I am interested in RC airplanes. I have read about them for a long time now and finally decided to take the plunge and purchase a setup and learn to fly. There is a club nearby with instructors, so that won't be a problem. I have been looking at trainers and had kinda decided on getting a Kadet but after seeing the Spadet, I was thinking that might be fun to try. Certainly less expensive when I crash. I guess I am just wondering what people's opinions are of the spads. Are spads safe? Would clubs have rules against the use of them? I just thought if I went with a spadet, it would free up more money to spend on my radio. Thanks

SPADS:

Are safe, corplast use for RC is proven by Aircore products (don't fly as good as scratch build SPADS) Fly great

I wouldn't worry about your club, just build it and show up at the field, and fly. There was only one instance that I had heard about a club (privately owned) temporarily banning the SPADS. For the most part, you'll probably catch some flak from balsa purists (the same bunch who sneered at ARFs when they become popular).
Any club that bans SPADS should ban all other scratch built airplanes. In my opinion, I wouldn't want to fly in a club whose members are narrow minded and restrict the same experimentation that made many advances in this wonderful hobby.

Andy

I don't think there would be any problem at this club, I just wasn't sure how well accepted spads are in the RC community. Thanks for your response.

It really depends on the club. If your the first Spadder there, you may get some raises eyebrows and uneducated comments. Don't worry about them...couriousity will get them to the point of seeing yours fly. Then the rest will be history

I like that bit about "uneducated comments". I had an old timer fart tell me after I landed my Debonair that "the only thing he liked about my airplane was the color scheme, and nothing else".

Good thing I wasn't at the field to impress him but fly...... :O)

well i just built my first spad. thank you Tattoo. i think the real spadders( i am too new to be a real one yet) might advice a different plane for your first go at spad. the spadet is a pretty hard one to do for the first timer from what i have been told. there are a couple of others that are good trainers. 3 friends and i built debonairs and it was so much fun i am working on my next spad now. well which ever plane you build, welcome to the addiction. it will not be the last spad you build. check the spad forum here and go to spadtothebone.com . it is a wealth of info. everyone is very helpful.

I don't miind SPADS, as long as they're not profile models. Ugh! Balsa, foam or plastic - flat planes are abominations to the world of flight. What good is flying 3D with 2D planes?

Sorry, I ran out of medication last night. Too many voices.

SPAD is just another part of the hobby, they fly as good as their balsa counterparts but with far less time and money invested, they are more crash and ding proof and are so easy and cheap to build they are great for experimenting with, both in flying and designing.

most SPADs wont win any beauty comps (well mine wont) but then there are some SPAD builders who turn out planes that could easily win a stand off scale comp

I was the first to show up at our field with a SPAD. I built a couple of them last year. A Debonair, Demon and one of my own design. I got a lot of raised eyebrows and scoffs. Once they saw them fly and I used the Deb to win our annual fun fly, there are a lot more SPADs at our field.

SPAD Debonair

OOOOOoooooooohhhhNooooooo....Um...Charlie...I would highly suggest that you not check the Spad site for the latest designs...until you stock up on those meds

http://www.spadtothebone.com/SPAD/

looks like another non beliver that needs a visit from "the brotherhood"

me, Billy and the boys are gonna bust out our Knifes and Sledges and show him till he cries Gee Wiz (Bee)!

then we are gonna feed him to the Gator. :bananahea

hmmm I dont think he is the only one that needs meds around here

When I asked the guy at my LHS he says "SPAD's fly like crap" I ended up buying a balsa superstar but my second plane will definitely be a SPAD.

Spoken like someone who has thinks he has something to gain from you not trying a SPAD . Always consider the source .

Heck, why wait, if I was you, I'd start building a SPAD now. Even if you don't have a radio or engine. That way, if something happens to your superstar, you aren't missing good weather doing repairs.

There is some really cool video here of how "crappy" Spads fly...oh yeah...and OMG it's one of those abominations too! ...hey cool...two birds in one stone on this one

http://hsrcm.com/awe-hor_movies.htm

P.S. When will the hobby shop guys ever get it? Someone walks in and buys a $100 kit and spends $200 on a radio and engine...and then another $100 in finishing materials and ground support stuff. The LHS just put $400 in his cash register...and the won't see the guy back for a few months...and if he does...it will be for nickle and dime stuff.

The next guy walks in and spends $200 for a radio and engine, and mentions it's for a Spad...so the hobby shop guy proceeds to uneducatedly bad mouth Spads. So the guy leaves pissed off. The next day he flies the Spad he just built and has a blast. Since he has enough materials for 2 or three more Spads...he has another one ready by next weekend, and builds one for his buddy. Some of the guys at the field see the guy's first one and start building them too. Hmmmmmmmmmm..of course by this time the word gets around that the hobby shop guy hates Spads...so...lets see...within the next few weeks a conservitive estimate would have been a need for say 5 engines and flight packs...or roughly $1000+ worth of stuff. I wonder who they buy it from? Either mail order or the hobby shop across town would be my guess

Yeah good point.

i have a lot of balsa tks to hobby store i pylon race and sport fly
i tryed a spad 2 days ago i went to homedepo on my way home
for parts not hoby store i am bilding 1 now it was verrry fun to fly the pizza box

Oh, I know they fly well. I just don't like profile - even when I used to fly control line and you only see one aspect of the plane. I have enough trouble minding my plane without it disappearing to a 1/4" wide sillouette when it heads at me! "Now where did that . . . KLUNK."

I used to have a 1964 Thistle sailboat that was a beast. We called her "Trash" and left her highly scruffy, but extremely well tuned and equipped. It would do 12 knots on a beam reach - which is astonishing for a 17 foot monohull sailboat. I earned a lot of beer off young hotshot Hobie sailors who had never seen the Thistle or International 14's and had no idea old, wood sailboats could be fast.

I still bowhunt with a wood recurve and cedar arrows with two edge broadheads and true feather fletchings - I'm a true dinosaur.

If SPAD's get you in the air I'm all for them.