Highlander EPP Glider

Carbon Fiber Wing Reinforcement

Our highlander survived a trip to California and several crashes from novice slope flyers. However, it was not tough enough to survive the stresses of the US Postal Service. The box I shipped it in was bent in two places, breaking the spar in two places. So, time to build a new wing.

I have become enamored with carbon fiber. This stuff weighs almost nothing and really adds strength. I decided to try to use some Dave Brown carbon fiber in lieu of some of the recommended strapping tape. I used the carbon fiber "tape" which is actually a lot of individual fibers.
Assemble the spar and wing joiners without gluing the spar into the slot in the foam wing. Assemble and glue the four wing pieces, fitting them over the spar for alignment. Again, do not glue the spar in yet. Now you have a complete foam wing and a complete spar.
Separate out about 1/4 to 1/3 of the fibers from the package and form them into a neat smaller ribbon. Cut to a little longer than the wingspan. Allow for dihedral/polyhedral, and leave at least an inch extra on each side.
Brush some 30-minute epoxy in the bottom of the groove in the foam that receives the spar. Place the carbon fiber in the groove and use a popcicle stick to make sure it is positioned neatly. You can accomplish this by holding the carbon fiber in place with the stick, then pulling on the fiber that extends beyond the wing.
Insert the spar in the wing slot and make sure it is seated properly and the wing is straight.
Let the glue dry. Trim the excess fibers from the wingtips and sand.

I applied one piece of 1" strapping tape to the bottom of the wing under the spar (instead of the recommend two 2" pieces), one piece of 1" strapping tape to the top of the wing (instead of the recommend one piece of 2"), and the recommended 2" along the leading edges. The wing feels at least as rigid as the original. It is lighter, and has a smoother bottom covering job because there is not two layers of strapping tape to contend with.

This wing has flown with steep hi-start launches, and has performed loops and pullouts from nosedives without mishap.

http://166.102.242.15/hevener/rcflight/highlander_carbon_fiber_wing.htm