ORIGINAL: ROOKIE PILOT
Alejandro,
I don't know you and I don't want to offend you, as you are probably a nice guy, but you are not understanding what we are talking about. we don't want bigger planes, we don't want bigger engines and most all we don't want planes that weigh over eleven pounds. I just don't want to be forced to spend extra time and money to stay under eleven if it is close. If someone can just buy any plane out there and all the latest and greatest equipment, I can see where this weight limit would be a non issue. It can be done fairly easy with the almighty dollar. Try designing and building it yourself with new ideas and things that will hopefully make it fly better and also try to make it look like a work of art, with light balsa getting harder to find now you have a problem. And your friend Bryan H. is also my friend and I promise you he works ten times as hard as he should on a new design, just to make weight. But hey, he enjoys it.
Randy Hicks
Team TALON extreme
Randy, the point I think everyone is missing is; we know the rule. Build lighter. If it can't be huge, then make it a tad smaller. I GUARANTEE I can build a pattern plane less than 11 pounds. Heck, I had one at 7 1/4 pounds once. BUT, we all want to push it as close to the limit as we can, and some of us get caught. Designers can only blame themselves for heavy planes; Bryan and I discuss it often. Guys buying ARF's overweight, shouldn't. BUT, most of them figure they are just a bit smarter, or better, and can make the airplane make weight. Some actually can, some cannot. I recently bought an overweight airplane, figuring I could get it down, and did. It was all on me. Also, I've heard the e-guys wanting glow planes to be weighed with fuel. Old, old, old crybaby stuff. I'll employ an equally idiotic response..... you can, within the rules, drain your batteries of their 'fuel' and weigh your plane.
Brian Clemmons