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

This is a rather simple idea, yet maybe you never thought of it.

After a club member run my beam of lime wood through his bench saw, the resulting longerons had some diverse thickness and slight bites of the saw blade. Here's what I do when I need some precision sanding. I tape little blocks with the correct thickness to the ends of my sanding block (on top of the sanding paper). The sanding is done on smooth MDF board, holding the work piece flat. First I check the result on a piece of scrap; if necessary I do some fine adjustment by adding tape. I use very coarse sanding paper (.80), stuck to the sanding block with Gudy 870. It's fast, easy and very precise.

Never lift the working piece or the sanding block from the board and use your vacuum cleaner a lot,  so no dust gets under it.

With some imagination and customized sanding blocks you can also use this as a manual alternative to milling and sand accurate notches and gaps (... for those who don't have the money or space for machinery).

Tip Submitted By: Henri Kaper, Netherlands

Phil Clark in England demonstrates his flap set-up on a large C-47 he re-furbished.

Here's an idea of the type of linkages used on all control surfaces...

Connections are all M3 heavy duty 'Kavan' ball links, with M3 'high tensile' bolts, washers and nyloc nuts. The rod itself is M3 steel 'studding' epoxied within a 3mm I/D carbon rod...........VERY rigid !! No point in having decent hinges and horns, if you use a flexible linkage set up.........this set up is VERY rigid, and slop free, even on BIG surfaces.
Here's a center flap linkage in the up position.......note the 'geometric lock' with all pivots in line with the servo pivot........being the flaps are all sheet, and relatively heavy, the geometric lock takes all 'strain' off the servos.

Same on in the 'down' position.......also geometrically locked down, surface blow back is impossible using this layout. Using JR radio, ATV's can be increased up to 160%, so that's why we can get the extra servo rotation to give a geometric up and down lock.

And both together, flap deflection is around 45 degrees.

Tip submitted by: Phil Clark, England

Applying parallel stripes around tapered fuselages is always 'good fun' !!!!!!!.......using a simple 'jig' holding a soft pencil, the lines for masking are easily marked.......

Tip Submitted by: Phil Clark, England

Phil Clark from England demonstrates a simple, yet brilliant technique for simulating a pitted, well worn dummy exhaust pipe.

This dummy exhausts was made from 1" dia plastic water pipe, and scrap balsa, the weld lines were simulated by using 'decorators cork' applied through a small syringe.......this gives a slightly raised, wobbly line, and dries slightly flexible......just the job.

Exhausts on full size aircraft aren't 'smooth'.....they have a pitted, worn effect, caused I'm sure by a mixture of high temperatures, rain, and general wear & tear............so how can this 'pitted' texture be created ?.........1st, the pipes were given a 2nd 'thick' coat of matt black spray paint, they were then given a liberal covering of regular table salt......and left to dry. As the paint cured, the salt became stuck to the surface.

Once dry, the pipe was then washed in warm water, and lightly scrubbed with a soft sponge.......the salt was dissolved/rubbed off........leaving a lovely pitted paint finish underneath.......ready for final painting.

I read about this technique many years ago in a UK scale mag, in an article written by Duncan Hutson......so I can't take any credit !!........sounds a strange method, but the results are spot on.

Tip submitted by: Phil Clark, England

Here is a handy tip for cutting down on the mess when using a brush painting from a can! Take an awl and punch holes around inside lip of the can.

This will allow the paint buildup to flow back into the can, before the lid is put back on. Saves a lot on the mess and hassle when trying to get the lid back off of the can the next time you want to use it.

Tip submitted by: Randy Klosterhoff, United States