wrote:

Re Wax- Some airfoils don't want to be polished and waxed. The Wortman
FX 67-150/170 series is an example of this. These like a little(400grit
at 45 degrees) roughness. When my PIK climb started to drop off, I'd
give it a bit of a scuff. I washed with dish soap and wiped dry
without a lot of rinsing. Soap wetted out rain and it tolarated rain
much better. Otherwise, when the rain drop hits the canopy- put the
gear down.
hard to keep looking nice when doing this though.

And it might be hard to preserve them, too, unless they are painted like
the PIK's wings (urethane?). Gel coat on wings lasts longer when it's
kept waxed. I haven't heard that periodic light sanding protects the gel
coat against cracking, but I haven't heard of any testing done, either.

--
Eric Greenwell - Washington State, USA
Change "netto" to "net" to email me directly

"Transponders in Sailplanes" on the Soaring Safety Foundation website
www.soaringsafety.org/prevention/articles.html

"A Guide to Self-launching Sailplane Operation" at www.motorglider.org