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Pro Features in a Consumer Friendly Package
Get advanced aerial photography and videography is this new compact-size hexacopter from Yuneec. Typhoon H delivers capabilities previously only found in high-end professional offerings — now consumer priced. Typhoon H offers flight durations of up to 25 minutes while filming with the CGO3+ 4K UHD camera. The Android powered ST16 Ground Station features a 7-inch touchscreen display that delivers live footage of the flight in HD 720p resolution and enables a wide variety of autonomous flight modes. Typhoon H with Intel® RealSense™ Technology is capable of detecting obstacles and intelligently navigating around them. RealSense integrates with Follow Me mode to avoid objects while filming in any direction. The Intel® RealSense™ R200 camera with Intel® Atom™ powered module builds a 3D model of the world!
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Typhoon H uses GPS — not just vision — to track targets. Typhoon H can navigate around obstacles, regardless of size, and stay on subject even if it becomes obscured.
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time keeping the camera trained on the point of interest. • In Journey Mode Typhoon H will go up and out, as far as 150 feet, and capture the perfect aerial selfie. • Curve Cable Cam lets you program an invisible route for Typhoon H to fly, while it independently controls the camera position. • Return Home with just the flick of a switch on the ST16 controller, and Typhoon H will fly home and land automatically. • Smart Safety ensures the Typhoon H will not enter FAA “No Fly” zones. The No Fly Zone feature also prevents flight above 400 feet from the ground. The built-in GPS establishes a 26-ft (8-m) diameter Smart Circle around the pilot when taking off and landing. It also creates a Geo Fence to keep the hexacopter from traveling farther than 300 ft (91 m) from the pilot’s position. The ST16 Ground Station is an integrated transmitter, receiver and Android platform that gives you control over Typhoon H. You can program autonomous flight and capture stunning photos and videos. The large, 7-inch screen displays real-time footage of flights. Using Team Mode, you can bind one Ground Station to Typhoon H and another Ground Station to the CGO3+ camera simultaneously. Real-time telemetry data is on screen during flights, including: flight mode, altitude, speed over ground, distance from home, camera status, GPS position coordinates, and aircraft battery status. Controls include: adjustable video resolution and white balance, while exposures can be controlled automatically or manually, including ISO and Shutter Speed. The camera allows for pictures in RAW (DNG) and JPEG format. Typhoon H is also compatible with the new, ergonomic and durable SkyView FPV headset.
RCSportFlyer.com
TABLE OF CONTENTS DEPARTMENTS 10 74 75
LEADING EDGE AD INDEX MYSTERY PLANE
PG 62
PG 12 FEATURES 12
SOARING BIG AND SMALL DISCOVER ALL THE PLUSES OF SOARING. Terry Edmonds
16
ON SILENT WINGS GIANT-SCALE SOARING IS PILOT CHANGING. Simon Cocker
PG 16 PLAN 62
NEMESIS 80-CC RACER PILOT AND DESINGER, JOHN SHARP’S, WINNING RENO AIR RACER Wendell Hostetler
3-VIEW 58
PG 58 6
RC SPORT FLYER • JAN 2017
ROLLADENSCHNEIDER LS9 AN 18-METER WINGSPAN SAILPLANE WITH ONLY 10 EVER BUILT Hans-Jürgen Fischer twitter.com/rcsportflyer
JANUARY 2017
BUILD 24
IRON-ON COVERINGS, IV
30
LEARN THE SIMPLE STEPS TO COVER AIRPLANE WINGS. Jeff Troy
38
1/3-SCALE PIPER CUB - PART II WE SHOW YOU HOW THE RÖDELMODELL PIPER CUB BUILDS. Philipp Gardemin
44
HpH 304 SHARK SAILPLANE SEE HOW THIS LONGWINGED SAILPLANE GOES TOGETHER. Wil Byers
SUPER DIMONA MOTOR GLIDER DISCOVER WHY THIS MODEL IS MUCH MORE THAN A SAILPLANE. Dennis Brandt
PG 44
PG 30
PG 38
HOW TO 52
Tx TRAVEL LIMIT SETTINGS FINE TUNE YOUR MODEL BY PROGRAMMING TRAVEL LIMITS. Wil Byers
PG 52
rc-sportflyer.tumblr.com
REVIEW 58
SAILPLANE CARRIER THIS PROJECT IS QUICK AND EASY TO BUILD, AND INEXPENSIVE TOO. Wil Byers
66
BLADE 230S HELICOPTER IT IS A NEW HELI THAT COMES EQUIPPED WITH SAFE TECHNOLOGY. James VanWinkle
PG 76
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7
EDITOR IN CHIEF Wil Byers wil@rc-sf.com ASSISTANT EDITORS James T Baker Asa Clinton
Doris Chen Jenn Hart
PRODUCTION Ilya Zhivko Ilya@kionapublishing.com PHOTOGRAPHY Wil Byers GRAPHIC DESIGNERS Meng Zhe
Bess Byers Jess James
WEBMASTER CONTACT Vivian Wells OFFICE MANAGER Jenn Hart support@kionapublishing.com OFFICE ASSISTANT Terra Woodford CIRCULATION Christian Wells MARKETING Wil Byers ads@rc-sf.com
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CONTRIBUTING EDITORS Christian Belleau, Rob Caso, Gene Cope, Richard Kuns, David Phelps, Steve Rojecki, Jeff Troy, Robert Vest, James VanWinkle, Tom Wolfe RC Sport Flyer (ISSN: 1941-3467) is published bi-monthly for $19.95 a year ($2.19 ea digital) in the USA by Kiona Publishing, Inc., 1754 Sagewood, Richland, WA 99352. Periodicals postage paid at Richland, WA and additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER Send address changes to RC Sport Flyer, 1754 Sagewood, Richland, WA 99352-9679 OFFICE (509) 627-3200 HOURS Mo–Th 9-4 Closed Fri, Sat, Sun
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CONTRIBUTIONS: Articles and photographs are welcome, but cannot be considered unless guaranteed exclusive. When requested we will endeavor to return all materials in good condition if accompanied by return postage. RC Sport Flyer assumes no responsibility for loss of or damage to editorial contributions received. Any material accepted is subject to possible revision at the discretion of the publisher. Publisher assumes no responsibility for accuracy of content. Opinions of contributing authors do not necessarily reflect those of the publisher. RC Sport Flyer will retain author’s rights, title to and interest in the editorial contributions as described above in both print and electronic media unless prior arrangement has been made in writing. Payment for editorial materials will be made at our current rate. Submission of editorial material to RC Sport Flyer expresses a warranty by the author that such material is in no way an infringement upon the rights of others. The contents of this magazine may not be reprinted traditionally or electronically without permission of the publisher.
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1815 South Research Loop Tucson, Arizona 85710 Phone: (520) 722-0607 E-mail: info@desertaircraft.com Web Site: desertaircraft.com DA-200
DA-100I
Price $2795
Displacement: 12.20 cin (200 cc) Output: 19 hp Weight: 10.95 lb (4.95 kilos) Length: 9.625 in. (244 mm)
Price $Call
Displacement: 6.10 ci (100 cc) Output: 10 hp Weight: 7.0 lb (3.18 kg) Length: 9.3 in.
DA-170
Price $1695
Displacement: 10.48 ci (171.8 cc) Output: 18 hp Weight: 8.05 lb (3.56 kilos) Length: 7.67 in. (195 mm)
DA-150
DA-70
Price $1395
Displacement: 9.15 ci (150 cc) Output: 16.5 hp Weight: 7.96 lb (3.61 kilos) Length: 7.67 in. (195 mm)
Price $749
Displacement: 4.28 ci (70 cc) Output: 11 hp Weight: 3.55 lb (1.61 kg) Length: 5.54 in. (141 ,,)
DA-120
Price $1199
Displacement: 7.4 ci (121 cc) Output: 11 hp Weight: 4.95 lb (2.25 kilos) Length: 6.25 in. (159 mm)
DA-100L
DA-60
Price $999
Displacement: 6.10 ci (100 cc) Output: 9.8 hp Weight: 5.57 lb (2.53 kilos) Length: 6.5 in. (162.5 mm)
Price $649
Displacement: 3.7 ci (60.5 cc) Output: 1200–7200 Weight: 3.1 lb (1.41 kg) Length: 6.7 in. (170 mm)
DA-85
Price $795
Displacement: 5.24 ci (85.9 cc) Output: 8.5 hp Weight: 4.3 lb (1.95 kilos) Length: 5.9 in. (150 mm)
DA-50-R
Price $595
Displacement: 3.05 ci (50 cc) Output: 5.0 hp Weight: 2.94 lb (1.33 kilos) Length: 6.7 (170 mm)
All Desert Aircraft engines come with a Manufacturer’s Warranty
DA-35
Price $449
Displacement: 2.14 ci (35 cc) Output: 1,500–8,200 rpm Weight: 2.06 lb (935 kg) Length: 6.35 in. (161 mm)
LEADING EDGE
I
WIL BYERS
t has been 10 month’s since Kiona Publishing, Inc. published an issue of this magazine. The question has been asked by many of our subscribers: “What’s happening at RC Sport Flyer?” The answer is rather complicated. Simplifying, I’ll explain by saying that Kiona frankly had three choices with respect to the continued publishing of RCSF magazine. They were: One, continue publishing as we’d been, which was sadly to continue to lose quite a bit of money with each issue. Two, we could close the doors forever on the company and leave our subscribers without their magazine(s) being delivered. Or three, we could reinvent our business model as a way to continue to deliver content, which is exactly what we’ve done. Suffice it for me to tell you that we’ve been challenged by reinventing how we’ll do business in the future. It has not been easy; and, we expect many challenges will remain that must be overcome as well. The reality of the times is that every business in this wonderful RC industry is facing hurdles, not the least of which are publishers. Hardcopy magazine publishers are facing tough, tough economics. Rather than rehash RCSF’s past miseries here, I’ve explained in detail what has transpired with RC Sport Flyer’s publishing evolution in our December 2016 digital edition’s Leading Edge column. Download it to learn more about what we’ve been forced to do to stay current and solvent. Find the (25 Megs) Adobe PDF versions are at: Single-page version (best on a tablet) rc-sf.com/SF2101_singlepg.pdf Double-page version (best on laptop or computer) rc-sf.com/SF2101_doublepg.pdf I want to underscore for clarity that we plan to keep publishing RC Sport Flyer magazine for years to come; albeit, how it gets published will evolve. For example, going forward, RC Sport Flyer’s hardcopy editions will be published every other month, while the digital editions will be monthly. Note too that the hardcopy editions will have limited page counts as a way to keep production costs at a minimum. The digital editions will not suffer under such limitations, so they will often include supplemental content not be included in the hardcopy editions. Alternately, if there is someone in our readership that has a million or so dollars to throw Kiona’s way we can continue to publish hardcopy for many years to come. That said, I will not hold my breath waiting for the check to arrive. Save Your $$ I’m writing this Leading Edge column the day after Christmas. It got me thinking about our buying habits as RC enthusiasts. Now that I’m more focused on saving a buck then ever, I want to share what I’ve seen in the industry over the last few years. Doing so may just help you save money when buying RC aircraft and gear. What I’m referring to is the overstock that often
10
RC SPORT FLYER • JAN 2017
accumulates at hobby merchandisers and distributors. Overstock typically builds because the newest and hottest, gotta-have items arrive before the current stock is sold. You know what I’m talking about, right? The “hottest” is that the new, ultra special aircraft or gear being marketed. The overstock is the product the consumers quickly forget was hot and trendy a few months prior. It seems a bit ridiculous because the product that was recently in vogue and marketed as “gotta have” is often still outstanding in terms of quality and performance. However, the new, gotta-have products sometimes arrive before the others can be sold. As a result, the “old” item goes into overstock — sometimes old only means a few months of “hot” life. Overstock items are often good news for the budgetminded consumer because the hobby merchandisers and distributors are forced reduce the price to make room for new inventory. Alternately, the overstock may even find its way onto eBay or another distribution outlet. Typically, sellers don’t market that they’ve reduced prices on their overstock items because consumers like you might wait for the reduced price, which would then impact new product sales. Never the less, prices on overstock items can be good. Keep in mind, the overstock is often of superb quality and performance. Again, the only reason these items end up in overstock is that the new products arrived before the older ones could be sold. There is one risk to this strategy though. If the item really is “hot” it could sell out. So, don’t wait till summer when demand is high and stock is low. Do your shopping now when plenty of stock on hand — come the flying season it may be gone. And, search for some of those exceptional overstock items. I know you will by absolutely surprised by the deals that can be had by a simple search. Shop RCSportFlyer.com I’ve explained how we’ve had to reinvent our business model to remain in business. Now, I’m asking you to see how we’ve changed by shopping at RCSportFlyer.com. Note that our online store has a streamlined subscription process, especially for the digital editions. We’re also making our back issues, CAD drawn plans, and 3-view drawings available as digital downloads for our consumers. Plus, you’ll find other items that weren’t typically part of our business. These items include: King Max servos, RCRCM gliders, PowerBox power management systems, Yuneec drones, select FPV gear, special aviation books, as well as other items that will be added regularly. Obviously, this has not been our core business. It is, however, a new way for Kiona Publishing, Inc. to supplement its income such that we can keep doing what we really love, publishing RC Sport Flyer magazine. So please shop our online store when possible! Stay informed at RC Sport Flyer Facebook: www.facebook.com/rcsportflyer Instagram: www.instagram.com/rcsportflyer Tumblr www.rc-sportflyer.tumblr.com Twitter: www.twitter.com/rcsportflyer YouTube: www.youtube.com/rcsportflyer
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11
FEATURE
SOARING BIG AND SMALL
This is the author’s full-scale DG-800B sailplane captured during self launch.
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RC SPORT FLYER • JAN 2017
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BOTH GLIDE DOWN THRU RISING AIR BY TERRY EDMONDS
T
here are many facets to soaring! This article will discuss how participating in both RC soaring and full-scale soaring can enhance each other. Things can be learned from each that will help the other. Certainly the down side to flying both is the competition for personal resources and time. There is no coordination of events from one discipline to the other and conflicts on any given weekend in the gliding season are common. I will describe where I come from on the subject for reference. I have been a modeler since childhood and a licensed private pilot most of my adult life. In 1968 I took up RC soaring, which was a pretty new thing in the U.S. at the time. I began flying full-scale gliders in the late 1980’s and continue to fly both disciplines. Being an RC pilot can significantly help someone starting into full-scale flying. Experienced RC pilots know
rc-sportflyer.tumblr.com
Terry’s workshop in the off season shows the full-scale fuselage goes thru the door.
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13
FEATURE
GLIDING DOWN THRU RISING AIR
The author’s Pike Perfection RC sailplane competes for space with the DG-800B.
The author is shown here returning from a full-scale cross country flight in Utah.
basic aerodynamics well and what it takes to keep an airplane in the air and to prevent crashing, often by firsthand experience. My observation over many years is RC pilots make some of the safest full-scale pilots. RC pilots generally learn faster and take less training hours to get a pilot’s license. As an example, when I joined the local glider club only a few flights were required to get a glider rating added to my license. Almost immediately I was getting some long duration flights in the club glider. Other students who had been training for a year or more
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RC SPORT FLYER • JAN 2017
and had not yet mastered the art of thermal soaring were asking how I was able to get such long flights with so few glider hours. I explained it was because I was an experienced RC glider pilot, but they did not believe it. Sometimes we RC guys get no respect. Another personal example of my RC experience helping in the full scale world was when I was contemplating purchasing my first full-scale glider. I was looking strongly at buying a Schweizer 135C because it had very good gliding performance
at a reasonable price. This model is somewhat unusual in not having spoilers but rather only large flaps for glide path control. I was warned by several well-known pilots this glider was dangerous and could easily be stalled on landing approach. Yet my RC gliding experience told me this is how we land most RC gliders and it is no problem. I went ahead and bought this glider and actually found it to be quite safe by flying the landing pattern high to prevent the possibility of landing short and using the flaps to make a steep final approach at a low landing speed. This technique will sound very familiar to RC glider pilots. Now let’s look at the other side of the coin on how full-scale gliding can help with RC. Flying full-scale one gets a better perspective over larger distances as to how thermal activity develops. This knowledge can help the RC guy. Every day is different and the distance between thermals varies a lot. For instance on some days the thermals are far apart, maybe 10-20 miles. If there are cumulus clouds marking the way this works for fullscale gliding cross country. On this same day the RC pilot may be flying for some time and not finding much lift and just say it is not a good day. Yet the thermals are out there and a boomer will eventually come along. Another tool full-scale glider pilots use are soaring forecast predictors. There are several out there and the most common one is the BLIP map (Boundary Layer Information Prediction map). These tools are pretty much unknown to RC soaring pilots but even though designed for full-scale gliding have useful info for the RC pilot. The BLIP map can be located by a simple internet search. There is a lot of data on the BLIP map but of particular interest to the RC guy are: • Thermal Updraft Velocity • Wind Speed and Direction (usually more accurate than local forecasts) • Cumulus Potential • Cumulus Cloudbase • Overcast Development Potential • Overcast Development Cloudbase twitter.com/rcsportflyer
Full-scale sailplanes have the advantage of instrumentation and glide computers. RC telemetry systems are closing the gap.
The BLIP map home page comes up with Zulu time, which is corrected to about midday here in the U.S. Of particular interest the NAM version of the BLIP map has predictions three days out. This is very useful in looking ahead as to what will be the future conditions. The BLIP map is of course a weather predictor and like all forecasts may not prove to be correct. It does seem to be accurate most of the time. On any particular day I am thinking about soaring I will go to the BLIP map first. It might indicate it be a good day for full-scale cross country flying or it might not. RC soaring guys tend to fly whatever the conditions are, but the BLIP map will give a good indication as to what to expect. All gliders fly with the same basic controls but the handling characteristics of each type vary greatly. The main parameters affecting this are size and wing loading. For instance a hand launch RC glider flies a lot different than an 18-meter fullscale sailplane, and the large-scale RC gliders handle much more like the full-scale sailplanes than say a thermal duration glider. Soaring is a captivating sport. So whatever you’re level of interest go fly and have fun soaring.
BLIP map Thermal Updraft Velocity example. rc-sportflyer.tumblr.com
BLIP map Wind Speed and Direction example. Subscribe @ RCSportFlyer.com
15
FEATURE
ON SILENT WINGS GIANT-SCALE IS PILOT CHANGING
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RC SPORT FLYER • JAN 2017
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BY SIMON COCKER
I
have been flying the all-composite, 1/3-scale Ventus-2c sailplane from LET for the past five years. This small, family-run, Czechoslovakian business has been manufacturing some of the best molded models for twenty plus years. My first encounter with an LET-made model was an all-carbon ASH-26 on the Schonjochl mountain in Fiss — the second Flying Circus event in the Austrian Alps in the July of 1997. The six-meterwingspan model seemed to me to be enormous, probably as rare as halfscale sailplanes are today. Theo Arnold was the sole agency for LET, although these days you can buy their products on the Internet by contacting them directly. Vlasta is the first point of contact and she speaks passable English, so the purchasing process should be straightforward. Theo’s ASH-26 was launched by a powerful bungee over the side of the rugged mountain terrain into completely still air. The late Dave Jones and I were thrilled to witness the pure art of thermal soaring in these treacherous mountains. There is little or no chance of a safe landing
up there on the inhospitable rocky mountain sides. The model was coaxed around the sky with particular precision, and started circling after about five minutes of deciphering the best area of lift. Theo knows how to executed perfect thermal turns even in the weakest of lift with the guidance from a variometer. It is a masterful skill to behold in real time, as is his intent concentration while puffing Marlboro cigarettes. There was complete silence on the mountain, while over 200 spectators flew the circuits with him in their mind. The commentator broke the silent apprehension of the ascent of the ASH-26 to warn us that a short aerobatic display was imminent. Sure enough, when the aircraft reached an impressive height, Theo executed a reversal, which was quickly accentuated by a piercing, screeching sound echoed around the mountain tops as the ASH hurtled down almost vertically towards us. We all stared open mouthed as the model approached at mind-blowing velocity; most of us wanted to move behind Theo but found our feet
frozen to the ground by the awe of this unfolding spectacle. I was thinking this model must surely either level out or would it simply explode? You feel the disbelief all around. Time slowed down as adrenalin pumped through our veins at 100 psi. Theo finally leveled out the ASH at the point of its takeoff, with just 50 meters to spare. Then he pulled the ASH-26 into a 35-degree up line to punch a perfect eight point roll through the sky, gaining an amazing height with its stored energy. The sound of tortured air as the ailerons and flaps tried to grasp the passing sky at 280 km/hr was eerie and almost frightening. For the first time a new type of sound reverberated around the heavens, and Fiss trembled! A further aggressive reversal enabled the second pass over the landing strip at just 10 meters this time, but with a beautiful, scything left turn back onto the front side of the mountain side. The ASH-26 was pointed skyward once more until all the energy bled out, and then the model was back to hunting thermals. The second time Theo
Left: Simon Cocker readies to launch his 1/3-scale ASH-26. Right: A new 1/3-scale Ventus 2C is being prepared for launch at slope soaring site in Great Britain. rc-sportflyer.tumblr.com
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17
FEATURE
ON SILENT WINGS
demonstrated “pure carbon” power that day was from a similar height, but this time he displayed the stored energy in this staggeringly efficient sailplane by prescribing a horizontal circuit around the crown of the Schonjochl. We could see the energy humming and resonating through the airframe and again feel the air mass being displaced by this carbonized monster. Theo made three consecutive low-level circuits that left us speechless. Dave whispered to me on the third pass, “Just look at the way it holds onto its energy. It is unbelievable.” Life Changing It was a new experience for me, but it instantly penetrated deep into my being. The impact of this experience was similar to witnessing the ballistic nature of Dynamic Soaring for the first time. Check out Theo Arnold on YouTube doing a little soaring as he does it best.
The Austrian Alps trip turned out to be a life-changing experience that has generated an unrelenting drive for me to revel in this type of performance. I now understood the power of “performance” and the skill of still air thermal soaring. In aviation there are so many types of aircraft to get under your skin. We each have our own particular weaknesses, often depending on which era we were born into! At the age of nine I was entirely captivated by jets demonstrating at the Woodford Air Show in Cheshire. A couple of English Electric Lightnings blasted in from Liverpool at just under Mach 1. I could not believe it when they stood on their tails and disappeared vertically into the clouds like a formation pair of howling missiles. The Vulcan blew my little mind away with it gravity-defying low-level and seemingly low-speed display. The knee-trembling, heartpumping sounds of the aircraft penetrated my soul, for life.
This photo tells the whole story of giant-scale slope soaring — the pilot waits on the wind while the cloud street develops overhead. These machines are high performance.
Launching a giant-scale sailplane on the slope can be challenging in that the launcher must give the glider enough forward speed that is flying, without throwing it nose high.
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RC SPORT FLYER • JAN 2017
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Professor Dr. Richard Eppler, of airfoil fame, said it very succinctly, “There is no substitute for aspect ratio as a way to increase an aircraft’s lift-over-drag ratio. (Aspect ratio is calculated by: span squared divided by wing area) Even with a high aspect ratio, the modern breed for sailplanes is built with composite materials that are strong enough to let the model fly fast and penetrate against the wind.
Scale soaring is like any other scale modeling, you want to put a pilot in the cockpit such that the sailplane replicates the full-scale as it flies past spectators.
This Pilatus B4 is being aerotow to altitude where it will be soared by gliding down through rising air, with the hope the air is rising faster than the model is sinking.
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19
FEATURE
ON SILENT WINGS
Sporting a six-meter wingspan the DG-800 is designed to have a superb L/D ratio so that it can seek out thermals to exploit. It is not uncommon for a model such as this to soar for hours.
Eat your hearts out power pilots. It takes finesse to fly a model with a wingspan and performance such as this, especially if you are going to soar the model.
Simon is shown launching this sailplane properly. He is holding the model just behind the CG point, then throwing it with the nose slightly down.
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RC SPORT FLYER • JAN 2017
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The DG-1000 is a two-place sailplane. It comes equipped with ailerons, flaps, spoilers, rudder, elevator, retract, brake, and tow hook .
This DG-808S is copied after the full-scale sailplane, which sports an 18-meter wingspan. The model has a 6-m span and is all composite.
This is a copy of the notable ASW-15, which was a glider designed in 1968 by Gerhard Waibel and produced by Schleicher in Germay.
The V-tail Salto is notable in that it is an aerobatic glider that was based on the Standard Libelle H-201 and was designed by Ursula Hänle.
This is arguably the most beautiful gliders of all time. It is the world famous Reiher, designed in Germany by Hans Jacobs and first flown in 1937.
This photo provides you a sense of scale as my lady and I stand next to this beautiful wood-built and fabric covered vintage glider.
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FEATURE
ON SILENT WINGS
Vintage scale gliders such as the Reiher are good choices for pilots wanting to take the plunge into giant-scale soaring because they’re not quite as fast as composite machines.
Scale soaring is definitely growing in popularity as more pilots discover the joys of both slope soaring and aerotowing these huge machines.
There is a range in types and sizes of scale gliders and sailplanes. White is a predominat color because the composites are sensitive to heat from the sun.
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My 1/3-scale Fox is mostly designed for aerobatics, however, with the extended tips it also does well in thermal soaring conditions. twitter.com/rcsportflyer
The same goes for highperformance sailplanes once you have seen their beauty and presence in the air. Their grace and poise is effortless, and their flight envelope often not short of astounding, depending on the aircraft type. LET LET-made model originated my sailplane obsession. Now I’ve been flying their Ventus-2c, with over 200 hours of faultless service. This is despite its standard lay-up, with very little carbon as compared to Theo’s ASH-26. The model has held up to a life of aerial abuse without complaint. Its aerobatic capabilities on the slope usually causes some surprised responses, and inspires other model aviators to venture into 1/3-scale composite sailplanes. Because the performance of this size and type of sailplane is so diverse, it provides an almost complete package in one airframe. I can launch this model in a lightweight-thermal-soarer breeze
and be confident to push out this 14kg aircraft as far as it takes to connect to stronger lift. Conversely, the Ventus will tackle 45-mph winds if necessary and still be strong enough to perform high-speed and high-G aerobatics. In fairness, the smoother air flows in the 15–25 mph range are more comfortable and enjoyable to fly. I use a scale aerobatic ship in the more aggressive conditions to indulge in the radical aerobatics — typically the L-213, Fox, and Swift. I recently built a fully carbonreinforced LET Ventus-2c. The airframe is perfectly produced to the highest quality, and the level of readiness for radio installation sets LET apart from most manufacturers. The wiring loom comes installed, including the fitting of the RS connector blocks in the wing roots and at the fuselage. The canopy and scale cockpit are entirely complete with scale hinging and a scale interior with instrumentation, joystick, and levers. Let’s website is at: letmodel.cz.
You’ll also want to examine their 1/3-scale ASH-31 Mi, which sports a seven-meter wingspan and can carry three liters of water ballast in the wings. Wrap Up What I really want to do by this article is inspire you as I was with the magnificence of large-scale gliders. I’ve included many photos, which I hope the magazine can find room to include. If you should have a need for more information please contact me at: flyersanonymous1@aol.co.uk.
It is going to be a perfect day for slope soaring here in the north of Great Britain. My Schueler ASH-26 does well in these coastal conditions.
This Dittmar Condor IV is a 1/3.5-scale model. It has a wingspan of 5.14 meters and flies beautifully, even in light lift and thermal conditions. rc-sportflyer.tumblr.com
Our slope soaring site is quite good in terms of height, but it also runs quite a ways down the coast so the air must go up to go over it, which is good! Subscribe @ RCSportFlyer.com
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BUILD
IRON-ON COVERINGS, PART 4 SUPER SPORTSTER 60 WING BY JEFF TROY
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orking with polyester film coverings — in this case, Top Flite MonoKote — doesn’t require too many specialized tools, although there are a few basics that must be on hand. You’ll need a good #1 hobby knife and
an ample supply of new #11 hobby blades. I use handles and blades from Excel (excelhobbyblades. com) and Hobbico®. A high-quality modeling iron is an absolute must, and my choice is the 21st Century Iron from Coverite. I also use a Top
Flite® heat gun, and both of these tools are offered by Hobbico. Other necessities are a soft pencil, a tack rag for removing any remaining dust after vacuuming the components, a T-square or a right triangle, and a selection of long and short metal
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RC SPORT FLYER • JAN 2017
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The Super Sportster 60 wing is covered, so the empennage and fuselage are next. Position a T-square along the trailing edge to help draw 90-degree color-separation lines on the stabilizer.
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Use Hobbico curved scissors to cut excess material from the canopy. Prevent cracks in the plastic by working the mid-point of the blades and never letting the scissors snap closed.
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Use a soft pencil to trace the outline of the canopy on the fuselage. Note how I added balsa filler pieces where the canopy didn’t fully cover the cockpit opening.
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Simply gluing the canopy over the fuselage will result in an ugly, bulging canopy. Prevent this by cutting a recess approximately 1/32” deep into the balsa inside of the canopy outline.
straightedges. A large, self-sealing cutting mat is helpful for cutting clean lines in film coverings. I use an assortment of mats from both Hobbico and Excel. In preparation, you must vacuum your work area and every component of the model. Dust is the enemy, and it’s imperative that the enemy is nowhere on or near your model during the covering process. After vacuuming, use a tack rag (a piece of cheesecloth with a sticky surface) to wipe down each of your model’s components. Don’t wipe all the components at once. Instead, wipe down each of the model’s components just before covering them. The upper covering scheme of my Great Planes Super Sportster 60 (SS60) wing has a Jet White Top Flite MonoKote® center, with Circus Pink and Dove Gray MonoKote rc-sportflyer.tumblr.com
transitioning outward from the white. Sky Blue MonoKote covers the last bay and the wingtip. My Sportster’s fuselage, stabilizer, and rudder will be covered next, and I want the stabilizer and elevators to match the wing. That is most of what will be addressed in this installment. Color-separation lines will help me apply the four MonoKote color panels at the correct 90-degree angle to the stabilizer. Use a T-square along the stabilizer’s trailing edge (TE), and draw these lines with a soft pencil to prevent denting the balsa. I have a few new tricks to show you in preparation for covering the fuselage, and one of these will be a big help in getting that canopy installed neatly. How so? Easy. If you cover your model and simply glue your canopy over the covering, it will look no better than a canopy glued over the covering. Full-scale
airplanes don’t often look like that, so my objective is to make my SS60’s canopy mount flush with the fuselage. The first step is to trim away the excess material from the canopy. You can do this by repeatedly scoring the cut lines with a hobby knife, although I prefer to use curved scissors. Curved scissors were originally offered into the hobby market to help modelers cut out RC car bodies molded from Lexan and other soft acrylics. Hobbico offers high-quality curved scissors, and they are what I’m using here. While cutting, always work the material with the central area of the blades. You must never allow the scissor blades to snap closed, because that can cause a crack in the material that could possibly spread past the cut line and ruin a canopy. Work slow and smart. After the canopy has been trimmed, hold it position over the Subscribe @ RCSportFlyer.com
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SUPER SPORTSTER 60 WING
Cut covering strips approximately 1/2-in. wide to seal the joints between the stabilizer, rudder and fuselage. Use the pointed tip of the iron to ensure a tight and permanent seal.
fuselage. Does the canopy completely cover the cockpit opening? Mine did not, so I cut a few bits of scrap balsa to cover the open areas, followed by sanding to blend them into the flow of the fuselage curves. After a vacuum and tack rag run over the fuselage, I drew a pencil line around the canopy to mark its perimeter onto the fuselage. With a fresh hobby blade, cut a recess into the fuselage inside of the pencil line for the canopy. This recess should be approximately 1/32-in. deep to allow for the thickness of the canopy material and the MonoKote covering that will lay beneath it. If, instead of film covering, the model you are building will be painted or covered with fabric, you may have to alter the depth of the recess accordingly. If a model’s empennage components can be covered before
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RC SPORT FLYER • JAN 2017
Covering strips should look something like this after they are applied on your model. Use a short, vertical strip to cover any exposed wood at the stabilizer’s leading edge.
installation, the finishing process is a little bit easier. If not, the joints between the empennage and fuselage are more difficult to cover, and can allow fuel seepage if not properly sealed. In the case of my SS60, I sanded the tail fairings and permanently installed the stabilizer and vertical fin before covering the model. What follows is is what I do to prevent problems along these joints. Cut covering strips approximately 1/2-in. wide to seal the joints between the stabilizer, rudder, and fuselage. Each strip will fit like an “L” along these joints. Begin applying the first strip by using the pointed tip of the iron to tack down approximately 1/2-in. of the strip at the stabilizer’s TE. Pull the strip forward snugly, and tack it down at the LE. Try to keep the strip centered along the joint to ensure ample contact area for the coverings that will follow.
Measure and cut Jet White MonoKote to fit over the stabilizer between the covering strip and the first color-separation line. Leave ample excess at the LE and trailing edge.
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Use the Divide By Half (DBH) method to seal the strip along its length. Estimate the approximate center between the LE and TE, and tack the material at that point. Next, estimate the approximate center between the LE and the central tack you just made. Tack the material at that point, then do the same at the point between the TE and the first center point. This is how dividing by half works. Continue to DBH until the full length of the strip is tacked along the joint. After the strip is tacked correctly between the components, use the tip of the iron and increased pressure along the strip to ensure a tight and permanent seal. Repeat this procedure to apply strips of covering along any and every component joint on your model — stabilizer to fuselage, vertical fin to fuselage, fin to stabilizer, sub-fin to fuselage, or
Seal the MonoKote along the covering strip and to the first 1/2” of the stabilizer. Then pull the covering snugly and seal the color-separation line at the LE and TE. twitter.com/rcsportflyer
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Seal the MonoKote along the color-separation line. Then use my simple Divide by Half (DBH) method to seal the covering along the LE and TE of the stabilizer (see text).
whatever your particular project. In some areas, such as the leading edge of the stabilizer or vertical fin, some level of exposed balsa my be present after the upper/lower or side/ side strips are sealed. To correct this, just apply short strips of material over the exposed areas, first tacking, then sealing, just as you did for the previous strips. If the exposed area is too large, or the curvature too severe to be covered by a single strip, it’s okay to use additional strips. Multiple strips will always be a better solution than trying to work a singe strip and ending up with unsightly creases or wrinkles that cannot be removed. My wing-matching color scheme calls for a patch of white, starting at the root of the stabilizer and extending to the first color-separation line I drew. Cut a piece of Jet White MonoKote to fit that area, but leave plenty of excess material to
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Cut the next color strip — Circus Pink. Use my Four Corners method to begin the material’s application, then seal the covering along the perimeter with the Divide-By-Half method.
drape over the LE and TE. Start the application by tacking down a small section of material over the joint strip at the LE, then use the DBH method to tack the white covering along the full length of the joint strip. Use a modified Four Corners method to stretch and attach the white covering. First, pull the material snugly outward and forward at the LE. Use a touch of the iron to tack the material to the stabilizer there. Now, do the same at the TE, again pulling the material snugly outward and rearward before tacking it down. DBH along the outboard edge of the material, then along the TE. With the LE still unsealed, begin using the flat of the iron to attach the material to the surface of the stabilizer. Work from the center of the TE forward, then side to side, all while pulling snugly on the material at different points along the LE
Repeat the Four Corners and DBH procedure to apply the Dove Gray MonoKote over the next area. Follow this with the patch of Sky Blue MonoKote MonoKote at the tip. rc-sportflyer.tumblr.com
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to eliminate any wrinkles before ironing. Ironing a wrinkle results in a permanent crease in the coverings, so never touch the iron to anything other than a smooth surface. As you work to seal the material to the surface from the TE to the LE, any air trapped between the covering and the stabilizer is able to escape from the still-unsealed LE. After the covering is down tight, use the iron to wrap it slightly more than halfway around the LE and TE. Trim the excess material and permanently seal the edges. Apply the next panel of covering (pink) in the same manner. Then do the same for the gray panel, and the blue material at the tip. Straight color lines are crucial to the proper finished appearance of a model, so you must ensure that your color lines run true from the stabilizer to the elevators. Hold the elevator assembly in position against the
Hold the elevators in position against the stabilizer as you prepare to apply each section of covering. It’s important that the color lines run true between the two components’ surfaces. Subscribe @ RCSportFlyer.com
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Complete the covering of the upper surfaces by applying strips of 3/8-in.—wide Missile White MonoKote over the pink/gray and gray/blue color lines. Do the stabilizer first, followed by the elevators.
stabilizer, and mark where the white covering should end. Cut and apply the white covering over the elevators, extending approximately 1/4 inch past the pencil line. One by one, mark the elevators, then cut and apply the remaining pieces of the color scheme, in my case, pink, gray, and blue. The final step to covering the upper surface of the stabilizer and elevators is to apply trim strips between the pink/gray and gray/blue covering seams. This will be the final echo of the scheme used for my SS60 wing. Cut these strips approximately 3/8 inch wide, and iron them down over the empennage surfaces, beginning with the stabilizer. Tack a strip at the TE, then pull it snugly toward the LE and tack it there. Use
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the DBH method to gently “tap” the covering along its length. Then apply additional pressure with the iron to permanently seal the strip. After the strips have been applied to the stabilizer, hold the elevators against the stabilizer to correctly position each of the strips, one at a time, before applying them to the elevators. It’s helpful to cut these strips with plenty of extra length. Doing so will let you tape a few inches of each elevator strip in line over its matching strip on the stabilizer, ensuring a perfectly straight line as it meets with the elevator assembly. Iron down these strips and you’re finished. This completes the covering of my model’s stabilizer, as well as preparing the fuselage for covering, which will
be completed in the next installment. Many of the techniques I describe in my series for RC Sport Flyer have been demonstrated in previous installments. If you are enjoying the series, and find your building skills improving from the information presented, please consider having back issues on hand for reference. Back issues can be ordered from the publisher at rcsportflyer.com.
SOURCES
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SUPER SPORTSTER 60 WING
Top Flite \ Coverite \ Great Planes \ Hobbico P.O. Box 9021 Champaign, IL 61821 Phone: 800-637-7660 Bestrc.com
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BUILD
PHOTOS BY: PASCAL FEMPEL, PHILIPP GARDEMIN
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RC SPORT FLYER • JAN 2017
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AWE PIPER - PART 2 RÖDELMODELL 1/3-SCALE PA-18 PIPER CUB BY PHILIPP GARDEMIN
F
or a long time, I could only enjoy the sight of my beautiful PA-18 in the “bones” sitting on the workbench. It should have instead been towing gliders. So, the work proceeded. For covering a model of this size I prefer the Oratex® fabric from LanitzPrena Folien Factory (Oracover®). The material is robust, easy to use, and gives the model a more realistic, scale surface due to its fabric-like surface. Oratex is more durable as well. Moreover, if you follow the manufacturer’s recommendations, neither Oratex nor the foil, Oracover, will wrinkle, even after years of use. The process of covering starts first and foremost with cleaning the surfaces. You must remove any dust. It is not enough to just wipe the surfaces. You must vacuum them with a brush attachment to remove all dust. Additionally, the manufacturer recommends the surfaces be prepped with a bonding agent, especially for balsa and poplar plywood surfaces. To this end, Lanitz offers a specially developed heat-seal glue (Balsarite in the USA), which is applied to the wood parts with a roller or brush. After the conditioner dries, the covering can then be ironed on as usual. My Cub required 250 milliliters of the heat seal adhesive; and, it required exactly 13.5 meters of covering material. Once the model was covered, the rc-sportflyer.tumblr.com
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RÖDELMODELL PIPER - PART 2
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Here is the Hacker motor system at a glance, but with the originally planned four 5S LiPo packs.
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Large-scale JR servos fit in the servo wells without problems ailerons and the flaps.
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Two large PowerCube batteries from Emcotec, with a corresponding battery switch, ensure a reliable power supply.
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Two 12-volt DC source onboard chargers were installed, which provide charging and balancing for the packs.
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It required 13.5 meters of Oratex covering and the corresponding primers and paints to finish the model.
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The elevator servos were installed on the fuselage’s left and right sides of the removable tailplane.
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windows and servo wells were cut in with a soldering iron cutting knife. For the Cub’s design scheme I chose that of the Swiss model HB-OXX (Scale-Doku in AUFWIND 2/2015). I transferred the design to the model with fine-point pencil. Then the model was masked with fine-line tape. I painted the model outside. The red color was sprayed with a small spray gun. The detachable tail wheel and cowl were installed as a way to ensure the alignment of the paint scheme’s edges. The 2K-paint I bought from Oracover. For the Piper’s motor system, I once again relied on the expertise of Uwe Neesen at Hacker Motor company. He flies a Piper of the same size with a Hacker A-150/10 motor mated to a a 12S LiPo battery pack. His model pulls sailplanes that weigh up to 25 kilograms (55 lb). However, I opted to limit my models power to a 10S LiPo system, due to my current
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charging systems. Consequently, Uwe Neesen recommended an A-150/08 motor (2100 grams), the 220-A controller Jeti/Spinmaster Pro (360 grams), and a 28x12-in. Xoar wood propeller (190 grams ). The fullthrottle current of this combination is 151 amps at 5340 rpm (about 5,300 watts of power). I deviated from the professional’s recommendation for the battery pack. They recommend four 5S packs, which would be configured as a 2S2P system. That required too many plugs and cables. Instead I opted for a 12,000-mAh 6S and 4S pack in series. The complete power system weighed in on my scales at precisely at 5310 grams (187.3 oz). For control I chose the new JR Propo NX-8921 servos. They measure 40.5 x 21 x 35 mm, and weight 72 grams. They deliver 36.5 kilograms per centimeter of force at 7.4 (506.89 oz-in.). In addition, the 8921s are
designed for control by PWM or XBus signal. Currently, the Cub is configured for conventional PWM signal from the 11-channel JR-Propo 1131BPU receiver. I will convert to an XBus receiver soon. The servos were installed in the pockets provided by Rödel. The ailerons and landing flaps use M3threaded pushrods, with ball-links for attachment, while the rudder uses a composite control horn. The two elevator servos were installed at the rear so as to keep the linkages as short as possible. As a departure from the plan, I installed the elevator controls in the detachable part, with their outgoing output levers and M2.5 linkages. I wanted to avoid the need to attach and dismantle the elevator rudder linkages. With my solution, it is now only necessary to insert a six-pin plug for the elevator’s servos. The receiver mentioned above weighs 55 grams and measures 14 x
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7
RĂ–DELMODELL PIPER - PART 2
The interior height of the VW Golf VI Variant is sized to the millimeter, so it accommodates the PA-18,
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RC SPORT FLYER • JAN 2017
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On its nose, I can conveniently mount and make all the connections for the tailplane.
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Just before the big maiden flight, the Piper was taxied comfortably on the meadow and readied for flight.
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In the air, the model shows itself at its best and inspired me by its flight and handling characteristics. twitter.com/rcsportflyer twitter.com/rcsportflyer
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This sight that inspires Piper Cub fans again and again. Note the hatch is open on the top, but it made no difference.
39 x 52 millimeters. It has two highcurrent voltage inputs. I connected it directly to a DPSI Micro DualBat 5.5to 5.9-volt JR battery from Emcotec, which in turn is powered by two Powercube LiPo packs, each rated at 2400 mAh. They are charged and balanced by two onboard chargers from Emcotec. For charging, a simple 12-volt power source, such as a car battery connects via a socket in the fuselage wall. I expected the model would still need nose weight when finished. After all, the was 250 grams in servos and
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linkages in the tail. However, I was pleasantly surprised when I weighed the model. It required some lead in the nose, but the weight was not pushed up tight against the motor, so there was still room inside. This lets me reach the battery comfortably through the large opening in the top of the fuselage; and, it is big enough to let both hands inside. At a finished weight of 17.8 kilograms (39.25 lb), the Piper PA-18 was ready for flight just before the glider fair. However, for three days, the model had to be exhibited in the Rรถdel tent.
Eight days later it was time for the maiden flight. I assembled the model and performed a complete preflight of the Piper, with articulations and deflections of all the control surfaces. Then the Piper rolled. The model ground-handled easily. Next I turned it into the wind, positioned my sunglasses, and then slowly applied throttle. Running at just half throttle the Cub ran past me, providing an impressive motor and propeller noise. Then slowly I applied full throttle. The Piper rose into the sky. In flight, I found that a couple of rudder and elevator trim adjustments were
The second landing I used half-set flaps and a little more throttle to bring it in for a smooth landing. rc-sportflyer.tumblr.com
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RÖDELMODELL PIPER - PART 2
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This makes for an unmistakable confession about using the electric drive, to be understood with a wink.
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In tow, at the Model Flying Ranch in Spain, the big Piper Cub performed flawlessly.
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RC SPORT FLYER • JAN 2017
needed. Once trimmed, I found it to be balanced, obedient, and magnificent in flight. My nervousness instantly gave way to enthusiasm — even though the access door opened in the fuselage’s top, but luckily it remained on the model. I flew the model around and simply enjoyed the flight for about six minutes. The first landing, with half flaps, was a bit short and bumpy because of too little throttle. It did not have any consequences thanks to Rödel’s shock-absorbing suspension. Back in the pit area, all screw connections were still firmly in place. The motor’s temperature was only hand warm. I will, however, add a forced-air cooling duct. Note that the battery packs still had 65 percent capacity. The landing after six minutes was therefore premature. Once the battery packs were recharge it was on to the second flight. I found that normal flight for the Cub is about 40 percent power. Even so, the Hacker power system provides for climbs of about 45 degrees. As such, the Cub offers the possibility of being a good tug aircraft. Obviously, the flight durations depend on throttle management. Therefore, I think it is best to use the power for climbing or tugging. A trip to the Model Flying Ranch in Spain was planned. I wanted to trying using the Cub as a tug there. However, I needed a good tow
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The Hannes Schmalzer panel fits perfectly into the model. The cockpit floor will be opened and expanded later.
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The white plastic tow bar prevents the tow line from being hooked into the tailplane, which would damage it.
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This series shows how I made a spinner for the motor. It took a couple of hours, but it runs tru and straight.
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rope. Ulf Reichmann is a sailplane professional and competitor. He offers rope sets, which are competition proven. The braided rope is nearly three millimeters thick and 25 meters long. At the tug’s tow end is a 150 centimeter long tow bar, suspended with a spliced and shrunk as well as plastic-coated steel loop. On the glider/sailplane end is a spliced loop. Included in his set is a board on which the rope with rod that the rope is wrapped on, plus a Velcro attachment. During the week of soaring in Spain, I lost the rope in an emergency drop in a Mandarine Plantation. By chance during the search of a crashed sailplane, we found the rope. My joy was huge. Ulf Reichmann offers it at: schleppseil-modell.de. The Hacker A150-8 motor system has proven itself as reliable. The motor typically draws 148 ampere at full throttle, but in the normal flight the current is reduced to 37 amps. Note that I’m using the Junsi 3010 charger. It gets power from two solar batteries in series (24 volts and 88 Ah). I’ve found that during a tow to a 300 meters altitude (1000 feet) of an eight kilograms (17.6 lb) glider the pack uses about two amperes. The variometer has shown a climb rate of six to seven meters per second (≈1300 feet per minute). So, if on descent only little or no motor power is used, it can be assumed that five tows from a battery charge are possible. Sailplanes like Ka-8, ASK-13, etc. will do well behind the PA-18. Even a model such as the 18 kilogram Duo Discus it towable. However, towing the larger sailplane to a height of 350 meters does required almost four amps of current to be pulled. Finally, thanks to the Multiplex telemetry on board I was able to get the in-flight measured values.
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HpH 304 SHARK A LONG-WINGED PREDATOR WITH A NICE BITE BY WIL BYERS
I
t was a couple of years ago when I landed the six-meter HpH Shark in my office. I immediately unpacked it and inspected the workmanship. What a catch it had been! HpH had built one of the highest quality sailplanes I’d yet to own. Over the next couple of years the sailplane took a backseat to other projects. Even so, I kept researching how other RC sailplane pilots were building their Sharks, as well as learning how it soared. Last summer the Shark was hauled onto my workbench for its radio gear installations. This article will detail a few of the minor challenges that faced me while completing the installs.
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The HpH 304 is a super sleak six-meter-wingspan sailplane that employs extensive composite construction throughout. The model comes almost ready to fly, needing only radio installation. RC SPORT FLYER • JAN 2017
Radio Gear Hitec RCD servos were chosen to drive the control surfaces of this model. These are the servos that I used: HS-7954SH, HS7950TH, HS-7235MH, HS-7245MH, and HS-7115TH models. They’re all compatible with 2S LiPo (7.4-volt) power and deliver plenty of torque for the minor amount of current they consume. Note that the 79 series servos were twitter.com/rcsportflyer
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The Jeti Central Box 200 is used because it provides for redundant battery packs; and, it uses dual path signal reception for reliable 2.4-GHz control.
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The Shark’s landing gear has built-in shock absorbing struts as well as a brake. It comes in the ARF package as is shown here. There is no assembly needed.
My Shark is fitted with Hitec servos: HS-7954SH, HS7950TH, HS-7235MH, HS-7245MH, and HS-7115TH models. They deliver plenty of torque.
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The Central Box 200 is using two of the R3 receivers for dual-path signal reception. The other R3 is being used as a digital On/ Off power switch — very nice feature!
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You must either tie the servos’ plugs together with line or use a servo clip to guarantee that they do not inadvertantly disconnect during flight.
a bit of a bit of a tight fit for the flaps, but they deliver a ton of torque at 403 oz-in. when powered by 7.4 volts. The Shark is fitted with a Jedi Central Box 200 because it provides exceptional dual-path signal reception when mated with two R3 receivers. It is also using an R3 as a digital, remote On/Off power switch. The Central Box also provides for redundant battery
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This photo show how the Hitec servo drives the retractable landing gear. The gear’s strut legs over center, which then locks the gear in place for landings.
power, which is a must in this size sailplane. Power comes from two Spektrum® 2S 4000-mAh 7.4-volt LiPo packs. They’re super reliable and provide the power “insurance” I want for this six-meter sailplane. Installations Installation of the radio gear was completely straightforward, with the exception of the rudder, which I’ll explain later in this article. The landing gear comes with a servo arms that fit the servo perfectly. You must bolt the servo in place,
The photo shows the composite frame that is built into the sailplane to hold the landing gear in place. It is well made as are the gear doors, which also come hinged. Subscribe @ RCSportFlyer.com
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HPH 204 SHARK
A HS-7245MH is used to drive the elevator. I reinforced the mounts with composites and then used a shim to prevent flexing in place.
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Gene Cope custom made the Shark’s control horns. We’ll share how he machined them in the February issue of the magazine.
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There is not a lot of room in the wings for the servos to be fitted with frames, so they were glued in place using 30-minute epoxy and flocked cotton.
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RC SPORT FLYER • JAN 2017
12
You must center the servos per the contol surfaces before gluing them in place. This is especially true for the spoilers to have proper travel. twitter.com/rcsportflyer
13
I used my Dymo label printer to create the control wires’ labels. It makes identifying control ports much easier during future maintences.
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This shows both how the control linkages were fabricated from 4-40 rods as well as how the servos were glued into the wings.
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A syringe was used to inject 30-minute epoxy and flocked cotton into the wings to glue the horns in place — coated the threads with Vaseline first.
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A linoleum gauge was used to get a pattern of the fuselage side. The curve’s shape was then transferred to a piece of plywood.
center it, and then adjust the control throws such that the you get full travel of the retract, but without binding — very straightforward. All the servos in the wings were glued in place using 30-minute epoxy mixed with flocked cotton — you’ll want the epoxy to be the consistency of creamy peanut butter. Do not forget to center the servos before gluing them in place. Also, do not get carried away with the glue use just enough to hold the servo in position rc-sportflyer.tumblr.com
— a little dab will do! I used custom-made control horns made by a friend. You can buy similar horns from Icare RC. I like these horns because you simply drill a small hole in the control surface, use a syringe to inject epoxy mixed with flock cotton into the control surface, and then install the horn — it is recommended that you wipe the threads with Vaseline because then you can unscrew it if necessary. You’ll also want to turn the wing over to let the
epoxy run around the horn to cure. Two areas that need your attention are the elevator and rudder servo installs. Note that the servo I used was not a perfect fit for the elevator’s control. I added some composite material in that area to get a tight fit between servo and fin. Also, the servo was shimmed on one side as well. The servo install for the rudder was a bit confusing to me in that they had two push-pull tubes installed, one on each side of the fuselage. I thought Subscribe @ RCSportFlyer.com
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BUILD
HPH 204 SHARK
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I made a cardboard template as a way to get the exact shape of the side of the fuselage. Then it was used for creating plywood mounts.
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This shows a pattern being fitted to the side of the fuselage. This shape will become a plywood mount for the rudder’s cable tube.
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The Shark’s rudder uses pull-pull cables. However, I will change this to a push-pull, single-servo control before the model is flown.
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The Dubro links for the connection to the rudder’s pull-pull system work extremely well. The control horn was glued in place with epoxy.
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This is how the tow release operates. Note that the plywood servo mount was glued in with small pieces of fiberglass reinforcing and epoxy resin.
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Because there were no instructions I thought the model used a pull-pull rudder system. Rather, it uses a push-pull. It will be changed before flight.
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RC SPORT FLYER • JAN 2017
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they had intended it to be a pull-pull system. As you can see from the photos I ended up using two servos. After discussing this with a friend he explained that it only required a push-pull system, which I will change before the model flies.
The battery packs fasten in place with Velcro hook-n-loop tape. One side of the Velcro gets glued to the fuselage’s side and the other to the battery pack. It works well....
SPECIFICATIONS — FULL-SCALE
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Synopsis The HpH Shark scale sailplane is of the highest quality. It will require about 30 hours to install the radio gear and program the transmitter. There is absolutely nothing difficult about the assembly. While I have not flown the model as yet, reports are that it soars extremely well. Stay tuned to this magazine and we’ll show you how the Shark gets powered by an electric ducted fan, retractable launching systems in next month’s issue.
Wingspan : 18 m (59 ft) Wing area : 11.8 m2 (127 ft2) Aspect ratio : 27.43 Fuselage : 6.79 m (22.28 ft) length Overall height : 1.48 m (4.86 ft) Fuselage : 0.83 m (2.72 ft) height Fuselage width : 0.62 m (2.03) Wing wirfoil : HPH xn2 Empty weight : 280 kg (617 lb) Maximum : 600 kg (1323 lb) weight Water ballast : 250 liter (66 US gal) Min. wing : 29.6 kg/m2 (6.0 lb/ft2) loading Max. wing : 50.8 kg/m2 (10.4 lb/ft2) loading Best glide ratio : 51.2 @ 125 km/h (77.7 mph) Stall speed at : 0.44 m/s (82.8 ft/min) max. weight @ 66 km/h (41 mph) Min. sink rate 88 km/h (55 mph)
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The model is fitted with two Spektrum® LiPo 2S 4000-mAh 7.4-volt packs. They provide the redundant power “insurance” I want for this 6-meter sailplane. rc-sportflyer.tumblr.com
DISTRIBUTOR
VNE 280 km/h (174 mph)
Soaring USA 1/3-scale sailplane 827 N. Glendora Ave Covina , CA 91724 Phone: 626-967-6660 soaringusa.com Subscribe @ RCSportFlyer.com
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BUILD
SUPER DIMONA IT IS SO MUCH MORE THAN A SAILPLANE
BY DENNIS BRANDT
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RC SPORT FLYER • JAN 2017
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M
y long-time friend, Mark Foster, once had a Zenoah G-45-engine-powered Dimona. He flew it for many years. His model put the want in me to have one. However, I always wanted to go electric power if I bought a motor glider. Well, the Neu 1530 brushless electric motor is equivalent in power, if not more so, than the G-45. As you can imagine, I finally decided to buy a Dimona — mine being purchased from Delro in German. I’ve spent about 22 months building the motor glider. It has been the most labor intensive build I have ever undertaken. I’m extremely happy with the results, so I wanted to share the build with the readers of RC Sport Flyer magazine. What follows is an abbreviation of my project.
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45
BUILD
1
3 46
SUPER DIMONA
The best way to paint safely with any two-part epoxy style paint is to use a fresh air breathing system, no cheap dust mask will provide safe fresh air.
The Neu motor I used has a built in fan and external cooling fins for better heat dissipation, which then keeps the wire windings from getting too hot and eroding performance. RC SPORT FLYER • JAN 2017
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A fairly simple box mold was made to create the battery cages. It required several layers of primer, was then smoothed, polished, and waxed, with a few layers of fiberglass then applied.
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As you can see in this photo, the model’s motor compartment gets very good airflow over the motor, batteries, and the electronic speed controller. twitter.com/rcsportflyer
Kit The Delro kit included a gelcoated fuselage, wings with joiner tube installed, ailerons nicely knuckle hinged, hinged horizontal stabilizer and rudder, the fuselage’s internal wing joiner finished and ready to be fitted to fuselage, main landing gear finished (no wheels supplied), steerable shock absorbing tailwheel, a basic typical hardware kit, and a basic seat pan.
Build The wings are obechi wood over white foam cores that have a full carbon fabric sandwich between. I finished the wood by filling it with a matrix of West Systems epoxy and lightweight filler — a thick slurry with West 410 Microlight filler, which was
spread on the wings. Next, I block sanded them, using multiple coats of white PCL brand PolyPrimer. The final block sanding was done with a paper grit of 320, and done wet. They were then primed and painted with PPG brand Concept (DCC) Urethane premium quality, single stage, two component product. Then I sanded them to a mirror finish starting with 1000-grit paper, moving onto machine sanding with 3000 grit. I finished them with 5000 grit machine pads and then polished the wings with Meguiar’s #80 Speed Glaze. The horizontal stabilizer and rudder got the same treatment. The finished turned out such that I have tricked a few friends telling them the wings are hollow molded — you can’t tell they’re not. They now have a better finish than most molded models. Delro supplied molded wing tips.
However, I was copying a Dimonia from Austria, which has winglets. So, again, I opted to make a set for my model. My model’s winglets are a mix of balsa and carbon that were fiberglassed and painted to match the wings. They had to be removable so I installed tube mounts in the Dimonia’s wingtips, plus I installed locking screws underneath the wing to secure the winglets to the wingtips. They are as close to the scale versions as I could make them — heavily undercambered sections. They are a matching pair. I probably spent about 60 hours just to fabricate them to get a perfect fit to the wings! The fuselage came with what I consider poor joint seams that looked bad to the eye. So, I opted to spray paint the fuselage to get rid of the seam lines. Delro supplies a basic seat pan,
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Another view under the engine cowling shows you how I mouted the Neu motor to the firewall. The battery boxes got glued in place with epoxy resin all around.
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The model is fitted with a Schumacher Products arming plug that I disguised as engine exhaust pipe. It is easy to reach, even when the cowling is fitted.
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I typically use a disarming plug system as an extra measure of safety against accidental motor starts, which with a motor this size could cause serious injury to body parts.
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There is easy access to the motor’s Lipo packs as well as the dual LiFe Hyperion 3800-mAh receiver packs after you slide the instrument cowl rearward.
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BUILD
SUPER DIMONA
9
Instrument panel-to-cowl mount is made by use of simple brass tubes. The tubes simply slide into mating brass tubes that have been glued into the fuselage.
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The red locking levers have an internal rod that unlocks the rear of the canopy when the levers are pulled up. So it provides a quick and easy way to lock the canopy in place.
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A mold was created for rear package tray. After the third layup of composite materials it was finally the lightweight and strong enough for use in the Dimona.
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The oil inspection cap works well to hide the front canopy’s locking pin from view. Notice it is fitted with a thumb screw to lock the cap in place.
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My model’s center console was fabricated from balsa. Once it was shaped as needed, it was filled, sanded, and then sprayed with gray polyprimer paint.
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The four-piece instrument panel is made by Noll-Modelltechnik. Mine was purchase via Vogelsang Aeroscale models, which is located in North Carolina.
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RC SPORT FLYER • JAN 2017
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15
One third-scale pilot is used in the cockpit for flight realism. It is manufactured by Axel’s Scale Pilots out of Germany, Axel makes five different sizes of pilots.
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The model’s seat cushions were courtesy of Dan Fitzgerald. Dan also makes some great wing bags for our models. I’ve been using them now for a number of years.
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All of the control handles are made of premium grade Bondo® type filler. They were hand and machine sanded to the correct shape before being painted.
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The canopy’s hinging/attachment system is a very close duplicate to that of the full-scale Dimona, originally I wanted it for static looks, but it actually functions per full size.
which I did not use because it is not scale enough for my wants. Consequently, I made a mold for a scale seat pan, which fits the fuselage as it should. I also made a mold for the rear package tray. Then too, I fabricated from scratch the control stick handles, spoiler handles, the center console, the movable throttle, mixture control, and propeller pitch control, etc. Delro supplied a molded canopy frame and clear canopy. However, I made the canopy open and close just as the full-scale aircraft’s. Its two red locking levers are accessed through the canopy vent windows. They lock the rear of the canopy with an internal sliding rc-sportflyer.tumblr.com
pin. The canopy’s front locking pin is accessed under the hinged engine oil inspection port. The rear outer canopy strut/hinge was fabricated out of half-inch aluminum U-channel. The internal rear canopy hinged dual strut/supports are brass that has been carbon wrapped and painted. I probably spent 200 hours on the complete canopy assembly because there were a lot of trial and error fittings to get the proper results. The cockpit’s instruments come from Noll in Germany by way of Vogelsang Aeroscale in North Carolina. I still need to paint the front of the propeller white, and make the tips red.
Power As I said, the Dimona is an electricpowered model. As such, I chose a Neu model #1530 motor that is fitted with a gearbox. Electrons are supplies by two 6S 6600-mAh LiPo packs wired in series for a 12S configuration. For throttle control I chose the Castle Creations HV85, which works well married to the Neu motor. As a way of keeping things clean up in the cowl area, I made a mold to create two cages to house the LiPo packs. As shown in the photos, the packs are installed through the cockpit into the engine cowling area — one pack on each side of the Subscribe @ RCSportFlyer.com
49
BUILD
SUPER DIMONA
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Front-hinged struts were made by the trial and error method. The first set didn’t work out well, however, the second set now works great, without any binding.
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The full-scale Dimona I copied my model after is located in St. Valentin Austria. Thanks to a Google search, and Chris at their flying club I was able to get the documentation I needed.
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21
Creating matching, detachable winglets was very time consuming! I used several airfoil templates to help me keep the left and right sides matching.
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In Flight I estimate that I have about 20 flights on the Dimona now. It has become my favorite model! It truly does it all. It has a “shitload” of power as witnessed by quite a few fellow flyers. Consequently, it hustles getting off the ground. It’s also quite nimble in flight, yet docile in handling — there is no funny business. The Dimona is totally predictable, landings are normal, and the sweetest part is being able to taxi it back to the pits.
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SPECIFICATIONS
I have decided to limit its flight time per LiPo charge to one full climb, and at least two full-power climbs from say 400 to 500 feet. That will provide enough reserve power for any go-arounds needed, slow fly-bys, and ground taxiing. I’m confident it could do two full-power climbs from a ground start, but that may result in damage to the LiPo packs. Because I like plenty of reserve power on hand, I plan to purchase a second and maybe even a third pair of LiPo packs, which will make for almost nonstop flying if wanted. Summing up, I like this model so much I have actually thought about getting another. It’s what I always wanted in terms of flight performance. I’m quite pleased with how the electrification worked out as well. Finally, yes it absolutely thermals great too!
Wingspan : 5.4 meters Weight : ≈45 pounds Motor : Neu 1530/2d/F/fan w/ P42 gearbox ESC : Castle Creations HV85 Battery : Dinogy 12S (two 6S) 6600-mAh 65C LiPo Propeller : MKS HV747 wings MKS HBL599 /HBL950 rudder & elevator Transmitter : JR 12x Receiver : JR 921x Pilot : 1/3-scale Axel Climb : 1200 fpm @ 70 amps Watts : ≈3000 watts / climb Graphics : Calli-Graphics.com Price : ≈$3,000 w/ shipping, etc.
MANUFACTURE
motor. Note that the instrument cowl slides out of the model easily, which makes for easy access the LiPo packs. As shown in the photos, the black “exhaust pipe” is the power system’s emergency disarming plug. The small round hatch on the cowl is for access to the front canopy’s locking pin.
Delro Modelltechnik Herforder Str. 103 32584 Löhne Germany delro.de/index.php
Here, my pilot is waiting for traffic control clearance from the Central Valley RC airfield control town at Visalia, CA. Once cleared, the Dimona is bound for the clouds and some soaring time.
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51
HOW TO
This is the system that I used to test the End Point Adjustment and the Travel Limit of the Hitec Aurora 9 and Optima 9 receiver in combination with the Hitec HS-7950TH servo.
TRAVEL LIMITS FINE TUNE YOUR MODEL BY LEARNING HOW TO CONTROL SERVO TRAVEL BY WIL BYERS
T
ravel Limit in the current generation of programmable transmitters is typically a setting that lets you control the amount of a particular channel’s travel relative to the control stick’s center position. First, consider that the servo’s pulse train values range between 900, 1500 (center position), and 2100 microseconds. The travel limit (is often referred to as travel, throw, end point,
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max limit, or adjustments. End point, however, is often set separately of the travel limit. These adjustments may be represented in your transmitter’s programming display as ATV or EPA. For this article, I used the Hitec Aurora 9X to provide examples of how to set and use travel volumes and end points. It is a very programmerfriendly transmitter, with logic that is easy to understand.
When programming the Aurora 9X the initial settings for ATL (Travel Limit) are 150%, the maximum. EPAs, however, has an initial setting of 100%, but can be adjust to 140% of maximum travel. Starting Point The following table shows what happens as either EPA or ATL is adjusted on the Aurora 9X. twitter.com/rcsportflyer
EPA
Travel Limit
140% 140% 140% 140% 100% 100%
150% 100% 50% 00% 150% 100%
Travel Limit
End Point
150% 150% 150% 150%
140% 100% 50% 00%
ATL versus EPA These two values can be, and are, a bit confusing to understand. In the Aurora 9X the Travel Limit represents the pulse train. If you reduce the ATL you are reducing the servo’s ultimate travel limit relative to the pulse train for its travel deflection. From the table you can see that with the Travel
Deflection (degrees +/-) 57 38 18 00 39 39 Deflection (degrees +/-) 57 39 21 01 Limit set to 150% and the End Point Adjustment set to 100%, the servo has a range of deflection off its center position of plus or minus ≈39 degrees, as measured on RCSF’s rudimentary scale. Alternately, if you adjust the EPA to 140% for a Travel Limit of 150% the servo has a range of deflection of ≈57 degrees. With the Travel Limit reduced
to 50% and the EPA set to 140%, the servo’s travel was reduced to 18 degrees plus or minus. And when set to 00% and the EPA at 140% the servo has zero deflection relative to its center position. Note that the Aurora 9X provides a visual representation of the Travel Limit in the Monitor screen. There you can see graphically exactly where you have the plus or minus values set relative to the servos’ center positions — it is a nice feature. So, that said, the Travel Limit defines the pulse train for the servo’s total deflection relative to its center position. This means that Travel Limit defines the value off center that the servo is allowed to travel; i.e., for the the Travel Limit to be set to 100% means the servo’s travel is limited to about 66% of its total deflection when the EPA is set to 140%. Again, it is a bit confusing with respect to the EPA EPA on the other hand does as it says, it sets the end point of the servo’s deflection relative to the servo’s center position. The table shows that with the Travel Limit set to 150% and the EPA set to 140% the total deflection is 57 degrees. Even so, when the Travel Limit remains at 150% but the EPA is reduced to 100% the
This was the starting point for my tests. The EPA was set to 100% while the Travel Limit (ATL) was set to 150%. The servo then had a travel off center of plus or minus 39 degrees.
Here I’ve raised the EPA to 140% with the ATL set to 150%. As such, the servo would travel off center plus or minus 57 degrees. This was the maximum values for EPA and ATL. rc-sportflyer.tumblr.com
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HOW TO
TRAVEL LIMITS
When we reduced the ATL to 100%, but had the EPA set to 100% the servo traveled plus or minus 39 degrees.
Here you see that the standard for ATL is 150% as the Hitec Aurora 9X comes set from the factory, which provides full resolution for EPA adjustments.
When we reduced the ATL to 50%, but had the EPA set to 140% the servo traveled plus or minus 18 degrees.
When we reduced the EPA to 50%, but had the ATL set to 150% the servo traveled plus or minus 21 degrees.
When we set the EPA to 140%, but had the ATL set to 150% the servo traveled plus or minus 57 degrees.
When we reduced the EPA to 00%, but had the ATL set to 150% the servo traveled only minus 01 degrees.
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servos deflection is reduced in a linear fashion to 39 degrees off its center position. Not surprisingly then, when the EPA is reduced to 50% the servo’s deflection is reduced by 18 degrees to the value of 21 degrees off its center position. Programming In practice, I would normally keep the Travel Limit set to 150% and adjust the End Point Adjustment only. I would program the transmitter such that the servo does not jam against and airplane part, such as a servo cover, throttle stop, linkage travel, or control surface limit. Note that if a servo does jam against a stop it is likely to draw more current from the battery pack or even stall, which can significantly increase current draw. In the case of the Aurora 9X you’ll use End Point Adjustment as a way of setting differential on the ailerons, and travels for other control surfaces. The EPA value will be set as needed to prevent jamming or binding. I like that the Aurora 9X provides plus and minus values for Travel Limit rather than a total limit because it does not have a differential setting. Remember, that the Travel Limit value is set relative to the control sticks position, and if set low will result in no change in servo position before the control stick reaches its full travel either plus or minus. For the sake of example, I set the Travel Limit to 20% on the Aurora 9X. It resulted in control of the servos’ travels only near the center position of the control stick, and nothing as the stick moved further thru its range of travel. Alternately, when I set the End Point Adjustment on the transmitter to only 20%, and the ATL to 150%, the control stick had control over the servo’s travel throughout its entire range of the 20% deflection value. When programming the transmitter for a new model you’ll often find that the ailerons of your model will provide much more up travel than down. As such, you’ll want to program the servos’ end points such that they do not bind or jam against their bottom positions on the wing. Vice versa you will not want the
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Again, we reduced the EPA to 00%, but had the ATL set to 150% the servo traveled plus or minus 01 degrees, so set End Points here, not in Travel Volume!
servos to bind as they travel in the up-aileron direction. In the Aurora 9X programming these values is as simple as navigating to the Model menu and selecting EPA. Within this screen you will find two pages of controls to program for the model’s servos — nine channels as you would expect.
Synopsis Know that Travel Limit controls the servos’ limits relative to the control sticks’ positions. And, that by reducing ATLs you are reducing the amount of control the control sticks have over the servos relative to the sticks positions.
EPA controls the servos’ deflections relative to the value that has been programmed, but does so over the complete travel of the control sticks’ positions. I hope you have a better understanding of the difference between ATL and EPA now.
This was the simple fixture I fabricated to help me better understand adjustments so I could then explain the differences between EPA and ATL settings in a programmable transmitter.
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55
HOW TO
GLIDER CARRIER A SIMPLE, EASY-TO-BUILD SOLUTION FOR AVOIDING ROAD RASH BY WIL BYERS
I
’m 100% percent certain that I’m not the only giant-scale enthusiast to faced the challenge of getting your glider/sailplane to the airfield without road rash. I’ve wrapped my models in blankets, foam, sheets, and towels to prevent scratches and dings to their finishes. Sometimes this approach works and other times it mostly works. No matter my level of care in wrapping and protecting them, and packing them neatly in my big, old GMC Savanna van my sailplanes sometimes suffer a scratch or small ding. Honestly, it makes my blood boil to see it happen. I love my machines and I like them to remain in like-new condition.
Solution This last summer I arrived at a rather simple and inexpensive solution — that is the case if you have the power tools to do the work. I don’t know what to call my solution other than a glider carrier, which I guess is exactly what does. The carrier’s base is made of 1/2-inch sanded plywood. I bought a four-by-eight foot sheet, which was enough to make two carriers. The base for my six-meter wingspan Shark sailplane is 18 inches wide by 8 feet long. I used a table saw, with a fence set to 18 inches to cut the plywood to width. I employed a friend to help guide the wood through the saw,
This is what my simple glider carrier looks like without the foam guards on the upright dowels and with them. You’ll spend about $30 to make a carrier like this one. It works very well.
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which also added to the safety of cutting the board that big. Next I used a handheld electric drill fitted with a 1-1/2-in. hole saw to cut the holes for handles on each end. The handles were cut to the proper width with a skill saw. Then five-inch lightening holes were also cut with a hole saw and the handheld drill. Next the work moved to my drill press to drill the standards’ holes. I used a 3/4-inch Forstner bit to cut the holes. The base of the drill press was covered with a sheet of plywood that was cut to size as a way to protect the Forstner bit from being damaged by hitting the base. This was pretty much a two-man job because you want the holes to run perpendicular to the plywood base. So you need an extra man to hold the plywood base while the other does the drilling. Alternately, you could certainly use work surface that is the height of the drill press to support that plywood, which may even work better. I didn’t, so a helper was needed. After all the holes were cut I used a Porter-Cable 1-3/4-horse-power router fitted with a Diablo brand 3/8inch radius round over bit to clean up the holes. I simply ran around all the outside edges of the board with the bit as well as the lightening holes and the handles. All the edges were then sanded with 100-grit dry type sandpaper to remove and roughness. Once the board was cleaned up and sanded, I installed the 3/4 x 12 inch hardwood dowels. There were 12 of them for this carrier. You must position the fuselage on the base to twitter.com/rcsportflyer
get the dowels proper locations. You’ll need to do likewise to get the proper positions for the wing panels. Note that I left enough room in the spacing of the dowels such that the elevator can fit next to the fuselage. The dowels were glued into the carrier with Tightbond III wood glue. I used a damp rag to wipe away any excess glue from the joints and surfaces. I recommend you lightly sand the ends of the dowels with a disc sander before you glue them into the base. After the dowels had been glued into the base, I sealed the carrier base with Deft brand clear finish. I used an inexpensive brush to apply the clear to the base. When the clear finish had dried, the hardwood dowels were covered with self-adhesive pipe insulation. You can find it at most any good hardware store — I bought mine at Home Depot. Make sure the inside diameter of the insulation fits the dowel properly such that adhesive will stick the foam’s seals together well.
I’m guessing that it took me about two hours to make this glider carrier. It is made of 1/2-in. plywood sheet and 3/4-in. hardwood dowels that are covered in foam pipe insulation.
Done For about 30 bucks you can make a carrier such as mine. It works great too. I can simply grab a handle, lift it into the back of the old van, walk around the other end, grab the
opposite handle, and then slide the sailplane carrying carrier into the van. Now, I need to figure out a simply way to carry transmitter, battery charger, charge battery, and toolbox in the truck as well.
This is a quick and easy-to-make solution to carrying a large-scale sailplane. It is much less expensive than making a plywood box and also lightweight by comparison.
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57
3-VIEW
ROLLADENSCHNEIDER LS9
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RC SPORT FLYER • JAN 2017
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ONLY 10 OF THIS BEAUTIFUL 18-METER MACHINE WERE EVER BUILT! BY HANS-JĂœRGEN FISCHER
R
olladen-Schneider Company launched their LS9 is an 18-meter wingspan, singleseat motor glider in the year 2000. Unfortunately, for the soaring community, LS9 production ended after just 10 gliders were built when the company went into receivership. The LS9 was the only selflaunching sailplane developed by Rolladen-Schneider. The prototype first flew in 1995. It was powered by a Rotax 535 two-stroke, gas-powered engine. However, Rotax discontinued the 535, which then impacted the LS9 production. Consequently, the Solo 2625 engine and a Technoflug two-
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COLUMN
ROLLADEN-SCHNEIDER LS9
SPECIFICATIONS
blade propeller were selected. The engine installation, carbon composite propeller, mounting mast, and folding exhaust system were designed by the Walter Binder Motorenbau GmbH firm, so it was very similar to the Schempp Hirth Ventus CM installation.
Crew : One
FEATURES
• •
Length : 6.84 m (22 ft 5 in.) Wingspan : 18.00 m (59 ft 1 in.) Height : 1.43 m (4 ft 8 in.) Wing area : 11.4 m2 (123 ft2)
• •
Aspect ratio : 28.4 Empty weight : 350 kg (770 lb) Gross weight : 525 kg (1,155 lb) Engine : Solo 2625, 41 kW (55 hp) Max airspeed : 270 km/h (170 mph) Range : 550 km (340 miles) Maximum glide : >47 ratio Rate of climb : 4.0 m/s (780 ft/min) Rate of sink : 0.58 m/s (114 ft/min)
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• • • • • •
• LS6-18w wings, with strengthened spars and leading edges. Fuselage adapted from the LS4, with a broadened the tail boom to facilitate the engine. New safety-enhanced fiberglass/carbon fiber cockpit, with a carbon composite fuselage aft of the wing. The LS4 empennage, with carbon and aramid composite construction. Five-inch hub undercarriage set further forward to remedy nose-over when full power is appied. 210 x 65 mm steerable tailwheel integrated into the rudder. Fitted with one aerotow and winching towhook. Carbon composite propeller mast deployed by electric screw jack Engine with electric starter, fuel, and coolant pumps. Drive belt transmission to propeller Stall warning system activated during powered flight twitter.com/rcsportflyer
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61
PLAN
NEMESIS 80CC JON SHARP AND HIS WINNING RENO AIR RACER IS NOW A BEAUTIFUL 2-SHEET PLAN.
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RC SPORT FLYER • JAN 2017
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BY WENDELL HOSTETLER
P
SPECIFICATIONS
ilot and designer, Jon Sharp, forever changed the face of Formula One air racing with the 245-mph Nemesis. It is the most successful air racer in history. Flown by Jon Sharp, Nemesis won nine consecutive Reno Gold National Championships, with an additional 16 world speed records for its class. From 1991 until its retirement in 1999, Nemesis bested the competition, winning 45 of its 48 contests. The design employed state-ofthe-art technology when Sharp, and Lockheed Skunk Works friends, designed and built within the parameters laid down for Formula One racers. The airplane was built of pressure-molded graphite epoxy foam core sandwich as a way to keep it lightweight but yet strong enough to withstand the rigors of air racing. Nemesis sported a 66 feet of wing area, five gallons of fuel, and a stock, 100 hp, 200 cubic inch Continental engine. As such, Nemesis was the International Formula One points champion 1994 to 1998. In 1991 it won the George Owl Trophy for design excellence. In 1993, ‘96, and ‘98, it won the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale’s Louis Blèriot Medal for the greatest achievement in speed. In 1993, ‘94, ‘95, and ‘99, Nemesis won the Pulitzer Trophy for air racing speed records. For more information: airbum. com/pireps/PirepPeanutNemisis.html
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Wingspan : 6.25 m (20 ft 6 in.) Length : 5.6 m (18 ft 6 in.) Height : 2.2 m (7 ft 5 in.) Weight gross : 236 kg (520 lb) Top speed : 100 hp Continental O-200 air-cooled
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PLAN
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NEMESIS 80CC RACER
RC SPORT FLYER • JAN 2017
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REVIEW
BLADE® 230 S DON’T PANIC…. SAFE WILL SAVE YOU! BY JAMES VANWINKLE
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RC SPORT FLYER • JAN 2017
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H
The Blade® 230 S arrives completely assembled and the RTF version includes a Spektrum DXe® radio transmitter. It only requires a charge of the batteries. Within an hour it’s ready to fly. The box doubles as a storage/carry case.
elicopters are amazing machines! RC helicopters are even more so, because they can perform stunts that are not possible by a full-scale. A pilot’s learning curve on an RC helicopter can be difficult. Any crash can and often does results in a lot of broken parts. So imagine the upside of a helicopter that would allow a pilot to learn new maneuvers, with risk of loss being almost zero. Enter the latest helicopter from Blade®, the 230 S. It will up your game in every sense, thanks to its stellar performance and SAFE® technology, which will bail you out of a sticky situation. Blade® offers many helicopter sizes. They’re designed to fit the needs of any heli pilot, and one of their latest offerings is the 230 S. This helicopter will let you perform amazing stunts, or gently fly it in circles if the pilot chooses, and all on a standard 3-cell LiPo battery. It has the technology built in to help beginners or advanced flyers get to that next level with confidence.
The main blades are made from durable ABS material, and the canopy is ultra-lightweight plastic. You can see how small it is compared to the transmitter, though it flies like a much larger helicopter.
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REVIEW
BLADE® 230 S
A small motor powers the tail rotor. I was a little pessimistic it at first, but it turned out to be a great setup. If I have a mishap, there are not going to be a bunch of gears to replace either. It works perfectly!
The motor gear butts directly to the main rotor drive without additional intermediary gears, which makes for a simple clean design solution since there is no tail gear to drive.
Metal-gear servos are stock for this helicopter and drive the swashplate directly. Three servos control this helicopter. The tail rotor is motor driven, which also varies rpm for yaw control.
The transmitter included in the RTF version is a Spektrum™ DXe. It is completely set up for this helicopter. It also fits in the case with the helicopter, which is nice for transport.
Plastic blade grips attach to the ABS blades, which can take a beating before breaking. I’ve hit few things with it while flying around in my garage. Let me say these are pretty strong components.
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RC SPORT FLYER • JAN 2017
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In the Air Flying the Blade® 230 S is nothing short of spectacular. As the throttle is pushed forward the blades begin to come up to speed and the tail rotor comes alive to keep it from spinning. Then it will do a gentle lift-off of the skids. Level flight is right at the throttle’s mid-stick. The 230 S is very smooth in turns. One downside of many helicopters that use a motor for a tail rotor comes when the throttle is increased or decreased. Often an additional draw in power for the tail lessens power to the main blades and the helicopter raises or lowers when a turn is commenced, which is not the case with this helicopter. Any change in tail direction results in a simple yaw movement, with zero effect on the main rotor’s speed. I used to only fly helicopters that had a belt or direct drive shaft because I was never happy with a two-motor setup, but this helicopter has none of those issues. It is stable and very responsive. There are three flight modes available: stability, intermediate, and agility mode.
Stability mode means the roll rate is limited and if your hands are taken off the cyclic side (pitch and roll) the Blade® 230 S returns to level flight. It may still climb or descend, but the blades will be level to the horizon, which is great for beginners and landing. Intermediate mode is great for basic aerobatic flight, or just generally flying around. Bear in mind the helicopter will not return to level flight if the sticks are released, just as with a normal helicopter. The head speed is not at its highest level, though it is faster than stability mode. In this mode the throttle curve is set such that lowering the throttle lever will not lower the rpm. In fact it will increase as the pitch also increases in the negative direction. This is to allow for inverted flight. The center part of the collective (throttle) is used to hold a hover. If the collective is increased or lowered, the pitch moves the corresponding direction and the throttle begins to increase. It is still fairly gentle. Agility mode is designed for maximum helicopter performance
such as the more hardcore 3D maneuvers. The rpm is near its maximum and the blade pitch reaches the most extreme levels. Agility mode is used for tic-tocs, piro flips, and all of the other cool maneuvers the talented pilots can perform, which is to say many of the things that I cannot yet perform. From stall turns to inverted flight, to tic-tocs, the Blade® 230 S performs flawlessly. I typically take off in stability mode. Then I switch to agility mode fairly quickly so I can have the maximum power and pitch available when needed. I’ve flown it quite a bit in intermediate mode because it can do everything I desire. My piloting capability is a great fit for this setting, and it saves a little battery life too because it runs at a slightly lower rpm setting. Now let me explain a magic feature of the Blade® 230 S, which is referred to as Panic Recovery Mode using SAFE technology. A button push on the transmitter will automatically return the 230 S to upright and perfectly level flight. It works no matter the helicopter’s orientation,
REVIEW Box to the Sky With a super lightweight brightly colored canopy and strong ABS blades, the Blade® 230 S comes assembled. The readyto-fly (RTF) version includes a transmitter that has been bound to the helicopter’s receiver. The kit includes a battery for the helicopter, plus a charger that works with both AC and DC inputs. You can charge at home using an AC outlet, then at the airfield with a source such as a deep-cycle marine battery. Note that the box is perfect for use as a storage case, and is small enough to be carried on an aircraft for travel. It is only slightly larger than my Blade 180CFX, which I have taken on multiple trips. Literally, as soon as the battery is
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charged the 230 S is ready to fly. Even if your purchase the Bind-and-Fly (BNF) version, it’s almost as simple. Just set up the radio according to the manual’s stepby-step procedures, and within minutes the helicopter is ready for flight. The manual contains multiple pages of setup instructions for the various Spektrum™ DSM2® or DSMX® transmitters, all written in a logical flow and in multiple languages. It requires only a few simple programming steps, then the Tx being bound to the helicopter’s Rx and it is ready to go. Once set up, you must test the primary flight control directions before lifting off the skids. The first step is to turn on the transmitter and place it in hold mode so the blades won’t spin up when the sticks are moved. The next step is to power
the helicopter on a flat surface and let it go through the automated initialization process, which takes about 5 seconds. It’s important, so don’t skip this procedure. The manual shows each step of the process and what the heli’s head should do when the sticks are moved each direction. Also, know that the gyro’s stabilization is active, so as the helicopter is picked up and moved, the head should move the correct direction to counter the movement. All of this is laid out clearly, with plenty of figures to accompany the text, in the user’s manual. I have never heard of one of these helicopters not being set up perfectly from the factory, but it is worth the time to check before the 230 S’ blades begin turning. Then it’ll be time to top off the battery and get in some flight time.
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69
REVIEW
BLADE® 230 S
bringing it back to a stable hover. It must be emphasized that before the panic recovery button is released, the throttle must to be about midstick. If not, once it is released the helicopter may lurch up or down depending on where the stick was left when the button was pushed. This feature is golden for those of us that want to learn new maneuvers but are worried about having to rebuild after a mistake. It saves money and loads of adrenaline when you know there is a button to bring the heli back from the edge of disaster to a nice hover within a second or so. I tested this multiple times from different attitudes to see what would happen, including inverted, tail first flight. It works like magic! The heli just snaps into a
gentle hover every single time without hesitation. Forward, inverted, you name it, the Blade® 230 S can do it with ease. Landings are pretty darn simple too, with a little flip of the switch back to stability mode I just lowered the throttle and the helicopter gently touched down, and I then flipped the hold switch in case I bumped the throttle again. It is that easy! Expect about five-minute flights depending on your piloting style. Five minutes will give plenty of time to do some amazing aerobatics. I overflew the Transmitter’s time limit, and the helicopter went into power saver mode where the rpm slowed considerably though still allowing plenty of control to get it back to the
landing spot. So, five minutes actually means five minutes when the agility mode is used. After getting used to a helicopter some pilots like to fine tune them to their taste, which can be done with this model as well. The manual walks you through the steps needed to adjust the servo gains as desired, though I had absolutely no need to touch anything. I am as happy with the factory setup, and I am positive most of you will agree. This would make an excellent trainer helicopter allowing pilots to start in stability mode and work their way up step by step to agility mode, where some great 3D flying can take place.
This is a sample page of the setup guide for a few of the Spektrum™ radios. As you can see, every step in the setup is detailed perfectly and is a simple procedures to follow.
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RC SPORT FLYER • JAN 2017
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Inverted flight is easy thanks to the 230 S’ stability system. I wanted to get a lot lower and closer but my photographer was not a fan, and since I want to stay married to her, this is the best shot.
The Blade® 230 S is a fantastic looking helicopter with durable blades and a nicely detailed canopy. It’s easy to see in the air and looks great on the ground too. rc-sportflyer.tumblr.com
Whether the sky is cloudy or blue, the orientation of this helicopter is easy to determine because of the well-done Blade paint scheme. Subscribe @ RCSportFlyer.com
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REVIEW
BLADEÂŽ 230 S
A test of the panic recovery mode brought the helicopter into a nice stable hover just a few inches below when the button was pressed. It will hold in this position until the button is released.
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RC SPORT FLYER • JAN 2017
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The Blade® 230 S is an amazing model. I have had many helicopters of many different sizes, including multiple Blade helicopters. This is the most technologically advanced model to date, with the multiple modes and panic recovery system. The 230 S fits well between the 450size helicopters and my amazingly agile Blade 180CFX. It can perform
all of the tricks, but the loss risk is the lowest with this helicopter thanks to the SAFE technology. I can and do recommend this helicopter to anyone looking to improve their game, either from beginner to advanced. The Blade 230 S is a amazing helicopter packed into a small package.
SPECIFICATIONS
Conclusion
Main rotor : 21.10 in. (536 mm) diameter Tail rotor : 3.25 in. (82.5 mm) diameter Length : 18.66 in. (474 mm) Weight : 11.95 oz. (339 g) Motor Size : Brushless 3900 Kv Tail motor : Brushless 3600 Kv ESC : Dual brushless Servos : Spektrum™ H3050 (3 each) Flybarless : Spektrum™ Unit AR6335 6-channel Radio : 6+ channel DSM2®/DSMX® capable transmitter
DISTRIBUTOR
Price : $ 299.99 (Ready to Fly) $ 249.99 (Bind and Fly) Horizon Hobby 4105 Fieldstone Road Champaign, IL 61822 Phone: 800-338-4639 horizonhobby.com
Settling in to land is pretty simple. Switching back to stability mode helps keep the helicopter nice and level. The throttle is then gently decreased until the skids reach the deck again. rc-sportflyer.tumblr.com
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TRAILING EDGE Trailing Edge As an avid soaring enthusiast, creating this issue was a joy. You see, soaring is anomalous! It is the purest form of flight. It is the facet of the hobby that is probably the least understood. Yet it remains the most singularly pure form of aviation — the most bird like of all. It is what has captivated me to my core since I was a young boy flying simple hand-chuck gliders. While everyone knows gliders and sailplanes are motorless — not counting motor gliders of course — not everyone understands their physics. They can’t fathom that soaring is much more than just flying a motorless aircraft around the sky. They don’t comprehend the challenges glider/sailplane pilots face. Rather, most RC pilots only fly a motor/engine-powered airplanes that are pulled along by a propeller, pushed by turbine thrust, or hovered by blades. Quite simply, most RCers don’t understand energy management, which is often evident during their dead-stick landings. Alternately, the accomplished glider pilot must have the vision to “read” their aircraft in its environment, the skills to manage its energy in all flight regimes, as well as the special talent to guide their aircraft into rising air; and, then to keep it in that air until their glider has gained the desired altitude. Skilled glider pilots fly in varied environments, including: thermal soaring, slope soaring, cross country, discus-launched, and even racing. These pilot must understand the meteorological environment their aircraft is flying in wholly! Note that the current world setting speed record for any model aircraft was set at an amazing 505 miles per hour while dynamic soared — it was done in heavy wind conditions on the top of a mountain November 22, 2014 in Weldon, California. We don’t know of any other type of model that even comes close to this speed, even turbine-powered jets. It should go without saying then that the piloting skills involved with a model flying at these speeds is exceptional — definitely not the average Sunday flyer type. What is also unique to these pilots is their understanding of the engineering and design of gliders and sailplanes. Glider pilots typically understand aspect ratio, wing loading, parasitic, induced, and profile drag, coefficient of lift, airfoil camber, moments of inertia, functions of velocity, etc. As my late friend Bob Moore said, “Glider pilots are of a higher intellect.” It may not be the case, but glider pilots are certainly aware of their aircrafts’ performance parameters. Finally, they unreservedly understand the art of finesse. It shows in their piloting as well as their keen awareness of their aircraft’s ever-changing environment. This is exceedingly important when you consider that their aircraft’s flight duration depends wholly on their ability to understand all aspects of its flight. So, if you’re not a glider/sailplane pilot yet, you would do well to learn this idiosyncratic fine art.
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RC SPORT FLYER • JAN 2017
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THE Mystery SAILPLANE
WIN
A FREE SPORT FLYER HAT
Give us the name of this cockpit to
win!
Last month’s
ANSWER
cockpit was De Havilland DH106 Comet. We hope you enter to be a winner in this month’s Mystery Airplane/Cockpit contest.
SUBMISSION INFORMATION Please e-mail your response to
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Providing superior quality, unmatched variety, and excellent service since 1989. Quality Propellers that are Competition Proven
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Visit the APC Prop Website for more details about our efficient, high performance, balanced multi-copter propellers. All propellers are in stock APC Propellers are also available from your favorite supplier
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Cylon X-tail Carbon $589.99 Carbon/Glass $479.99 2.0-meter Slope Racer 2 Versions: Fiberglass+Carbon: Hollow-molded fiberglass construction reinforced with carbon fiber, which gives adequate stiffness and torsional rigidity — recommended for sport flying.
Includes: Ballast tube, servo tray, push rod, clevises, linkages, control horns, servo covers, wing joiner, tail joiner, servo plate
Carbon: Wings are full carbon cloth, carbon reinforced fuselage, with carbon from leading edge of the wing to the tail — significant stiffness and torsional rigidity.
Specifications: Wingspan Length Wing area Weight
Features: • Ailerons, rudder, elevator, and flaps. • Two-piece hollow molded composite carbon fiber or glass wing design • Carbon fiber square wing joiner • Live hinges on the wing and rudder, with wipers • Gel-coated finish with pre-painted graphics • Full-flying stabilizer with pre-installed bellcrank
CG Transmitter Servos wings Servos fuselage Battery
2000 mm (78.75 in.) 1250 mm (49.21 in.) 34.9 dm2 (3.75 sq ft) ≈1600 g (57 oz) 90 – 95 mm back of leading edge 7 channel King Max CLS0911W (4) King Max (2) 4.8 – 8.4 Volts
Designed and Built for Sailplane Modelers RCRCM Gliders Give You More for Less
Mini Vector X-tail
Sunbird X-tail
Carbon $389.99 Carbon/Glass $319.99 1.69-meter Aerobatic Glider
Carbon $349.99 Carbon/Glass $259.99 1.5-meter Sport Sloper
2 Versions:
Includes:
Fiberglass+Carbon: Hollow-molded fiberglass construction reinforced with carbon fiber, which gives adequate stiffness and torsional rigidity — recommended for sport flying. Carbon: Wings are full carbon cloth, carbon reinforced fuselage, with carbon from leading edge of the wing to the tail — significant stiffness and torsional rigidity.
Features: • Ailerons, rudder, elevator, and flaps. • Two-piece hollow molded composite carbon fiber or glass wing design • Carbon fiber square wing joiner • Live hinges on the wing and rudder, with wipers • Gel-coated finish with pre-painted graphics • Full-flying stabilizer with pre-installed bellcrank
Ballast tube, servo tray, push rod, clevises, linkages, control horns, servo covers, wing joiner, tail joiner, servo plate
Specifications: Wingspan Length Weight (glass/ carbon) Weight (carbon) Airfoil CG Radio Servos wings Servos fuselage Battery
1690 mm (66.54 in.) 1070 mm (42.13 in.) 720 g (25.40 oz) 830g (29.28 oz) JH8-10 Symmetrical 72 mm back of leading edge 7 channels King Max CLS0911W (4) King Max (2) 4.8 – 8.4 Volts
Includes:
2 Versions: Fiberglass+Carbon: Hollow-molded fiberglass construction reinforced with carbon fiber, which provides the required stiffness and torsional rigidity for sport and aerobatic flying. Carbon: Wings are full carbon cloth, with carbon from leading edge of the wing to the tail — provides significant stiffness and torsional rigidity, yet is lightweight and strong.
Features: • Ailerons, elevator, flaps, and rudder control • Two-piece hollow molded composite carbon or fiberglass wing design • Carbon wing joiner • Live hinges on the wing and rudder, with wipers • Gel-coat finish, with pre-painted graphics • Full-flying stabilizer with pre-installed bellcrank
Ballast tube, motor mount, servo tray, pushrod, clevises, linkages, control horns, servo covers, wing joiner, tail joiner, servo plate
Specifications: Wingspan Length Weight (glass/ carbon) Weight (carbon) Airfoil CG Radio Servos wings Servos fuselage Battery
Strega V-tail
2 Versions:
2 Versions:
Carbon: Wings are full carbon cloth, with carbon from leading edge of the wing to the tail — provides significant stiffness and torsional rigidity, yet is lightweight and strong.
Features: • Ailerons, elevator, flaps, and rudder control • Two-piece hollow molded composite carbon or fiberglass wing design • Carbon wing joiner • Live hinges on the wing and rudder, with wipers • Gel-coat finish, with pre-painted graphics • Full-flying stabilizer with pre-installed bellcrank
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RC SPORT FLYER • JAN 2017
550 g 640 g JH Series 60–65 mm back of leading edge 7 channels King Max CLS0911W (4) King Max Mini (2) 4.8 – 8.4 Volts
Tabu V-tail
Carbon $839.99 Carbon/Glass $709.99 2.9-meter F3F Racer Fiberglass+Carbon: Hollow-molded fiberglass construction reinforced with carbon fiber, which provides the required stiffness and torsional rigidity for sport and aerobatic flying.
1500 mm 900 mm
Includes: Ballast tube, motor mount, servo tray, pushrod, clevises, linkages, control horns, servo covers, wing joiner, tail joiner, servo plate
Specifications: Wingspan Length Weight (glass/ carbon) Weight (carbon) Airfoil CG Radio Servos wings Servos fuselage Battery
2880 mm (113.4 in.) 1470 mm (57.9 in.)
Fiberglass+Carbon: Hollow-molded fiberglass construction reinforced with carbon fiber, which provides the required stiffness and torsional rigidity for sport and aerobatic flying. Carbon: Wings are full carbon cloth, with carbon from leading edge of the wing to the tail — provides significant stiffness and torsional rigidity, yet is lightweight and strong.
1610 g (56.80 oz)
Features:
1720 g (60.67 oz) JH8 Blend 102–110 mm back of leading edge 7 channels King Max CLS0911W (4) King Max (2) 4.8 – 8.4 Volts
• Ailerons, elevator, flaps, and rudder control • Two-piece hollow molded composite carbon or fiberglass wing design • Carbon wing joiner • Live hinges on the wing and rudder, with wipers • Gel-coat finish, with pre-painted graphics • Full-flying stabilizer with pre-installed bellcrank
Carbon $1299.99 Carbon/Glass $1119.99 3.0-meter F3B/F3F Glider Includes: Ballast tube, motor mount, servo tray, pushrod, clevises, linkages, control horns, servo covers, wing joiner, tail joiner, servo plate
Specifications: Wingspan Length Weight (glass/ carbon) Weight (carbon) CG Radio Servos wings Servos fuselage Battery
2976 mm (117.17 in.) 1500 mm (59.06 in.) 1680 g (59.26 oz) 1760 g (62.08 oz) 90–95 mm back of leading edge 7 channels King Max CLS0911W (4) King Max (2) 4.8 – 8.4 Volts
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Toba V-tail
Tomcat X-tail
Carbon $959.99 Carbon/Glass $829.99 3-meter F3B Glider
Carbon $669.99 Carbon/Glass $489.99 2.5-meter F3F Racer
2 Versions: Fiberglass+Carbon: Hollow-molded fiberglass construction reinforced with carbon fiber, which provides the required stiffness and torsional rigidity for sport and aerobatic flying. Carbon: Wings are full carbon cloth, with carbon from leading edge of the wing to the tail — provides significant stiffness and torsional rigidity, yet is lightweight and strong.
Features: • Ailerons, elevator, flaps, and rudder control • Two-piece hollow molded composite carbon or fiberglass wing design • Carbon wing joiner • Live hinges on the wing and rudder, with wipers • Gel-coat finish, with pre-painted graphics • Full-flying stabilizer with pre-installed bellcrank
Includes: Ballast tube, motor mount, servo tray, pushrod, clevises, linkages, control horns, servo covers, wing joiner, tail joiner, servo plate
Specifications: Wingspan Length Wing area Weight (carbon/ glass) Wing airfoil Stabilizer airfoil Radio Servos wings Servos fuselage Battery
3085mm (121.46 in.) 1456mm (57.32 in.) 58dm2 (6.24ft2) ≈2000 g (74.07 oz) RCRCM2010-8 RCRCM2010-10 7 channels King Max CLS0911W (4) King Max (2) 4.8 – 8.4 Volts
2 Versions: Fiberglass+Carbon: Hollow-molded fiberglass construction reinforced with carbon fiber, which provides the required stiffness and torsional rigidity for sport and aerobatic flying. Carbon: Wings are full carbon cloth, with carbon from leading edge of the wing to the tail — provides significant stiffness and torsional rigidity, yet is lightweight and strong.
Features: • Ailerons, elevator, flaps, and rudder control • Two-piece hollow molded composite carbon or fiberglass wing design • Carbon wing joiner • Live hinges on the wing and rudder, with wipers • Gel-coat finish, with pre-painted graphics • Full-flying stabilizer with pre-installed bellcrank
Tornado V-tail
Features:
2480 mm 1280 mm 1240 g 1310 g 96 mm back of leading edge 7 channels King Max CLS0911W (4) King Max (2) 4.8 – 8.4 Volts
Carbon $1269.99 Carbon/Glass $1079.99 2.9-meter F3F Racer
2 Versions:
• Ailerons, elevator, flaps, and rudder control • Two-piece hollow molded composite carbon or fiberglass wing design • Carbon wing joiner • Live hinges on the wing and rudder, with wipers • Gel-coat finish, with pre-painted graphics • Full-flying stabilizer with pre-installed bellcrank
Specifications: Wingspan Length Weight (glass/ carbon) Weight (carbon) CG Radio Servos wings Servos fuselage Battery
Typhoon Plus X-tail
Carbon $1299.99 Carbon/Glass $1099.99 2.9-meter F3B Glider Fiberglass+Carbon: Hollow-molded fiberglass construction reinforced with carbon fiber, which provides the required stiffness and torsional rigidity for sport and aerobatic flying. Carbon: Wings are full carbon cloth, with carbon from leading edge of the wing to the tail — provides significant stiffness and torsional rigidity, yet is lightweight and strong.
Includes: Ballast tube, motor mount, servo tray, pushrod, clevises, linkages, control horns, servo covers, wing joiner, tail joiner, servo plate
2 Versions:
Specifications:
Fiberglass+Carbon: Hollow-molded fiberglass construction reinforced with carbon fiber, which provides the required stiffness and torsional rigidity for sport and aerobatic flying. Carbon: Wings are full carbon cloth, with carbon from leading edge of the wing to the tail — provides significant stiffness and torsional rigidity, yet is lightweight and strong.
Wingspan Length Weight (glass/ carbon) Weight (carbon) CG Radio Servos wings Servos fuselage Battery
• Ailerons, elevator, flaps, and rudder control • Two-piece hollow molded composite carbon or fiberglass wing design • Carbon wing joiner • Live hinges on the wing and rudder, with wipers • Gel-coat finish, with pre-painted graphics • Full-flying stabilizer with pre-installed bellcrank
Includes: Ballast tube, motor mount, servo tray, pushrod, clevises, linkages, control horns, servo covers, wing joiner, tail joiner, servo plate
2900 mm 1490 mm 1550 g 1640 g 95 mm back of leading edge 7 channels King Max CLS0911W (4) King Max (2) 4.8 – 8.4 Volts
Features:
Includes: Ballast tube, motor mount, servo tray, pushrod, clevises, linkages, control horns, servo covers, wing joiner, tail joiner, servo plate
Specifications: Wingspan Length Wing area Weight (glass) Weight (carbon) Airfoil CG Radio Servos wings Servos fuselage Battery
2940 mm (115.75 in.) 1560 mm (61.42 in.) 57 dm2 (6.13 ft2) ≈1640 g (57.85 oz) ≈1740 g (61.38 oz) JH* 96 mm back of leading edge 7 channels King Max CLS0911W (4) King Max (2) 4.8 – 8.4 Volts
Typhoon X-tail Carbon $519.99 Carbon/Glass $419.99 2-meter Slope Soarer 2 Versions:
Sold by RCSportFlyer.com we Save You Money rc-sportflyer.tumblr.com
Fiberglass+Carbon: Hollow-molded fiberglass construction reinforced with carbon fiber, which provides the required stiffness and torsional rigidity for sport and aerobatic flying. Carbon: Wings are full carbon cloth, with carbon from leading edge of the wing to the tail — provides significant stiffness and torsional rigidity, yet is lightweight and strong.
Features: • Ailerons, elevator, flaps, and rudder control • Two-piece hollow molded composite carbon or fiberglass wing design • Carbon wing joiner • Live hinges on the wing and rudder, with wipers • Gel-coat finish, with pre-painted graphics • Full-flying stabilizer with pre-installed bellcrank
Includes: Ballast tube, motor mount, servo tray, pushrod, clevises, linkages, control horns, servo covers, wing joiner, tail joiner, servo plate
Specifications: Wingspan Length Wing area Weight Weight (Glass) Weight (Carbon) Airfoil CG Radio Servos wings Servos fuselage Battery
2000 mm (78.75 in.) 1210 mm (49.21 in.) 34.9 dm2 (3.75 sq ft) ≈1600 g (57 oz) 900 g (31.75 oz) 960 g (33.86 oz) JH8 82 mm back of leading edge 7 channels King Max CLS0911W (4) King Max (2) 4.8 – 8.4 Volts
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77
Take Your Model’s Performance to
the MAX with KingMax Servos. Deadband: 2 μs default
BLS1204L LOW-PROFILE SERVO
Dimensions: 41.1 x 20 x 26.5 mm /1.6 x 0.78x1.03 in.
Working Frequency: 1520 μs / 330 Hz
Stall Torque: 8.8 kg-cm (122.23 oz-in.) (6.0V) 12 kg-cm (166.68 oz-in.) (7.4V) 14 kg-cm (194.46 oz-in.) (8.4V) Weight: 50g (1.76 oz)
Connector Type: JR
Deadband: 2 μs default
BLS2507S L ARGE-AIRPLANE SERVO
Stall Torque: 22.2 kg-cm (308.36 oz-in.) (6.0V) 25 kg-cm (347.25 oz-in.) (7.4V) 28 kg-cm (388.92 oz-in.) (8.4V) Connector Type: JR
Stall Torque: 14.2 kg-cm (197.24 oz-in.) (6.0V) 16 kg-cm (222.24 oz-in.) (7.4V) 18.5 kg-cm (256.97 oz-in.) Connector Type: JR
Stall Torque: 27.8 kg-cm (386.14 oz/in.) (6.0V) 30 kg-cm (416.7 oz/in.) (7.4V) 35 kg-cm (486.15 oz/in.) (8.4V) Connector Type: JR
Wire Length: 333 mm (13 in.)
Dimensions: 41.1 x 20 x 26.5 mm /1.6 x 0.78x1.03 in.
Working Frequency: 1520 μs / 330 Hz
Operating Voltage: DC 4.8 – 8.4 V
Operating Speed: 0.11 sec/60º (6.0V) 0.13 sec/60º (7.4V) Stall Torque: 7.5 kg-cm (104.18 oz-in.) (6.0V) 9.2 kg-cm (127.79 oz-in.) (7.4V) Weight: 26.20 g (0.92 oz)
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Operating Voltage: DC 6.0 – 8.4V
Operating Speed: 0.18 sec/60º (6.0V) 0.15 sec/60º (7.4V) 0.13 sec/60º(8.4V)
Deadband: 2 μs
THIN-WING SERVO
Wire Length: 333 mm (13 in.)
Dimensions: 40 x 20 x 40.9 mm /1.56 x 0.78 x 1.6 in.
Working Frequency: 1520 μs / 330 Hz
Weight: 80g (2.82 oz)
CLS0911W
Operating Voltage: DC 6.0 – 8.4V
Operating Speed: 0.07 sec/60º (6.0V) 0.06 sec/60º (7.4V) 0.05 sec/60º(8.4V)
Deadband: 2 μs default
LARGE-AIRPLANE SERVO
Wire Length: 333 mm (13 in.)
Dimensions: 40 x 20 x 40.9 mm / 1.56 x 0.78 x 1.6 in.
Working Frequency: 1520 μs / 330 Hz
Weight: 71 g (2.5 oz)
CLS3015S
Operating Voltage: DC 6.0 – 8.4V
Operating Speed: 0.08 sec/60º (6.0V) 0.07 sec/60º (7.4V) 0.06 sec/60º(8.4V)
Deadband: 2 μs default
AIRPLANE SERVO
Wire Length: 190 mm (7.41 in.)
Dimensions: 40 x 20 x 40.9 mm / 1.56 x 0.78 x 1.6 in.
Working Frequency: 1520 μs / 330 Hz
Weight: 69 g (2.43 oz)
CLS1606S
Operating Voltage: DC 6.0 – 8.4V
Operating Speed: 0.05 sec/60º (6.0V) 0.04 sec/60º (7.4V) 0.037 sec/60º(8.4V)
Connector Type: JR
RCSportFlyer.com
Wire Length: 185 mm (7.28 in.)