I was flying the Phoenix 1600 over the paddock and, with the glider coming in nice and slowly, I decided to grab the camera and do a little action filming. This, unsurprisingly, turned out to be a bad idea because, as the Phoenix floated lower, I couldn't hit power and add with my spare hand.
The upshot was the Phoenix ploughed through a barbed wire fence. While it was flying slowly, the effect of the barbs on the EPO wing was not pretty, with chunks torn out the leading edge, and ugly scrapes underneath the wing.
Trying to repair this was a puzzle, as I'd actually lost foam, and trying to fill holes and match the leading edge profile was not easy. Having dug through the cupboards, I eventually came across some exterior gap filler. This stuff is waterproof, sandable and doesn't shrink.
I've used this to fill the holes, and have then used a file to sand it flush and copied the shape of the wing. Now I just need to sand it and give it a paint, and the Phoenix should be good to go...
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