Build it light! Build it true! Building tips?

I think you'll find that a higher wing loading also increases the rate of sink, not necessarily a good thing.>

Andy from OZ

It also means that you will spend more more gas money in your truck hauling a flying brick back and forth to the field!!!LOL Eddie Fulmer PS And wear and tear on your tires ect.

I think that most people who defend the "weight doesn't matter" position have never bothered to build light and don't really know the difference.

But that's OK. As long as you're having fun and you don't stick a propeller in somebody's forehead you're doing it right.

I've made direct comparisons on the same model and found I prefer a sheeted model over an open-bay model, all other factors being equal.

On small models up to .60 size in a cross-wind situation it can make the difference between a model that is a handful and a model that is stable and enjoyable to fly.

If you are at a flying site on a day with gusting cross-winds, look at the number of models being flown versus the number of models which are parked. I think if the guys with film-covered models had done nothing more than sheet the wings they wouldn't be as reluctant to fly in those conditions because if nothing else their confidence in the model and in their flying skills would be higher simply because of the increase in stability of the model.

I think it's nothing more than a lot of flyers who haven't not tumbled to the notion that the wind is their friend - the same folks who crash because of the dreaded down-wind turn or the ever-popular tip stall.

Howzzat for throwing fuel on the fire ? Cheers, Fred McClellan the dash plumber at mindspring dot com

I tend to agree with you, Fred. The most stable, good flying planes I have are foam core sheeted wing sticks. They are a little heavier than some but handle most situations better.

Not quite all. They also take a much larger area/speed to make a safe turn. Planes that don't turn or loop make dull flying planes, unless they're used only for transport.

-Fritz

You're right. Higher wing loading can easily be seen as slower control responses, larger turns, higher stall speeds and higher landing speeds. The main benefit is they don't get tossed around as much in gusty winds.