Unconventional Materials

[atariman24]

Hey all,

As someone just getting into building my own planes I'm wondering if anyone managed to make something other than balsa or foam fly. I remember when I was younger I got pretty into making planes out of cardboard. They never flew.
Anyway I'm just curious if anyone used unconventional materials in their build.

 

[RAM]

I'm working on a crazy idea right now. If I ever finish it I will call the airplane "Tiny Tim".

I wanted to make some kind of basic airframe and then hang whatever body I want on top it it (a frame pod instead of a power pod). I got to looking at Aluminum crutches. Used ones sell for $1. The basic shape of the front of the plane is already there. Now I just have to decide how I want to connect the rest. It's all part of the foldable wing idea I had a while back. Removable or foldable wings will be easy using the center part of the crutch. I grabbed a couple sets of them and drilled out all the rivets. Time will tell if Tiny Tim ever flies. I'm aiming for a 6ft wingspan or greater.

 

[Redneck2.0]

They have what's called " Spads" simple plastic airplane design . My first trainer was a Spad. The fuse is made from square PVC downspout. The wing spar is made from 2 yard sticks and the wind and tail is made from " coroplast" corogated plastic. It is a very tough plane. Flew into a tree. Only damage was fuse cracked and busted firewall. Free plans and info here. Spadtothebone.com. Trainers, 3d, scale, combat everything. Haha sorry kinda started rambling

 

[Redneck2.0]

not my pic but the same kind that I had

 

[fjschuler]

The SPADs are super-tough airplanes...and the basic materials can sometimes be obtained for little to no $$ (think political signs). I built a SPAD3D a few years ago from an old Pepsi sign:

 

[Redneck2.0]

Awesome looking plane. I plan to build a Spad3d once I get back to the states.