Weight Comparison Of Covering Materials For Model Airplanes

MATERIAL GRAMS/5 SQ.IN. OZ/SQ.YD.
Airspan .0740 .673
Litespan .0930 .849
Light Colored Japanese Tissue;3 thin coats of nitrate dope .0955 .873
Colored Micafilm .1128 1.031
Light White Silk;5 coats thin nitrate dope .1240 1.134
Fibafilm .1345 1.230
Colored Skysail;4 coats 50/50 butyrate dope .1767 1.615
Black Silkspan;5 coats thin nitrate dope .1811 1.656
Colored Transparent Monokote .1843 1.685
White Japanese Tissue;4 coats 50/50 butyrate dope .2389 2.184
Colored Nylon;6 coats 50/50 butyrate dope .2395 2.190
Opaques Colored Monokote .2432 2.224
Coverite 21st Century Film .2526 2.310
White Super Coverite .2625 2.400
Colored Super Coverite .2953 2.700

These weights are very accurate and will provide a very good standard for comparison. However there may be small differences between different samples of the same material due to manufacturing processes, types of dyes, etc.
These weights for the different covering materials are very useful in planning the final weights for your model airplanes. This is most important when building small competition freeflight models; however, this information can be very useful for your smaller R/C models as well. Always build as light as possible as lighter airplanes fly better and hit the ground softer.

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