Airframes, "Bigger vs strength"

[donoisten]

Hi, First off... I don't want to start a brand war!

Will a 50cc plane be stronger then a 100cc plane?
What I'm trying to say is this, My .90 edge 540. I can trow anything I can at it. I've done blenders that was so violent, that my pilot bust broke loose inside the canopy. lol, Full speed walls, snaps etc...My 33% Pitts, can pretty much do what I can trow at it also,(Slower and bigger) but its a bipe, allot of drag, and heavy. She just don't do what my edge will do!
I know planes cant do it all, and with all the G's that can be put on a airframe. And, that no company is going to say there planes can handle this type of abuse.
I want to go to gas this year, I'm not worried about the size of the plane, 50cc or 100cc. I know bigger is better. But, Is the bigger plane going to be able to handle such hard demands that I put on my planes? I really would hate to go to giant scale, To only have to change my flying style, and be worried about folding a wing all the time... Or is the way I fly wrong? Maybe! but it sure is fun as h##L...lol

I would like to know what company has a good all around plane that's strong, but yet will fly good. There has to be a good happy medium out there...

Thanks,
Don

[brycesteenburg]

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[donoisten]

Yes, I agree with you. Yea I don't expect to pay for a ford escort, and expect to compete at daytona. lol You get what you pat for.
And yes, There is always that chance. and breakage is just a matter of time. Planes don't last forever.

Maybe I should re-frame my question a little better. Generally speaking, Is there any real difference between a 50cc, and 100cc plane in stress capacity. Basically, Is it the bigger plane going to be able to handle the extra stress? The heavier it is, the more G's it will generate...?
Some company's has basically said that their plane is designed to be a great 3d performer, and built as light as possible. And will not take this type of flying..

Don.

[SleepyC]

When you go bigger you have to consider the G's.

A small .40 plane can probably take 2000 full throttle walls, a 100cc plane can maybe take a few or a lot... but your risk is much higher.

After seeing Jason Noll doing full throttle rising twisting tumbling upward blenders with his 100cc AW plane, I would say anything is possible, but at some point something might fail. And if your not Jason (or another pro), the cost will be HIGH for ya.


I just know that I have never heard a guy complain he went from a .40 plane to a 100cc.

[sweetpea]

Also think of it this way........if you take a basswood stringer and cut it into a 2 inch piece and try to snap it its very hard to do. Now take that stringer and keep it 2 feet and try to snap it........very easy to do.

[phippsj]

Your also assuming one would fly a giant scale as fast a .90 sized plane. The bigger the plane, the slower you need to fly them to do the same 3D manuevers.

Most glow plane pilots I see are flying full-throttle all the time. Giant scale pilots learn very quickly the art of throttle management.

BTW, composite planes are stronger.

[Kevin Y]

I think it very much depend on the airplane and the manufacturer that you look at. Each manufacturer has a different build technique and many look for different things in their airplanes. Some want a airplane that will fly IMAC and others want one that is purely 3D. A good IMAC airplane will fly good 3D but it is not always true that a good 3D airplane will fly good IMAC.

As for not wanting to change you flying style when moving up, well that may not be a good idea. It does not take full throttle walls or things of that nature to be a good 3D pilot. If you watch most good 3D pilots the real high energy stuff is in straight lines with rolls and they are much slower when doing wall and hard snaps. Another advantage of a larger airplane is the wing loading, it will most likely be much lighter then your .90 sized airplane so it will be able to do those manuevers at a much slower speed.

Sweatpea's example of the basswood is very good. And composite airplanes are not necessarily stronger, they have there weak points depending on which airplane.

[forgues research]

	Quote: Originally Posted by donoisten
	Hi, First off... I don't want to start a brand war! Will a 50cc plane be stronger then a 100cc plane? What I'm trying to say is this, My .90 edge 540. I can trow anything I can at it. I've done blenders that was so violent, that my pilot bust broke loose inside the canopy. lol, Full speed walls, snaps etc...My 33% Pitts, can pretty much do what I can trow at it also,(Slower and bigger) but its a bipe, allot of drag, and heavy. She just don't do what my edge will do! I know planes cant do it all, and with all the G's that can be put on a airframe. And, that no company is going to say there planes can handle this type of abuse. I want to go to gas this year, I'm not worried about the size of the plane, 50cc or 100cc. I know bigger is better. But, Is the bigger plane going to be able to handle such hard demands that I put on my planes? I really would hate to go to giant scale, To only have to change my flying style, and be worried about folding a wing all the time... Or is the way I fly wrong? Maybe! but it sure is fun as h##L...lol I would like to know what company has a good all around plane that's strong, but yet will fly good. There has to be a good happy medium out there... Thanks, Don

As you go bigger, of course you need better throttle management, although they are very strong, not indestructible.

Roger

[as722]

	Quote: Originally Posted by Kevin Y
	And composite airplanes are not necessarily stronger, they have there weak points depending on which airplane.

I agree Kevin, in fact I've seen more comp airplanes come apart in the air than wood planes.

[Flyfalcons]

If you beat on your planes really, really hard then a 50cc is probably the way to go. It won't cost you as much when it fails from overstressing. All airplanes have their limits; some require more pilot participation to avoid those limits than others.

[bodywerks]

I have found that the 100cc has the best thrust to weight possibilities and strength of all size planes. It is easy to get a good, strong 100cc plane in the 27 pound range and the 100cc engine will yank it around like a rag doll. Whereas, most of the 50cc planes are in the 17+ pound range and, IMO, is too much for a 50cc engine to pull it around with great authority. If you like high energy aerobatics and lots of power the AW260 or H9 260 are two great options. The AW is a bit higher quality but also a bit heavier but still easily a 26.5-27 pound plane. Mine is 25-3/4 pounds and I can do climbing spiral rollers with it. I have done near full-throttle blenders, fast rollers, knife edge pylon turns and more and it has yet to fail me. I also had the H9 260. Not quite as strong but still very strong and can be built to the 25.5-26 pound range.

[Tired Old Man]

Those moving from glow panes to gas giants learn very quickly to reduce the speeds used during hard, high G maneuvers. It usually only takes the first plane coming apart in the air for that lesson to be learned. One high speed, power on blender or full speed wall will generally do the trick.

Gas giants can take a lot, and are built to handle more than you would think, but they are not indestructible. Mass and moments impose higher loads on larger planes, and even the strongest construction materials have limits. You have to remember that to make a plane extremely strong requires heavier materials. Heavy planes fly poorly compared to lighter ones. One only needs to fly responsibly.