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Thread: Aerobatic all carbon fiber kit planes

  1. #1

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    Aerobatic all carbon fiber kit planes

    Does anyone know of an aerobatic all carbon fiber kit plane (something that would be identical to say an MX2, edge 540, etc). I would like a kit build so that I can get the repairmans certification and have the ability to do my own annuals and repairs. I would like an airframe that could support an AEIO-540 or a lycombing thunderbolt with a 3 blade claw prop. I know the lazer exists but it uses wood internal components and I know they used to make the giles 202 but I dont think that kit is avalible anymore and I dont think it could support a larger engine.

  2. #2

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    Rudd Aero. Saw them at OSH last summer.

    http://rud.aero/

    They're getting help tweaking their unlimited aerobatic airplane from Sergei Boriak, so it can't be all bad.

    Other fully composite aerobatic airplanes include:
    Slick 360 (Not sure if it's a kit or not)
    http://www.slickaircraft.com/slick360.html
    Sbach (Not a kit)
    http://www.xtremeair.com/
    Giles (but like you said, I don't think their kits are produced any more)
    http://www.gilesaerobatics.org/

  3. #3

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    The answer currently is that there are none. There are some prototypes that someday may turn into a kit that you can buy, but I will caution that most folks can not afford to be early adopters, especially if you would rather fly than spend lots of hours in the test-rebuild-retest cycle.

    The closest that you will get is a One Design or one of the Laser's. And if you do not yet have hundreds of hours of acro practice logged, you will not notice missing that increment in performance that an MX gives you.

    Leo Loudenslager famously said that if you had $100K, spend $50K on an airplane and the rest on gas and coaching. Still good advice.

    Carbon fiber does not win trophies, pilots do.

    Best of luck,

    Wes
    N78PS

  4. #4

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    I was looking at the laser and it appears the fusalage is carbon fiber but the wings are not so I would have to make the wings myself from the plans. I was thinking about getting a carbon fiber 3D printer for all the ribs and attachment points and then I would have to learn to do a carbon fiber lay up for the wing itself. Part of me just wants a plane that looks way cool too.

    Update: I got an email back from Devin and very little if any part of the laser is carbon fiber, the materials of construction are basicly the same as a pitts. So when the time comes if a kit is not avalible then I will be making one myself from scratch. I could make smaller parts like ribs and struts and connection points with a carbon fiber 3D printer but the larger parts like fuselage will be more difficult.
    Last edited by rppearso; 03-14-2014 at 04:56 PM.

  5. #5
    RetroAcro's Avatar
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    Ah, this subject again. 'rppearso' has posted this same broken record story on several forums in the last few years. Has been banned from a few. Already been through it here a couple years ago. Don't bother attempting to engage in any sort of discussion with this poster.

    http://eaaforums.org/showthread.php?...ild-equivalent

  6. #6

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    Guy needs a WAKO!

  7. #7

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    I don't see what he is doing or has done that is so wrong ????
    Dreaming out loud is all I can see and on a flying forum, seems acceptable to me.

  8. #8

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    There is no particular reason why carbon fiber is required to be competitive up through the IAC/CIVA Unlimited level of competition.

    If someone is interested in competition, when they start to approach that level, there are folks building carbon fiber airframes. This is an area where a curious individual asking won't get any attention or serious answers. You have to put points on the board and then the folks who know how to do it will talk to you. Or just bring large buckets of money, which gets people's attention.

    The CF world is not for home builders on a budget or who do not plan on spending lots of time developing design criteria and analysis skills.

    So asking once isn't wrong. Asking twice isn't either. But repeating the question hoping for a better answer each time is likely to result in increasingly annoyed responses.

    Now bring a question like "What are the allowables if I laminate one layer of Style 262 plain weave CF on each side of a 1/4" H45 Divinycell core using West System 105/206 epoxy?" and we can have a real interesting discussion.

    Best of luck,

    Wes
    N78PS

  9. #9

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    You can see by his post he has spent some time researching, just seems petty to me, whatever, doesn't change my life.

  10. #10
    RetroAcro's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Blue Chips View Post
    I don't see what he is doing or has done that is so wrong ????
    Dreaming out loud is all I can see and on a flying forum, seems acceptable to me.
    You wouldn't understand unless you knew the history of this poster, especially on another forum.

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