--- Jack Womack <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > I received a question of eligibility about the Ava > sailplane. I have never seen one so I don't know about > its construction. Primarily of concern are the > D-Tubes in the wing. Are they molded, or are they > ribbed and sheeted like the Bubble Dancer?
Ah, Jack, if you saw an Ava you'd weep in envy, in esthetic appreciation, and in the knowledge that balsa could never be this good. The D-tubes appear to have ribs inside, but they are free-flight construction, i.e. they are sheeted with carbon fabric that is laid up inside a pre-machined mold. The ribs are made by taking thick balsa, maybe 1", capping it with carbon, and then slicing them to about 1.5 mm thick with some sort of special slicing machine. The t.e. is a strip of carbon about .025 thick and about 1/4" wide. It is fitted into a little slot at the t.e. of each rib. The covering is put on in one piece, top & bottom. It's fastened to the bottom of the spar, wrapped around the t.e., then back to the top of the spar, and shrunk in an oven. There are no seams in the covering. I kid you not. All in all, it's a masterpiece of built-up construction, like a modern Wakefield or A-2. But a woody it ain't. Its wings are 8.7% thick and can easily take a full pedal launch and zoom. Mine weighs 38 oz; this is for a plane with nearly 1100 squares. It uses a Drela composite airfoil, not the flat-bottom AG35 used on the BD. Its penetration ain't bad for winds up to maybe 8-9 knots, and after that there's always ballast. The huge mono-spoiler and large dihedral provide unusual landing characteristics for a big RES. And of course, it thermals like any 127" HLG would be expected to. As to whether or not to make it eligible, that's your call. But I know you're a lover of beautiful planes and elegant design, and this plane exemplifies a lot of cool stuff. It's true that real men scratch build. But to make the molds and jigs required to build this plane is really out of the realm of the average guy's workshop and time commitment. So find somebody who has one and check it out, or send your money to Barry [EMAIL PROTECTED] and become a happy Ava owner. __________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? SBC Yahoo! DSL - Now only $29.95 per month! http://sbc.yahoo.com RCSE-List facilities provided by Model Airplane News. Send "subscribe" and "unsubscribe" requests to [EMAIL PROTECTED] Please note that subscribe and unsubscribe messages must be sent in text only format with MIME turned off.
