GL hinge line?

[easy2fly]

ive got my gl rudder and elevator beveled so that i use covering, or tape for a hinge on the top. which shoulld i do? i know that the covering would look better, but if i have an accident at the feild i can carry more tape to rehinge, but im not gona have a covering iron to reseal if the covering comes off. thanks, jeff

[Ollie]

Jeff,

I've been using Monocoat hinges on dozens of models for over 30 years and never had a hinge failure. Make a hinge from the plastic film covering and don't worry so much. Take along a roll of scotch tape for field repairs if it makes you feel better. I doubt very much that you will need the tape.

[vario]

yes,i agree with ollie,my way of thinking used to be that i would start off with the freshly covered glider with monocoat hinges assuming that they wouldnt last

just in case i took a roll of tape along,never did use the tape!

try testing the coating/tape buy simply tugging on them,the monocoat is very tough to tear

,,vario

[BMatthews]

Another vote for Monokote, or whatever, hinges. I have gliders, electrics and power models done with them and some are over 10years old with not a hint of failure.

For wet work I use them up to 25 sized engines with no concern. Over that and I think I'd go for something more substantial.

Also this only works with the "brand" name coverings. Don't try this with any of the lighter films such as Solarfilm or Econokote unless it's a smaller model. Those lighter films are just too stretchy and I've found that the adhesive/colour comes off too easily.

[easy2fly]

got it finished and took it ut for some glides. i had to add 7 oz of lead to the front! for a total of 41 oz. ya, its pretty heavy.

[T. Lyttle]

7 oz? Oh, dear... The hinges, right?

[Sparky Paul]

Originally posted by easy2fly
got it finished and took it ut for some glides. i had to add 7 oz of lead to the front! for a total of 41 oz. ya, its pretty heavy.
.
Typical for a GL.
Next fuselage, extend the nose a couple inches and use a 450-600 mah battery.

[John Gallagher]

41 ounces? For a Gentle Lady? There's no way it should be more than 30 ounces. Typical GL's are about 27-28 ounces. What did you cover it with?

[easy2fly]

used monokote and ultracoat. the plane alone weighs 34 oz. so its a couple oz over what it ones would be. im going to try to put the batt next to the rx and put the lead all the way forward to see if i can use less of it.

[R. Carver]

Just finished one last week, and it came ot at 23.7 ounces ready to launch. Used monokote all around, and glassed and painted the fuse. All of the radio equipment (HS-81's, 555 RX, and 1300 mAh batt) is forward of the wing, and I needed 1/4 oz of lead in the nose to balance her out.
Just curious Jeff, what kind of glue did you use? And was it one of the laser-cut kits?

[easy2fly]

medium ca, i used tri stock on the rudder. i put carbon fiber tape on the wing spars, but that wouldnt make it tail heavy. im using hs 101's, that are mounted forward under the wing. this is my second kit built plane, so i would have expected it to be a little heavy, but not 10 oz over. i hope theres alot of wind at our contest this weekend so everyone else will need ballast.

[R. Carver]

Doesn't sound like you did anything out of the ordinary... 7 oz. in the nose is a LOT to have to put up there. Is there anything on it around the tail area that isn't on the plan or in the instructions? How 'bout some photos?

[easy2fly]

ill post some photos when the paining is done in about a day. i just measured it again, and i must have done something wrong the first time but, this time i got 2.3 lbs, or 35 oz. that seems more like it, but still alot of nose weight.

[easy2fly]

heres a pic. outboard panel stencils courtesy of vince inTX.

[easy2fly]

can someone take pics of their towhook mount? should it be adjustable lengthwise, or be in one fixed spot? thanks, jeff

[easy2fly]

got it flyin tonight with high start. great launches, but short flights. guess ill have to deal with it. for the dive test ive read that if it pulls up easy to take out noseweight? i read it here http://kohlin.com/air/soar-faq.htm#589882 but if it pulls out easy, i should add noseweight right? thanks, jeff

[Ollie]

Jeff,

The CG should be as far aft as your flying skills permit you to still fly smoothly. A forward CG makes the plane less responsive to control input and the disturbances associated with thermals. This means that the plane will fly through light lift without giving any indication. So. you will likely miss that opportunity to thermal. If the CG is too far aft, the plane will tend to tuck under and be very hard to control smoothly in pitch. Remove 1/4 ounce or less of nose weight between flights until the plane gets hard to fly smoothly. Then put 1/4 ounce of nose weight back. As your flying skill improves and your reflexes become better trained, a slightly more aft CG can be tolerated and your opportunities to thermal will increase.

[R. Carver]

Originally posted by easy2fly
can someone take pics of their towhook mount? should it be adjustable lengthwise, or be in one fixed spot? thanks, jeff

Jeff, It's best to make it adjustable. I'll see if I can get some pics posted of my setup a little later.

[easy2fly]

well, took her to the contest today, and using the winch, the tips flapped some. i got it down safely, but im gona add another small spar to the outboard panels. more weight :( , but i need to at least get it in the air . thanks for your help guys, jeff

[T. Lyttle]

Hold on, Easy: tip flex is not alarming, it is a way of relieving stress on the wing. If you try to stop that, the stress will transfer to the main spar; if that fails, flexing wingtips will be one of your lesser worries! My GL has been flexing its tips for 15 years now without failure of the wing; BTW, did you D-tube the wing?

[Ollie]

A Gentle Lady weight of 41 ounces is too heavy. Something is wrong. Seven ounces of lead in the nose indicates the the back end is way too heavy. A Gentle Lady should weigh under 30 ounces ready to fly. Your tail weighs two or three ounces more than it should. A heavy tail must be the reason for all that lead in the nose. You should find out why before you fly.

[easy2fly]

only thing i would think would add weight to the tail would be the tri stock I used.

[Ollie]

The CG might be too far forward. The radio gear might not be mounted forward enough. The up side is that you won't have to add balast on a windy day. The down side is that the heavy ship won't have as low a sink rate or as tight turning ability.