PatMc

Just cut the red wires of both ESCs or use opto ESCs & connect the UBEC inline with the battery.

Hi Steven, I have a Protech Unlimited 600 which uses the same fuselage & tail as the Alpha but smaller span wings. It's faster & aerobatic rather than a thermal floater, however the motor mount problems are identical & IMO the same power would suit the Alpha.  I'm using one of these inrunners with 3s 2200 lipos, a 30A ESC & a Graupner 8x4.5 folding prop. This pulls around 26A for 270W so even though mine has been OK I would advise using a 35A or 40A rated ESC. Here's a couple of pics of the battery & motor mounting method I use :   You will see there's a metal "strap" holding the motor to the supplied plastic fixing. Also you might notice in the first pic there's a black painted canopy/hatch which I made in fibre glass using a spring loaded catch to retain. The original canopy was a flimsy affair that was broken when I got the model & a common problem with both of these Protech models. When I obtained the model (second hand) it came with a spare fuselage & tail unit. I've fitted this out for slope soaring with a dummy spinner & the servos well forward to help get the cg right. This one has a canopy moulded from a pop bottle that's permanently taped in place.Here's a couple of pics showing the servos fixing & the model ready to fly in sloper mode.     

Posted by Ben B on 23/06/2011 21:37:52: It's been done. Streaker . Supersonic and guidable. Not exactly small though! LOL! Err, AFAICS it's sub-sonic.

He broke his own record at least a couple of times after that.Maynard Hill's autobiography AFAICS the latest was in 1971 26,980ft but he also held or holds the record for model glider altitude at 3660ft set in 1966. I have a copy of the Feb 1967 FM magazine with the construction article on the glider - the Bong Boomer & to be honest it's a pretty basic, inefficient looking design from the performance POV but sufficient for the job required of it.

Posted by Spice Cat on 23/06/2011 20:04:32: Or apart from speed, what about an altitude record for either powered on non powered model??? Look up Maynard Hill's world records.

If done the record would probably be slower than the speed taken by the CAA to have model turbine flying banned.

I find that the layout of the HK DE warehouse web pages is very poor. It's a PITA browsing for what you're interested in & then you don't know if it's in stock until you go to the individual item's page.

Erfolg I'm trying to point out that undercamber is not an aerodynamic feature.It's a result of camber & thickness. Many of the pre-mouldy generation of thermal gliders used undercambered sections. For instance some, if not all of the Sean Bannister designed Algebra's used undercambered sections & they didn't hang about hoping to bump into a thermal, they perform(ed) best when used actively thermal hunting.   

The £18/£15 limit does include P&P. See 3.1 Personally I think that the handling fee etc charges made by RM (or whichever carrier) are reasonable & to be expected.  Actually many of the lipos from the HK Euro warehouse are at good prices & undercut UK based retailers. However their postage is slower (IIRC within a week) & I think the minimum shipping weight means that it's only worthwhile with a sizeable order. Edited By PatMc on 23/06/2011 14:39:11

The point I was making is that undercamber isn't in itself a reason to dismiss a secion as unsuitable for thermal hunting.

I agree that having a light floater that can't be speeded up is very limiting. The model can only be flown when thermal activity is less evident or on slopes when there's little wind.I disagree on Erfolg's comment about undercambered sections. Undercamber isn't an aerodynamic feature, it's merely a function of the sections camber & thicness. A section with the same camber but thicker might be flat bottomed or bi-convex but produce more drag for the same lift. If flutter because of the thin wing flexing is a concern I've found that double covering with tissue & Solarfilm can work wonders. The tissue is applied, water shrunk followed by a single coat of dope. Then cover with Solarfilm or similar but iron after the initial shrinking carefully iron down at a low heat so that the film adheres to the tissue in all the open areas between the ribs & any sheeting. This gives a slightly textured finish which is still shiny but takes away some of the "plasticy" appearance. The technique also allows scope for decoration using different coloured film with the transitions not reliant on the structure.

BTW I've tried many different 27AM sets with different makers Xtls & they've always been compatible. Even swapped Tx & Rx ones around in the past when someone else has turned up at a remote slope site on the same frequency - illegal of course but at the time we were plagued by illegal CB so felt justified.

Steve, how close were you when you tried it after the Xtl change ? Is it possible that Rx was simply swamped ?

Hand tow, electric winch or bungee but if you have a slope site to use it will make a gentle light wind floater. Here's a scan from a 1984 Silent Flight special.  My own choice would be to modify it to take an electric motor in the nose & 3s lipo.

Maybe Terence has been to the pictures recently. The Kings Speech

Alan, I've used Solarfilm & Solartex on gliders & power models from just about the time they first became available. 'Tex is fine on either & tougher than film which is a big plus for any models that are landing without wheels. As far as 'tex adding drag to a model like the MP, I totally disagree, there probably isn't enough laminar flow to make any difference & in fact a some turbulent airflow over the wing can help the lift/drag ratio.The actual adhesive quality of Solartrim isn't the only issue, it doesn't stretch enough to handle an compound curves has a limited colour range & is only useful as a decal. Solarfilm adheres just as well or better, is no problem on compound curves, has a greater colour range & usually I have plenty of suitable off-cuts from other models so there's no contest. The same applies to Solartex, in fact I rarely add any paint or other decals to any models covered with either of these coverings.

IMO Solartex is a good choice covering for the Middle Phase but Solartrim definitely won't stick to it. A contrasting colour Solartex works well but it's best to iron down at the lowest temp that will get the decor piece(s) to stick in case it shrinks & distorts the pattern. Solarfilm used as trim will also adhere to Solarfilm but not quite as well & the same low heat proviso applies. Personally I've never found Solartim satisfactory on anything even Solarfilm which will stick on itself very well if first treated with a smear of Prymol.

Posted by buster prop on 08/06/2011 20:12:55: Does anyone else do this and if not, why not? Something similar for the reverse weight reasoning. I've successfully used the bec from redundant brushed esc with a 2s lipo in a small glider. It was lighter with more capacity than using a small 4.8v nimh battery. Edited By PatMc on 08/06/2011 22:22:03

Posted by leccyflyer on 06/06/2011 13:38:42:  OTOH the Frsky modules state categorically that the TX antenna should be vertical. AFAICS that's only stated in the range check procedure instructions. Since the model will be virtually level with the Tx at this time the orientation will be for best signal. There doesn't seem to be any recommendation for when the models in flight.