Spad actually began as a combat plane. I spent 20 years building from Balsa, and going to alternate materials never even crossed my mind...in fact, I will admit I thought planes like the Dura Plane and even Balsa USA Swizzle stick were B-ugly. Then Kraut (my partner in crime) and myself got involved in combat. Mid-airs are common in combat. Balsa planes explode in mid-airs.

Kit costs+build time+mid-airs=not worth it.

Then we foud out Air Cores are built from sign board, and Dura-Planes are built from Gutterpipe. We put the two ideas together and walla...perfect combat plane.

$5 airplane+few hour build time+mid-air=What a riot!!!

I drew up some simple pencil drawing plans, made some copies, and gave them to our combat buddies. That was going to be the extent of it for us...but the plans got out...and we were shocked how guys started taking our combat plane and added the 4th channel and slapped some landing gear on them and were sport flying them. That's how it all got started. It also didn't take long to notice that my flying progressed more in the first year of Spad than from the previous 20 years. I went from solid conservitive "safe" piloting...to "lets rock!!!" My inverted passes went from a safe 10' to whoops...I think I drug the vertical For years I wanted to master a outside cuban 8 but didn't quite dare, now I do them without thinking and don't mind ruffling the overfly overgrown grass pulling out.

In our area, more and more people are training on Spads...and I'm seeing a lot of new pilots getting real good real fast because of the lack of fear.

The very most bottom line here is that I'm having fun...more fun than ever before in this hobby, and if we can, Kraut and I want to pass it on to pilot's who think like us and love flying.