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<DIV><FONT color=#000000 size=2>Buddy,</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=#000000 size=2>I know how you feel. Seeing the PL planes is
when I was introduced to "Wide Body" designs. I thought they were so
cool, but the price tag was out of reach for me, so I decided to
design a Wide Body plane I named the Defiant. PL's website offered a lot of
information and pictures of how their planes were made which helped me a
bunch.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=#000000 size=2>It's a lot of work building plugs, molds,
and finally producing parts, but the feeling of achievement is a great
one, especially when your design allows you to do well in pattern. Of coarse,
the huge benefit is when you need parts (or whole plane
kit), having them available at your leisure. </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=#000000 size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=#000000 size=2>When I'm tired of my current design, I'll
do another. Building a good plane is the "hobby" of our
sport!</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=#000000 size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=#000000 size=2>Todd
Schmidt </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=#000000 size=2></FONT> </DIV>
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<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial">----- Original Message ----- </DIV>
<DIV
style="BACKGROUND: #e4e4e4; FONT: 10pt arial; font-color: black"><B>From:</B>
<A title=BUDDYonRC@aol.com
href="mailto:BUDDYonRC@aol.com">BUDDYonRC@aol.com</A> </DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>To:</B> <A title=discussion@nsrca.org
href="mailto:discussion@nsrca.org">discussion@nsrca.org</A> </DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Sent:</B> Friday, January 07, 2005 10:21
AM</DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Subject:</B> Re: Kits - was PL Prod</DIV>
<DIV><BR></DIV><FONT id=role_document face=Arial color=#8000ff size=1>
<DIV><FONT size=2>Earl</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2>Right on. After going through the availability of a quality
kit Jungle I decided to solve my problem by designing my own and building it
myself.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2>When I started I had to accept the fact that it would
be a long tough road as I knew nothing about the process required to do a
fiberglass fuselage or epoxy composites at all.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2>I posed many questions to several of my friends who I
consider experts in the field. Mike Harrison advised me not to do it. Lance
and Gray took me under their wing and provided me with many of the answers
to my questions. Then I had to make a decision the biggest of which was
would it be worth the effort knowing full well that anything that I ended up
with would be out of style by the time my design was complete and in the
air.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2>Mike Harrison the one who told me not to do it provided the
answer that spurred me on when he said that with current designs the airplane
contributed 10% to success and flying practice and natural ability 90%.
Believing this and after talking to several other top flyers I came to the
conclusion that the Biggest, Best Latest design was not necessary to be
competitive in the AMA classes.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2>So off I went on a two year Journey of trial and error
building two wooden port types drawing the plans, building a plug, making the
molds and finally completing two airplanes of my very own
design from start to finish.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2>At that point even though I thought it flew very
well I still didn't know if I had succeeded.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2>Then at the Waco contest I had Todd Bloss fly my airplane. I
think you were there. He proceeded to take off made a couple of
passes then put it through much of the FAI pattern topped off with a low
altitude rolling circle, a rolling loop and a low level knife edge the length
of the field. Upon landing I asked him what I could do to fix any problems
that he encountered and his answer was absolutely nothing. His advice was
to buy a bunch of fuel and work on the 90% part that was required to be
competitive.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2>At that point I knew it was well worth the effort and you
know what the only delivery problems that I should encounter I can
control myself and I don't have to worry about shipping cost or
availability.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2>I don't know if I would do it again but when my memory
of all of the difficult time consuming tasks required fades into oblivion you
never know.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2>Buddy </FONT> </DIV>
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