gldr guy wrote: > > >Btw. It doesn't have to be molded to be good and everything molded is not > >automatically good. > > > I think Tom is right here. I believe over the past few years if you look at > whats doing well in TD, at least out west, you will probably see at lot of non > molded planes doing quite well. That makes me ask the question- how important > is the airfoil accuracy one gets w/ a molded ship vs the less accurate airfoils > of non molded when flying at the slower speeds usually associated with TD? -
It's really simple. Any TD model designed in about the past 10 years is good enough for most TD contests. After all, they are landing contests. The primary piloting skills you need are to land well. Many molded models actually hurt because they weigh a little more than a bagged model. Construction techniques on molded models make it much harder to get really light at the tips and tail. You also don't need as strong a model for TD work as for F3j or F3b. Put one of those lightweight KC fuselages on a F3b winch and you will break the boom if you fly in any wind. You won't do that on a braided line winch, even with though they have a lot more power than a F3b winch. You just don't get the zoom with no line stretch and the drag of the retriever lines. F3j has longer flight times with lower launch heights and F3b requires a little more piloting skills. If it's windy, over 10MPH, then the performance improvements of the molded models start to make a difference. You can get a pretty good airfoil from non-molded models. It all depends on who is building it. Some of the molded models can have airfoil problems too. The one thing you do get with a well made molded model is repeatability. Put the radio in two models the same way, and they will both fly pretty much the same. A bagged model will require a little more tuning from model to model. Why do most pilots I know fly molded models? Time. No one has time to build. They want to put in as much flying as possible with the time they do have available. Some people even make a good buck putting radios in molded models for those who don't care to spend the time. RCSE-List facilities provided by Model Airplane News. Send "subscribe" and "unsubscribe" requests to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
