For sure the shorter wings are a winner down low, but if you ever want to fly out west where altitude is critical, longer wings are a hands down winner. That's not to say one can't fly at higher altitudes with the shorter wings, but it's sure easier with a higher aspect ratio wing and more wing area.
The GlasAir series of aircraft have an option for either the stock short wing tips, or bolt on wing tip extensions that add over 3 feet to the wing span. Two weeks ago at Copperstate, not a single GlasAir there had the short wing tips, which indicates how the guys that fly them feel about short vs long wings. Of course this fly in was out west where they all have to fly at higher altitudes. Something to keep in mind while talking about wing area. A significant increase in wing area should be accompanied by more tail volume. The small difference in wing area being discussed here isn't going to be critical to the tail volume, but it is something to contemplate or include in your building plan as the KRs are already a bit short on tail volume. Jeff Scott Los Alamos,NM -- "Mark Langford" <n5...@hiwaay.net> wrote: I will eventually make my wings longer. Right now mine are only about 4" longer than the outer plywood template, and all of that is wing tip shaped from foam. I'd rather have the improved climb, glide, and high altitude performance, than the slight speed improvement down low that a longer wing would provide. The reason I made mine short was so I could add carbon fiber extensions later to see what real difference it makes. It's just that I've been too busy flying it to do that, but maybe next year. If I were you, I'd go ahead and make them long. Going fast is something you do on occasion for bragging rights, but climbing and gliding are something you do every day, and under certain circumstances, can become very important... Mark Langford, Huntsville, AL _____________________________________________________________ Click for free quote on refinancing your mortgage. http://thirdpartyoffers.juno.com/TGL2121/fc/Ioyw6i3m3eRLFPsaz1c7If2fFLZX6q8sUv7LeBaBHcSYcLQNmUPgMw/?count=1234567890
