Gentlemen,

What is your method of building Wing Tips?

I build solid Wing Tips because the tips receive the most of Hanger Rash.  The solid tips reduce the damage due to Hanger Rash.  If the Wing Tips have open span areas and is covered with silkspan or monocote, they just get puncured. 

Building Wing Tips from solid blocks of wood is expensive and a major waste of wood.

I manage to sand thru the wood when building the tips from built up layers of 1/4 inch balsa.

Searching.



t michael jennings         
knoxville, tn

Recently I have been carving them from solid blocks. I think they look better and use up the not so light wood I have, after all your carving and sanding away most of the weight anyway. Also you can make nice tip weight boxes.

I don't see why you couldn't make a tip like, say, a Banshee or Excalibur (riblets) and then cover them with sheet balsa instead of silkspan. Of course, you'd cover them with silkspan, silk, or CF mat anyway. I think CF with Polycrylic would be a nice hard finish for tips and those places here & there that get hanger rash.

Regarding Crist's flat tips (like a Twister)...I think you might be able to notice the difference in wake turbulence (calm), also in windy conditions, and in glide speed. I want a clean model to penetrate the wind with the engine off, without having the CG on the LE. I also give fewer appearance points to models without proper wingtips...and typically, that's 2 points deducted. I wouldn't do it, even if it's 'scale', like an SU-26 or Extra 300. Gardner's "Fazer's" tip vortex, as shown by 1/2a combat streamers on each tip, made a big impression on us. WOW!  Steve

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I also give fewer appearance points to models without proper wingtips...and typically, that's 2 points deducted.<snip>

WHY?  I thought that appearance points are on the quality of workmanship, etc, not design.  I gather it's your interpretation of what is a "proper wing tip" that determines a 2 point deduction?

"10. Appearance. Models shall be judged for appearance complete and ready to fly. After model has been judged, nothing will be removed from or added to the model which, in the judges’ opinion, changes in any manner the appearance of the model from the way it was when presented for appearance judging. However, during an attempt for official flight after the contestant has begun to crank the engine, if it becomes necessary to remove the propeller spinner for change of propeller, etc., then it is permissible to leave off the spinner for that particular flight. Any damage to the model after judging, or changes that may be made as a result of such damage, will not be cause for loss of appearance points. Appearance judging will take place just before contestant’s first flight. Judges shall exercise prudence in assigning points, and reserve excellent point values for those models which are decidedly above average. Appearance (Minimum-0 Maximum-20)"

The above is copied and pasted from the AMA website a few minutes ago. I don't see anything that says "design" or "style" or other stuff that's not to be judged. It's the APPEARANCE. Design, style, paint, graphics, shine, scars, patches, roughness, grain showing, seams in film, and all that stuff goes into appearance. If you're talking about Classics, then design and style can't be counted, because you're not supposed to change stuff (tho you can, and still fly). But don't you think that one design will just get higher AP's because it's a better looking design, with the finish, graphics and shine being equal to another (butt ugly) design? And of course, opinions vary...we're human. There are some designs that are ugly to me, but others seem to like. There are also colors I don't like, and I prefer a Classic model that has a Classic style of graphics. Reasonable? Wing tips are similar, in that some may like or dislike different styles. Oh well!

OBTW...if you submit your model for appearance judging with a fancy painted 3 blade prop and decide to change it to an APC before your flight...you should be busted, because it's not legal unless you can show that you broke it in a practise flight, etc. Changing airplanes also happens to be against the rules, unless you can show that your model submitted for AP judging, is broken and can't be repaired in time. Of course, if you are using an ARF, you can change props, or entire airplanes, because there are no AP's involved.    Steve

I do not think that there should be any deduction for any shape of wing tip. After all the wingtips are what make the character of the model. To deduct 2 points for a wingtip because the judge dont like them is stupid and the judge should be hung from the higest rafter. Any tip is ok and it's the finish and the workmanship that counts. Booooooooooo to The Judgggggge

Steve,
If you deduct 2 points because the wing doesn't have the "proper" wing tips, do you also deduct for improper stab tips, fin shape, tapered flaps, etc?  How about the color of the airplane?  What color is the "proper" color?  Is a 2 bladed prop or a 3 bladed prop "Proper".  Where does it stop? 

. Good points but you have to concider the source of that kind of information