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Home › Course › Lesson 12: Maintenance & Repairs
1. Welcome to the Hobby2. Safety & Rules3. Types of RC Planes4. Buyer's Guide5. Simulators6. LiPo Batteries7. Your Transmitter8. Flying Skills9. Airspace & B4UFLY10. Weather11. Finding a Club12. Maintenance
Lesson 12 of 12

Maintenance & Repairs — Keeping Your Airplane Airworthy

Post-flight inspections, foam repairs, and good workbench habits.

Maintenance Is Part of the Hobby

Pilots who look after their equipment know it more intimately and make better decisions as a result. For a foam RTF trainer, maintenance is minimal — but developing these habits now pays dividends on every airplane you'll ever own.

After Every Flying Session

  • Remove the LiPo and put it on storage charge if you won't fly again within a day or two.
  • Inspect the airframe for cracks, stress marks, or delamination.
  • Check the propeller for chips or nicks. Replace before the next flight if damaged.
  • Check control surface hinges for looseness. A surface starting to pull away needs fixing before it fails in the air.
  • Inspect servo arms and pushrods — nothing bent, loose, or binding.
  • Clean off grass, dirt, or moisture before storing.

Your Repair Kit

  • Foam-safe CA glue, thin: For cracks and splits. Wicks in and bonds almost instantly.
  • Foam-safe CA glue, medium: For larger gaps and control surface reattachment.
  • CA accelerator spray: Speeds cure time. Very useful for field repairs.
  • 5-minute epoxy: For structural repairs where CA isn't enough.
  • Clear packing tape: Reinforcing repaired areas, especially leading edges.
  • Spare propellers: Always have 2–3 in the correct size. Props get broken.
Foam-safe CA only. Regular CA from a hardware store will melt foam on contact. Get foam-safe CA specifically — available at hobby shops and online.

Repairing a Split Wing

  1. Clean up any rough edges.
  2. Apply thin CA to one side of the break and press together firmly for 30–60 seconds.
  3. The CA bond is often stronger than the surrounding foam — a clean snap is usually an easy fix.
  4. Apply clear packing tape on top and bottom of the repair for added strength.
  5. Lay on a flat surface and verify it hasn't warped before flying.

Servo, Motor, and ESC Care

  • Check motor mount screws every 20–30 flights. Vibration loosens them.
  • Check for motor shaft wobble after any prop strike — even slight wobble creates significant vibration.
  • If a servo jitters, grinds, or doesn't return to center reliably — replace it before flying. Servo failures in the air mean crashes.
Course complete! You now have everything you need to get started safely and with confidence. We hope to hear about your first flights in the RC Plane Lab Discord. Blue skies and smooth landings! — The RC Plane Lab Crew

Your Final Action List

  1. Register with the FAA — $5, five minutes
  2. Take the TRUST exam — free, 30 minutes
  3. Join the AMA — ~$89/year
  4. Find a local club
  5. Set up your flight simulator and put in real practice time
  6. Order your AeroScout S 2 or chosen airplane
  7. Go fly!
You've completed the course! Head over to the Course Complete page for a note from Ron, Tom, and Dave, and links to stay connected with the RC Plane Lab community.

Course Complete →
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