Jump to content

Update for 1970s Sterling Schweizer 1-34


Recommended Posts

Finally did the maiden flight my version of the Sterling Schweizer 1-34!  And it was wild. The CG was set at 61mm back from the LE. For the launch, I dialed in a bit of up trim also...probably a mistake. My flying buddy launched into a 5 to 10 mph breeze on my local slope. The first 3 seconds seemed fine. Then a tip stall followed by 3 or 4 more, major loss of altitude, no control, terminating in a vertical dive into the slope a few hundred feet down from the top!!  15 seconds of panic and thwack!  It was so far down the hill I couldn’t actually see the impact and I assumed the worst. But after recovering the model (flying buddy John got it for me) it only had some dents and gouges in the nose area (fixable) and otherwise it seemed OK!  I was shocked!  My styrofoam, plywood and balsa construction approach is pretty tough!  It was still flyable so we decided to add some more nose weight (1.5 oz more) and remove the small amount of up trim and go back to a totally neutral elevator position. 

 

Flight 2 produced the video here. Much better!  At a 15oz/ft it flies fairly fast as you can see. I actually had to add in a fair amount of down trim (maybe 5 clicks) during the flight. I’ll probably shim the stab mount eventually and swap out some of the nose weight for a fiberglassed nose area. 

 

Here’s a photo prior to launch. The blue tape you see on the nose is an attempt to add more protection to the nose area. The slope is pretty rocky and harsh on models. This time of year the best way to land is to plow into the mustard weed as you can see in my landing.
 

766C70D0-5B67-4434-BD03-0ADA5AB2DCA5.thumb.jpeg.acc6961d3d0d78ac423c5a24bf73e011.jpeg

 

Typically I have trouble posting videos so it may take a while to post it. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites


What was your final weight ? Do you have a spoileron set up ? The speed in flight looks good…similar to mine. Looking forward to more video and commentary on the airfoil you decided to use.

Edited by brad lang
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Final weight is ~56oz. Spoilerons are programmed in using the throttle stick. You can adjust the aileron neutral position from around 5 degrees down to about 40 degrees up but I haven’t used them while flying yet. And I’m not sure what the trim change will be if fully deployed upward. 
I’ve use this RG-15 airfoil before. It’s a good airfoil for slope gliders. Its on the airfoil tools website. On the 1-34, it’s thickened to slightly more than 11%. 
 

690C04AA-81C5-47F5-8D2A-504663BFEF8D.thumb.jpeg.fa634b6d196bd9b85ac8e57dd7903bd9.jpeg

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

 Share

×
×
  • Create New...