John Roberts 9 Posted December 18, 2019 Share Posted December 18, 2019 I already have a few electric gliders that range from sedate through to reasonably sprightly warmliner but I am beginning to feel the need for a genuine hotliner and would welcome suggestions & recommendations please. My requirements are for something up to about 2M wingspan, suitable for flat field flying and up to about 5-600 quid including motor, esc & servos but these, for the most part, are pretty loose criteria and I am happy to consider things outside these boundaries. I know others have asked similar questions in the past but the most recent thread was about 5 years back and so likely to be out of date now. Thanks in advance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gordon Tarling Posted December 19, 2019 Share Posted December 19, 2019 I was going to suggest a Mini Graphite - I've had one for years and just love it. However, I can't find it for sale anywhere now and it appears to have been superceded by the Snipe 2 Electric from Vladimir's models, of which I have no experience whatsoever, save to say that everything I've seen from Vladimir has been top notch, though not cheap. Hotliners appear to have fallen from fashion somewhat lately, even Hyperflight in the UK have nothing similar listed. If you are able to find a Mini Graphite, you won't be disappointed, but I'm unable to personally recommend a viable substitute right now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ronaldo Posted December 19, 2019 Share Posted December 19, 2019 As Gordon said, Hotliners seem to be scarce in the UK at the moment. I have a 2mt RCRCM Hornet with 'electric' fuselage from Rich at T9 Hobbysport, it goes ballistic ! I can't find it on his website anymore, but I'm sure he would be helpful if you give him a ring. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dickw Posted December 19, 2019 Share Posted December 19, 2019 Posted by John Roberts 9 on 18/12/2019 16:17:11: I already have a few electric gliders that range from sedate through to reasonably sprightly warmliner but I am beginning to feel the need for a genuine hotliner and would welcome suggestions & recommendations please. ........................................... Thanks in advance. What sort of power levels were you using in your "sprightly warmliner"? That should help us identify a next level. A few people in the UK are experimenting with the Topmodel Nike Evo which is looking promising as a sub 2kW hotliner and that seems to be about the break point between good sports performer and silly prices competition machines. There is a discussion going on on RC Groups here with a UK friend of mine getting involved at post #6. Might be worth reading through that and coming back with any questions. Dick Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dickw Posted December 19, 2019 Share Posted December 19, 2019 Posted by Gordon Tarling on 19/12/2019 09:07:19: ...................... Hotliners appear to have fallen from fashion somewhat lately, even Hyperflight in the UK have nothing similar listed........................ That is very true. We used to have a regular influx of new people coming to try our low key F5B type introductory competitions with their sporty hotliners, and some subsequently moved on to the higher power machines. BUT that seems to have dried up in the last couple of years, hence my friend's work with the Nike Evo to try and increase interest in a fun type of flying. Dick Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Martin_K Posted December 19, 2019 Share Posted December 19, 2019 Posted on 19/12/2019 09:07:19: Hotliners appear to have fallen from fashion somewhat lately.... Is that because there is a contradiction inherent in the hotliner concept? Unless you are going to do F5b competition accept a slower climb rate but finish up with a lighter electric launch glider with superior soaring performance? Just asking, not picking a fight. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Roberts 9 Posted December 19, 2019 Author Share Posted December 19, 2019 Hello and thank you for the replies. One of the reasons I decided to ask here for suggestions was because my own online searches for hotliners seemed to produce very little of interest. This seems to rather bear out the general feeling expressed above that hotliners are currently out of fashion. One of my clubmates has a Staufenbiel Hawk 3 which is a bit of a missile and, whilst that appealed, it no longer seems to be available. That said Horizon Hobby are still listing a 'Staufenbiel Cheetah R 1750mm' which looks similar and could possibly fit the bill. Anyone had experience of this model? It struck me that the RR version using 3s batteries would probably just be reasonably quick rather than genuinely fast. Perhaps the ARF version with a different motor and 4s batteries would be a better way to go? My "sprightly warmliners" are a 2 metre Multiplex Funray (circa 750 watts and weighing just under 2Kg) and an AeroNaut Pepper, as built by David Ashby and featured in the April 2019 edition of RCM&E, (1.2M, 0.8Kg and around 450 watts). Both, especially the Pepper, are reasonably quick but, for some inexplicable reason, I would like to push the boundaries further. My wife thinks (probably correctly) that I am regressing into a second adolescence! Many thanks once again for the responses so far. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dickw Posted December 19, 2019 Share Posted December 19, 2019 Posted by Martin_K on 19/12/2019 10:49:51: Posted on 19/12/2019 09:07:19: Hotliners appear to have fallen from fashion somewhat lately.... Is that because there is a contradiction inherent in the hotliner concept? Unless you are going to do F5b competition accept a slower climb rate but finish up with a lighter electric launch glider with superior soaring performance? Just asking, not picking a fight. A reasonable comment / question I think. Hotliners are great fun because they are generally tougher and faster than a normal soarer so can be thrown about with abandon and can be flown in higher winds than most other flat field gliders. If you want a good soaring performance then aim for a traditional glider, but if you want a very aerobatic machine that can be flown in some very high winds then a hotliner is the one to go for - and will still give a reasonable soaring performance if you want to relax a bit. Dick Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Martin_K Posted December 19, 2019 Share Posted December 19, 2019 Thanks for that Dick. It strikes me that a Pylon Racer is a bit like a mini Hotliner. Neither are of relevance to me currently as I am still at the 'steady as she goes' level of piloting skills. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dickw Posted December 19, 2019 Share Posted December 19, 2019 Posted by Martin_K on 19/12/2019 14:45:58: .................. It strikes me that a Pylon Racer is a bit like a mini Hotliner. Neither are of relevance to me currently as I am still at the 'steady as she goes' level of piloting skills. Pylon racers are great fun as well but need the power on a lot more than the "glider hotliner" so need relatively bigger batteries = higher wing loadings. The glider hotliners use bursts of power to get height and speed and then use that height and speed to do aerobatics with the power off. You can do that with a pylon racer type, but the power off bits are usually much shorter and the flight duration much shorter. The other point is that the glider hotliners are bigger so easier to see, and with their lower wing loading are easier to land in a tight space. We all started off at the "steady as she goes level" as pilots, but that changes with practice so enjoy what you are doing while practicing. Dick Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FilmBuff Posted December 19, 2019 Share Posted December 19, 2019 Staufenbiel Vegas 2M pulls around 650 Watts on 3S and is a superb all round machine. Equally at home on the flat field or on the slope. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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