Tim Mara wrote:
The next time someone sneers at a wooden sailplane, remind them that it is
made of a unidirectional reinforced laminated composite material consisting
of micro-tubular fibres embedded in a long chain polymer matrix and having a
near infinite fatigue life.
tim
LOL! Yep. And vulnerable to Isoptera. And dihyrogenoxate(?). Big names,
simple common problems. Make a glider for $30k with anything other than
modern materials that has the polar of a Sparrowhawk, and I'll be happy
to bow out.
Not sneering at wood. For those who know it well and can do
"proper care and storage," good for them. But wood just isn't a common
aircraft material anymore.
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Mark J. Boyd
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