REPAIR TIPS
Most AirCore planes will survive the worst mishaps. If there is damage, it is normally restored with a little patience and
repair time. We've found that repairing is normally preferable to building a completely new plane!
DON'T THROW AWAY YOUR SCRAP AIRCORE!!! We've found that AirCore tends to bend or occasionally tear in a severe impact,
but that it is repairable most of the time.
If your plane is bent, chances are it will kind of "grow back" if given a little time (a few hours or overnight). We've seen
fuselages that were bent in half automatically restore to their original shape! AirCore has memory, and will want to return
to the shape it was in before you crunched it. Sometimes running very hot water over a bent or warped part, then holding
it straight while it cools, will cure a problem. However, a crease will probably remain in the surface of the material. To repair
this type of damage it is advisable to brace it or stiffen it up behind the bent area. Glue some AirCore to the back-side of
the damaged area as a stiffener using contact cement, epoxy or clear adhesive/sealant. If the back-side of the area is
inaccessible, cut a "door" in the material adjacent to the damage or on a surface behind the area (ie.- bottom of the wing)
and fold back the door to apply your patch. Then glue the "door" back down with contact cement.
If your AirCore tears in a crash, again you need to place an AirCore or balsa stiffener behind the torn area and glue the
material back down to this stiffener. Once repaired, you can place some trim tape over the tear to cover it up, or leave it as
is. We've repaired wings that have been ripped in half using this method!
If you break an internal member, like a spar or dowel, again access the broken part by cutting a "door" in the bottom of the
wing or tail section and patch or glue the wood part with CA or epoxy and a stiffener like plywood. Close the "door" and
cement it back in place to finish. If you've broken a dowel in the tail section, take a thinner dowel and "push" the broken
one out of the flute it is in and push in a new 3/16" dowel or use an adjacent flute.
If you break your power cartridge, DO NOT TRY TO GLUE IT BACK TOGETHER! The PC is a very important structural part of your
airplane, and it must be very strong. Inspect your PC after a crash to make sure it is not damaged. Replacement PCs, wing
kits and fuselage kits are available at your hobby dealer or they can be ordered from Great Planes.
CLEANING, STORAGE AND TRANSPORTATION OF YOUR PLANE
Always clean your plane after flying with a good spray cleanser, like Formula 409 and paper towels. The fuel and oil residue
from your engine will stay on the AirCore material if you don't clean it well, and will eventually damage your graphics.
AirCore material itself is unaffected by fuel, but the ink, over time, will be susceptible to fuel.
When transporting your plane, be careful not to allow the tail or ailerons to lean up against something that will bend or warp
them. If you do have a warp in a surface, opposite pressure on the surface overnight will normally cure the problem.
When storing your plane, the same caution applies. We like to store the wing by hanging it on shelving brackets available
at a local hardware store with 2" diameter round foam "tubing" over the brackets to protect the under side of the wing. We
hang the fuselage in a similar fashion, careful not to let the tail "lean" against anything.
DO NOT STORE YOUR PLANE IN AN ENCLOSED AUTOMOBILE IN HIGH TEMPERATURES! Temperatures inside an enclosed automobile in
the summer can reach over 180 degrees! This heat can do damage to your airplane.
LEARNING TO FLY
We feel that R/C aviation is one of the most rewarding hobby activities available. If you enter the hobby properly, you will
experience many years of enjoyment that only model aviation can offer. First realize that your AirCore 40 is not a toy, it
is a real, unmanned aircraft. It will fly 60 to 80 mph and spins a propeller around 10,000 rpm. You, and you alone, are
responsible for the safe operation of this aircraft. Take your responsibilities seriously, and learn to fly safely. Locate an
experienced pilot to teach you the "ins" and "outs" of the hobby.
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