I have yet another "tip" for you giant scale turkeys that was another accidental "discovery" this past year. I built a Concept Fleet BiPlane and flew it regularly in 1987, all summer. On one hard landing due to a switch in wind direction (do you think that only fisherman lie?) the landing gear hit the concrete runway at a full scale airport in Olean, NY (STARS RALLY) and separated my soldered and wire-wound gear at the top two ends where the gear meets the fuselage. Horrors!! The landing gear was capped with balsa. covered with Coverite and painted, meaning that to solder the broken and separated parts would burn the beautiful job that I had done on the gear. So what to do? Should I strip the gear and re-do it completely? No way! As t pondered the situation the answer was sitting on a shelf over my workbench. I had a large roll of 100 pound test black nylon, braided. You can buy this type of braided nylon in sporting good stores and shoe repair shops. it is approximately 1/16" thick.

The first thing that I did was to file some small grooves (with my Moto Tool by Dremel) in the two steel rods to be joined so as to accept the braided nylon and keep it from moving. I layered two layers of this braided nylon exactly as though I was using wire prior to soldering. When I had that done, I used a medium viscosity cyanoacrylate, flooding the braided nylon and joined parts. Wow! What a strong, beautiful job this did and I didn't have to burn anything with a torch or soldering gun. (Soldering guns do not provide the correct heat for soldering music wire). Once completed, I had the option of covering the repaired joint with Coverite or just painting the joint(s) silver. The end result was a very neat job and a very STRONG landing gear joint. I am almost certain that using braided nylon with a cyanoacrylate is stronger that soldered fine wire.

So good people, if you do not enjoy soldering landing gears, try my method and enjoy a new way. What we learn from each other in this great sport can only benefit everyone involved. By the same token, if you've discovered a "better way," please send your discovery to me and I'll help to make you famous by printing your finding in my column. Have a great season, hope to see all of you at the IMAA Festival at Clairsville, Ohio.