M&K developments

- described by Mikhail Kochkarev, March, 2006

Carbon wings

We start serious thinking about carbon D-box wing in 1988. Before this in the USSR some modellers (Stamov, Isaenko, D'akov and some other) used kevlar ("SVM"- russian name) D-box wings. Sergei had experience of using kevlar D-box wings. But that wings had serious defect - the warps of the wings were very changeable, particularly at hot and wet weather. We understood carbon is much more stable material, but in the USSR it was not possible to get carbon cloth. It was only unidirectional carbon tape ("ELUR 008") with minimal thickness about 0.1 mm.

At Sep. 1988 Sergei and me had made D-box covers with two layers of that carbon tape (+-45 deg) and a layer of aluminium foil (from F1C) up surface. That covers were made with usual (cold) epoxy resin. We gave that set of D-box covers to one of our student (Lizura Alexey) and ask him to build the wings with the set. We self were busy with some contests. At October the wings were tested. It was clear it good idea, but as I remember we would like to get less weight of the D-box cover (I don't remember exact value). Sergei and me continue that work with using hot epoxy resin. After some test examples we came to decision to weave the cover from 25 mm carbon strips (from our unidirectional carbon tape "ELUR008" +-45deg). It permit to get the covers enough straight. Specific wieght of the covers was 2.6 g/sg dm. It was enough good result. I think if we had carbon cloth then it was more simple to get the same result. During the winter Sergey built the model (long) with the covers.

Bunt launch

In April 1989 I was at team training meeting in Tashkent before World Champ in Argentina. Victor Chop first time demonstrated success bunt there. After returning I told to Sergey about it as very perspective. Sergey adjust that model with bunt. He won the USSR Champ in August 1989 on this model.

Wing wigglers

Sergey used 2 position wingwigglers from 1986. From 1990 we made new design of 2-posWW which is the same till now. First time we tested our 3-pos WW controlled by towhook in March 1994 in Norway and use it from 1994. Design of 3-pos WW not significance changed and now is generation of 1998. In 2000 it was developed new small design for F1H with another principle of operation.