

The Beard wrote: It started as a box of bits so now it needs a bit od TLC and itll be a beauty.I have a glider,I have a cute new SC15A, what you think Grumps could I would I what fuel tank.

Don't know the SC15A Stephen but if it's your normal 15 size RC motor and not a piped screamer of some kind then a 4 or 6 oz tank will be enough depending on the model and what you want to do with it. I'd use a 4 oz tank if the thing was mounted on a pylon to tow a medium sized glider up. Then again - for a B of T sized model I'd stick a 40 on the pylon!!! It all depends on the weight of the thing.

Youve seen a photo of it,its the one with the blue head.I dont want a pylon I want it in the front,so it goes up and glides back,loke what gliders do,oh dear,have to be electric then.

The Beard wrote: Youve seen a photo of it,its the one with the blue head.I dont want a pylon I want it in the front,so it goes up and glides back,loke what gliders do,oh dear,have to be electric then.

Two questions then Stephen - what wing span and what weight is the glider? If it's under about 6 foot and doesn't weigh more than a couple of pounds then a 15 with a 4 oz tank will take it up there - if you want to regain high a few times and keep it up there for an extended time then a 6 oz tank might be the go. The Bird of Time I'm rebuilding is ARF and has a heavy FRP fuselage - the whole model is very heavy for it's size - that's why IF I was going to fit an engine it would be on a pylon and around 40 size to get the thing up there in a fast climb. I'd only fit a tank small enough for just the the initial climb.

Grumpy42

Are you really planning on spoiling the glide ratio of that beautiful airframe with a fixed prop?

A folding prop on IC would be an interesting. Has it been done?

Quorneng wrote: Grumpy42

Are you really planning on spoiling the glide ratio of that beautiful airframe with a fixed prop?

A folding prop on IC would be an interesting. Has it been done?

Yes Quorneng I believe some one has done it but I have NO intention of rebuilding it as any thing more than a pure glider -powered only by the wind. As much as I am an IC engine man there are some things I just will not do.

The first thing to do with any repair is to pull the model apart until only the sound structure is left. ALL the damage must be cut out and removed. This is sometimes a rather traumatic experience for both the model and the builder - SO being the true model surgeon I put on the 1812 Overture and commenced to cut - I only played that because that's what the Surgeon decided to play last time they cut me open. Any how - the result is best described as a mix between "oh ****" and a strangled sob.



Port outer panel - the worst of the two - I'd normally scrap it but just to prove it can be done I'm going to rebuild it!


Join between port inner and outer panels.


The Starboard inner is worse

I am confused ( a natural occurrence for me admittedly) but was the "oh ****" and the strangled sob in response to 1) the surgeon 2) the model rebuild or 3) that you are listening to tchaikovsky?

If anyone can rebuild it you can (I have gaffa tape on stand by hehe )

Yes it can be very disheartening when a crashed but recognisable plane becomes no more than a 'skeleton'.

Nevertheless very rewarding (and a relief) when the structure starts to return to its original form.

Look forward to following its progress.

Thanks Grumps i must dig it out and inspect it.