toddt_02

I guess one of the last things holding me back from jumping into electrics is "foam or balsa"?

I've been looking back and forth in my spare time over the past few weeks at planes and find many that are advertised great and some that actually fly great. Now, I'm use to balsa and stick built plenty of planes like a lot of us. I see the more or less just balsa stick constructed profile planes like we fly with glow engines only now with electric motors and the foam planes with electrics.

I guess I'm just hav'n a hard time see'n a foam plane as something dependable, I'm not even sure what it is but its def holding me up on what plane I want to select and purchase as my first electric see'n as how convienent they are to get into the air when you just don't always have the time.

Anybody else? Thoughts?

tf2psycho

i really love flying foamies because there easy to make and are light
but i really need the balsa mini edge3d because it looks very real
the yak 54f foamie is close to real looking because of the A frame design
but i dont want anyone to have the yak 54f because its my favorite plane and
can do anything even in wind![>:]

bdavison

My Feedback: (1)

For indoor aerobatics, foam is the only way to go. Ive yet to see a good balsa indoor 3D plane. Balsa planes just end up too heavy for decent indoor flight. If your just getting started in 3D flight, foam is the way to go. You'll probably smack up quite a few learning how to hover, harrier, etc. Its far better to smack a foamy than a balsa plane. Most foam planes can be easily repaired in minutes with a little CA. Balsa planes will take considerably longer, and cost more to repair.

Just remember with balsa planes, you're pretty much limited to outdoor flight, and repairs will be more time consuming and costly. Balsa planes can also be fun though, so you shouldnt rule them out all together. There are quite a few electric balsa kits that would provide lots of fun. Fliton has some top notch balsa electric kits.

Foam
Pro's - Easy to build, Easy to repair. Lightweight for indoor flying, Lower cost due to cheaper materials.
Con's - Less ridgity, means they tend to flex during flight, which requires carbon reinforcement. Easily pushed by winds during outdoor flight.

Balsa
Pro's - Fly more like glow planes, are available in full fuselage kits (vs profile. Cut through the wind better.
Con's - Can be more costly due to more powerful equipment needed to fly them. Require more time, and extra cost to repair them if broken. Unable to fly indoors due to speed or weight.

NUTS

Freinds Don't Let Freinds Fly Foam.
No offence, everyone has given you so great advise. Mine would be if you are going indoors,
fly foam. If you are going outdoors like in a school yard or park look at the Mini Funtana that
E-Flite has. For $90.00 you can't beat it.

Best Regards,
NUTS

DHG

My Feedback: (7)

Todd,

I know exactly what you mean, but after 6 weeks of park flying with a foamie, I'm a believer. The airplane has been broken in half once and had the firewall knocked out several times, but it's still a champ and I'm getting more stick time than ever in my 30+ years of R/C. "Reliable" is an understatement. With foam-safe CyA and accelerator, you're back in the air in minutes.

It took me a while to get used to the idea of a flat-plate airfoil (can that REALLY work?) and I had to tool up with some fairly expensive new gizmos, but it was all worth it IMHO. The assembly techniques are definitely different from the traditional stick-and-tissue approach. Keep an open mind and you'll be glad you tried it.

As for indoor vs. outdoor, mine is on the large side (36 in. span, 17 oz.) and loves to play in gusts. It's a Yak-55 by Lee Ulinger. Here's the URL:

http://www.darrolcady.com/Electrics/electrics.htm

One day soon I'll be scratch-building something similar, probably with hybrid construction using both foam and balsa. Each has its strengths and weaknesses. I don't think it has to be an either/or proposition. But for now, the pure foamie has turned out to be a pleasant surprise.

Duane Gall
RCPRO

leeul

You will love foam get the right stuff and you will be hooked. There are 3 great videos for the Yak 55 FoamtanaS and JakNyfe bipe at http://www.darrolcady.com/Electrics/electrics.htm
We carry all the stuff to make our planes fly just rightJ

Lee

tf2psycho

good luck because i fly both and like both the same
however i flew the yak 54f in 15 mph today and didnt notice
any flex or instability what so ever

Woodsy

they both fly great but i prefer foam as it's easier to repair.

elfwreck

Hey now,
I think of foam as the "quick and dirty" way to get in the air. Foamies are quick and easy to build, most of them fly pretty well and mostly you can piece them back together with a little white gue and fly again tomorrow. I have a GWS "Formosa" with a small brushless motor, and it flies almost as nice as my larger balsa "Zen 30".
For trying out new 3-D stuff I really like my foam profile E-flite "Ultimate bipe".
For flight testing my whacked ideas fan fold is fine stuff.
But.
Balsa flies better. It's lighter (if done right), stronger, stiffer, and lasts longer than foam. My "Formosa" is fun to fly, but the "Zen" does the manuvers cleaner and crisper. Also, although foam can be quicker to repair, balsa is easier for catastrophic crashes and looks better after the repair, and when your model gets old and ratty you can redo the finnish easily and make it look new again.
Why don't you pick up a foamy for now and get a mountain models or Stephen's aero balsa kit to build for later? No rules that says you can't prepare for later.
RobII

toddt_02

i don't fly indoors so "foam is better for indoors" has nothing to do with me, guess i should have specified outdoors.......i'm still researching but looks like balsa, now i just need to find one i can do for $300 for everything, all i've got towards this project is the transmitter (

elfwreck

Hey now,
Three bills for *everything*? Charger? Batteries? Everything? Dang, now I've got to think about how much I've really got in those little planes...
Any of the kits by Mountain Models or Stephen's aero would be good. ?High quality kits that go together quick and fly great.
I'm on my second MiniFlash now. $50 for the kit, four bluebird servos @ $15 ea. reciever, Himax 2025 4200 with their 5.33-1 gear box $65, Castle creations Phoenix 25 esc, $60. plus covering, 2100-3S thunderPower battery, $79, and a charger $50-$129... O.k., that's a bit pricey....Hmmmm.
See, if we were just talking about the airborne bits it'd be simple, but the ground support is going to cost a bit too. Let me think about this one a bit...
RobII

tf2psycho

hello!!!!! i fly my foamie out doors in 15mph wind too its the yak 54f designed to handle outdoors and indoors its all how you set it up (motor, esc ,li po,prop, ect.)

toddt_02

hi!!!!!! i said indoor flying doesn't pertain to me, not that foam was out...READ

TedShredz

I found a 3d plane (a [link=http://www.rcmodels.ca/product_info.php?cPath=22&products_id=29]Zlin from Pacific Models[/link]) with a 40 inch WS with a 33 oz weight made from that beaded foam used in construction insulation. It has a symetrical airfoil with an aspect ratio of about 4:1 including the control surfaces. The fuse is a solid foam block tapered to an "A" shape. It's robust enough to cartwheel when I do something wrong. I came from a balsa glider background, so the power thing was new as well as the foam construction. It's powered with an AXI 2814 and 2 3S1P (3S2P) through a 20amp Jeti. Flys great. Repairs well. No complaints.

The thing I had to get over was the way that foam takes damage. It dents up really easy if it isn't skinned with something, but other than that it's a fast way to get up there. I broke the first one I had by breaking the nose off on a bad downwind, but glued on a new one I made from a block of foam I had and was flying again the next day. If it was balsa, I'd be busy for the next week rebuilding a fuse. I'm looking at doing a simple foam cutter to do cores so I can explore different airfoil shapes and fuses for all my flying needs. If I want to, once I find a wing that I like, I can always build one up in the traditional way...but the way things are going so far I'd have to have a good reason to.

Take the plunge. Get a e-foamy for outdoors if that's your pleasure. The 3D plane I mentioned will fly in wind without any issues because it is bigger, heavier, and has lots of power. Scale like wingforms would present the same benefits. If I screw up and crash it, it's nothing to fix with a bottle of polyurethane/gorilla glue.

Keep your batteries charged. Ted

tf2psycho

wow look at that wing design what a sweet plane i want to buy it /fly it /like now![>:]

JohnVH

My Feedback: (38)

foam is where its at! I too was skeptical about them not believing they could fly well, but now, Ill never be without a few of them!! More fun, less investment. Check out these super and pro kits, fly like the big boys! 3dfoamy.com

Fly-n-3D

I was deciding between a mini funtana and the e-flite yak 54. I went with yak 54 becaese it is easier to repair and I will be able to fly indoors with it. I say foam, but if balsa is good too. Both have up's and downs.