For spars, I personally like the 1/8" fiberglass rods. I use them for the top and bottom spars. They allow the wings to flex a bit, which is great for absorbing hits without causing dramatic failures. I personally don't like carbon or wood for spars because I've seen too many failures in mid-airs.

A of guys are using EPP foam in the leading edge. It's really toxic to cut, which is why I'm not doing it myself right now, but it seems like a good idea. I personally use just a foam and tape leading edge right now, and while I get dents, they don't really hurt performance much.

For covering, I haven't seen anyone use ripstop or anything like that in SSC in quite a while. Tape is lighter, faster, and easier to field repair, and plenty strong for this class. You can also heat-shrink out wrinkles.

I'm not sure, but I don't think SSC is being flown in the Netherlands, they are probably flying 1/12th scale combat under Aces rules. I doubt a sparless design would last in SSC because I don't think it would handle the 64" wingspans that are pretty typical.

As for design elements, I personally really like my own designed Rapier. Which makes sense, since it is my own design with a few ideas from other guys here and there. That said, some things to consider:

- Getting electronics/pushrods/wires protected helps survive hits.
- Thin profile fuses are often not the strongest tings out there, but they are light.
- Look at the various fuse designs out there. The fencepost fuses work really well, but leave the tank exposed. The metal rails work well, but the metal can be bent in a hard nose-first crash. I use a foam/coro fuse with fiberglass rods that are very strong, but time consuming to build.
- For airfoil, you'll want something that has a soft stall and flys well at the Re of SSC planes.
- You'll want lots of wing area. At least 550, maybe more. I use 600sqin, and I tnk some guys are now using even more than that. It's a balance between weight, drag, and providing enough lift to turn tight and get a nice stall.
- you want a BIG vertical stab, bigger than you think you want. More vertical area means better tracking though tight turns and a can actually delay a stall. More vertical area also means better handling with a streamer on the wingtip and faster recovery from mid-air induced flat spins or other stalled conditions.
- A bigger horizontal stab makes the CG less critical. Smaller, full flying stabs make for a toucher plane but one that can get into and out of a turn faster. This is a personal preference thing.
- Consider how you are going to launch it. You need to able to give the plane a solid shove when launching downwind, so you want a plane that you can handle and throw in your preferred way. Make sure you can easily grip and throw it easily. Bad launches make for 0 rounds, and sometimes lead to injuries.

Just some things to consider when doing your own designing. I personally love designing my own planes. Feel free to ask if you have more specific questions.

btw, if you want to see how I build the Rapier, look at www.MidAtlanticCombat.com