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- Vertical Fin Alignment

To get a fin in correct alignment with a fuselage, try using thread. Make sure you have an accurate center mark near the top-front of the fuselage, and tack-glue a long piece of thread to the top near the nose, a distance from the centerline equal to half the thickness of the fin. Run the thread back to the tail, and hold it against the side of the fin. The thread should touch the side of the fin evenly overall. If it doesn't, then rotate the fin until it does, then tack glue the fin into place, reinforcing it later. Last, remove the thread you tack-glued.

- Sharp Props

Most propellers have very sharp edges when new, especially at the trailing edge, which can cut your fingers. Always sand the edges smooth with fine sandpaper as soon as you buy them. Be extra careful when turning over someone else's motors by hand, because they might not have sanded the edges of their props.

- Engine Mount/Nose gear

If you have a small plane with a very tight engine installation (usually resulting from a very streamlined cowl), often there's no room for a nose gear assembly. Try drilling holes through the engine mount to accept the nose gear wire, and hold it in place with wheel collars. Some engine mounts already have this hole available for use, no drilling required. The steering arm(s) can be placed below the engine, even on the outside of the plane. This will work with most engine mounts, even the two-piece ones as long as the engine is rotated 90 degrees.

- Curving Balsa

Get some ammonia, found in the household section of the supermarket. Put it in a spray bottle, and spray both sides of the balsa sheet liberally. Carefully bend the sheet to the right shape. You can even tape it to a form, such as aluminum soda cans, and let it dry. Once dry, it may be used as turtle-decks, etc.

- Control Horns

Take a CA hinge and glue it to both sides of the control surface with thin CA where the control horn is to be installed before covering. This offers a bearing surface for control horn and the CA hardens the balsa. You don't have to worry about the control surface breaking or being crushed during installation.

- Hide the Antenna

You can run your antennas through an 1/8" plastic antenna tube. On Fun-Flys, separate half of the wing ribs, align them together and drill a 1/8" dia. hole. Once the wing is basically framed, then run the antenna tube thru the holes drilled in the ribs earlier. This keeps the antenna well away from the pull-pull cables for elevator and rudder which can cause radio interference at times.

- Attaching a Cowl

Use the rubber backed washers that you can purchase from any hardware store. These special washers are normally used to fasten metal roofs. You can purchase them in all different sizes. Use sheet metal screws into hardwood blocks, or install blind nuts. The rubber compresses and retains the fastener without damaging the cowl. It works great!!!

- Gear Doors / Hatches

Need to make gear doors, hatches that are strong and fit really well? Mark out the part on the sheeted or planked surface with a soft pencil. Iron on transparent monokote over the surface to cover the area of the part or door. Now do a fiberglass layup to the thickness you desire. Let it cure. Before popping the part off the monokote, use a permanent ink Sharpie and trace the shape you put down when starting the process. You can see it clearly because the layup is translucent and the monokote is transparent. When you pop it off it will conform exactly to the contours of the surface. Cut and shape to the outline of the part-perfect match!!

- Securing a Retract Cylinder

Use liquid nails tub and tile cement. Slide the cylinders into the holes in the wing and then run a small bead around the cylinder then take a 1/4 inch piece of scrap basla and screet it to a nice angled bead. Use the liquid nails because it is easy to cut out if you need to later, and because it is so sticky it sticks to the can where you can have problems using regular sealants. It also makes a good isolator for vibration.

- CA Hinges

Cut the hinge slots as usual. Draw a line across the center of the hinge at the flex line. Stick a pin through the flex line in the center of the hinge. Assemble the hinges, control surface, and wing/stab. Apply only 3 drops of thin CA on each side. Don't flood the hinge. This will make it brittle. Remove the pin. The pin keeps the hinge centered during assembly.

- Preserving Plans

When starting a new plane go to a copy shop and make a few copies of the plans. Use the copies when building. To get the parts to the wing to stay in place when building, lightly spray the work surface with 3-M glue, lay the plans down flat, lightly spray the plans and lay some wax paper over the plans. Now lightly spray the top of the wax paper. When you lay the spars down they will not shift and neither will the ribs. This works especially good if you are doing a swept wing too!