RC Gliding thread
Discussion
Is anyone into Radio Controlled gliding? I used to do a bit of scale model flying when i was a nipper, but my dad was too good at crashing them 
. The technology these days is staggering. £70 buys you a 16 channel 2.4ghz transmitter with OpenTx, the receivers have full telemetry with battery level, receiver strength and even altitude call out on the TX - amazing!
Got the bug again and got myself an Elf DLG which is pretty amazing but needs almost still air and thermals - not many of those here on exmoor unfortunately. launched it up to 45m in the field opposite my house though. Then in heard about combat flying...
Now have on order a 60” WildThing and a Venom flying wing from Alan and most likely a second hand 46” Wildthing. There are a couple of cracking flying hills nearby which i’ve checked out - I know exactly NO other people who fly/ to combat with but i’m probably going to need a fair bit of practice before I battle.
Also got my eye on a 1.5m f3k Auri glider for the spring - if i can sneak that past the financial controller...
What have you got in your hanger?
. The technology these days is staggering. £70 buys you a 16 channel 2.4ghz transmitter with OpenTx, the receivers have full telemetry with battery level, receiver strength and even altitude call out on the TX - amazing!Got the bug again and got myself an Elf DLG which is pretty amazing but needs almost still air and thermals - not many of those here on exmoor unfortunately. launched it up to 45m in the field opposite my house though. Then in heard about combat flying...
Now have on order a 60” WildThing and a Venom flying wing from Alan and most likely a second hand 46” Wildthing. There are a couple of cracking flying hills nearby which i’ve checked out - I know exactly NO other people who fly/ to combat with but i’m probably going to need a fair bit of practice before I battle.
Also got my eye on a 1.5m f3k Auri glider for the spring - if i can sneak that past the financial controller...
What have you got in your hanger?
they do two piece wings for f3k planes, makes them a bit more portable. or you could get a small flying wing for not much cash - and a lot more robust!
Two planes i’m looking at right now are there 2 piece wing Auri f3k (probably in the spring) and the bubble sinbad - that might be a nice project to build over the winter.
Two planes i’m looking at right now are there 2 piece wing Auri f3k (probably in the spring) and the bubble sinbad - that might be a nice project to build over the winter.
^ Looks nice!
Currently building an SAS Wildthing 60 and another foamy from SAS called the Venom.
Initial test/trim flight of the Wildthing on the fairly steep sloping field near my farm didn’t go so well....
After spending the best part of an hour trying to figure out how to reverse my elerons (don’t ask) it actually flew ok although there’s no where near enough wind there for such a heavy plane.
The venom is half finished but looks really nice. Will post some photos once i find a suitable large space to take a photo at enough distance so you can’t see my appalling tape work on the wings. it’s gonna get bashed up for sure so will do a better job second time round. i’ve bought some ToughLon covering which will make it look lovely i think
Currently building an SAS Wildthing 60 and another foamy from SAS called the Venom.
Initial test/trim flight of the Wildthing on the fairly steep sloping field near my farm didn’t go so well....
After spending the best part of an hour trying to figure out how to reverse my elerons (don’t ask) it actually flew ok although there’s no where near enough wind there for such a heavy plane.
The venom is half finished but looks really nice. Will post some photos once i find a suitable large space to take a photo at enough distance so you can’t see my appalling tape work on the wings. it’s gonna get bashed up for sure so will do a better job second time round. i’ve bought some ToughLon covering which will make it look lovely i think
StephenP said:
This is my Phase 6, built in the early 90s I think. It's been stored in bubble wrap for at least 15 years!
Paint scheme designed by me (photography being a hobby of mine), with stickers supplied by Fujifilm head office. I wanted something that looked a bit different!
I’ve been looking at the phase 6 for a while. I’ma bit daunted by the build blogs out there, but the size and characteristics look perfect. Paint scheme designed by me (photography being a hobby of mine), with stickers supplied by Fujifilm head office. I wanted something that looked a bit different!
Edited by StephenP on Friday 23 October 13:42
Did you build yours with flaps? how fiddly was it?
just had a play with my Venom up the hill behind my house. much much better now i’ve added 60g to the nose - much more neutral. wind was not ideal blowing across the slope, gusty and not very clean air made it VERY challenging with my inexperience. lost it a couple of times into the field next door - but no damage. Got a few nice flights in 
Edited by LotusMartin on Sunday 25th October 15:28
Edited by LotusMartin on Sunday 25th October 15:29
DIW35 said:
Wings are quite straight forward - foam core with veneered surfaces. Just need to add leading and trailing edge strips and shape. Same with wing tips, just add and sand to shape. Aileron stock is used for the final bit of trailing edge. Wings are glued together and strengthened with a length of fibreglass bandage wrapped around the centre.
Each fuselage side is 2 pieces of 1/16th ply, joined to give correct length. Triangular strip is glued along the top and bottom of each side to provide a decent surface on which to glue the top and bottom surfaces. A couple of formers are used in the wing area to give the correct width.
If you pressed on with the build, you could probably put one together in less than a week, not including the covering. I took my time with mine, just doing a bit here and there, and it didn't take me much more than a week to finish it.
Thanks for that - really helpful. i’m a bit concerned about ‘glassing’ the fuse and wings plus getting everything aligned properly. i would also prefer flaps and ailerons for CROW landings which i know complicates things a bit. Each fuselage side is 2 pieces of 1/16th ply, joined to give correct length. Triangular strip is glued along the top and bottom of each side to provide a decent surface on which to glue the top and bottom surfaces. A couple of formers are used in the wing area to give the correct width.
If you pressed on with the build, you could probably put one together in less than a week, not including the covering. I took my time with mine, just doing a bit here and there, and it didn't take me much more than a week to finish it.
found someone selling one built for £60, it’s a bit of a drive but probably worth it. Will most likely buy a new kit as well so at least i have something to work from. I’ve not built from balsa before so a bit concerned my skills/general clumsy assembly won’t be up to it.
Update: ended up buying a used Phase 6. i’ve converted it to independent servos for them ailerons but had so many problems getting it to work right. It turned out i had a faulty rx AND a fried UBEC voltage regulator. all swapped out now and working a treat - just need the right conditions to fly her now!
I hope your knee improves. I’ve been dlg-ing my Elf a fair bit although i’m not sure the field i use has much in the way of thermals. Will be interesting to see if that changes in the spring/summer.
I’m almost certain i’m going to order a 2 piece wing Auri F3k before the spring. I feel i can handle it now without destroying it on its first outing!!
I’m almost certain i’m going to order a 2 piece wing Auri F3k before the spring. I feel i can handle it now without destroying it on its first outing!!
shedweller said:
I have an elf and they are tricky to hook up unless there is some strong low level thermals around due to the height you can throw too.
I use my elf in the local playing fields as at the end of a sunny day (anytime of year) when the air is still I get good lift over the tennis courts (red tarmac) and in the summer the cricket wicket is excellent too, You can slope them over hedges and embankments, and with a bit of weight the elf slopes well in light clean conditions.
The difference between the elf and a full carbon will be night and day in cost and performance, the increased launch height allows for much more options in travelling around the sky.
Crashes can be expensive and repairs can sometimes be tricky but the reward of catching good lift and achieving some good climbs can't be bettered.... I went to 320+ meters once last year..... Amazing.
My knee... I want it better so I have to leave off the rotating for a while...... One of my current projects is fitting a small motor and folding prop (both tiny) in a pod over the wing of the elf and small EDF on a carbon DLG to allow me to just toss them up then power for a bit.
look on hyperflight - they do an electric version of the elf now and they sell the motor/ESC I think. I use my elf in the local playing fields as at the end of a sunny day (anytime of year) when the air is still I get good lift over the tennis courts (red tarmac) and in the summer the cricket wicket is excellent too, You can slope them over hedges and embankments, and with a bit of weight the elf slopes well in light clean conditions.
The difference between the elf and a full carbon will be night and day in cost and performance, the increased launch height allows for much more options in travelling around the sky.
Crashes can be expensive and repairs can sometimes be tricky but the reward of catching good lift and achieving some good climbs can't be bettered.... I went to 320+ meters once last year..... Amazing.
My knee... I want it better so I have to leave off the rotating for a while...... One of my current projects is fitting a small motor and folding prop (both tiny) in a pod over the wing of the elf and small EDF on a carbon DLG to allow me to just toss them up then power for a bit.
I’ve launched my Elf up to 45m into a slight breeze which I couldn’t believe at the time, usually it’s more like 30-35m. I reinforced the throwing peg when i built it as i figured i would be giving it some stick.
shedweller said:
Nerve wracking cutting into them though..... Measure 6 times, question yourself, measure again....
I once glued a vertical stabiliser on to a fuselage a degree out - on a £700 machine thats a real bummer.
I wimped out and paid him the €90 to build it for me! just need to fit the servos, receiver and battery - even in can’t f that up!I once glued a vertical stabiliser on to a fuselage a degree out - on a £700 machine thats a real bummer.
Maidened my Auri F3k today - huge difference in performance compared to my Elf. I feel like i’ve gone from a bicycle to a superbike!
Hooked up a couple of weak thermals - this thing is awesome. Bottled out at 176m
Some slight damage from a launch mode error, nothing done epoxy won’t fix though. Can’t wait to get it in the air again tomorrow. Will try and get some photos.
Hooked up a couple of weak thermals - this thing is awesome. Bottled out at 176m
Some slight damage from a launch mode error, nothing done epoxy won’t fix though. Can’t wait to get it in the air again tomorrow. Will try and get some photos.
shedweller said:
Ace - Feels good having a proper performance glider doesn't it!?!
When I got the ELF it was a leap in performance from foamies etc and then I wondered if the carbon jobs would be that much better....and like you within minutes I was smitten!
What colours do you have your Auri in? (Pic?) - I have gone to 340m once - blink and it's gone!
The Auri is simply awesome! Had a hell of a session on Monday morning, was out in the field opposite my house having a bit of a throw, there were a few weak thermals about so it was entertaining. The farmer who owns it came over with his dogs and we were chatting, gave it a good launch and hooked up into a decent thermal. I live in North Devon so it pretty rural, fields Exmoor etc, and I don't know how common this is but a buzzard spotted my plane and decided to glide over and join me in the thermal at about 75m or so - fantastic! He drifted around a bit so I followed him figuring he could sense the thermals far better than I could and WOHOO we're both in a very strong thermal, circling up and up - at about 150m another Buzzard and Peregrine join in so there are now four of us circling away - unbelievable! I top out at 239m at which points its getting harder and harder to see the attitude of the plane so I bail and head for home with the biggest grin on my face. Had my neighbour not been there no one would ever have believed me I'm sure!When I got the ELF it was a leap in performance from foamies etc and then I wondered if the carbon jobs would be that much better....and like you within minutes I was smitten!
What colours do you have your Auri in? (Pic?) - I have gone to 340m once - blink and it's gone!
I wondered home after that thinking, after 2 days flying I'd probably just had the best flight I would ever have! It turns out on Tuesday I had another flight with just the one buzzard up to about 150m so maybe this will be a regular occurance? Here's hoping!
As for the colour - I ordered basically a green pattern , but Dmitriy messed up and I got kind of red/orange/yellow - which I don't hate, but would have preferred green. He threw in a ballast set and knocked a bit off so I'm happy overall.
[url]
|https://thumbsnap.com/jWJgycxa[/url]Most of the F3k / DLG models come virtually fully built, for example the Elf. the hardest bit for me is programming the controller with all the modes and mixes. The more control surfaces you have, the more complex this becomes. Something like a WildThing flying wing is fairly simple as it’s just elerons, Elf dlg is rudder + elevator, Auri dlg is Rudder + Elevator + Ailerons(flaperons) then something like a F5k or Yoda with flaps you have crow braking capability which basically stops the plane dead on landing/ catching.
(DLG is Discus Launch Glider or F3k)
SOAROTX program for OTX is great but took me hours and hours as a beginner to get working.
(DLG is Discus Launch Glider or F3k)
SOAROTX program for OTX is great but took me hours and hours as a beginner to get working.
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