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Old 03-11-2008, 04:13 PM   #41 (permalink)
phippsj
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Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: Texas
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Default Re: Pros & Cons-Composite frame vs. wood airframe

Quote: Originally Posted by madmax
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Comp planes are awesome. When I owned my first one, I ended up selling it just a few months later. They are very delicate, and are prone to hangar rash. As you may know, I have a problem with falling on planes. I also bounce them off the ground frequently. Wood repairs easy. That's why I fly wood.
I flew my 2.3M Comp-Arf through a tree and it came out the other side with a split prop and a 2" branch lodged in one wing. The branch sliced through the leading edge and stopped at the main spar. I landed with the engine running. Sure, a new wing was 1/4 the cost of a new ARF kit, but I got it in 5 days from the manufacturer and was flying the next weekend.

If I had done this with one of my balsa and plywood planes, it would have been a confetti shower.

It's my experience that composites can take a lot more beating than a conventional wood plane. Plus, I hate the covering wrinkles and bubbles.

Composites only make sense to me if they are larger than a 50cc size.
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