One of the easiest "traps" for new builders to get caught in is building heavy tail feathers. They do not realize that every ounce you add to the tail can take as much as 5 times the weight (depending on the subject) in the nose of the aircraft to balance it out.

Here are  a few tips to help keep the tail light:

1. NEVER use epoxy to construct your vertical, horizontal stabilizers, or the control surfaces.
Epoxy is HEAVY and not necessary 99.99% of the time. New builders think if they epoxy everything together it will make it stronger. Not true. It only makes it heavier. Just use CA's and Aliphatic Resins sparingly. They provide more than enough strength.

2. Choose your wood carefully
All your balsa wood (with the exception of balsa used as a spar) should be contest grade wood to save weight. Remember, the structures get their strength from the combination and structure of the materials, NOT the wood strength.

3. Replace heavy hardwood with lighter, stronger composite materials where possible
A good example of this is the horizontal stabilizer on my Bellanca Skyrocket.

If you click on the image and look carefully you can see where I have done this. The plans called for a 1/8 hardwood dowel. This is a HEAVY piece of wood for the tail. So I replaced it with a stiff 1/8 carbon fiber tube which weighs 1/5th the weight of the dowel. EVERY GRAM MATTERS.

These tips can be used throughout the construction of your model, not just the tail feathers. Good luck to you!

Tip submitted by: Mike Chilson, USA

Here's how I folded and taped a piece of bubble wrap (100 cm x 50 cm) to my transmitter tray and made me a nice cover to prevent my fingers from icy winter wind here in the Netherlands.

Tip Submitted By: Henri Kaper, Netherlands

I tried something out of desperation and it worked well. While at the Team Trials in Muncie one of the Robart tires on my model finally went so flat that the drag caused the plane to ground loop. So I went to the hobby shop adjacent to the AMA site in hopes of either buying a new set of Robart tires or getting the foam inserts that are available.

Alas the shop had neither but they did have some Dave Brown Lite Flite wheels. Those are basically foam tires. So I bought a couple pair of the Dave Brown wheels (enough to make some mistakes) and went back to the motel. The Dave Brown wheels have a smaller hub so I used the poor excuse for a knife that I carry in my flight box to carve out a bigger hole in the middle. I only cut myself twice. Then I stuffed the DB foam inside the Robart tire and reassembled the wheel. The plane worked perfectly the next day.

I was so happy with the results I decided to do a better job and put new foam-filled tires on my model. A hole saw proved the perfect tool.

Here are the parts I used-3 1/2" DB tires go inside the 4" Robart tire

Off to the drill press. I had to drill from both sides.

DB foam partially forced into the Robart

With the foam completely inserted the tire looks a little fat. But after screwing in the hub the width is OK. There is only a slight bit of slop where the OD of the DB tire is smaller than the ID of the Robart, but you have to try real hard to notice.

Tip Submitted By: Chuck Snyder, USA

One of the most useful oddball tools that I've picked up at my LHS are "Microbrushes". I usually use these to apply very small dabs of CA glue or small spots of paint. For example, I was preparing a set of Graupner instrument gauges and used a super-fine microbrush to apply a spot of odorless thin CA between the instrument bezel and the plastic lens. When using CA, the brushes can be dunked in acetone to clean off the CA and reused.

Microbrush Web Site

Neat items. Beats balancing a drop on the end of a toothpick...

Tip Submitted By: Bill Harris, USA

If you are about to use aluminum tube as wing joiners and need the female tube to install in the wing panel this may help to make life easier and save you a little money.

Get a roll of "GLAD GO BETWEENS" from your super market. It is the very thin plastic sheet you put between layers of meat when you deep freeze meat.

Roll two layers[no more] around the tube tightly and secure with masking tape either end making sure that you have about 3-4 ins longer either end of intended length of tube. Using 6oz f/glass cloth strips wetted out with resin wrap around the GO BETWEEN. About 3-4 layers should be enough. When resin is cured you can then cut of the masking tape and pull out the aluminum tube and there it is. A nice snug fitting tube

I have used this method on all my models.

Tip Submitted by: Douglas Bungey, Australia