Official Freewing Twin 70mm AL37 Airliner Thread

[GliderGuy]

Anyone had the engine mounts crack? Can I get new ones or is there a fix?

Spare parts are available here on the AL37 webpage (SPARE PARTS tab): https://www.motionrc.com/collections...pare-parts-tab

I hooked a nacelle into a mound of grass when landing with 2 wheels (nose and one main) on turf due to a main gear failure to deploy. This snapped the nacelle and motor mount completely off the wing and generated damage very similar to what you are showing with the additional problem that the area you show the crack in completely broke in two under the stress. Bottom line, I ended up with 2 separate pieces...motor housing with 1/2 the mount on it and the other 1/2 of the motor mount. Here are my comments, for what they are worth...

Easiest fix = Go to the spare parts tab and purchase a new wing and nacelle

More complex fix = Please read on (I took this route because the nacelles were out of stock at the time of my failed landing)....

The success of a repair like this to a cantilever structure depends upon the modeling skills of the person doing the repair and the ability to determine how to make repairs that can handle the stress/loads + consider repair materials you may have to order.

My repair involved carbon fiber sheeting, JB Weld epoxy (strong epoxy), and a carbon fiber tube + several hours of work estimating how the work would be stress worthy, alignment and fit. A suggestion....go with the easiest fix. You will have the comfort of knowing that your first loop or hard landing post repair won't take an engine off (because the repair wasn't strong enough). These types of repairs can be tricky due to the loads imposed on the repaired cantilever structure.

-GG

[Scale Freak]

The mount on the engine pod has completely disintegrated on one screw hole, and the wing mounted attach has some signs of degradation at the same place

[Scale Freak]

Anyone had the engine mounts crack? Can I get new ones or is there a fix?

[Alpha]

Congrats on your maiden, Scale Freak ! Looks like you have a nice field and airspace as the perfect backdrop to your AL37. Thanks for your support! 'Looking forward to hearing about your continuing check flights as you become more comfortable with how she flies.

[Scale Freak]

Did a maiden on the Canadian North 737 tonight. Perfect conditions, very light breeze, calm air. Took off in about 250 ft from the grass field and other than some up trim, flew like on rails. landing could have been a tad more smooth, but it all came home in one happy package. The aircraft was a joy to fly and i know that i'll just get to like it more now. Got about 3 1/2 min, 43% still left on the battery.

[xviper]

My AL37 (new in December 2019) has a very large number of flights/flight hours and is beginning to show her flight-time age (over 1000 flights). In the area behind the engine mounts on top of the wings, several very fine, chord-wise, foam-cell boundary stress cracks are beginning to develop. I attempted to repair these with some UV-curing glue sparingly squeezed into each crack, UV cured and sanded smoothed then painted over. This wasn't successful. The cracks quickly re-appeared.

Anybody have a suggestion how to "seal' these tiny stress cracks so they don't re-appear after my next loop? I may just have to live with them...sigh.😩

Thanks,
-GG

You're not going to like what I would do in such circumstances but ........................... I use clear Gorilla tape and cover the whole area with it. If you're more worried about looks, you should paint on a clear coat of some sort - MinWax or clear Urethane, then cover the wing with iron on Monocote or the like.

[GliderGuy]

My AL37 (new in December 2019) has a very large number of flights/flight hours and is beginning to show her flight-time age (over 1000 flights). In the area behind the engine mounts on top of the wings, several very fine, chord-wise, foam-cell boundary stress cracks are beginning to develop. I attempted to repair these with some UV-curing glue sparingly squeezed into each crack, UV cured and sanded smoothed then painted over. This wasn't successful. The cracks quickly re-appeared.

Anybody have a suggestion how to "seal' these tiny stress cracks so they don't re-appear after my next loop? I may just have to live with them...sigh.😩

Thanks,
-GG

[xviper]

@Tonydoright Well, at least you've ruled out bad retracts or dead servos.

[Tonydoright]

Xviper, thank you. I did just that all wing servos and gear retracts are operational tested away from aircraft blue box and a/c wiring. I do not have a servo tester but connected extension lead from the device direct to receiver. All are serviceable. Pretty sure the disconnect is in the blue box. All other operations through the box are there except all landing gear function. Spoke to MRC a couple of times today, waiting to hear back form them on the replacement blue box. One point of interest...The wing root is stamped with QC stamp and blue pen marks random that i didn't make. It may have been noticed at factory as fault but didn't get fixed. Very pleased with the quality of the machine. Tight lines, good fit, quality everywhere. Except the blue box, hahahaha, Appreciate the quick response!

[xviper]

I am having issue with the wiring in the AL37, i would appreciate if any other have experienced a similar issue with either factory miswire or i am overlooking something. Tranmitter DX8, receiver AR8010.
I have no gear movement instead flaps deploy when gear switch moved on transmitter. Move flap switch nothing happens. No nose wheel, no main gear movement. I thought maybe there was issue on the backside of ribbon connector at the wing root but no nose gear either. Have there been issues with the blue box?

There have always been issues with these blue boxes, not necessarily with this AL-37 (but that can't be eliminated either). You must do some diagnostics on your own. You may have to go in behind the wing connection board and make sure all the servo plugs are in their proper slots. A servo tester will come in handy. Someone at the factory may have plugged them in the wrong ports and even maybe the wrong polarity. There should be labels for each port. While you're in there test each retract to make sure they work. Test each flap servo and each aileron servo and make sure they're working. And yes, there have been factory miswires in that location.
As far as the TX is concerned, have you told it that you have "1 AIL, 1 Flap"? Then did you go into the flap menu where you set all the flap throws and assign the proper switch? Look in your primary menu to make sure that the gear switch is assigned to the proper port and same for the flaps.

[Tonydoright]

I am having issue with the wiring in the AL37, i would appreciate if any other have experienced a similar issue with either factory miswire or i am overlooking something. Tranmitter DX8, receiver AR8010.
I have no gear movement instead flaps deploy when gear switch moved on transmitter. Move flap switch nothing happens. No nose wheel, no main gear movement. I thought maybe there was issue on the backside of ribbon connector at the wing root but no nose gear either. Have there been issues with the blue box?

[Alpha]

Bajora Super stellar as always, Bajora! Michael is really fortunate to have his beautiful refinish photographed in this way. I'd enlarge and print these for the man cave wall if I were him!

[GliderGuy]

LOL - Just found this photo in an article about defunct air carriers. Anyone up for doing this livery? Too funny! I guess you could say, "It's a hoot!"

-GG

[Aros]

Gorgeous shots of a gorgeous model! Like peanut butter and jelly...

[Bajora]

More flights of Michael Troy's Alaskan Airlines AL37 ...

[themudduck]

Flight with runcam under fuselage. A little fun with added sound tracks

Nice job, it looks just like the videos I've posted, your camera must be in practically the same spot. That was a smooth flight.

[Iflycessna182]

Still enjoy flying this aircraft

[Aros]

Nice job! I enjoyed that view, well done.

[Iflycessna182]

Flight with runcam under fuselage. A little fun with added sound tracks

[Aros]

Just completed mine. Maiden this Sunday....hopefully.

Working on the '37 line has it's advantages. :) Will be adding more details later. Roughly six hours of decal application.

Shout out to Callie for the great grafx.

Another outstanding livery, well done Rudderman98 ! You live in Sumner which is just a hop and a skip from me in Maple Valley...I might need to come see that beauty fly in person sometime! Where do you fly?