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We FEATURE foam wings -- in all of our kits.
Did you know that most aircraft flown in competition (especially those winning) are flying with foam wings? The reasons are illustrated in the diagrams below. Foam is stronger, costs less and takes less time to build and repair, and is more precise too.
Styrofoam, by its nature, is made up of a strong honeycomb like structure. It has a compression strength of 1,000 pounds per square foot. You can stand on a foam wing.
Foam is a lighter material than balsa. Foam weighs 1 pound per cubic foot while balsa weighs from 4 to 12 pounds per cubic foot. That is why balsa is used in a buildup skeleton fashion. But while a buildup balsa wing may weigh just about the same as a foam wing, there is a substantial loss in strength. Finishing the wing is the same for both foam and balsa, so the importance of a light weight finish remains.
The accuracy (precision) of a buildup structure is tentative, at best, because of the many parts involved. Our foam wings are inherently accurate. We cut them on precise controlled equipment using custom tooling for each wing profile. Precision is built in.
Repairing a buildup wing can be aggravating, time consuming, and sometimes impossible. Foam is quick and easy to cut and patch. So easy, some repairs can even be done "at the field" with minimal loss of flying time.
That's why all of our kits include foam wings! They are stronger, lighter, more precise, and take less time to build and repair. So for building or replacing, use foam wings and fly like the pros!