Reichard Models Champion

[Andy Butler]

I was chatting with a friend at the last club meeting and we were discussing gliding in general and thermal competitions in particular. I used to love thermalling with my Sonata back then and actually became quite competent, so much so that new pilots would hand me their transmitter if they got into trouble. I forgot that feeling when your model climbs away and the peace of it all. So, with my friends encouragement I intend to get back into it. To that end I've bought a Tower Hobbies Vista - a basic two channel glider that will help smooth out the first few flights and also allow me to fly at the local park that we are allowed on a Tuesday and the sports field on a Wednesday - and of course at the patch any day. So far so good. Then it happened and I fell in love. I was minding my own business, looking at other gliders and there she was - the Reichard Models Champion. So that was it, I just had to have one - not cheap but then quality costs. The guys at T9 helped me with wise words as they processed my payment and the deed was done.

Then in a moment of weakness, I also purchased the recommended MVVS electric motor - ouch.

So I have being delivered the Champion and the MVVS cased outrunner and I'm like a kid waiting for Christmas - it really is quite disturbing.

I've always gone for cheap motors before and not had any real problems, other than the performance drops off after a while, or they throw a magnet or the bearings fail. So is the MVVS (a 3.5/960) worth paying out for? I guess we'll find out. I'll post some pictures when it arrives.

[Area 51]

MVVS are great for gliders, pretty much their forte.. No problem with this set up though; I have the same glider with a different motor, soars a treat after the motor cuts.. Superb under power too.. Take time to trim her for powered and glider flight and all will be fine, a have 30% expo dialled in to give smooth, smooth controls .. Some warm days ahead and I safely predict you will have neckache !

Get it built

[Tom Sharp]

I havean MVVS motor in my Cularis sailplane. Great motor never misses a beat.

[Andy Butler]

Thanks guys - nice to know. Just waiting for the delivery - today I hope.

[Andy Butler]

Well it was delivered as promised by the nice guys at T9 at a shade before 9 o'clock. I was expecting the yellow and red one but in the box was the blue/ clear model - no problem I can live with that. The GRP fuselage is not the best I have ever seen, a little uneven in places and the seam is relatively large but it has carbon fibre strips embedded the full length of the fuselage and up the fin so some good strength in it. Then I looked at the wings and all I can say is wow - the quality of the wood, and the covering is simply first class. I could not believe that a commercially built product would be quite so good with obviously such care and attention to detail. I have ordered a couple of snakes as only one was supplied and some ball links to modify the elevator linkage which is great if you want to remove the tailplane every time but doesn't fill me with confidence. There is a thread on another forum with some good photo's of the mod.

As for that motor - it's all I can do not to kneel before it - turning the shaft, there is none of the notchiness of cheaper brands and no noise whatsoever. The bearings are supremely smooth and the whole thing just oozes quality.

I will post some photo's later and if it flies as good as it looks it's going to be fantastic - all we need now is a summer!

[Devon Flyer]

I've been using a Reichard 'Ellipsoid' for thermal flat field soaring for the past 8 years and it does the job very well. The Champion is basically the same thing, but the wing seat mounting is different.

Funnily enough, I wanted a blue and white one.................but Puffin only had them in yellow and red!

I'm running an Axi 2820/10 on 3300 / 3s in it and the performance is more than adequate in the climb.

I'm sure you will be well satisfied with the Champion.

Edited By Devon Flyer on 13/05/2013 18:53:31

[Andy Butler]

Well I'm not working today (for a change) so I've been getting the motor mount installed. I've taken some photo's of the MVVS motor as well for you to drool over (if that's your thing).

Nicely packaged with the mating 3.5mm connectors included and some decent instructions too.This thing is seriously smooth and not as heavy as I had been led to expect.

Next the motor mount was way too big for the nose so I found a socket that fitted exactly and with a strip or two of masking tape, span it in my pillar drill and applied some 120 grit glass paper to take a little at a time off. The socket also allowed me to manipulate the mount in the hole to check the fit. It took almost 3 hours of taking a little off and checking and it was a little nerve jangling to say the least. I didn't want to take so much off that it was loose and popped out of the front of the fuselage but eventually, going very little by very little I finally acheived the desired result.

It's now a good tight fit in the front and can't pop out. This will get epoxied in and the motor mounted one the innards have been installed.Just for once, the holes in the motor lined up exactly with the mount AND I had four 8mm M3 button heads too. That doesn't happen very often.

More as the build progresses.

[Andy Butler]

OK, just epoxied in the motor mount.

Didn't really need to add that but I couldn't resist my 300th post.

[Andy Butler]

Well I have filed the slots in the fin and epoxied in the snake outers so that's all good. I made the holes in the tailplane for the M3 mounting bolts using a small, heated philips screwdriver (the one that came with the Bixler 2) which leaves nice neat holes of exactly the right size. There are warnings on RCGroups that the fin is not always square so I brought out my trusty SLEC building jig out and started to line everything up. I laid a straight edge across the wing seat and using a spirit level, set the fuselage up square to the board. Having bolted on the tailplane, sure enough it is twisted to the right and low on that side. The fix is fairly simple though, you just epoxy in the fin post and get it all clamped up square while the epoxy sets. Sounds like a job for the slow setting variety. You would need nerves of steel to use 5 minute. Some photo's and you'll see what I mean.

So there you have it. I'll jig it up and epoxy the fin post in and hopefully will end up with a square tail. Otherwise the thing is going to be flying in circles. Well it will anyway, if you see what I mean but preferably only when I want it to.

More soon.

Edited By Andy Butler on 25/05/2013 21:05:52

Edited By Andy Butler on 25/05/2013 21:06:28

[Andy Butler]

The back end was finished up and I'm pleased that it all came out nice and square. The servos were fitted into the fuselage and the wings next, HS-82MG for the ailerons and JR 591's for rudder and elevator. These are my first ever JR servo's and they're really nice, smooth , positive and powerful. I deviated from the instructions (such as they are - if this was your first build you would get seriously stumped.), The model was designed around an 8 cell NiCd pack and the battery tray has these at an angle - apparently so they can break free and pop the canopy off in the event of a hard 'arrival' and are located over ther C of G. I made up a long platform from stiff card and when it fitted, transferred the shape to a length of 1/8 birch ply and epoxied that in. This gave me a nice long flat area for all the electronics and the Lipo. I'm going to use a 3S 2200mAh, which should do nicely. It looks as if the balance will be spot on but if it's a bit marginal, I have a couple of 3300's I could use if absolutely necessary. I diepensed with the instructions again when hooking up the elevator. They would have you simply glue a small piece of tube to the elevator and a piece of, not very stiff, wire just pushes into it in case you want to remove the tailplane. I elected to use a ball link and a standard control horn as some others have reported. Today I added the graphics (good old soapy water technique) and fastened the canopy and she's finished. Looks really good and if the wind ever drops we'll see how she flies. So, some photo's.

So there you have it. I'll let you know how she goes when I can get some air under her wings.

[Bob Moseley]

Hi, Andy,

If it possible could I have the COG & Control Settings, I have just got one of these off eBay and i want to make sure it is set up correctly before I fly it.

Mant thanks.

[Andy Butler]

Hi Bob,

No problem at all, I'll have a look when I get home and let you know. The C of G is 60 to 65mm back from the leading edge IIRC and the ailerons need a lot more up than down but I will check later.

Well done on your Ebay purchase. What motor does it have?

[Bob Moseley]

The glider is an older one I think, it has a Tornado A3630 1000 motor and an tired looking TowerPro 40A ESC, which I will upgrade as a precaution. I am hopeful of having it ready for the weekend.

If you can check on the Aileron Differential too.

[Andy Butler]

Ok Bob, I have the manual here, it says;

Elevator 6mm each way

Rudder 10mm each way

Aileron 10mm up and 4mm down.

COG at 60 to 65mm from the leading edge.

If you get to fly it at the weekend, let me know how you get on.

[Sandy Colquhoun]

Evening chaps, just thought I`d pass this on, the CG as stated is about right for starting off, but I found the ailerons pretty feeble and had to bump up the movement to the most I could get, applying a bit of expo to aid fine control. Certainly the elevator is quite sensitive and doesn`t need much movement, expo is good here as well. The rudder isn`t all that powerful, so if you think you`ll need it, you might want to go for a hefty chunk of deflection for starters and refine it down later. I don`t use expo on it, nor do I have aileron/rudder mix. Get `em up in the air, weather`s going to be good, oh, and they both penetrate a moderate wind without difficulty.Do hold off to slow up the landing, the fibreglass fuse isn`t all that proof against minor cracking.

Regards and happy soaring

[Andy Butler]

Well I took the Champion out last night and did it fly? - boy did it fly! I have the controls set as per the manual and it was nigh on perfect, a click of left and she flew hands off. Penetrating the 10mph breeze well and climbed really strongly with virtually no pitch change at all. It was getting quite cool, the sun was low in the sky and she still found lift. At one point she was getting so high that I was having trouble with orientation. She really didn't want to come down. All from two 200ft ish climbs with 78% left in the battery on landing. The motor, ESC and battery (ancient 3s 2200) were barely warm and there was condensation on the wings. Just a couple of things to sort out, I've dialled in spoilerons on a switch and a little aileron to rudder mixing. As a fairly recent returnee, it just inspires confidence and is rock solid in the air and will fly as slowly or as quickly as you like with no tendency to drop a wing, even in fairly slow turns. The landings were a little hairy at first as it will float on for ever. The spoilerons should help there. I can't wait to take her out again.