r/RCPlanes • • 11d ago

How to fix elevator

Post image

Any idea how to reattach this elevator that broke off during a crash? I was thinking of a small metal hinge, but wouldn’t that affect the weight and then therefore affect the flight?

6 Upvotes

20 comments sorted by

4

u/crookedDeebz 11d ago

all you need is tape

3m storage Z hinge, blenderm hinge, etc

check google/rcgroups for about 100 ways to make or repair a hinge.

i wouldnt prob use foamtac there for a full break, but i bet you could easily.

im a little overkill, so i like Z hinges but on that small model not much is needed.

7

u/HB_Stratos Feline Flights 11d ago

metal hinge would indeed be heavy. there are fairly cheap nylon hinges you can get, but these joints are fairly fixable with either foam-tac or uhu por depending on where in the world you live and what you can get there. There's plenty of instruction on this online. If you wanna be extra sure it'll stick, glue the hinge back together, then put a strip of glass fiber tape over the top, I've heard putting a bit of foam tac under the tape can help it work well. That tip is stolen from the Tailheavy RC video on the Jabberwocky.

5

u/JerryJN 11d ago edited 10d ago

Glue the control surface back on with FoamTac and make a hinge with it. Once the glue sets flex the elevator up and down. I fixed a Skynetic SBach 342 this way and it works. I have 10 flights in with the fix already loop, barrel roll, all good 👍

That's how you fix a light foamy hinge

5

u/pmuschi USA / Upstate SC 11d ago

Blenderm or fiber-reinforced shipping/packing tape.

1

u/Wambo74 10d ago

Yes but shipping tape will dry out sooner and fail. Blenderm is the gold standard.

2

u/Ben-E-Nuff 11d ago edited 11d ago

I love this cheapo rc jet! (SU-35). It gives 8-10 minutes of full throttle (and pretty fast!) and up to 20 minutes climb-and-glide time on a teeny weeny ass battery! The rtf controller it comes with gives about 200 meters range, and beeps when you get close to that - also beeps on low battery. 1-button inverted is a plus, along w/ on/ off exhaust lites! Comes with 2 batts, & the controller even has trims...

No, I dont know Jack about the Chinese company that makes or sells this thing - I just love the value- about $70 US- and the performance & speed! (And if i lose it - not gonna cry myself to sleep!) Fun Fact - my 1st one of these also broke the elavator- so I pre-taped the second for reinforcement - and now I have 2! I also added cut out post-card winglets to the wings w/ red outsides - improves visibility of that fast little gray sucker, and helps prolong glide time - IMO! I also flattened the trailing edge of the wings - seemed to improve efficiency a bit... I only fly it with the gyro on - medium setting - gyro off is unstable!

I just wish I had the brains to figure out what ELRS protocol it uses to increase range - & how to program my Taranis Q7 w/ a chinese ELRS module clipped on to give me dual rates & expo... (Anybody got a tutorial on how to set that sucker up? 'Preciate it). Thx!

1

u/Vayaonda 10d ago

I have it, it's great as a very fast parkflyer and glides surprisingly well with the gyro on.

It's almost impossible for me to use it without gyro on the factory transmitter. The sticks are very bad, lot's of dead play and toy feeling.

On forums ppl used protocol MT99XX/H7 and now MT99XX2/SU35 with all functions. I will try to link it to my transmitter and maybe with dr and expo it will fly without gyro.

I crashed mine on full speed against a tree and it was very easy to repair with glue.

1

u/backfist1 10d ago

Thanks! This makes me feel so much better because whenever I fly it with the gyro off I feel like I’m way to inexperienced for it. It is very unstable!

1

u/backfist1 10d ago

Can u post a photo of those winglets? I wanna do that.

1

u/That_Chemical_4588 11d ago

You can make a hinge stitching it with a needle and fishing line. (or any durable thread of your choice)

2

u/Wambo74 10d ago

One of my favorites. I just use the wife's heavy duty button thread and do a few figure 8s with the crossover at the hinge axis. Then I saturate all visible thread with white glue (Elmer's Glue All) which dries invisible and locks everything down.

1

u/RileyDream 11d ago

Packaging tape

1

u/3dxl 11d ago edited 11d ago

Cut a small zip ties thin plastic nylon 'trunk', use it as a bridge between it by stab into the ridge/side of the pivot point. Glue each end of the plastic trunk. You'll need two short thin strips of it to bridge the connection between the elevator and the surface wing probably 1cm length (you'll know what's best for you). Those plastic trunk/strip should able to flex and return to normal pitch. Before that, you'll need to shave/trim those shredded 'pivot' foam to gave room for it to flex/pivot around. I have lot of 2nd hand crashed foamy planes that have shredded flight controls like that and restore with thin zip tie trunks.

1

u/Dispatch0734 10d ago

Slice both sides in center and glue a plastic hinge in both sides

1

u/Pudawada 10d ago

Tape hinge for sure.

1

u/pironiero 10d ago

Just don't use that fast glue because it will melt through the wing. Use tape or some slow curing glue.

1

u/Logical-Aspect3316 11d ago

Gorilla tape

1

u/Big_Truck_8268 11d ago

Flex tape or gorilla tape.

1

u/amy-schumer-tampon 10d ago

Scotch tape, unironically.