OK, a bit of clarification:
Yes, when Windy gave my the Red Baron, it was relegated to testing 4 cycle powerplants.
In the video, the plane was powered by a brand new SAITO 80 (not my engine!
)
In the past, it had flown with a SAITO 72, a SAITO 62, a SAITO 56, an OS Surpass 52, an ENYA 46 and an ENYA 53. All performed well but the ENYA 53, with a venturi of my own design, showed the most promise. Ready to fly, the plane weighed just over 80 ounces as I recall.
As previously stated, the plane passed through many hands and, I'm sure, MANY hard landings.
Yes, the wing folded BUT, it was not because of a design/build issue.
A post-crash autopsy revealed the main spar was broken and due to the amount of oil soaking, the break must have happened quite a while back.
Now, here's the interesting part. One of the previous owners must have noticed some wing flexing, indicative of a broken spar.
Instead of digging in and fixing the break, he/she simply ran a bead of epoxy on the OUTSIDE of the wing/fuselage juncture.
The broken spar was contributing NOTHING to the structural integrity of the wing.
While flying, there was no indication of a problem. The wing just folded and it went straight into the asphalt.
The plane was completely totaled but the engine showed only minor damage: Broken crankcase, broken backplate, bent crankshaft, bent connecting rod, broken piston, bent cylinder, distorted intake tube and broken carburetor. The prop nut, glow plug, valve covers and valve train survived perfectly.
Regarding Brett's comment about bias, this was not caused by windup. I did (tried) an abrupt inverted pullout and that's when things let go.
And, THAT'S the rest of the story and I'm sticking to it.
Comments?
Bob Z.