Re: what is difficult in building indoor duration

From: John Kagan <john_kagan_at_hotmail.com>
Date: Wed, 17 Oct 2012 23:14:33 -0000

--- In Indoor_Construction_at_yahoogroups.com, Nick Ray <lasray@...> wrote:
>
> I think the ease of construction has a great deal to do with the materials
> involved. A Brown / Kagan style hub is well within the range of average
> indoorist. Most of the materials can ordered from A2Zcorp or even scavenged
> locally. However, composite hubs like Treger, Tyson and Sandborn have built
> require substantially more involved manufacturing processes.
> All three use formed fiberglass tubes and carbon layup screw holders. The
> vacuum bagging process alone is cost prohibitive for many people. One has
> to make 6 or 7 composite hubs to break even when compared to the cost of
> buying them from Treger. Maybe someone would like to produce V/P kits where
> the base components are formed and then sent out with assembly
> instructions.
>
> If F1D keeps moving in the direction of using more and more composite
> technology we are going to be in the same situation as F1B within the next
> ten years. I am for not placing materials restrictions on the models, but
> at the same time I think that for many competitors, particularly juniors we
> may have to decide how we would like to go forward with regard to the BOM
> as the models become more intricate.
>

Hogwash.

A) Composite construction is only difficult for people like you and me who don't know how to do it (yet). Talk to the people who know how to vacuum bag a sailplane wing, and they will look at you crazy if you suggest they make a built-up wing.

B) Composite construction (really, "carbon/fiberglass/epoxy composite construction") has not proven itself superior, and thus required. Schramm's VP hub is not composite. Treger's prop blades and model are not composite. Gabriella's model is not composite. They are at the top of the heap.

Let's keep the discussion on track, and not tangent off onto things that are not broken.

The original question is which side of the BOM rule does a VP hub fall. Is anyone trying to claim that a VP is not complex enough to violate BOM? This question requires a rule interpretation.

The morphed question is whether we should have the BOM rule at all for F1D. If F1D were a beginner event, or if it was inaccessible in some way, then maybe. But it is not either one. Eliminating BOM would require a rule change proposal.
Received on Wed Oct 17 2012 - 16:14:34 CEST