Tom Dixon - The Bad News, The Good News, and The Bad News.

[Jim Catevenis]

The Bad News, The Good News, and The Bad News.

     First, Bad News – Balsa prices are way, way up.  The last two shipments that I received had a 110% surcharge.  That is double the prior cost and then some!  I have been able to absorb most of this so far, but I can see needing to raise prices on kits and wings fairly soon.  At least some balsa is available.  Quality and quantity of super light stuff is not as good as it once was…so it goes.

     Second, Good News – News reports indicate an upcoming 20 to 40% drop in wind turbine construction over next year.  This is due, it is said, to” inability to obtain necessary parts” which come, many of them, from China.  Personally, I think it is because they have ruined as much landscape as they can obtain, but what do I know?  In any case the economy world wide strongly suggests this particular way of “saving the planet” will be in decline for a while.  That means more balsa potentially available for model building.
     
     The “Second Bad News” – Covid-19 has put a huge crimp in all economic activity.  You may have been furloughed or deemed "non-essential”.  Certainly, economic factors…as in no money can hinder hobby activity from building, finishing, travel, and on and on.
     My hope is that, as a country, we’ll find a balance between “ultimate safety” and full economic activity.  I have more faith in all of us ”on the ground” to figure it out, than I do in any of the experts.  They have been mostly wrong so far.
     One of my favorite cartoons shows a man crawling across the desert on his hands and knees, his clothes tattered.  He looks up, sees four well dressed people at a table, and exclaims, “Thank God! A panel of experts!”. I think of this every time another expert is on TV.  No one is an expert on our current situation.  All are actually experts at something that occurred previously.

                                                                                                                                                       Tom Dixon
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[Dennis Toth]

Some good news for the balsa supply, since Ecuador that supply's 95% of the balsa, because of Covid19 went into lockdown. This loss of production it has pushed the European and Chinese turbine manufactures and blade manufactures are working in tandem to replace or reduce balsa and polyvinyl chloride as core materials and switch to PET. Most of the turbine models from western makers in the US like Vestas and GE have already integrate PET in their blade core construction. This has allowed performance improvements enough to allow retro fitting older turbines with these newer components.

More balsa at better pricing should be coming later in the year.

Best,   DennisT