Does sheeting a wing with balsa vice covering with silk/silk span, violate any requirements or invalidate a Classic or N-30 model from competing if the original was not sheeted?  I know this may add an ounce or two if you are not careful, but in my opinion, it sure is easier to sand/finish. 

Don

Hi Don.  I just looked at the PAMPA rules on Classics and rule 4.0 states you can use a foam wing in place of an I beam wing.

I suspect this is because by the Classic era it would have been common for people to substitute their favorite wing construction method when building from plans.  In 1952 I'm not sure that the general run of the modeling populace would have freely substituted foam form ribs, etc.

I think the answer is, "it depends"  I have never seen a Classic airplane DQ'd for it, nor would I ever expect to.

There were a lot of fully-sheeted Nobler-based designs back in the day.  Cannot recall ever seeing a fully sheeted T-bird, but there must have been some.  It usually depended on the kind of wood a builder was able to get.  With great wood a fully sheeted wing would be about the same weight or less with a better finish.  Also more durable, less prone to hanger rash, and with a more stable structure.

There were numerous Classic era airplanes that had fully sheeted wings.  Modern builds with sheeted leading edges and cap strips hardly get a second look.  Don Bambrick's "Fury" earned 39 (out of 40) appearance points at the 66 NATs with a fully sheeted wing, but the magazine plan showed it as an open bay with notes in the text about sheeting.  I think the Olympic VI plan also showed the sheeting both ways - there were probably others.

Having said that, I personally would draw the line at sheeting an I-beam.  To me a beamer loses about 99% of its charm if you cover up the ribs!  But that is still not enough to get you DQ'd.

 

Ultimately its all in the eyes of the beer-holder...