You said:
I'm looking for a rank beginner's 2M plane for an acquaintance. Has anyone any experience with the Defiant as advertised by NSP? Any other (low building) suggestions?
For many years, I have been a strong proponent of the EPP polyhedral Highlander as a beginner's plane. There must be close to a dozen Highlanders in our club, the Charles River Radio Controllers. The results have been great. The plane flies amazingly well and is quite rugged. Unfortunately, the Highlander is no longer being produced.
The Defiant looks to be a close replacement for the Highlander. Up until now, I have only seen a kit. Two of us in the club will be building Defiants over the next few months. My first reaction to the kit is that it is well done. However, there are a few things that I would change. The joiners at the center and at the two polyhedral breaks look like a poor design. The spar caps end up being unsupported by shear webs at these crucial breaks. The two of us plan to make full-depth joiners. In addition, the center joiner would benefit from being longer and from some tapering at the ends to avoid stress risers. From my experience with several different kinds of planes, most spar breaks occur at the end of the central joiner. In addition, we plan to replace the coroplast tail feathers with built-up balsa.
I am anxious to see the Defiant fly. Reports will probably have to wait until late winter.
Regards,
Dick -- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Dr. Richard C. Williamson Phone: 781-981-7857 Room C-317 FAX: 781-981-0122 Lincoln Laboratory Email: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Massachusetts Institute of Technology 244 Wood Street Lexington, MA 02420-9108 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 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.
