[MotherPlaneRC]

Hey everyone, just a quick question.
I have a plane made of balsa with a long wingspan and would love any good ideas on how to join the wings with some sort of hinge or screw or something so I can remove the wings for easier travel.
The thing is I need it to be strong enough to hold in flight.
I have fairly easy access to the fuselage so I can put my hand inside to screw and unscrew if needed.
Any idea is appreciated, and the more unique the better but remember KISS.

Thanks, Kev.

[hardcore]

Is this an airframe that is already built? If so, a couple of pics would go a long ways.......



HC

[Dangaras]

you can use an aluminum wing tube through the fuse that extends into each wing, you will need a dowel in each wing at the rear that inserts into the fuse to stop the wing from rotating. Then you put two self tapping metal screws into the top of the wing into the tubing, the VQ A-26 wings are secured like this,

or;

create tabs on the inner edge near the front of wings that you need slots for in the fuse and wood blocks in the fuse that line up under the tabs when inserted. You put blind nuts in the blocks and screws down through the wing tabs to keep the wings secure, you will still need the dowels at the rear of the wings to stop the rotation.

My Hobbyking decathlon wings are secured this way.

[Mike Emilio]

By splitting the wing in half, you loose the strength of the dehedral brace inside the wing. If you just bolt these halves together, it surly won't take much load to break and fold up in flight.

My vote is also for the wing tubes, extending maybe 6" into each wing or so.
A dowel pin at the rear to maintain alignment, and a small hatch below for a single bolt into a blind nut configuration.

If not the blind nut approach, , , the screw method described by Dangaros above also works well.

[MotherPlaneRC]

Originally Posted by Mike Emilio

By splitting the wing in half, you loose the strength of the dehedral brace inside the wing. If you just bolt these halves together, it surly won't take much load to break and fold up in flight.

My vote is also for the wing tubes, extending maybe 6" into each wing or so.
A dowel pin at the rear to maintain alignment, and a small hatch below for a single bolt into a blind nut configuration.

If not the blind nut approach, , , the screw method described by Dangaros above also works well.

The wings are not joined together, they join the fuselage.
All suggestions are great and some pics would be good as well. I will post some pics of the plane later today.

[Max]

How big is the plane?

How heavy is the plane?

We really need some pictures.

Without seeing how your wing and fuselage go together, any advice all of us can give you is all guesswork at this point.

On lighter models (< 4lbs) one of the best methods for joining wing halves is piano wire and brass tubing. The brass tubing was epoxied into the wing along the main and secondary spars, more can be added to the leading edge and trailing edge if necessary. On a .40 size plane, at least 4-6" on each wing half. This method is also very popular for use on gliders.

Piano wire fit into the brass tubing. These worked very well because if your wing needed a dihedral, the Piano wire is bent to the correct angle. Once joined, depending on the wing attachment of your particular model, the wing is bolted or rubber banded to the fuselage as normal.

[ronljroy]

I have also seen 1/4 inch X 1.5 inch (approx) height plywood, a few inches long used in place of aluminium tubing, but you have to build a box around the plywood. The plywwood is secured (glued) into the wing (or fuselage), but slides into the built up portion in the fuse (or wing). The tubing is simpler as long as you have the outer housing for it.

[MotherPlaneRC]

Ok here is some pics of the plane I am working on.
If you suggest a method please tell me where to get the parts as that is really the hardest aspect for me is where to find this stuff.
The plane is less than 2lbs and has a 1600mm wingspan.

Thanks.