Shelf life/ Life span of Build up Kits

[shogunmst]

Maybe someone can give me some insight on this subject.... I'm looking at purchasing a used 40% Carden Edge 540 that was built in 2002. I am wondering if it is wise to buy a plane with that much age on it. The plane has never been crashed and looks like it is in excellent condition, the first owner flew it for 3 years then sold to anther person who left it in the work shop ever since,...I just worry about the air worthiness ie. glue joints and strength of the wood after 7 years. like I said the plane looks to be in good shape. Thanks All.

[dmichael]

No worries- its age is not an isue. Enjoy.

[Tailwind]

I am with dmichael on this one...mine was built in 2003 and has been flown in IMAC its whole life. I am probably on the low side when I say it has @ 500 flights on it with no problems. I think age isn't the issue it is build quality and how it has been treated.

[RMaia]

	Quote: Originally Posted by Tailwind
	I am with dmichael on this one...mine was built in 2003 and has been flown in IMAC its whole life. I am probably on the low side when I say it has @ 500 flights on it with no problems. I think age isn't the issue it is build quality and how it has been treated.

Yes, I agree also that build quality and subsequent treatment makes more of a difference than age alone.

The only thing that MAY happen with age is the wood gathering some humidity and getting slightly heavier, but this is just a guess, I don't have any facts to prove or disprove it....

[WangoTango]

You guys quit worrying about nothing!
I have a "relic" fleet in addition to our 3D birds.......
I have a Brishagella Skybolt going through a re-cover (25 years old), a Little Toot biplane (24 years old), a Great Planes Pitts (Got it when they first came out, 5 or 6 years old?) and an old Ringmaster control liner (Bought the kit in the PX @ Orly AFB Paris, France in 1959 and built it about 1963!) The Skybolt had great glue joints. The Toot is in pretty good shape. (I do have it hanging in a local hobby shop for sale but I could stuff a radio back in it and go fly it tomorrow.) The Pitts is still a daily flier and would be the biggest question mark due to it being an ARF. The Ringmaster was built using Ambroid glue and I fly it once a year just for grins. If you snif the area where the pushrod exits the wing you get that "old fashion Ambroid smell" from within. I realize these planes don't go through the rigors of 3D flight but they do get stressed pretty good.
If somebody spent the bucks on a Carden kit and did a fair job putting it together, you can bet on it that a bird with 5 to 7 years of age is still going to hang in there for a long time to come. I'm guessing that the only limitation to all of our airframes is probably gonna be if we dumb-thumb one into the ground or not!
WT

[Walt]

Here's my first R/C build from a kit. This plane was flown last fall and I usually mess with it and fly it once every year as an annual thing. Its about 25yrs old and it flys great. It would just seem wrong to get rid of it. Its never been recovered, engine got a set of bearings maybe 10 yrs ago. Its ugly stick name is appropriate. Its just kinda hanging around.

[wizard]

I wouldn't worry about age on the airframe. I have one smaller glow plane over 30 years old that is a regular flier. It has over 100 flights this year alone. It may not be a 3D airframe but still gets a great deal of stress every time it is in the air.

[Temptation]

I am flying a 40% Carden Cap 232 that was built in 1998. It is still in very good shape. All of the glue joints are just as good as the day it was built.

[sweetpea]

The only thing I would worry about is the age of the glue. Some glues get brittle with age (like CA).

So if the model was constructed properly you should have nothing to worry about.

[Mitsu1]

Here's my scratch built from my own plans Bud Light Laser. Built using CA glue and Aliphatic (wood glue). I built it in the spring of 1991 and have flown it every year since. Frame still just as tight as when built. Recently had it sitting on the floor of the garage and got too close with the car and trashed one half of the stab.