Aircore planes
 

Hey guys anyone have any training on a aircore plane? Iam thinking about one to train on so I don't total my Kadet senior. They say they are almost indestructable. Are they or is this sales hype? Thanks mekanic

RE: Aircore planes
 

yeah from what ive heard you can bash these things right into the ground w/ no prob. The only thing i would be concerned about is the crank shaft on my engine breaking, or things happing to my servos.
chris

RE: Aircore planes
 

The Aircore planes are very similar to the SPAD models ( www.spadtothebone.com ) They are made of "coroplast" which is the now common corrogated plastic signboard.

The material is very resiliant. But there is no such thing as an indestructable model.

Use of the SPAD gluing techniques and CA instead of the contact cement listed in the Aircore kits will save weight. This is just as strong and makes the aircraft fly better.

A properly built Coroplast plane CAN bounce instead of being smashed in a crash... depending on the crash. However the shock loads in such an impact can still damage the radio system and/or the engine when the airframe is left unharmed. This makes it necessary to do a careful range check to determine if the radio is Ok after any impact... no matter how minor it appeared.

I have demonstrated the durrability of coroplast aircraft by purposefully doing a knife-edge "landing" of a coro-P-51... with appx 70 yard cartwheel down the runway. No damage at all. (a balsa model would have been shredded.) Howegver after a few f these demos... I have managed to shatter the spar inside the coro wing.

I have also seen a coro model have a minor impact which SHOULD have given no damage to a balsa model... and the coro was flexed in a manner that made the aircraft trash.

RE: Aircore planes
 

I used to have Colt. I can say only good things about it. It was a little heavy plane, and at least good .46 is needed. Mine flew pretty good for a coroplast plane. I was not in 3D flying then and cannot comment on that, but with that plane i built so much confidence and was never scared to crrash it. I used to fly over a field with like 4 feet long grass, I always used to try to fly inverted so I touch the grass, haha Couple times i did not work out and I crashed but nothing ever broke besides the props.

Just my 2 cents

RE: Aircore planes
 

I learned to fly on one of these save your money and build a spad instead the aircore is alot harder to put together than a spad and alot more money, save the money and put it toward the engine and radio. As far a durability the spads take more of a beating then the aircore I destroyed mine buy shoving the stupid power cartridge back and tearing the coro fuselage. The aircore needs lots of power and on a flame out it flys like a shoe.

RE: Aircore planes
 

Thanks guys, yall have really helped me out since I joined. Iam almost done with my Kadet senior but I have worked so hard it would be a shame to trash it while trying to learn. mekanic

RE: Aircore planes
 

Did you get your AirCore?

I really like my Trainer 40 as a first plane.

RE: Aircore planes
 

I really enjoy(ed) flying my Hobbico Sturdy Birdy II. This plane inspires confidence and with a .40 on the front it has the power to get me out of trouble.( Which I seem to be looking for these days). Have a good one.
XS

RE: Aircore planes
 

You might want to check this plane out.

Indestructable plane. I have one and yes it is indestructable.

http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showt...=214961&page=1

RE: Aircore planes
 

I'm a great fan of the Aircore. I started with a balsa trainer, and after putting significant repair work into some hard landings (not crashes), I decided the punishment did not fit the crime, and I got the Aircore trainer. Without the nervousness produced by the fragile balsa trainer, I learned fast and absolutely had a ball with the Aircore. (I didn't really have a qualified instructor, just a friend and a buddy box.)

I now mostly fly Spads, but I recommend the Aircore still in some situations: First the Aircore is a kit, and you can glue it with CA without any prepping of the coro. Spads are essentially scratch built planes. Second, the Aircore design is superb at protecting the engine and radio equipment. The reason is that the "power cartridge" is only held in by tiny screws. In a crash, these screws tear loose and take up the impact force on the nose of the plane. Third, compared to a gutter pipe fuse, the coro fuse of the Aircore makes it almost indestructible (yes, I know there are coro fuse Spads).

Caveats: As others have said, it needs a BB .46. The Aircore is relatively heavy for a trainer, so it lands faster, and is a little sluggish in responding to controls (which is actually a good thing in a trainer). As mentioned, the Aircore is a kit (and the instructions have quite a few errors). It's much easier to build than a balsa kit, but you still need to be handy and able to follow instructions. Be sure to watch the video since it includes information not in the manual.

RE: Aircore planes
 

The Aircore planes are nice to learn to land. They handle a lot of abuse and still fly. I learned not to mount my receiver too tight the hard way. The Aircore trainer went in full throttle, straight down, and into a road. The servo's all popped apart, the engine bent the crankcase as well as the crankshaft, and the plane took a couple of minor dings.

That being said, Aircore planes have a bad reputation to in the club. One reason, IMHO, is that it is extremely hard to get the wings straight. I used the included ribs as templates, and built two more ribs for each wing. One for the middle and one for the outboard edge. This helped me fold the wings over and glue them without a twist. Another thing I did was to use slow CA to glue the top of the spar to the top of the wing. The contact cement that Aircore wants you to use sets where you first touch it. At that point you might not have the spar between the guides.

Another reason is the planes are heavy. Especially in my "mile high" atmosphere. You definitely want the BB .46 engine.

Finally, a high wing aircraft should have some down thrust. Aircore is in love with their power pod, which doesn't give that to you. Put a washer or two under the rear of the engine or add a small piece of plywood to make the engine point down a couple of degrees. At full throttle, the engine will tend to pull the aircraft into a climb. You then compensate with trim. Then you try to land. When you chop the throttle, the trim acts to pull the nose down, and this makes landings trickier.

In the end, you'll probably like flying something else better. You'll like this four your first landings.

RE: Aircore planes
 

yeah right indistrutable. I had one of these things and I have destroyed it . the plane mey be able to take a beaten but you still can destroy it.

RE: Aircore planes
 

Why? I have seen Aircores or similar British versions in Hong Kong that are not bad but not great either.

I would recommend a balsa trainer since you are already working with a balsa kit, repairs should be straight forward. If you get the right instruction, crashing shouldn't be a big issue.

I'd say go balsa... they are beautiful planes!

And, for my namesake, a 4 stroke engine in a Kadet is very retro cool. (Even though 4-strokes aren't retro at all :-)

RE: Aircore planes
 

I had the colt and after flying it a couple of times I gave it away to a friend. I have built many SPAD's and IMOH I think that they fly much better. You can be more creative when building spads also, I built a spad debonair and that is what I used for a trainer. I had thousands of flights on it and finally gave it away. Someone in my club is still flying it now. Build yourself a spad you wont be sorry.

Rick