Starsky wrote: ↑Thu Mar 16, 2017 3:31 pm
it just seems that carbon is a far faster way to R&D than tooling up for alloy production. Small companies can move through prototyping much faster with fiber and resin. I would like to see faster evolution of the canard and for that reason would like to at least see pics of people building and testing em.
It sounds like you are talking about aluminum being used to make wings ... or when you say alloy production, do you just mean mast and fuselage? From what I have seen, seems like the wings are usually made of either G10 (spitfire) or carbon, with some of the cheapies made of plastic. Not that many made of aluminum? But then again, I haven't actually seen that many wings in person, so I could be wrong on that.
I have now got to see a spitfire in person and will shortly try carving out my own version in G10. I am going to experiment with making the wings 20% larger, to see if that helps with getting up on foil at slower speeds and light wind, while still being maneuverable. If it doesn't work, I can always carve them smaller -- but can't 'go the other way!
Unfortunately, this experiment requires regular wind for testing, something that isn't happening around here ... after an exceptionally poor winter, the spring thermals are late in arriving.