russ d

Hi, if you can find a copy of "Radio Control Thermal Gliding" by Markus Lisken & Ulf Gerber, well worth a read and I found helped with my thermal flying (it's probably a bit old now but the theory's still the same !). r.

I usually try to get out 2 or 3 times a week when the weather is ok, this evening looks good for the first trip this year to the Purbecks ! It will be interesting to find out if my new knee can cope with the hill ! r.

Hi, if you can find a copy of "Radio Control Thermal Gliding" by Markus Lisken & Ulf Gerber, it makes a very good read and explains thermal gliding without getting too technical ! Russ

The Sunbird is not much of a thermal glider, much more a shove it off a slope with a fair wind and tear around the sky type of glider, there is a very long thread on RCG about the Sunbird (worth a read). russ

Hi, I set the tail plane on my Sunbird by eye ! Inline with wing when assembled (was almost bang on the centre of the slot) but with loads of elevator movement available for the maiden flight with the c of g at 75mm (boy! was the elevator twitchy !) After a few flights I have the c of g at 80 mm and reduced the tail plane travel to 11 mm each way at the trailing edge, I reckon I can go further back with the c of g and reduce the tail plane travel as well, At these settings it will pull out of a 45 degree dive and needs a bit of of down when inverted. russ

I had a similar mishap with my sunbird ! One thing I will mention is that the wing is glass over balsa and if you are unlucky the internals can be more damaged then the outer looks ( on mine the balsa used was very soft). I opened up the glass skin along the joint using a thin scapel and very carefully used thin cyno to glue the balsa & then reattached the skin using cyno with masking tape to hold in position. They always fly better after being repaired ! or is it because you don't care so much ? russ.

I just love this time of year ! With the light evenings,being able to finish work, go home & take a trip out to the Purbecks, had a great hour & half at Smedmore hill overlooking Kimmeridge Bay flying a MPX Blizzard, got a bit chilly as the evening went on thou, slept well last night ! Not enjoying being back in the office this morning ................ russ.

Maiden flight of my Mefisto in the Purbeck's yesterday, what a cracking light wind soarer ! Bought it from "Flying Dog" ready built with the servo's installed & finished glassed wings & tail, (V tail & thermal section), (my building room is our bedroom at the moment! so no sanding or gluing allowed). A couple of clicks of up, (removed after a bit of lead taken out to move the CG back after the first flight), and away she went, had three really good flights, need to reduce the elevator throws a little & I reckon the CG could go back a bit more (needed a bit of down when inverted). Considering how light the conditions were I am really pleased, Thanks Rob ! r.

Looks very much like the multiplex LS1 to me (late 70s early 80s) russ.

try **LINK** russ

"but found it impossible in Dorset" ! sorry for hijacking the thread BUT ! The Purbecks ? you can fly in just about any direction if you don't mind a walk. In the north of the county the Wessex Soaring Association has slopes. In the west there is Ringstead etc russ

Hi, there was a very good thread on rcmf on the sunbird build. russ

oops, SD150 not SD100 ! russ

"Mind you, I suppose a lot depends on one's 'landing' technique too. " Aaah ! Bill I did not realise you flew in the purbecks ! I will say that the later Sunbird fuselages from T9 are much better than the earlier ones from elsewhere. I have hs65mg in one plane & sd100 in the other, the 65's fit but are a squeeze. Sunbird vs Whisper thou ? chalk & cheese, totally different to fly. What was it Andy Ellison said ? No such thing as the wrong conditions ? it's not having enough gliders ! russ

If you really want the Sunbird ? Buy a Sunbird from T9 (excellent service !) and with the difference buy a MPX Blizzard to fly when your repairing the Sunbirds fuselage ...........! I flew my Whisper a lot last year, it is a very good plane but not the same performance as a Sunbird, much easier to fly and way tougher ! russ