| Whitewings Variety | ||
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| Fuselage Type Knowing what the fuselage is made of is only half the story. The other half is fuselage type. Typical Whitewings designs involve a standard solid-bodied fuselage. As we saw in the previous section, the fuselage can be a single piece of balsa or several pieces of paper glued together to form a solid body. The problem with solid-bodied planes is their weight. Things that are solid weigh more than things that are hollow (provided they are made of the same material). As a glider becomes bigger, the weight of the fuselage tends to diminish performance. The solution to this problem is an alternative to the solid body known as the "triangular (or hollow) fuselage". As the name implies, the fuselage takes its shape from a single piece of paper folded in the shape of a triangle. The center of the fuselage is of course hollow, which makes the entire plane lighter. Despite the reduction in materials, the triangular fuselage remains surprisingly strong, contributing to remarkably consistent performance. While solid-bodied planes turn up in nearly every kit, triangular fuselages are only found among the Tri-Linear Models (AG731 Red Tips and AG732 High Tech). |
