I went by the local hobby shop tonight looking for a balsa "trailing edge wedge" to use as a fixed trim tab on the RV-10. Of course, given the nature of model building and scratch building today, they had very little balsa and certainly nothing that could be used as a trim tab.
Later, while watching the college football championship game and leafing through one of Raymer's books, I thought "Hmm, I doubt I used all the trailing edge/trim tab material I bought for the RV-6 twenty two years ago." Went to the basement at halftime, looked on the top shelf (where all of the "I'll finish these some day" balsa models live), and there was a nice 20" piece of trailing edge balsa.. I mean trim wedge balsa... sitting on top of the pile.
A little trial and error to get the final size right and I'll cover the balsa with black monokote (also on the top shelf in the basement) and permanently attach that little guy.
But first, a question about the fixed trim tab: Am I right in thinking one specific size of trim wedge will only trim out the airplane at a particular IAS (not TAS)? So, whether my 145knot IAS is at 3,000' or 10,000', a correctly sized trim tab should work, right?
Later, while watching the college football championship game and leafing through one of Raymer's books, I thought "Hmm, I doubt I used all the trailing edge/trim tab material I bought for the RV-6 twenty two years ago." Went to the basement at halftime, looked on the top shelf (where all of the "I'll finish these some day" balsa models live), and there was a nice 20" piece of trailing edge balsa.. I mean trim wedge balsa... sitting on top of the pile.
A little trial and error to get the final size right and I'll cover the balsa with black monokote (also on the top shelf in the basement) and permanently attach that little guy.
But first, a question about the fixed trim tab: Am I right in thinking one specific size of trim wedge will only trim out the airplane at a particular IAS (not TAS)? So, whether my 145knot IAS is at 3,000' or 10,000', a correctly sized trim tab should work, right?
