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flexifoil windbag


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  • 1 year later...
Hi there,  I know this thread was posted ages ago but in answer to your request and of course if you are still interested after all this time I have a complete boxed, unstarted kit. Again like you I first saw one of these being flown at our club site around the mid 80s. Incredible machines. I thought then I must get one. Unfortunately production was short lived for some reason. However if you still need any info on the canard section I may be able to help.
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  • 2 years later...

windbag was featured in RCM&E but i bought the kit from Stan Catchpole in liverpool ah those were the days.i will check the x-list just in case.cheers jeremy...cheked out x-list it was the wrong one mine was not an airship but looks very interesting though...cheers

Edited By jeremy stubbings 1 on 28/07/2012 11:48:43

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Hi Jeremy.

I have a windbag which I bought 30 years ago & still have the plans. PM me an e-mail address & I will scan the canard section of the drawing for you. If you look at my photos (album miget mustang ) last pic you will see my windbag. Last year I spoke to A W Jones who built the wind bag back in the early 80's and he repaired the flexifoil wing for me and also made me a spare wing. Still have not had the time to fly this plane even though it's 30 years old !!!!

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  • 1 month later...
  • 2 months later...

Hi Roger, Just stumbled on your thread concerning the Windbag. I had one many years ago while living in Germany. It raised a few eyebrows in the German flying club. I left it to a good friend when I left and regretted it ever since! I've been trying for a long time to get another without success, even contacting the manufacturers in New York. Do you still have yours? Will you sell it? How much? Could I have a copy of the plans? Happy landings, Roy

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For anyone interested in the windbag, theres a guy on Ebay thats started making kits / selling built models. £85 for kit or £115 built, or £150 with engine and servos. Seems a bit steep to me but i guess the kite isn't cheap.

Windbag

Usual disclaimer, i have nothing to do with this guy except contemplating whether to give him some money wink

Rob

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  • 9 months later...

Some may remember that almost a year ago, I sought on this great forum, some information regarding rebuilding a 'Windbag'. I had one some 30 odd years ago but found that they were no longer in production. It's a canard with a Flexifoil as a wing! Rather than try to explain, have a quick look at the pictures. 2050_12310090.jpgI managed to get the plans from JVR and several other good forumites (thanks chaps)and spent the rest of the year assembling it. 2050_12310091.jpgIt's great fun flying it, once you get the trim sorted! It does, however, raise eyebrows amongst the old and bold arriving with Spitfires, ME109's etc. Comments like, "What have you get there, your Mums washing line?" are not uncommon.the windbag.jpg

Anyway, I like it! Happy Landings, Roy

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  • 11 months later...
  • 4 weeks later...

I brought myself a Flexifoil Stacker 6 kite off ebay with the intention of building a windbag, and over a year later i finally got around to it....

img_20140806_190934.jpg

Unfortunately it seems i have built a racing car that drags a parachute around with it. Despite the kite inflating it just will not rotate. sad

If anyone with experience with anything like this has any tips i'd be more than grateful?

It is built as per the plan and is powered by an old Supertigre 45 with a 10x7 pusher. On opening the throttle, the kite inflates and i'm sure it is getting enough speed that it should fly. I pull back the elevator and the nose starts to lift but thats where it stops. There either isn't enough lift from the kite or not enough power to get it airborne. I've tried changing the incidence on the canard to give more lift but to no avail. The plan said that a decent 0.30cu engine would be sufficient, so even if my 0.45 is a bit tired it should still have enough grunt.

I'm planning on trying a different prop, maybe an 11x6, but i doubt just changing that will make a huge difference. Other than that i am stumped........ Any ideas?

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whats the canard made of......I have entertained our lads since my first one 25 yrs ago.....my first one had an Ervine 40 and had to change the canard as it was made of ply and made a balsa one which was ridged enough once this was more solid it rotated in about 50ft.if you have made it from the plan DONT change the incidence ..the 10.6 is right.....mine has a larger opening but looks like Roy has the same set up as you and obviously has no problems ..all I can think of is check the canard make sure its going in the right direction for up..........mines unstoppable on rotation don't panic when they lift off they have a nose high attitude on lift off..once airbourne throttle back and use small movements at first till you get use to her.....if you can film her we may get a better idea....or wheres you field....good luck happy windbag flying.....

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Hi jeremy,

I forgot about the canard. It was the only bit i changed, i made it out of balsa, 3/8 thick if i remember. And i bolted it to the canard mount rather than using bands. Initially i set the incidence as per the plan, with the elevator going the right way - moving down for up command.

Its hard to describe but when trying to lift it off the ground, even with full up the nose would almost bounce. It would start to rotate but then give up and drop back to the ground. Even using the whole length of our strip which is about 500ft of tarmac..... Perhaps there isn't enough power from the old engine i'm using?

Edited By Rob Lewis on 14/09/2014 00:06:18

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ok that's right I bolted mine on as well ...the engine should be powerful enough...not sure changing the prop would have any effect.....im guessing here but its either not powerful or too much drag......I would have to see it ......is the rear axel in line with the aluminium spar or further back towards the engine...it looked right in the picture...it sound that it cant rotate for some reason........lift....thrust.....drag......weight......the front opening on mine is about 2i to 3 inches deep gauze.....I assume the wing inflates but cannot rotate..i also had large wheels oh yes try flying her with out the body first..just in case...j

Edited By jeremy stubbings 1 on 14/09/2014 02:30:28

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Thats was my thought, not enough power or too much drag. The first attempt at flight i did have the body on, but all attempts after that i had the body removed to try and remove some drag. The rear axle sits behind the spar by about an inch or so, but this is as per the plan. I was thinking about moving this forward slightly, but too much and the prop would hit the ground on rotation.

I had assumed that the Stacker 6 kite i brought was the same as the windbag kite. But by the sounds of it the gauze opening is smaller on my kite. I guess this could make a difference, although Roy is using the same kite and obviously had success.

I have a Thunder tiger 46 on another plane that is in for repairs at the mo, i may change the engines over and give it another go to see if a bit more power helps it.

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