# Seeking Suggestions for Aircraft Skin **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [June 20, 2013, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seeking-suggestions-for-aircraft-skin/661469 "2013-06-20T15:36:33Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Chilliwack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e79b87/32.png) [@Chilliwack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chilliwack)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2013, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seeking-suggestions-for-aircraft-skin/661469/1 "2013-06-20T15:36:33Z")
My friends and I are building a glider for an amateur flying competition, and are seeking advice on materials. Based on the shape of the craft, we will be constructing the skeleton using ABS or PVC pipe, and then wrapping it with a sheet type material. The material must be: -affordable -easily procured -fairly easy to work with -black, or able to be made black -somewhat durable Present front runners include polyethylene vapour barrier or tyvek - the concern with either being that they will not likely accept black paint readily. Any suggestions? ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2013, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seeking-suggestions-for-aircraft-skin/661469/2 "2013-06-20T17:09:13Z")
Polyethylene trash bags, the large-size thick kind for yard waste, are usually black, and meet all your other requirements too. You can use black duct tape for the seams. ---
**Author:** ![Meurglys](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/258eb7/32.png) [@Meurglys](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Meurglys)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2013, 11:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seeking-suggestions-for-aircraft-skin/661469/3 "2013-06-21T11:56:21Z")
[Ripstop](http://www.fabrics-n-stuff.co.uk/articles_kites.php)? Used for kites and sails, etc. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2013, 2:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seeking-suggestions-for-aircraft-skin/661469/4 "2013-06-21T14:05:52Z")
[Heat shrinkable Dacron](http://www.aircraftspruce.com/pages/cs/dacron/peelply3.php). You can paint it black, but that’s not a good idea. It will absorb heat from sunlight and transmit to your plastic frame, which you shouldn’t be using. Go to that site and look for real aircraft supplies. ---
**Author:** ![NorthernBiker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/50afbb/32.png) [@NorthernBiker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NorthernBiker)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2013, 3:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seeking-suggestions-for-aircraft-skin/661469/5 "2013-06-22T03:56:39Z")
Is this a human size glider? Or RC size. You can buy Conerite fabric at hobby stores. Lots of people use it to cover RC planes. It can be painted and is easy to apply. If this is a larger glider, you could always go way old school, and cover it with dope and fabric. Don’t buy aircraft spec though, it is expensive. ---
**Author:** ![usedtobe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ec9cab/32.png) [@usedtobe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/usedtobe)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2013, 7:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seeking-suggestions-for-aircraft-skin/661469/6 "2013-06-22T07:25:27Z")
+1 on black color on anything plastic, let alone anything whose failure may result is death or serious injury to living things. Even the smallest flexibility can ruin your spar - and a V-shaped spar is a real bad idea. Aircraft Spruce **Tripolar** ’s link - sells aluminum tubing of strength that allows members to be much smaller than the hardware store stuff. They also sell real wood - just like the WWI planes used. Al and wood can withstand the heat from a plastic skin. ---
**Author:** ![Chilliwack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e79b87/32.png) [@Chilliwack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chilliwack)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2013, 2:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seeking-suggestions-for-aircraft-skin/661469/7 "2013-06-22T14:35:23Z")
Thanks for all of the input so far! It is a human sized glider, although the term glider may be a bit of an overstatement. This is more like the quality of glider that we’re talking about: [Red Bull Flugtag Ottawa - Speuce Goose - YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MFdj81Ax31s) The contractor’s garbage bags sound like a great idea to me, but my team has given them the thumbs down. I’ll be looking into the ripstop locally to see what prices are like. Keep the great suggestions coming! ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2013, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seeking-suggestions-for-aircraft-skin/661469/8 "2013-06-22T14:46:02Z")
Ok, so it’s not a glider, it’s a faller, for entertainment purposes. In that case you don’t need to spend money on aircraft quality material. Just go to the KMart, they sell sheet like material called sheets. Buy some cheap ones, they may even come in black. You could also get large sheets of black polyethylene. The cheap dropcloth stuff is usually too light, go to a building supply, even you local Home Despot to get something thicker. You can’t really glue it, but duct tape works well and comes in black. Small diameter PVC tubing will be pretty flexible, but cheap, with fittings available, and it can be glued easily. ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2013, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seeking-suggestions-for-aircraft-skin/661469/9 "2013-06-22T16:29:08Z")
For that kind of thing I would use paper – I would guess that newsprint is the largest size you can get easily and cheaply. If you want to be more cheery, perhaps some kind of gift wrapping paper. ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2013, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seeking-suggestions-for-aircraft-skin/661469/10 "2013-06-22T16:36:12Z")
If this is not a life or death design then the garbage bags designed not to rip should still be on the table. ---
**Author:** ![Chilliwack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e79b87/32.png) [@Chilliwack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chilliwack)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2013, 3:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seeking-suggestions-for-aircraft-skin/661469/11 "2013-06-23T03:56:48Z")
> [@Magiver](#): > > If this is not a life or death design then the garbage bags designed not to rip should still be on the table. I haven’t ruled that out. I’m going to bring a contractor-grade bag to our next build session to try to convince the team.