You guys have got to get a grip!

To begin with, you may, or may not, be aware of the fact that Paul MacReady designed, built and, had flown successfully, a 90' wingspan aircraft that weighed 60 lbs., minus the pilot...a guy who could pedal lak krazy!!

Secondly, in this age of techology, why, oh why, would you not utilize some of these wonderful materials we have that are so incredibly strong, lightweight, inexpensive and easy to work with?

And lastly, do you know of any, full-scale, aircraft being made with wood and fiberglass? Gee!!!...wonder why.

From that great line in "The Graduate", "...plastics, young man, plastics."

Mylar's tensile strength is 32,000 p.s.i. tensile strength whereas medium grade balsa is around 2890 p.s.i. Doesn't it stand to reason that you're replicating a stressed-skin aircraft (Alclad tensile strength is 28000-34,000 p.s.i.) and, instead, you're building what would easily quailfy as a marine (Boat) structure with the attendant weight penalty?

In aeronautical design, you first establish what you want for a wing and power loading. If you begin by saying it's going to weigh 25 lbs., it will indeed if you have to put a pound of lead in the nose to balance it, Damnit!!! If, on the other hand, your desired weight is 10 lbs., that's what you strive for. There's and upward (lighter) design cycle as well as the downward (heavier) design cycle. An aircraft that's designed to weigh 10 lbs. will need less strength (READ: WEIGHT) for virtually everything! The flying/landing loads are 40% so the weight, if you did it right, can be 40%. IT WILL FLY SLOWER, MORE SCALE LIKE!

Nuff said...learning is a wonderful thing, isn't it?

I can walk the walk, also. Attached are photos of a 36" wingspan P-51A I designed and am in the process of finishing up. Target weight is 16 oz. RTF. Fully aluminum skinned, full, animated pilot moves with controls, detailed full cockpit/radio compartment, functional canopy, (Wheels are for static displaly only.) Aluminum over Mylar wing skinning, aluminum over 1/32" balsa fuse w/built up empennage. Now, about the impossible, 15 lbs. scale detailed 1/4 scale Birddog...hmmm a 1/4 scale pilot with full rudder/stick animated pilot...spotter!? Yeah, and make the pilot's throttle hand move, too!! Yeah!!! COOL!

This is what's possible when you stop accepting what's been done and explore what could be.