garys
Posts: 782
Joined: 1/31/2002
From: San Diego,
CA, USA
Status: offline
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Don,
I've said this before, and I will always say, composite Q500's hurt the APRA class in the mid 90's, until they were outlawed. Mike DelPonte sold hundreds of his Revlutions in an ARC form, and a lot of them as full blown ARFs for about $400 each, even for APRA. People didn't complain or quit racing then because they knew they could build an equal airplane themselves for much less. When the composite airplanes showed up and were winning (even for essentially the same price as DelPonte's), people started ****ing. They didn't care when the $400 dollar airplane (that was built like their home brewed airplane) won, but they ****ed when they saw the $425 V-Max win, because didn't have the skill or equipment to make their own molded airplane.
It has been said numerous times that if the reported $200 molded Q500 comes along, it would be allowed into APRA. Just remember though, if the price were to get elevated to where people start ****ing about it, the rule can be changed just as easily as it was added. That's the biggest reason I feel that the 424 level classes shouldn't have to be exactly by the AMA book. The AMA rules are just way to difficult to get changed if a problem of any kind arises. The three year rules cycle is too long. If you plan on keeping it at $200, please do everything you can to make it happen!
Yes, you see a lot of composites showing up in other events. The only thing is, what's the average life span of a glider, IMAC, pattern, or sport plane, versus a Q500? I think it's easy to justify paying twice as much for a composite airplane when you know it has a good chance of lasting a full season or more. How many people get racers expecting them to last that long?
Duane,
Actually Kevin and Chris Callow (current F3D World Champs) made a few wings like that back in the late 90's. They were good, but still not as accurate as a wing built from a true mold, and still needed a lot of work to finish (tips, etc). The way the current molded airplanes are made, you have very little finish work to do once they are pulled from the mold.
Sam,
Nothing says you must have machined molds. The V-max was made from conventional fiberglass molds. There are several places you can get molds, and even plugs made, for several times less than machined molds.
Incidently, as Randy said, Tim Lawlor is looking to sell his molds. I think the V-Max is probably as good as any other plane out there, and better than most, it just hasn't been flown by as many people the last few years. If somebody wanted a set of molds for themselves, or to produce, there's a proven airplane ready to be reintroduced...
Gary Schmidt
< Message edited by garys -- 5/14/2004 12:06:14 AM >
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Future of Composites - 
