Versatile slope soarer

[Rob Kelly]

Hi,

I'm looking for some advice on a smallish (around 2 meters) slope soarer that is quick and easy to transport, easy to rig and that will fly in low and high winds with a bit of ballast.

I have a small delta which is a bit weighty that is good in higher winds and i have a cmpro discuss that flies well but is a bit fragile to transport and a faff to connect the air brakes push rods inside the fuselage when putting the wings on (well, when its windy and cold at least).

Rob

[Frank Skilbeck]

Just about any mouldie would fit the bill, my 1.8m Mini Blade will fly in everything from light winds to 40mph +, 2nd hand ones can be got for reasonable money.

The other option would be something like a Chris Foss Phase 6

[John Lee]

Welcome Rob.

Rather depends on what type of model you want. For a mouldie the RCRCM Mini Vector, wood a Phase 6 & for a foamie Multiplex EasyGlider or FunRay all go well.

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[Rob Kelly]

thanks for your advice chaps.

I have pondered the Phase 6, my question on the more traditional built up models is the wing section. Modern 'mouldies' would surely have a better thinner section?

I like the look of the Toledo and sierra from stan yeo, similar to the phase 6.

I really don't like foam models.

I do like the look of the Blade and mini vector, they look like they would fly in most wind conditions- I think its one of these then i'd probably go for.

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[John Lee]

I didn't like the 'professional' (fully symmetrical section) Phase 6, IMHO the semi-symetrical 'sport' version flies much better & the old Flair Heron (if you can find one) is just as good, if not better.

The mini vec (& other good moulded models) fly better again albeit at the extra cost of both the model & the equipment - you need 6 decent mini & thin wing servos at £30-£60 a pop. The mini vector is my favourite sport slope model at the moment.

Edited By John Lee on 28/05/2018 11:03:29

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[Rob Kelly]

Thanks Percy, I'll have a closer look at his kits then, it would be a lot cheaper than a mouldie by the sound of it, I hadn't considered the cost of servos- the total cost could approach ?600!
My gripe with foam models David is the moulded foam ones and how the look. The wisel there looks like it's wrapped in tape or similar, I'm not a great fan of the combat flying wing type models if I'm honest, I prefer the looks and flying characteristics of a conventional model.
The flying wing I have has a veneered foam wing and a ply fuselage so is tough and has been bashed around quite a bit so for very windy days it's ideal, it's just not very elegant in the way it flies.

[Steve Houghton 1]

Hi Rob - I can vouch for the Stan Yeo designs at Phoenixmp as I have the Vagabond and Carerra. The Carerra has a semi symetrical section, will cruise around in fairly light conditions, but give it a 20 mph wind and she'll perform all the aeros you want. Heck mine will even do a knife edge.

The kits are great quality and come complete with all the fittings. You only have to buy the usual sanding paper, glue, covering etc. The Carerra is great value at about £75.

I do like flying mouldies, but I don't have a decent enough budget for them usually, but balsa and foam are pretty good, and balsa isn't as crunchie as some think, but they are easier to repair than glass if you have a bit of a bump.

Steve

A470soaring

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[Andy Blackburn]

+1 for the Phoenix Model Products kits; a mate of mine had one of these that was bought second-hand several years ago (might have been a Carrera) and it was lovely to fly, really nice in light winds and thermally conditions (<5 mph) but went like the clappers if you pushed the nose own.

[John Lee]

Notwithstanding my earlier recommendations +2 for PMP kits from observations of Clubmate's models, but I've never owned one myself. However I have used PMP for other things & you have to go a long way to beat Stan's customer service.

[Russell Hawkes 1]

I would echo the positive comments regarding PMP gliders. I have built and flown the Sierra and Stage 2 kits and they both tick all the boxes for looks and performance, my only caveat would be on weight, neither has needed ballast for windy hillsides and neither would be my first choice for light weather. However, the Cariba is (nominally) half a pound lighter and so looks (on the face of it) to be the best choice to meet your requirement for a model to suit "low and high winds with a bit of ballast".

My current favourite all-rounder is the vintage John Hancock 'Jubilee' design from 1977. Details are available on the Outerzone website. This trades pure aerobatic performance for versatility but is always a delight to fly.

[Rob Kelly]

Thanks Steve for the advice and the video, it certainly looks good in the air and on the ground.

Sorry David, i wasn't trying to say your Wisel was tatty, i was just saying i prefer more 'conventional' looking and flying models. It certainly would be a fun and convenient model but i already have a flying wing. Its nice to have a rudder too when tracking parallel to the slope

Thanks Andy, John and Russel, i think i'll go for one of the PMP kits, probably the carrera, I prefer the tail. I don't think i can justify the cost of a moulded glider with all new servos.

Out of interest Steve, how effective are the 'flaps', i see on the plan he says to act as flaps for landing both the ailerons go up 6mm or full to 16mm.

[Steve Houghton 1]

Hi Rob. Stan is talking about using the ailerons as spoilers or flaps (spoilerons or flapperons). In other words you program your tx so that on a landing approach the ailerons are reflexed for spoilerons, (go up) by about half of the amount of your full aileron travel. So if your ailerons go up by a max of 10mm, then use 5 - 6mm reflex, which will still afford you some roll ability. In this configuration the model may put its nose down too much so you may have to program in some up elevator compensation also, but each model is different and you will have to play this by ear. The effect of the spoilers is to kill the lift so that the model descends more quickly, but this can also increase the speed of the model, which in light wind situations can make landing more difficult than if you didn't use them, but at least you have the option.

Your other option is to use the ailerons in the opposite way as flaps, in which case you would probably need to program in some down elevator compensation as when you deploy the flaps the model may balloon upwards with the possibility of the model stalling. The same rule regarding flap travel applies as per flapperons.

You can program this onto a 2 position switch to give you on/off, or a 3 position switch gives you 2 levels of control travel, but better still is to program it onto your throttle stick, giving you proportional control, as you would with a mouldy glider.

You won't be disappointed with the Carerra, it's a cracking model and I love flying mine.

[Russell Hawkes 1]

Hi Rob. An added benefit of building from a kit is that you can modify it to suit your requirements.

I struggle on my local slope site with limited space to land and often land on the side of the hill. So for maximum landing control I built my PMP Sierra with 60/40 split ailerons to create separate flaps. Now I can play with the crow braking setup on my transmitter.

There is a video on YouTube which directly compares reflexed flapperons and crow brakes for landing slope soarers. The conclusion was that up-flaps bring the model down, but crow brakes can slow it down too.

As an alternative to crow brakes I've tried operating the flaps from a self-centring throttle stick, which helps to show exactly what flaps can do.