Mark Langford,
It looks like I need to apologize. I had not intended to offend you
in any way and my second question was not a challenge to your authority. It
was intended as a segway to further the dialogue. I also apologize for
presenting what seemed to extol the virtues of Kevlar. I had written looking
for advice.
I do not have as practiced hand in composite construction or
airframe/airplane construction as you or most/all the others posting here.
I have purchased a kit as an educational platform to share the
experience with kids. As such I feel compelled to maintain an atmosphere
which continually questions why - or why not.
Over the years you and others have done the same leading a community
of like minds, each of them with their experiences and strengths. Each
adding knowledge built on truth discovered by others realized through
exploration and experimentation. This is what makes both community at large
and this community vital. All of written history is simply a ledger of this.
My first flight lesson was a transformative experience for me. If
any of these kids end up pilots, controllers, A&P mechanics wonderful. That
would be a tribute to the EAA, AOPA, Build-A-Plane and FAA programs they
will be introduced to in this program and the amazing experience of their
first flight.
While the physical experience of building an entire airplane will be
unique to everyone I will have done my job as an educator if I can get the
kids to engage their intellect and stimulate abstract development, get them
to THINK. A difficult and all to foreign concept in education these days.
I see the construction of such a complex device as a great learning
platform. I see it as an opportunity to expose kids to technology (abstract
intellectual knowledge) math, material sciences, chemistry, physic... in a
tangible way.
To me the benefits to the various aviation communities and the
greater community to this kind of program are unassailable. But only the
future will tell. How many of us dream of being Yeager and how many dream of
being the guy who introduced him to flight? I'm fine with being the latter -
and enjoying flying myself.
If I see you at the gathering or any other fly-in, I'd love to buy
you a beer.
Phillip Harrison
-----Original Message-----
From: krnet-boun...@mylist.net [mailto:krnet-boun...@mylist.net] On Behalf
Of Phillip E. Harrison
Sent: Friday, February 04, 2011 7:42 PM
To: 'KRnet'
Subject: RE: KR> Lay-up
Thanks for the advice
-----Original Message-----
From: krnet-boun...@mylist.net [mailto:krnet-boun...@mylist.net] On Behalf
Of Mark Langford
Sent: Friday, February 04, 2011 6:28 PM
To: pharri...@penumbradesign.net; KRnet
Subject: Re: KR> Lay-up
Phillip Harrison wrote:
I' planning on a veil did you use one?
No, if you mean did I use a Kevlar veil. That one thread was more Kevlar
than I needed or wanted on the plane.
What you may be missing is that the real structure of a KR wing is the wood
spar underneath the skin. The skin's not going to fail unless you strike it
with something, and if they are carbon fiber you'll break out a chunk and
either continue your crash or keep on going (if it was a Canadian goose).
The only reason I used carbon fiber on my wings was because I could make the
wing a little lighter, yet much stronger (to minimize hangar rash and
survive the inevitable runway light collision), and I could afford the extra
cost (back when CF was "cheap").
You asked for advice, and I guess that's mine. You are welcome to use
Kevlar and extol it's virtues after you're done.
This reminds me of a conversation I had with the chief engineer this
afternoon. He wanted some advice on cutting cost out of a 10" diameter
carbon fiber tube for a piece of space hardware that we were asked to quote
to build. Unidirectional prepreg CF tape .0002" thick was specified by the
customer, which cost $700/lb, with a 25 pound minimum order. Wall thickness
was called out as .040" to .090", so it was going to take something like 200
layers of this stuff wound around the tube to get to minimum thickness. It
took me about 2 seconds to bust out laughing...why would anybody specify the
most expensive and laborious way to build this piece if the weight of the
tube had a tolerance of more than double the minimum weight and thickness?
Mark Langford
ML at N56ML.com
website at http://www.N56ML.com
--------------------------------------------------------
_______________________________________
Search the KRnet Archives at http://www.maddyhome.com/krsrch/index.jsp
to UNsubscribe from KRnet, send a message to krnet-le...@mylist.net
please see other KRnet info at http://www.krnet.org/info.html
_______________________________________
Search the KRnet Archives at http://www.maddyhome.com/krsrch/index.jsp
to UNsubscribe from KRnet, send a message to krnet-le...@mylist.net
please see other KRnet info at http://www.krnet.org/info.html
