"smjmitchell" wrote in message
u...
What I think we need is a new way of building gliders.
snip
Assuming a composite glider, what I have in mind is tape laying machines,
filament winding, RTM methods etc. All other areas of the composites
industry are moving this way - I am sure sailplanes will eventually. There
are also other innovative ways to build sailplanes if we are really
willing
to think outside the square. Also CNC machines for all metal parts etc.
Also
the design is important we need more efficient design processes and tools
and more effort needs to be invested to reduce parts count. Perhaps there
is
a better way to build a composite airframe than the standard foam sandwich
approach. We will not know unless we challenge ourselves to do it.

A significant part of Burt Rutan's Boomerang was built using filament
winding process. Pre-preg composites are promising and reduce layup time.
However, there may be real problems repairing damage to such components. So
frontend gains may lead to larger backend costs. I would expect some impact
on insurance rates as a result. It may be possible to make the advantages
outweigh the disadvantages.

Frank Whiteley