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At 11:35 AM 5/31/02 -0700, Hartmut wrote: >----[Please read http://ercoupers.com/disclaimer.htm before following any >advice in this forum.]---- > > >Hey folks. >" Fabric also weighs many pounds less (I've heard the number 40 > > lb. but can't confirm it.)" >I wonder how this myth came up and why it will stay forever. >When aluminizing the wings one fills the wing with 3 sheets of 0.024 aluminum. >That is aluminum !! Not 1 inch thick steel !! The leading edge is >already aluminized , so are the ailerons. The actual area to be filled >is not soo much that I seriosly doubt a weight increase of 40 pounds. Well, the rivets weigh a bit. And fabric and dope and even acrylic paint over is amazingly light. I think someone weighed a pile of removed fabric from their plane, and it was something like 12 pounds, paint and all. Metalization made a lot of sense when only Grade-A cotton was available as a covering. And when it was figured the plane would be scrap in 15 years anyway. It does not make sense in the age of Ceconite and such. And an Ercoupe where the wing structure hasn't been seen in a quarter- century scares me. I have to say that the rag-wings have a handling je-ne-sais-quoi that I also appreciate. I'm not the only one. Greg ================================================================== TO UNSUBSCRIBE go to: http://ercoupers.com/lists.htm
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