Is it necessary to have wing on when balancing. On a big plane trying to balance with wings on is difficult.. Or is there an easier way.

I do, think about the cord of the wing and the weight of both of them. I decided along time ago to build a balancer for the big planes. There are a couple commercial ones available. http://www.ezbalancer.com/ ... ... https://www.rc-airplanes-simplified....-balancer.html ... ... https://www.flyinggiants.com/forums/...ad.php?t=36540 ... ... https://sigmfg.com/products/sig-pro-balancer ... https://www.google.com/search?sxsrf=...w=1920&bih=916

Sometimes the vendor will provide a CG point based on not having the wings attached. They may also provide a template that can be mounted between the wing and the fuse. The template would provide for a hole located at the desired CG point to which you can attach a string for lifting.
The vendor should also tell you if the recommended CG is with the fuel tank dry or full..

I get them close without the wings mounted, then use this principle if I feel I need to fine tune...

Balancing Giant Scale RC Airplanes - Vanessa Rig (4 min 19 sec)

I'm sure it all depends on the type of model as to whether a "close" proximity would be acceptable to flying. My larger aerobats(IE, Extra's, Edges, etc..) are fairly forgiving and can fly on a wider CG range then a scale warbird of some sort I would think. Still you want CG within a reasonable range of the suggested starting area.

Originally Posted by Flybye Steve

Sometimes the vendor will provide a CG point based on not having the wings attached. They may also provide a template that can be mounted between the wing and the fuse. The template would provide for a hole located at the desired CG point to which you can attach a string for lifting.
The vendor should also tell you if the recommended CG is with the fuel tank dry or full..

No template provided. Its a older 3DHS 89" Slick that's never been flown.. Its just difficult to get balanced with wings on is all by myself..

Use xicoy scales.

during my builds I install engine, ele/rudd and servos , fuel system ,throttle servo , muffs and cowl then check cg again , add batteries and check cg. when complete add wings and you should be real close to perfect

No need to balance with the wing on as long as you fly without the wing on.

Originally Posted by wagspe208

No need to balance with the wing on as long as you fly without the wing on.

Originally Posted by wagspe208

No need to balance with the wing on as long as you fly without the wing on.

Originally Posted by William_Burkert

Use xicoy scales.

This is the definitive answer, it's exactly the way they balance planes LOTS bigger than our models......

For years I have been balancing my planes the same way full scale planes are balanced. I utilizes the weight , arm, and moment to figure it out. I place my reference datum line at the main gear axles so that that moment is zero. this allows me to balance large planes with a postage scale under the tail wheel for tail draggers and under the nose wheel for trikes.

Here is a good write up on how to do it. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Center...of_an_aircraft

I have also reworked the formula a couple times so that I know exactly what the scale should read under the tail. Then I move components to get the desired weigh