Dacron or conventional fabric on the wings? The fabric covered wings go all the way back to the Wright brothers. Today there are many options when it comes to fabric we currently use a 3.9 oz. Dacron Polyester Sailcloth which happens to be the most common weight for sailboat sails, this material has many more uses as well. it is more resistant to UV damage than nylon. Majority of the aircraft in the field (non-Aventuras) use one of the following:
We have been toying with the idea of going with one of these fabrics on an Aventura II, this would be the last trace of the 80's Ultralight craze in the Aventura II. As you can see we will be adding some weight, how much you ask? Well we wonder the same thing, soon we will have the answer as the progress continues. Below is a picture of our first fiber glass rib, there will be ten per wing with a fiberglass leading edge over the aluminum tube. for those interested it will be available as a wing kit. this will allow you to convert your existing Aventura. Let us know your thoughts.
Dear Lord those are some herky spars. They almost look like 3 inchers 1/8 wall.
Ok,thx. That's good info on the fabric. Flex can also be good when landings or takeoffs get rough.
I was wondering though about the fiberglass ribs. Are they lighter, stiffer, or maybe (a reach here) cheaper? What are the advantages and/or disadvantages?
There won't be any advantage to the speed of the aircraft the only advantage I can see for people that are familiar with this type of fabric and process is the prolonged exposure to sunlight since there are multiple coats that protect against UV. Dacron is great if done properly however many people do not know how to properly clearcoat the dacron fabric and end up with the coats being absorbed; therefore leaving majority of the fabric exposed. One of the disadvantages is going to be having to readjust your landing speed and approaches because the dacron wing has the ability to Flex in flight giving it a lower stall speed and a higher cruise speed. The stiff wing Will not be able to widen the gap between cruise speed and stall speed. You will be giving up one or the other.
Hey Alex, What do you see as the advantage of the fiberglass ribs. Any disadvantages.
Thx,
Mark
sign me up!