Easy Glider Electric

[Geoff Daunt]

I have just finished building and found it all went together very well. I was a bit apprehensive using kicker and cyano since it goes off almost instantly and l did not want a banana or misaligned fuselage.A good tip is to offer up the sides on your work bench to about 5 mm apart and then place vertically some scrap 1/8 square strip about 6 inches apart all down the lenght of the fuselage. With kicker on one side and cyano on the other offer and press together the nose. You can then work down the length of the fuselage press the sides together and removing the strips of balsa as you go. If you use the slow cyano it will not stick to the balsa and can easily be removed providing you do the job say within a minute or 2. The result is a perfectly joined fuselage.
I also found l needed to put the aileron connectors on the third holein from the end (not the outermost one as per instructions) to get the correct aileron throw of 20mm up.
As to battery l had a spare 7 cell NiMH 3500. It was too big to fit initially but with use of balsa knife and dremmell l enlarged the battery box a few mm all around and made a nice fit.
I also did a dry fit with everything in place before joining the fuselage halves. I simply used masking tape around the fuselage to hold it together and with the Ball bearing in place at the rear of the fuselage secured with some blue tack. I used my multiplex balencer ( fantastic--everyone should have one ) and found it was tail heavy so l ditched the ball bearing. With my larger battery the cg was pulled back a bit so it was not needed.
I have now rebalenced at 700 mm as per the instructions on the completed model and found l only needed 10g to balence so all in all just about spot on.
I also used the supplied decals as per the illustrations on the box. They need some care cutting out but go on really well and it really looks a very pretty model.
Well the weather looks good today so l am off to the field to have it's maiden flight, fingers and toes crossed.!!!

[Geoff Daunt]

just to let everyone know it had its maiden flight yesterday. I got someone else to launch so l could keep my hands on the TX. It flew straight and steady and l had nothing to trim. An excellent flight with no problems. Well done Multiplex.

[Dead-stick]

Geoff, congratulations on a successful maiden flight! Also, there are some good building tips in your posting. Good luck with future flights.

[001]

I have had an Easy Glider electric for about 6 months and now I am used to it have been flying it in fairly high winds. I use a home assembled 8 x AA cell 1700 mah pack pack, and have found it unneccesary to use anything bigger - yet. I recently added a 30 cm. length of steel rod into the hollow spar and leave it in all the time even when flying in calm conditions. This allows it to penetrate better. I also temporarily tape lead to the nose when v. windy. The ball bearing supplied to fit in the tail should be left out when joining the fuselage, it is not needed... I hollowed the canopy out to leave more room for the battery, which is normally set well forward, and the esc. and wiring and fix it with a nylon bolt at the back because I do not trust the catches supplied.I also covered the underside of the nose with a patch of fibreglass cloth. It is hard to believe how well this piece of foam flies on a simple 400 geared motor!

[Neil S 2]

I wanted something to get back into flying after a 15yr 'break'. I have to say that this has been a perfect way to do it.

As mentioned above leave out the tail ball bearing - its just not required. Other than that I followed all the instructions and it was a quick painless build. I fly on a 1800 2 cell Lipo pack and it gives me just about the right power and flight time for most days.

I would advise adding some thick 'gaffer' tape under the nose extending down about 10 inches to help with those rough landings.

[001]

To add to my comments and my review, as some others have remarked, the ball bearing in the tail is superfluous. I managed to remove mine with difficulty, by referring to the drawing in the instructions and locating the ball bearing by memory and with a pin! Then I sharpened an aluminium tube of approx the right size and pushed it into the side of the fus. under the front of the fin. after a lot of twisting, pushing and pulling I managed to remove the ball bearing, then
glued the foam plug that had been taken out back into the hole. Fairly neatly. The Canopy is also easy to hollow out. The standard motor is a puzzle, it seems to be loose in the nose, but works perfectly so I leave it alone. Landmark model, along with Easy star, Twinstar.

[Geoff Daunt]

Richard, as to canopy catches all l can say is they work a treat if you follow the instructions. They are an excellent tight fit and have never moved in flight.They are about the best l have come accross for ease of fit and simplicity. I mention this in case anyone else should think they are flimsy and not upto the job. Pleased you are enjoying yours ..as am l.

[Sid Harrison]

MPX Easy Glider: I've just reached the completion stage and am now wondering about the control surface throws: should they be as stated or less? Reason is I flew the TWIN STAR on recommende throws but had to adjust radically.

[Geoff Daunt]

Sid, I set up as per instructions and have had no problems. But see my first thread about aileron connection hole.However l also dial into the Tx about 40% exponential to keep the initial response soft. I suppose it is about how much you like to use the sticks!!! Good luck and let us know how your first flight goes.

[Peter Wood]

Just finished the Easy glider (glider model) but cannot see were to put the RX switch. I am tempted to cut a hole just behind the nicd pack, on the port side, and put in one of those switch/charger contraption but it will be a large hole. I had one problem with construction. When I put on the rudder fixing it didn't stick, so ried again, so I think I will have to put a plate of plastic and screw into it.

Peter 

[001]

Hello Peter, I would probably leave the switch under the canopy and remove it when switching on and off, it's not such a chore, mine has an electric motor and I have to take the canopy off to unplug the flight pack anyway.

Re rudder, try roughening up the plastic horn and the Elapor and use Araldite, my Easyglider has had an estimated 300+ flights and had the rudder horn let go once, strangely the elevator which gets used more has never been a problem.

[David Ashby - Moderator]

With the canopy being easy to remove the switch can be left inside, just lying alone or perhaps taped to the inside of the fus'

[Peter Wood]

I just don't like the idea of loose cabling floating about. I was hoping to screw it down.

Peter

[David Ashby - Moderator]

That's over-engineering in an electric foamie IMHO Peter. But yes you could mount a ply plate I guess and cut foam to side-mount a switch, no problem

[Former Member]

[This posting has been removed]

[Peter Wood]

I have tried paiting the fuz with the foam safe paint from Perkins, but I put a little too much and it run. Do I just pur more on or can I rub it down with sand paper.

Peter 

[David Ashby - Moderator]

Very fine grade paper may be ok Peter, go gently

[Nick Farrow]

I have flown my EG for a couple of years now.

The first thing I did was to sort out a decent canopy hatch having nearly lost my mpx ez* due to a canopy incident. The nicad moved and poped off the canopy, and then dropped out. It was clearly my fault as the nicad velro had dropped off, but a decent canopy fixing would at least have kept the battery in the plane.

Not being a vastly talented or experienced pilot I found the stock EG power plant really lacking, taking for ever to get up to a decent glide hieght. I now have a cheap 200W outrunner and 3s 1800 that zooms it up to the same height in 10s of seconds rather than 5/6 minutes. I now get flight times that outlast the battery, rather than the over way round. It would seem that mpx tend to think the same way with the release of the 150w and 250w pro versions. I agree with leaving the ball out.

I have to say I really love to fly this plane with the brushless setup it has made such a difference for me!

nick

[David Ashby - Moderator]

It's a classic so no suprise there's a brushless version on the way now as most people were upgrading like you Nick. 

Multiplex have re-worked the kit too so it's improved along the way.

[david shatford]

It would have made sense for Mplex to leave ball out on RR and incl brushless? - The Als Hobbies Easy Fly Glider at £119 inc brushless & radio is a good alternative?

[Peter Wood]

I have a friend who flies the als easy fly but has had great trouble with the hinges and has now replaced them.

Peter

[Peter Wood]

I am flying the glider version and am very impressed. I have been flying today on the car park slope at Ivinghoe beacon. Not the best slope for the wind, but too lazy to walk to the top, also my wife came along to watch.

She was impressed and said how I had improved.

The first flight a week or so ago flew like a dream, just needed 10g in the nose. The only problem was that it thermalled too good, that I had to keep loosing height. I have even done a few loops on the first outing with only about an hour on the TX.

I tried putting the airbrakes out, Full ail down and about 25% up, but it seems to climb not loose height.

I have even tried!!!!!! a few bad landing and it is truly a beginners model and very forgiving

Peter

[Wasaforumite]

I am about 75% through building an Easy Glider Pro. The differences between this latest model and the two earlier versions have been well documented so I won't go into them here.

 The Pro version seems to have been designed very much with Multiplex's own (very expensive) power systems in mind. In my opinion much greater versatility could have been acheived if the nose had been made 1cm or so longer and the motor firewall moved forward. As it is a very large spinner is needed.  M's own spinner prop set is for a 5mm shaft - again requiring a specialist motor. I have gone down the route of using a small Hyperion B/less glider motor (4mm shaft) and the largest  Aeronaut prop (£20) which is still 5mm too small for the nose. Builders planning on going B/less might be better off buying the basic glider version and engineering their own nose/firewall to suit a cheap motor/prop combo.

 Has anyone else encountered this problem?

Ian 

[Brian Parker]

Yes, just bought one over the weekend only to discover that to use the recommended power train ( motor/esc/prop.) will cost  approx  £100 inc. postage.

I will also use an alternative set up!

[Anthony Cummings]

I have an Easy Glider Pro and am using it as a glider - without the motor fitted.

 I am using it to learn on and have managed to nose dive it into the ground several times - with little obvious damage. However, eventually one of the aileron hinges partially tore but I have repaired it with silicone.

I then started to notice that it kept wanting to nose up after launch at the slope and was told I was throwing it too hard - sensible. Upon inspection however I noticed the nosedives had softened the fuselage forward of the leading edge such that the nose was bending up in flight and making an uncommanded up elevator selection - plus a bit of rudder too.

I have just finished inserting some small diameter carbon rod either side of the nose - CA fastened into grooves I cut in line with the rudder and elevator snake slots. I also CA applied a wooden mixing stick to the bottom (as the foam is too thin for slotting).

It is now stiffer than a stiff thing and I anticipate no further problems in this regard - I just have to stop nose diving it on "Landing"

Recommend the Easy to learn on and CG at 70mm is very good.