Foam Honey-Coming Weight savings

[Mike Hester]

Yup a little.

Whether it's worth it or not totally depends on the amount of weight you're looking for. Actually cutting the honeycomb isn't too difficult or time consuming, but making the templates can be a little painstaking. However once you have them, you have them for a few planes.

I am currently running a fairly thick tip section, and performed honeycombing on the outer half of the wing panel past the spars. It saved about an ounce per panel compared to the first set I made. So, you save a couple of ounces, and remove some mass from your wingtips. Does it help? I'm sure it doesn't hurt, and theoretically (being the operative word) it can help in dampening snaps and spins...but not a lot, unless your tips are really heavy to begin with. 

If you're building an electric or a plane that historically comes out close to the limit, it could be worth the effort. I'm not sure it's worth it on a 10 lb or less plane.

Just my 2 cents.
-Mike
  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Jim_Woodward at beaerospace.com 
  To: discussion at nsrca.org 
  Sent: Wednesday, July 27, 2005 4:46 PM
  Subject: Foam Honey-Coming Weight savings



  Hi Guys, 

  Does anyone happen to have some experience in weight reductions from foam honey-combing?  Wing cores, stab cores, vertical fin and rudder cores?  Maybe a 25% weight reduction? 

  Thanks, 
  Jim W. 

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