Best E glider to speck out.

[Jim Newberry - Nuviation Ltd.]

Hello Everyone,

My personal holy grail in terms of e soaring is the ultimate glider for specking out, so I'm after suggestions. I want something around 3m span, very stable so it can look after itself at the limit of visibility and as efficient as possible so I can turn it into a barely visible spot in the sky. That's all I want to do - I have no interest in competing - I just like flying gliders as high as I possibly can. I'm easily pleased. What can anyone recommend? I had a Highlight 1.8m which did the job splendidly although it was a bit on the small side (and caught fire mid-air - long story) and I now have a Sprite E which is great but not as stable as I'd like when it's so high that orientation becomes a problem.

All contributions gratefully received.

Jim

[Frank Skilbeck]

If you are after a foam model then the Multiplex Cularis might fit the bill but only 2.6m span and these guys seem to have a good range of larger e-gliders but I've not seen any model reviews.

[Andy Green]

How much do you want to spend?

Hyperflight do excellent models, but you pay for them. I have an eBlaster and over the last 4 years is my most flown model.

Andy

[Jim Newberry - Nuviation Ltd.]

Thanks for the input so far. I don't mind spending a few quid for the right glider - my Sprite wasn't exactly cheap and I know Hyperflight do some great models (they are also just down the road from me) but they don't have anything between the Highlight and the AVA in the rudder elevator range ( I am thinking a rudder elevator model best suits my requirement of pretty much flying itself when required). Given that the Highlight is 189GBP and the AVA is 699GBP, that's quite a gap! Ideally I'd like something under about 400GBP although I'll go more for the right model. I also want a built up job. I would rather avoid foam if I can (and I would be the first to admit that my aversion to foam is nothing more than mis-placed snobbery but there we go!)

We all know how this will end, of course. I will decide all avenues have been exhausted and I just HAVE to buy an AVA - it's really the only sensible choice, anything else would be a false economy etc and I'll say to SWMBO, as I always do, "This? No I bought it at that swapmeet for fifty quid. What do you mean you don't remember me going to a swapmeet? It was... ooh ages ago. You must have been visiting your mother...."

[Eifion Herbert]

I was going to start almost the exact same thread, so to save duplication I thought I'd pile in this one. Last few times out I've managed to hook my ebay crash / repair sourced radian into a few thermals and absolutely loved it. Came home with sunburnt hands both times and really enjoyed flying the radian as high as possible. At 2m though that's not all that high so I've been looking for something around 3m, well behaved, with a motor for launching. Would be nice to have something that doesn't have so much gorilla glue visible too, though I can't see that once it's in the air!. Been drawn to the Bird of Time, the FliteTest guys recentle did a vid on Josh Bixler's model, and i really like the semi eliptical shape on the TE of the outer wing panels, like it's a little nod to the 1930 style gliders, but I can't find it for sale in the UK.

The elctric conversion would also have to be a home-spun hack job, but I gather from the interwebs it's a fairly straightforward mod.

[Andy Green]

Puffin models sell the BoT.

Probably not the place to mention it, but I have an unflown Pelekan Xtreme converted to electric for sale.

Andy