ORIGINAL: NM2K
In the original plans for many models that were featured in the magazines back in the late 50's and 60's, the plate being referred to was known as a shear plate and it was made from plywood. The idea being that the plate would fail first in an impact, reducing the damage to the engine or model. These were the days of reed and single channel R/C systems, so even the experts would have a minor crash occasionally. Folks today just coming into the hobby won't have any idea of the years of agony and frustration experienced to bring us to the level we are at today, as far as reliability is concerned. Of course, I know there are many folks reading this forum that know this much better than I.
Ed Cregger
Ed,
I did not see examples of a shear plate made from plywood. Maybe these are used for small engines
I show the Smog Hog of Howard Bonner, a Tufnol plate is used (known by me as brand "Novotex") and an example of a later plane, the Crusader of Ralph Brooke, 1/4 " aluminum.
Another method to reduce crash damage is using brass bolts/screws to mount the engine on the plate or rails (Ed Kazmirski)
Cees