Hmm...I'll try to answer these as truthfully as I can.

1. Why are fiberglass fuselages the norm?

A: Ease of manufacturing. It's really that simple. There are a lot of variables involving using wood, including density and weight. Also a wood fuselage is a lot more work, and hard to get straight unless you know what you're doing. For production, glass, or carbon/kevlar, is much easier. It is also a tad bit lighter than wood, and a bit more rigid. I'm generalizing here, but that's it without typing a whole page. The flight loads aren't too much.

2. Why are sheeted foam wings the norm?

A: Again, ease of assembly. It's easier to get a straight wing, and get it fast. A PROPER built up wing when utilizing carbon spars and proper assembly is actually lighter AND stronger. But it's a lot of work and it's not easy. Pattern wings are very intolerant to warps no matter how slight.

3. Why use fixed gear?

A: Lots of reasons and depends on who you ask. They are much less of a headache than retracts, and on the newer draggier designs, retracts aren't an advantage. Why expose yourself to downgrades and failures if you don't have to? You still have to trim them in, but they don't have a noticable adverse effect on wide body designs.

4. How does fixed gear alter the balance and flight characteristics of the same airframe? Is the drag increase noticable causing a pitch to the belly?

A: No. It does create more drag than retracts, but that is desirable with the newer sequences.

5. Widebody designs vs narrow fuse designs. Advantages, disadvantages, etc. I'll assume the widebodies are for slower downlines, but how much negative influence is the increase in drag for the rest of the pattern? Do you have to increase the engine power to handle the increase in drag, volume/weight?

A: Everything is a trade off. There is no perfect design, no matter how much a manufacturer would want to tell you differently. if you widen the fuse, you pay for it with crosswind penetration. If you narrow the fuse, it tracks like an arrow, but it's fast and knife edge flight suffers somewhat. There are some very good compromises out there however. Many modern designs are making the best of both worlds. The best thing is to choose a plane that suits your flying style and practice with it. Then the negative effects are corrected. And you can never have too much power =)

6. Why are gas engines not widely used in pattern planes? Is this because a gasser cannot make the 11lb weight limit without major modifications? Or is this one of those "well, people have always used glow, and that's just the way its been and will be to be competitive" items. Gas powerplants are becoming smaller,lighter and more powerful that in the past, and would have to be cheaper to run over the course of a season.

A: Gas engines are not as powerful ounce for ounce as a glow engine. With an 11 lb weight limit, it's a chore for the common guy to get enough power under the cowl and make the limit. However it has been done, and it will be done more in the future. Technology is the key here. Right now it's just easier to slap in a glow engine and go.

7. Two stroke glow vs 4 stroke glow? What do you run, and why do you run it? I know most of the two strokes are at a small torque disadvantage than the 4 strokes, but have more overall power at the top end. What are pros/cons of each.....


A: 2 stroke glow all the way baby!!! Seriously, I chose to go this way because it has less moving parts, it's more reliable (for me) and the power is outstanding. The power curve isn't as smooth as a 4 stroke, but a little practice and it's not an issue. Some guys swear by 4 strokes, so it's a preference thing. Use what you're comfortable with here.

8. Are the YS engines worth the cost/headaches involved with running one? I know they put out a ton of power, but it seems like you have to have two per plane, one in the airframe while the other is being serviced. Is that a true statement? How much does it cost to "factory service" an engine, and how often do you have to do it?

A: See answer #7. Heh. To me they're a huge headache and a garaunteed dead stick. There are 2 kinds of people that run YS engines: those that never have a problem, and those that have nothing BUT problems. It's a good engine IF you know how to operate it properly. They aren't very tolerant to abuse though. The jury is still out on the DZ however, it's too early to tell. So far it looks very good.

9. Nitro content in glow fuel? Whats your prefered nitro amount, and can you see a dramatic increase or decrease in performance by changing nitro and/or oil type/content? How many compete with the FAI fuel, and how does it perform vs regular glow (needle adajustibility, power, torque, cooling, etc).

A: I use 10-15% nitro in my 2 strokes. yes I can feel a difference between 10 and 15. I don't have the need to go higher. Some guys run 30% in the YS 4 strokes. YS engines like nitro. Nobody I know of uses FAI fuel nowadays.

10. How much control throw do you have on your surfaces, and do you use dual rates?

A: This varies greatly with design and the sequence you're flying. For an FAI pilot, he needs LOTS of throw available, whereas a sportsman pilot is hurting himself. The actual amount varies from one plane to the next. It's generally fine tuned in flight and the variables can include prop, speed flown, fuel, balance point, etc. I use 3 different rates on every surface and 3 flight conditions. And that's very basic.....

11. How "fast" do you fly your pattern? How fast should the plane be "presented" to the judges?

A: As fast as it needs to be smooth without busting the box. Seriously, if you can fly slowly and under complete control, slower flight scores better. It's also a lot easier to control positioning in the box. If you have more time and more room to set up a maneuver, it's going to be better.

12. Your favorite airframe (current or past design). Strongpoints and weaknesses of it.

A: It doesn't exist =P No, I like the Typhoon 2000 for a lot of reasons. It's wood, and I build my own planes from wood. easy to change things I don't like. With fiberglass, it's a little harder. It's an extremely stable design, and therein lies it's weakness as well. It doesn't snap and spin very well. It does it, just not cleanly. I have hacked and changed this thing until it's not a Typhoon 2000 anymore. Everything is different now. But it flies like a zillion dollar eurokit, and nobody knows how little I really spent =) Best looking? ZN alliance, or G Naruke's G 320.

I know a lot of that was vague and short and generalized, but I could write a book on this stuff, and half the people out there would tell me I'm wrong. Heh. Pattern is ever changing and evolving, and that's one of the big attractions. you never stop learning, and you never stop changing your mind about stuff. if you think you know everything, you're in deep trouble because you just stopped learning.

But those are my opinions, take them for what you will. i'm sure someone with more experience than me can add more, or tell me I'm wrong =)

Mike Hester
District 3 AVP, NSRCA