materials most common for combat

If you're new to combat, you probably have a bunch of question. Check here first, 'cuz its most likely been asked before. (..and there's no such thing as a stupid question).

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sgilkey
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Post by sgilkey »

wood is just not a good material for combat planes, i suggest avoiding it wherever possible including the firewall (i prefer lexan for firewalls). wood esp. balsa is stiff and light but poor in compression and when another plane hits you, you get compression and then POOF it looks like you were carrying an explosive charge as your plane reverts to more parts than in the original kit. foam is excellent (as long as you don't sheet it with wood!) and can be reinforced with fiberglass rods (avoid tubes- like wood they are light and stiff but hate radial compression and will implode and splinter in an impact), strapping tape, ripstop nylon, and a variety of other materials. brining a wood plane to a combat meet with foamies is like bringing a knife to a gunfight. if you avoid contact with other planes you will do fine but contact is almost inevitable.
montague
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Post by montague »

Like Scott said, balsa hasn't been a major part of competitive combat planes for quite a while. The various reinforced high density foam construction methods are much much stronger.
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boiler
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Post by boiler »

Kurt, here is a picture of balsa vs. foam. Hope it visually makes the point of Scot and Kirk.


Image
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Ed Kettler
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Post by Ed Kettler »

When Scott and Kirk talk about foam, they are talking about the pink and blue varieties. The white stuff generally creates a brief but spectacular snowstorm on impact.

Ed
THend
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Post by THend »

Well, "back in the day", WOW been a while too!, what we would do with the built up wood wings and the fuses is to inject some triple expanding foam into the bulkheads of the wing and fuse. This stuff is found at Home Depot type stores..

Caution must be used though, you need an open area for excess to spill out of, or it will pressurize and "pop" the effected area.

As for what taking out what, well, it won't matter if both are on the ground after the midair. Where it does matter is whether or not the plane can be repaired easily enough, and in a fair amount of time. Now that perception of course is subject to your emotions... and that is an entire different story! [:p]
Bender
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Post by Bender »

I want to say about fuselages. It is true: many RCCA pilots flying foam fuselages with strong carcass (aluminum rail, fiberglass rods, HDP or plywood), but let me tell about other possibilities.

Other option: use vacuum formed composite fuselages. It faster looks better and can be made very strong for combat purposes. At this moment several scale combat kit are available on market.
In addition I have to say: there is group of modelers ready to build molds for vacuum forming any prototype interesting for RCCA pilots, if order for at least 20 KITs or ARF fuselages will be placed.

www.AMOCS.com
FHHuber
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Post by FHHuber »

Well... the foam doesn't always win in a mid-air.

In out club's last combat season (minimal rules... .50 ci maximum open compteition) there was an all-wood profile fuselage fun-fly model which survived 6 mid-airs with coroplast/gutter-pipe models, sustaining essentially no damage. His 7th mid-air of the season was when my ModelTech Magic (another all-wood model..) chewed off one elevator half and part of his rudder (he landed and repaired for the next round... I had to land only for the safety inspection our club reqires after a mid-air.) His 8th mid-air was with another SPAD which had both planes turn into a rain of parts.

I have had a 4*40 run right through a reinforced RA Cores Gremlin... creating a snowfall of shattered foam core, and no damage to the balsa-ply model. (I needed a new prop and spinner)

The angle of impact has a lot to do with what will happen n a mid-air.

Its quicker and easier to build a foam or coro-plast model than an all-wood model. That is what I believe to be the main reason for choosing material other than wood.
AIM
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Post by AIM »

<blockquote id="quote"><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"><i>Originally posted by FHHuber</i>
<br />Well... the foam doesn't always win in a mid-air.

In out club's last combat season (minimal rules... .50 ci maximum open compteition) there was an all-wood profile fuselage fun-fly model which survived 6 mid-airs with coroplast/gutter-pipe models, sustaining essentially no damage. His 7th mid-air of the season was when my ModelTech Magic (another all-wood model..) chewed off one elevator half and part of his rudder (he landed and repaired for the next round... I had to land only for the safety inspection our club reqires after a mid-air.) His 8th mid-air was with another SPAD which had both planes turn into a rain of parts.

I have had a 4*40 run right through a reinforced RA Cores Gremlin... creating a snowfall of shattered foam core, and no damage to the balsa-ply model. (I needed a new prop and spinner)

The angle of impact has a lot to do with what will happen n a mid-air.

Its quicker and easier to build a foam or coro-plast model than an all-wood model. That is what I believe to be the main reason for choosing material other than wood.
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></font id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

My very uneducated guess is that the luck you have experienced with balsa models is just that... LUCK!!

I haven't flown combat for long but I have busted alot of planes and I will say that a taped up foam wing combat plane is FAR FAR FAR FAR stronger that any balsa plane I have ever had or seen.
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