Endings and Beginnings
Upon arriving home after my disastrous solo attempt I laid out all the broken pieces and started salvage operations. The plane and engine were not repairable, they were toast! The good news was that almost all the other things I had purchased were reusable. The radio equipment looked ok. The receiver and battery had been wrapped in foam rubber for protection and seemed to survive unscathed. I unscrewed the servos from their broken mounts and put the radio gear aside until I could take it back to Hobby Shack for a checkup (as noted on the previous post it passed that checkup). I went about removing all those parts I had installed with so much care. The nose and main landing gear with its tires and wheels. The control rods, bellcranks, clevises, control horns and all the threaded rod was checked for damage and put aside. The fuel tank had split open in the crash but the stopper, pipes, fuel line and klunk were cleaned and also set aside. All these parts would fly again! I gathered all the busted up wood and plastic covering and put it back into the garbage bag. The dumpster was only about 50 feet away but it was a very long walk,,,,
I started looking in the R/C mags and catalogs that I had for a new plane to build. There was so much to chose from. The SIG catalog was a favorite of mine. Aside from their own line of goods they also carried a huge amount of products from most of the other manufacturers. If it wasn't in their catalog you probably didn't need it. I had also discovered several other hobby shops in the area and was spending all my free time visiting them.
One day I saw a hobby shop I had never been to before (I don't remember the name, it might have been in Garden Grove) and stopped in to look around. I saw a big box on the wall. The cover on the box had a picture of red and yellow mid-wing airplane. It was a SIG KOMANDER. I really liked how it looked. I asked to look inside as this box was much larger then the box my last (late) plane came in. When I opened that box what I saw was a large block of styrofoam and a bundle of wood. The guy behind the counter said this plane had a foam wing and proceeded to pull out the foam block which was actually 2 foam blocks that were split down the middle. He pulled off the top of one and then removed a wing core. I had seen planes with foam wings at the field and I had read about foam wings but this was the first time I had seen one in the raw state. He explained that you sheeted each wing panel with balsa and then glued them together. The fuselage was made in the same manner as my first plane so I knew I could do that part, but a foam wing? Not so sure about that! Plus it was $69.00 and that was the "ON SALE" price! . I told him I'd have to think about it, thanked him and left. I went home to read up on building a foam wing. What I learned was that it was really easy or really hard. The people that had a difficult time seemed to sheet the wings with balsa and epoxy. They complained about getting the balsaligned and the mess. The people that found it easy would use spray adhesive.
I continued looking for a new plane but that SIG KOMANDER I liked a lot. I must have gone back to that hobby shop 3 to 4 more times looking at other planes and accessories. Each time I'd look up at that SIG kit I'd want it even more. One day, it was gone from its normal place on the wall. Damn. Walking further into the store, sitting on the counter there it was! The same guy had been behind the counter on every visit. He had seen me parking my car so he got that kit down and placed it on the counter. I looked at that plane and he asked if I wanted another look inside. I shook my head and said "Nah, I just can't afford it, man". Remember this plane cost $69.00! He said "How about if I take off $15.00?" I said "Thanks, but I've only got like $45.00 on me". He said "OK, $45.00 it is". I paid him, thanked him and left with my new plane!
Upon arriving home after my disastrous solo attempt I laid out all the broken pieces and started salvage operations. The plane and engine were not repairable, they were toast! The good news was that almost all the other things I had purchased were reusable. The radio equipment looked ok. The receiver and battery had been wrapped in foam rubber for protection and seemed to survive unscathed. I unscrewed the servos from their broken mounts and put the radio gear aside until I could take it back to Hobby Shack for a checkup (as noted on the previous post it passed that checkup). I went about removing all those parts I had installed with so much care. The nose and main landing gear with its tires and wheels. The control rods, bellcranks, clevises, control horns and all the threaded rod was checked for damage and put aside. The fuel tank had split open in the crash but the stopper, pipes, fuel line and klunk were cleaned and also set aside. All these parts would fly again! I gathered all the busted up wood and plastic covering and put it back into the garbage bag. The dumpster was only about 50 feet away but it was a very long walk,,,,
I started looking in the R/C mags and catalogs that I had for a new plane to build. There was so much to chose from. The SIG catalog was a favorite of mine. Aside from their own line of goods they also carried a huge amount of products from most of the other manufacturers. If it wasn't in their catalog you probably didn't need it. I had also discovered several other hobby shops in the area and was spending all my free time visiting them.
One day I saw a hobby shop I had never been to before (I don't remember the name, it might have been in Garden Grove) and stopped in to look around. I saw a big box on the wall. The cover on the box had a picture of red and yellow mid-wing airplane. It was a SIG KOMANDER. I really liked how it looked. I asked to look inside as this box was much larger then the box my last (late) plane came in. When I opened that box what I saw was a large block of styrofoam and a bundle of wood. The guy behind the counter said this plane had a foam wing and proceeded to pull out the foam block which was actually 2 foam blocks that were split down the middle. He pulled off the top of one and then removed a wing core. I had seen planes with foam wings at the field and I had read about foam wings but this was the first time I had seen one in the raw state. He explained that you sheeted each wing panel with balsa and then glued them together. The fuselage was made in the same manner as my first plane so I knew I could do that part, but a foam wing? Not so sure about that! Plus it was $69.00 and that was the "ON SALE" price! . I told him I'd have to think about it, thanked him and left. I went home to read up on building a foam wing. What I learned was that it was really easy or really hard. The people that had a difficult time seemed to sheet the wings with balsa and epoxy. They complained about getting the balsaligned and the mess. The people that found it easy would use spray adhesive.
I continued looking for a new plane but that SIG KOMANDER I liked a lot. I must have gone back to that hobby shop 3 to 4 more times looking at other planes and accessories. Each time I'd look up at that SIG kit I'd want it even more. One day, it was gone from its normal place on the wall. Damn. Walking further into the store, sitting on the counter there it was! The same guy had been behind the counter on every visit. He had seen me parking my car so he got that kit down and placed it on the counter. I looked at that plane and he asked if I wanted another look inside. I shook my head and said "Nah, I just can't afford it, man". Remember this plane cost $69.00! He said "How about if I take off $15.00?" I said "Thanks, but I've only got like $45.00 on me". He said "OK, $45.00 it is". I paid him, thanked him and left with my new plane!
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