Bill,

Thanks for the guidelines and the encouragement.

I'm not even ready for a balsa kit yet until I can fly. ha But the spad seems like it could take a licking and go on ticking, as long as it doesn't do the dirt auger bit and spoil the engine.

The biggest spads, with plans, are about 48" wingspans. My Eagle is about 63" wingspan and I'd want the spad wingspan span at least that, maybe even 96".

Now I will show my inexperience with a few questions about wood. I was thinking of using a hand picked, as light as I can find, spruce 2x4 for the spar. I have a table saw I can cut wood as thin as a sheet of paper with, well almost. I was thinking of doing that instead of experimenting with balsa. By doing that I can make the wing thicker than with the yardsticks.

I was also thinking that by cutting two pieces of the stock to about half the desired final thickness and using CA to glue it together, but taking care to turn the grain to run in opposite directions, it might make the wood stronger than the same single piece of stock cut to the desired final thickness.

Any thoughts on these ideas?

Thanks,

elad