Flying with Foam—Opportunities and Risks

Dear Reader

Styrofoam and other foams have a long tradition in model aircraft building. As early as the 1960s, wings were cut from inexpensive construction-grade Styrofoam and covered with balsa wood. In F3A aerobatics, they likely made up the majority of models. Even at the dawn of the rapidly booming large glider scene, foam wings were indispensable for a long time. Back then, Styrofoam was a perfectly accepted building material. That changed abruptly when we eager and innocent “balsa-Styrofoam enthusiasts” were swept away by a wave of prefabricated foam models. From a distance, these things looked more or less like model airplanes. Upon closer inspection—or even in action—they turned out to be shoddy junk, and the seemingly low price bordered on extortion. First landing: landing gear gone. Second landing: straight into the trash bag!

Criticism wasn’t long in coming. The first “Styrofoam-free zones” were declared when the “professors” among the association’s youth advocates spoke up: They didn’t see those odd Styrofoam chunks as a symbol of the lost innocence of skilled model airplane builders and pilots, but rather emphasized their great value for promoting the next generation. This was undeniably justified, but only once the silly jets and bombers in their souped-up boxes had been pushed into the background by serious and well-flying electric gliders. Many young people and late bloomers learned to fly with these gliders. Moreover, the entire foam model industry has caught up tremendously in recent years. Foam models—for example, trainer models, semiscale aircraft such as jets, multi-engine aircraft, etc., of all sizes—have reached a level of perfection that never ceases to amaze me

. Most come fully equipped and ready to fly—though unfortunately, they’re not always technically up to date: New models are available, but the old ones have to be sold first.

All’s well that ends well, one might think. Not quite. The low purchase prices of fully equipped models provide little incentive to carry out repairs in the event of damage. The very important experience of outfitting an empty airplane from A to Z is also being lost. How are we older colleagues supposed to help a junior with this when we ourselves have shifted our focus back to ready-to-fly models? We can hardly find any clubs anymore where members are willing and able to get a somewhat more challenging model ready to fly. Good ideas are needed. Perhaps artificial intelligence (AI) will help us in the future?

Best regards
, Emil Ch. Giezendanner

The opinions expressed on this page by the editor—as well as by other authors of this issue—do not necessarily reflect the official position of the SMV. Readers can find official association announcements in the “SMV” section.