Originally Posted by
Malcolm H
Yes, there’s no doubt Jim that Contras in one form or another are the current vogue, I wonder what the next “big” thing will be?
Malcolm
LOL, it's already here - bell bottoms and contra drive biplanes!
Anybody owned a contra drive biplane and decided it wasn't that great after all and ditched it? I see a lot of bipes like the Biside for sale but not contra designed bipes.
What I find interesting is that some of the top fliers can go back and forth on the same day between a contra and non contra type plane without seeming to miss a beat. I have never flow contra so that makes me suspicious it's more hype than practical help but lesser skilled pilots than the F3A type flyer have told me that contra is easier, almost like cheating, and they'd never go back to non-contra in pattern. Reminds me of the folks who say they'd quit pattern before every going back to glow. So I guess if you have the muscle memory and recognition to move the rudder to compensate for the torque factor before it even gets a plane out of shape then it's not that big a deal not to use contra. Obviously so many of the very top pattern guys would tend to favor a plane that has bountiful power on a windy day (ie YS engine) than a contra drive option, all things being equal, so contra isn't the silver bullet. Someone we all know is about ready to debut his YS powered biplane to test it out for the upcoming Worlds and that'll shock some folks. Same person has bounced around with all different airframes and powerplants in pattern and flies great no matter what they are using.