Detachable V-Tails

Darwin BarriePublished on February 1, 1999

I have a new Wizard Lite with removeable V tail. On the new Wizard the V tail is mounted from the bottom. I simply made two 1/4" holes in the bottom of the V. The holes did not go all the way through but nearly to the top skin. The holes were filled with Microballoons and epoxy. The tail was then tack glued in position and holes drilled through the top of the fuse and through the epoxy plug. The holes in the V tail were tapped for a 4/40". Two 4/40" nylon screw hold the V securely in place. Clean simple and secure with negligible weight gain. Total weight of plane including 2 piece wing modification is 9.8 ounces.

On my Epsilon I made a removeable stab by using 2- nylon 4/40" nuts modified to fit into the tail boom. Again to nylon screws did the job. The nuts were secured in place with a couple of drops of CA. They are available from the car section of your local hobby shop. I think this is probably lighter than the glue and glass cloth that would hold the stab in place as designed. This plane has survived many hundreds of throws and 3 righteous midairs.