Fiberglass vs. Fabric

wrote in message
oups.com...

J.Kahn wrote:

...

You might as well skin the entire wing in ply and use a minimal glass
layer as a protective coating. Either way you are going to end up with
a much heavier wing.


Having read his book, I think that is exactly what Bingelis did, with
either the wing, or the fuselage, or both.

The advantages were a smoother surface, though I daresay proper
wood finishing technique would produce as smooth s surface
with considerably less work and wieght, and improved resistance
to the elements.

I believe he said it added 10 to 15 lbs to the plane.

--

FF

I wonder if the thin glass skin, over the plywood, would eliminate the
sagging 'tween rib bays that a Pulsar builder experienced. He was skilled
at woodworking, IIRC, but complained about sagging 'tween rib bats in humid
weather. I don't know the details, unfortunately.

As I indicated in a previous reply to this thread, he routed out the plywood
and fabricated sheets of fiberglass/epoxy as a thin "skin" that he then
applied as if it was plywood skin material. No sagging and he liked the
result. I have no details about weight penalty, engineering changes (extra
thickness all around because of the plywood over the ribs, spar, etc.).

I am trying to locate the Pulsar builder to see if his experiences could be
made available for this thread.

Michael Pilla