This winter, Chris Woodward has been a regular in Dick’s workshop, applying a lightweight plastic film called SolarTrim to Concordia’s control surfaces. Last weekend, we interviewed Chris and asked him to explain the process and the rationale for using Solar Trim rather than gel coat or paint. SolarTrim and its cousin, monokote, have been used by aeromodellers for many years, but their application to a full-scale sailplane is unusual. Chris has been building and flying models for most of his life, so he is intimately familiar with the techniques and materials.
We apologize for the sporadic noise in the first two minutes of the video.
It’s not all work and no play (even Hanko Streifeneder has to take a break once in a while — I think…!). We were entertained as Chris demonstrated his R/C flying skills inside the workshop.
Click here for an introduction to the Soaring Café series on Concordia, which began in January, 2011. In that post, we provide a chronologically ordered series of links to Soaring Café articles that comprise a complete history of the project.
I have a question for Chris. Is it remotely possible to use Solartrim to refurbish an older glider with cracked gelcoat?
I imagine the process would be to sand the old gelcoat off leaving the wing smooth and contoured before applying the Solartrim.