should i upgrade to a carbon tail boom?

[bolders]

not a fan of carbon booms at all, much prefer alu ones, wish avant would do an alu version for the aurora

+1

I just don't get why people use CF booms and also dont get why manufacturers associated with high quality machines specify them as stock items.
IMO CF is just not as good as alu in this application. OK it may be a bit stiffer but you have increased crash costs, increased vibes and as mentioned they can shatter. I suppose fatigue resistance is better with CF than alu but I am yet to hear of an aluminium boom give way due to fatigue.

[jamiem]

I suppose fatigue resistance is better with CF than alu but I am yet to hear of an aluminium boom give way due to fatigue.

Ask Danny Lock or Duncan Osbourne about fatiguing alloy booms! Danny had one fail while flying a demo at the Hop Farm show last year (and having spoken to him about this he said it was his third iirc), and Duncan had one fail during one of his rounds in the 3D Champs last year.

Having said this, I prefer metal as it's a little more resilient in a crash; carbon tends to crack/split very easily on impact, where as metal you can get away with small dents sometimes, plus they are way cheaper!

[wayne123]

Stick with ali cf looks good but it's going to cost you more to put right if/when you bend it.

[loz]

do all the align booms fit all the 500 models in the range? or does each individual model have a slightly different size/fit, and would it be the same for the 450 range ?

[mark_w]

I actually like the look of a black alu boom, so I say go with that.

I think too much carbon fiber can look tacky, especially if you know its just a carbon fiber effect boom (like on the 700)