07-09-2013, 11:16 PM
I just fitted the battery, checked the C of G and put it on the scales.
Flying weight of the all glass Dynamite is 619g which is not bad considering it is using the heaviest of the Vac bagged wings.
The Original model with the old wing and balsa fuse weighed 624g and now with the lightest of the new wings it weighs 587g.
There is quite some scope for making the moulded fuse lighter. If I lay it up in Kevlar I'll use two layers of 1.7 Oz Kevlar cloth for the whole fuse and a 3rd layer, from the C of G forward. That should make it a lot lighter that the first moulded fuse, which used the same number of layers but in 4 Oz glass cloth. The cloth component will be less than half the weight for yet greater strength. The first fuse was also a bit of a wet lay up I'm sure I can improve on that. A nice dry layup will help, weight wise as well.
I really couldn't tell much of a difference between the Original balsa fuse and the new wing and how it flew with the old wing.
I'm hoping to notice more of a difference with the New moulded fuse. It should be slipperier as it's narrower and quite a bit more nicely shaped as well, than the original balsa fuse.
Flying weight of the all glass Dynamite is 619g which is not bad considering it is using the heaviest of the Vac bagged wings.
The Original model with the old wing and balsa fuse weighed 624g and now with the lightest of the new wings it weighs 587g.
There is quite some scope for making the moulded fuse lighter. If I lay it up in Kevlar I'll use two layers of 1.7 Oz Kevlar cloth for the whole fuse and a 3rd layer, from the C of G forward. That should make it a lot lighter that the first moulded fuse, which used the same number of layers but in 4 Oz glass cloth. The cloth component will be less than half the weight for yet greater strength. The first fuse was also a bit of a wet lay up I'm sure I can improve on that. A nice dry layup will help, weight wise as well.
I really couldn't tell much of a difference between the Original balsa fuse and the new wing and how it flew with the old wing.
I'm hoping to notice more of a difference with the New moulded fuse. It should be slipperier as it's narrower and quite a bit more nicely shaped as well, than the original balsa fuse.
“The knack of flying is learning how to throw your machine at the ground and miss.”
"When once you have tasted flight, you will forever walk the earth with your thoughts turned skyward, for there you have been, and there you will always long to return." ~Leonardo Da Vinci