Slofly light flying wings

[sloper steve]

43" wingspan, 13" chord, 6" tips with an all up weight of 5.2 oz.
Electrics and various sizes available.

Awesome loops, rolls, inverted flight and extreme tricks in light winds.

Videos and specs
http://www.slofly.com

Construction steps (http://slofly.com/z/index.php?category=Slofly)

[droydx]

I've seen Steve and his wings flying at Carlsbad. Steve's a great pilot and his wings are really amazing in the light lift there. I was flying a ZB wing by Les Horvath at Compufoil the day I ran into him. My ZB could fly in as light conditons as his wing, but was nowhere near as aerobatic. I think I'll plunk down the $25.00 (including shipping) and check one out.
droydx

[Cody WIlson]

The video's are great--ever thought of using an IPS-A or C drive on one? Might make it even lighter!

Any chance of getting an EPP wing like this? Or would it defeat the purpose?

Cody

[Mike in Fresno]

that is cool. I dont see on your page an arf type kit, Do you sell one with all the hardware and motor. Ive got servos, ESC and RX.

[sloper steve]

Yes the motor, battery and speed control are available at a low price.

Here is the new EPP 1.0 leading edge

[Cody WIlson]

Not bad- I would still make the all EPS ones too. There are always cheap skates out there (yo!).

I like the idea of EPP leading edges- especially where I fly...

You are definitely have a great concept going- It would be great to be flying around with all the super trick dlg's and nice super slick crunchies when the wind is three from the NE... All I need is to get BMS to replace my DOA 306's and I would be set!

Wait till I get a job and I will order one too! I cant even afford beer right now...

Cody

[Cody WIlson]

PBR is cheap... and pretty damn goo too..... You got me-

SOLD!

Cody

[ACM]

Yeah buddy:D If you make epp, dont take away the eps.
Could of used this puppy this weekend.
SOLD

[Cody WIlson]

Hey steve- can you use ultracoat or oracover on these? I have some of this laying around, but dont know how the heat would effect the EPS.

Cody

[droydx]

Cody,
Ultracoat works fine on EPS, just keep the temp in the "stick" range and keep it moving. I've done a couple EPS ships with it and they look great. They aren't as light as some of the thinner packing tapes out there though.
droydx

[Pegasus]

I have no personal experience here...just wanted to bring this into the light. Maybe it may save someone a "headache"

Please correct me if I am wrong.


I have read that EPS foam is fairly sensitive to adhesives that are in the superglue or CA family and also RTV's such as Shoe Goo and Goop. The foam will literally melt if these types of adhesives are used on it.

Additionally, that some formulations of Super77 contain acetone, and you need to be careful about using it on EPS foam.


Steven

[sloper steve]

Yes acetone eats EPS foam.

It is not easy to find spray with no acetone.
When using any sprays with acetone they must have a clean nozzle emitting a fine mist.

The nozzle must be a good distance away and moved quickly.
A very light coating on both surfaces, some dry time, then another light coating, let it evaporate a bit then bond.

The slight eating of the foam (1/10th mm) ends up being part of the bond.

[slopealot]

hey steve looks cool. are you the same steve that i sold a bunch of wings to a a while back? did you used to have a web site called
northcountyrc.com?

[Cody WIlson]

Steve, Silly question- I have never built with EPS before- what should I use to join the wing halves?

Thanks for the info on covering material.

Cody

[sloper steve]

Make sure when you tape them that they are held together tight.

No glue no spars necessary on the EPP leading edge models.

Place wings down on flat surface.
Optional- place something under wingtips to make center easier to press together or have another set of hands hold them together firmly while you place pieces of tape or a long strip down the centerline.

Do the same for both sides.

[Cody WIlson]

Awesome. I like the sound of that! Simple and easy. Good job Steve. I like the way you do things-

cody

[droydx]

Got my slope cores from Steve yesterday. Fast shipping and nice cutting on the EPP leading edge versions that I received. I'll use the 1/3AAA 280MA NiMh battery pack that Steve supplies along with a pair of Cirrus 4.9 sub-micro servos and a Berg micro stamp receiver for a flight pack. I'll let y'all know how it turns out...should really fly well in VERY light lift. Thanks much for the great service and stuff Steve!
Droydx
Santa Barbara, CA.

[Cody WIlson]

Finished covering my EPP leading edge wing tonight. Went ahead and used Red/Purple zagi tape. The cores by themselvs weigh 2.01 oz. The cores with zagi tape weigh 4.66 oz. So zagi tape adds about 1 1/2 oz to the airframe- looks like with 2.5 oz of micro equipment my AUW will be around 7 oz.

I was suprised at how much strength the tape added. This thing is plenty stiff for how light it is. The cores all look good, and covering went quickly.

I need to find something light to use for my winglets I guess they were forgotten in the kit- but the other extras more than made up for it!- Any suggestions?

Cody:)

Oh yeah- Steve- thanks for the brushless vids! That thing really hauls around. I especially liked the high alfa to hover to vertical rocket move. That thing really shoots around the sky under power!:D :D

[sloper steve]

Thanks! The electric is moved to here (http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=203214)

There should have been a stack of winglets in the box.
I will cut some light EPP winglets and send them to you today.
Meanwhile McDonalds breakfast platter packaging is like Depron and works. Also 99cent store large foam plates and meat trays work great.

[sloper steve]

1 pound EPP flying wing came out to 3.4 ounces without components.

Cover video 1 (http://www.slofly.com/videos/howto/coverfilm1.mpg) 2 (http://www.slofly.com/videos/howto/coverfilm2.mpg) 3 (http://www.slofly.com/videos/howto/coverfilm3.mpg)

[1000MPH]

Hey Steve,
I want to order one this week but first, a coupla questions.
It'll be mostly park flier with occasional power asst slope.
Which motor? The EDP50 or 280 or a AE Johnson?
What props 2x3, 3x3, or 4x4

I've got 1200 lipos or 7 cell 2/3AAA 400mah

thanks,
stu

[sloper steve]

The 280 works great with a 5030 prop and a Johnson on 2 cells works good with a 4x2.5 and on 3 cells use a 3020.

For low speed acrobatics the 180/EDP50 geared in a LPS-GWS A witha 7060 prop is a blast.

The 180 direct drive is great for the mini but a bit underpowered for the 43"

[1000MPH]

Thanks Steve,
NIMH's are goldpeak. My 7 cell 400 mahs weigh 59 grams with connector & velcro.
AE Johnson 250 is the 50 cent motor from all electronics that everyone is talking about. The Mini Speed Wing and the Clic both use J250's. Here's a link to the info page on the CliC website.

http://www.aceshighrc.com/J250-info.htm

A little too much for the 400 mahs but a good match for the LiPos. Do a search for Johnson 250 and you'll find tons of threads.
stu

[Solcat]

Originally posted by sloper steve
Entire plane made out of 1.0 EPP foam including the elevons.

The small carbon tube spars are not to length yet.

When covered it turned out stiff enough to test without spars.

Are you going to start selling the all EPP wing soon? How much?

[Cody WIlson]

My Slofly maidened today.

AUW 7.5 oz without the wing tips (my foam plate ones shredded in three tosses- but it flies fine w/out)

I had to add about 1/2 oz of lead in the nose of mine- the CG is still a little back from the recomended 6.5"

I used HS55's, a RX pack from Steve, and a GWS R4P RX.

Made some tosses in the park-- you can't launch this thing like you do a normal wing- it is so light and cuts through the air so fast it will either go vertcal or nose dive under a heavy hand. I resorted to nose launches- and the results were great. On the first successful release it traveled about 50 yds- it is very responsive even with the elevator throws set to 50% and the ailerons to 65% I can already tell these things are going to be a big hit around here- especially for the hang-glider and para-sail pilots in light conditions.

I have some work to do, but as soon as I'm done I will find a hill to fly this thing off of- and report back.:D :D :D

Cody

[droydx]

Well Cody beat me to the punch with his first flight, but here's mine prior to gear installation. The core complete taped is about 4.1 oz my radio gear is 2.1 oz...so all up weight should be easy around 6.5. Wing area is 408 sq inches sq so it should be quite the dancer in very light lift. I covered it with a combo of the real light duck brand tape that Steve has and some super 3m in strategic areas. The colored tape is the cheap stuff that Hobby People sell....works great on this feather.
droydx

[droydx]

I could of gotten the radio gear weight under 2.0 oz by using some Cirrus 4.9's but decided to use some HS-50s. Their gears look a little beefier...talk about relative terms! Receiver is a Berg micro stamp...love these suckers! Battery is a 1/2 AA NIMH with a hardwired radio shack cruddy phone jack....I use them for my disposable planes and have not had a failure in a LONG TIME (I know I'm overdue!) Total is 2.1 oz
droydx

[droydx]

Initial balancing for radio install makes it look like mine will be right around Cody's at 7 oz. I'll probably use a heavier battery pack and some LE tape. to mive the CG forward.
Andy

[Cody WIlson]

I Drove almost an hour to NCAR today to test fly my slofly wing- there were barely perceptible winds from the east- I'm guessing 0 to 5 mph max. As I unloaded my wing an older man in the parking lot told me there was no wind to fly on, I tried explaining that this was a special light weight glider and was designed to fly in 3 mph winds. The old dude just said "suit yourself" as I headed toward the slope. I flew for almost an hour after finding a suitable launch site between a stand of trees on the east side.

After a couple tosses to get the plane trimmed I headed out over the slope and caught some lift- took it to about 75 feet in a couple turns. It was incredible watching this little thing fly in barely perceptable winds. After gaining a few feet of altitude I did some loops, rolls, and inverted flight. As soon as I rolled it over I caught a thermal and took it up about six turns.

This thing will fly in almost no lift at all, and is very responsive. It will hang on the edge of stall nicely, and climb in almost no lift. I was planning on buying a DLG, but not anymore! A good hand launch will get this thing about 20' up. Once I figure out the pole launcher I should get some really nice launches.

GOOD JOB STEVE! Nice product. I am very happy with mine, and look forward to more light wind days...

Cody

[Cody WIlson]

a bottom shot- almost took my dad's head off!:D

[Mike in Fresno]

Which models do you guys have, the foam, epp leading edge and foam, or all epp?

[Pegasus]

Also why does Droydx's elevons almost meet and Cody yours have a significant space in between. Is this the choice of the builder or different models?

I like the ability to launch the wing by holding it in that open space.

steven

[droydx]

Pegasus,
It was builder's choice on the elevons. Now that you mention it though, I'll probably trim them down so I can fit two fingers between them. thx.
droydx

[Cody WIlson]

Pegasus,
droydex and I both have the EPP leading edge versions. Good thing too! I have already had a couple full frontal's taking the above pics. I would use some strategic strapping tape to reinforce the TE where the wing halves join- after a few really hard impacts the tape seam split on mine. Hand launching in the street without winglets caused some instability, and it slid off in tight, slow turns. I am sure that the winglets Steve is sending me will remedy this.

This is one of the best R/C values out there. You can't beat the deal. And it flies like nothing else I have seen in light lift.

Cody:)

[sloper steve]

Nice colors on the planes :)

The planes are designed to need no cg correction (extra weight) when using the light weight packing tape.

If heavier tape is used and more is used behind the CG this offsets the planes weight by several grams. It takes even more weight to correct it at the nose.

For color try covering from the craft stores or the site.

If you must use a heavy colored tape
(If you ever find a light weight one please share it with us) either add nose weight or try an electric as a sloper.
The electric has a little more sweep to handle the rear weight of the motor therefore it is more forgiving on covering and battery weights.

[1000MPH]

Originally posted by sloper steve
Nice colors on the planes :)
It looks like an increase in covering weight from the packing tape will increase the weight in the back.
The electric has a little more sweep to handle the rear weight of the motor.
A wing was cut by accident with sweep between the sloper and electric.
I'll see if the increased sweep test model still loops as good. Or if someone wants to test it and cover shipping I'll send it. The plane is already taped in clear but some colored tape could be added on top of the elevons.
I'm checking out the Johnson motors.
That flux ring annoys me. Guys like me want to take it off for weight saving but it will suffer in perfomance. What a paradox. I'll have to order a bunch of them.
So far the 280 works great.
I'd like to try an astro 10 brushless in comparison. Any brushed or brushless motor tests are welcome.

Cody and droydx, your wings look great.
Steve, You'll love the johnson 250 . Make sure you get the All Electronics version and you won't need the flux ring.
Check out this thread...
http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=134500&perpage=30&pagenumber=1

stu

[Mike in Fresno]

Steve Ive got two Astro 10 motors and have been thinking of this as a power setup for these wings. I guess I will now step up and get one. I'd like an EPP leading edge sloper and another all EPP elec version. Im thinking the Astro motor will need the stiffness of the all EPP. Comment on this and then I will order..Mike

[sloper steve]

The EPS foam is more rigid than the EPP.

The EPP electric would like rods if using an Astro.

[Cody WIlson]

Steve, if you are offering the all EPP version I would definitely make the spar option available. Karl would have ordered it if he found it on your site. The slofly would be really fun for light lift combat, and the spar is a nice option to have- especially for the flight impaired!

Thanks for the great customer service and those little extra's too. I will let you know how the more swept version turns out.

I'm off to the slope-

Cody

[Mike in Fresno]

I will be awaiting your trials then. Im anxious..

[sloper steve]

http://www.slofly.com/images/products/rblaunch.gif

Just bend a paper clip, add tape to the clip.
Tape clip to nose, Tie together rubber bands.

Car launch (http://www.slofly.com/videos/rblaunch2.mpg)

Supplies: Paper clip, Rubber bands

Preperation:
Connect rubber bands together
Bend paperclip as in photo.
In photo #1 hook is pointing down and sticky side of tape is pointing up.
Photo #2: Wrap tape over clip and back onto the tape.
Photo #3: Place on plane and add more tape around it.

[droydx]

Steve,
My finished wing came out at 7.1 oz AUW. That's pretty durn light. Hope to maiden it in the next couple days. Thanks again!,
Droydx

[1000MPH]

Originally posted by sloper steve
Ordered some Johnson motors and am making a 28" wing to try out.
Maybe 1000mph will be willing to test it out if I send it free.

Aw heck, i'd be willing to pay 10 or 20 times the cost of the motor:D :D
stu

[Cody WIlson]

I just wanted to chime in again- I got about two hours in the air with this little thing on Friday- I was flying with my friend Karl up on Zion. The conditions were kind of spotty, but perfect for this little thing. After thermaling for a while we noticed- rather quickly in fact that you can see EXACTLY when you enter a thermal, or fall out of one. The plane actually shudders it is so light when passing through boundry layers. Then it is like an elevator ride! I must admit though- Karls Light 48" Cheap shot thermaled equally well in the light conditions- but he does have the skills when it comes to thermals. It is kind of jumpy in really turbulent / shallow air though- kind of what you would expect from an airplane weighing 7.5 oz.

My slofly will aileron roll as fast as my Kaos going 90 in decent lift on a steep slope. In a light thermal I did about eight consecutive axial rolls without losing any altitude. It is way more aerobatic than my XR, or even Karls Cheap Shot in the light lift- and more than my XR period. We had a mad max pylon race going for a while- and it was terrific fun- I could whack a wing tip on a bush 4 feet off the ground, flip inverted and totally recover almost instantly. I did a few turns inverted just for fun. It even took a couple pretty decent combat hits and it held up nicely. There is a small dent in the EPS where he death-from-below-ed me, but that was the only damage.

And speed- it is not too fast flying normally- actually it is true to its name in that reguard, but once you get some momentum up this thing cut through the air really well. I did about a 100' dive and had Zero flutter. Slice! Loops are nice and tight too. I think combatting slofly against slofly would be a blast!

I look forward to hearing Droydx's flight report- if his is anything like mine he will love it!

Steve- thanks for the extra winglets, they made a big difference over my plastic plate versions.

Cody:D

[Kai@UCSB]

Today is a good day for testing this kind of light weight plane, isn't it?
droydx, how's your Slofly fly ?
I told those guys at Ellwood about this kind of light wing plane and they are very interested. :D

-Kai

[sloper steve]

The all EPP sloper is works great even without the optional spars. All up weight 5.4 oz


All EPP slope video (http://www.slofly.com/videos/alleppnospar.mpg) with winds at around 10 mph.

[sloper steve]

Works with 280 direct drive or GWS RXC-B for up close and personal acrobatics.

For faster motors and heavier batteries the spar package is recommended.

12mph winds, lots of off power sloping

EPP Electric video clip (http://www.slofly.com/videos/eppelectricnospar2.mpg)

[droydx]

Kai,
Still have yet to maiden the slofly sloper. Rain and ....shhhhh...work have taken some time away from flyin'.
Batteries are charged and ready to go. This puppy should be good for Elwood!
Droydisimo

[Kai@UCSB]

droydx,

If you don't mind, please let us know when are you going to have the maiden fly :p want to take a look... hehe

-Kai

[droydx]

Kai,
I ran out to Elwood this afternoon and got the slofly wing up for the first time. It went up with no trim, straight and trimmed off the board! It really is a fun little wing, cranks nice turns and flies inverted as well as right side up. Surfimp and Paul (another SB old timer) came out.....Surfimp flew it for a while too. It seems to be a viable light air alternative to the Weasel. In other words: Really fun! See you out next time, Sorry to keep missing hooking up with ya,
droydxx

[Kai@UCSB]

droydx
That's nice... I had a long meeting this afternoon :( Originally plan to fly at Elwood this afternoon.. wowo..
I am thinking to get this wind and postpone my Seeker project which will need a super huge building time. :D :D :D

-Kai

[sloper steve]

Quick cover video (http://www.slofly.com/videos/howto/cover.mpg)

3" wide tape lets you cover in minutes.

[Cody WIlson]

What fun! This is going to be a blast to fly!

Cody

[hugo_sd]

Steve,
Your wings are looking great. I think sooner or later (rather sooner) I have to buy one of your epp wings.
Where did you fly when you made the video? Can you give me the intersection.
Thanks,
Wolf

[Kai@UCSB]

Steve,
the 24" sloper is exactly the thing that I want if it can fly well in the light wind as the 48" one.

-Kai

[droydx]

Sloper Steve,
I hope thats not a trick like when Fonzi jumped over the Shark!.....er, umh, anyway, thanks for the EPP winglets, I'll use them for replacement when the EPS ones nargh out.
beautiful day, isn't it?
Andy

[Ricardo RW]

Originally posted by sloper steve

3" wide tape lets you cover in minutes.

Steve,

Nice way to cover your wing.

How do you add color over that tape? It would be nice of you share those secrets too.

Thanx.

Ricardo.

[sloper steve]

Use either the clear tape or this color covering (http://slofly.com/index.php?category=Coverings#15)

It is very light and stays on well with 3M 77.

http://www.slofly.com/images/products/covering.jpg

[sloper steve]

With small modification this charger will charge 2 cell lithium packs used on the Slofly Electric.

$4.50 2 cell lithium charger (http://www.allelectronics.com/cgi-bin/category.cgi?category=search&item=BC-9&type=store)

The red button is an optional reset switch.

[sloper steve]

Sharpies for art.
Heatsink as motor mount.

[jfseaman]

Sharpie coloring a Slowfly.

Do you color the foam or the covering material?

[sloper steve]

The EPP foam can be colored by the Sharpies.
One coat for light coloring as shown in the pictures or two coats for solid dark covering.

*THANKS* Brandon for this tip and the photos.

I lack artistic skill so badly it is easier for me to think of things to build out of the pens themselves (brushless motor holders, pyramids) than designs to draw with them :)

[KingOfTheHill]

i love my slofly... got the slope version and allways bring it with me to parker just in case and it has really pulled through..... really nice plane to learn how to/ practice catching a plane.... doesnt hurt at all when it hits you :p nice plane... WELL worth the money.... very fun plane.... 2 BIG THUMBS UP!

Joe


the sharpe idea really looks like fun.... just might try it.

[ACM]

I got the slope version also. Flew it on Saturday for the 1st time. Got it as a slermal/light lift wing. After a couple glides for trim, I tossed over the edge at the local slermal site. It hooked a thermal strait outta my hand and specked out in about a minute .5.:eek: :D Aerobatic, light, and thin. Has some good speed on dives, also. This plane could slope a Home Depot!
Good stuff.

[garrett818]

I have one too. It is a GREAT plane. rolls are great, and the airfoil is so thin it can handle wind too.

[KingOfTheHill]

really is a thin airfoil..... u notice how the nose kinda tips up? haha.... everyone allways looks at me funny when i throw mine out and they say "not gonna fly" haha! not only does it fly i can roll it and with patience i can loop it in under 6-7mph wind if i get it high enough and get some speed on the dive...... and mines a pig!

Joe

[garrett818]

what do you have in yours? I have the epp leading edge sloper. It has 2 blue bird servos from steve hitec feather receiver, no glitches(thank god). Also a 4 cell 400mah nimh pack.

[KingOfTheHill]

i got a 300mah hitec battery (only have to add 1/4 oz to the nose for balance) 2 hs-55's servo's.... feather reciever.... but i have quite a bit of tape.... overlapped top and bottom with zagi tape and i used more strapping tape than i should have... haha

Joe

[KingOfTheHill]

oh... and mine is all epp with epp skags (thos fin things on the ends)

Joe

[garrett818]

how do you like the epp one? is it still stiff?

[ACM]

I have the epp one. The wing is plenty stiff enough for what the plane was made for. The elevons are epp, they work-but I kinda wish they were stiffer. I have a habit of diving from speck!!:D Hs 55's, gws reciever, 300mah nmh batt. .I used styrofoam plates to cut winglets, then covered them w/clear tape-very light, but not super durable.

[KingOfTheHill]

yeah! i love my EPP... it is plenty strong... but i put A LOT! of strapping tape... more than i should of..... i just tore it down and made 2 "A" frames top and bottom with an X on each end..... also my EPP elevons i put some 1" strapping tape top and bottom for strength..... i too am a fan of high dives..... also i balast mine up for some days at parker... i have had 5OZ on it.... when you do the high dives you just see it fles like a U hahahaha.... great fun.

Joe

[blivsey]

Just started flying my 60" Raider "snows gone finally" the thing just rips!
But in a high dive the airlons flutter other than that I love it, it's a great wing.

[sloper steve]

I'm keeping my eye out for some things to slope.

Electric sloping lifeguard tower power off (http://www.slofly.com/videos/electricbeach.mpg)

Sloper on 3 to 5 foot wall (http://www.slofly.com/videos/slopebeach.mpg)

[sloper steve]

Slofly planes are designed for 1.2oz/sqyd covering and one gram foam winglets.
Any thicker tapes will require adding noseweight to maintain balance.
Positioning components farther forward may be enough if heavier coverings are used.

COVERING MATERIALS SORTED BY WEIGHT

Mylar = .2oz/sqyd (adhesive req'd?)
RA Microlite = .3oz/sqyd (iron-on)

SLOFLY COLOR COVERING without 3M ~.6oz sq yard

Coverite Micafilm (clear) = .6oz/sqyd (adhesive req'd)
Nelson LiteFILM = .6oz/sqyd (iron-on)
SoLite/SolarFilm/Nelson LiteFilm = .6oz/sqyd (iron-on)
LW Tissue = .673oz/sqyd (???)
GM Tissue = .849oz/sqyd (???)
Coverite Coverlite = .89oz/sqyd (???)
FIBAFILM = 1.03oz/sqyd (???)

SLOFLY CLEAR TAPE: 1.15oz 32.22g sq yard (includes adhesive)

Coverite Micafilm (colored) = 1.25oz/sqyd (???)
Hobby Lobby Oracover (transparent) = 1.4oz/sqyd (iron-on)

HOBBY SHOP COLORED TAPE: Wondertape 1.64oz/sqyd 45.92g (includes adhesive)

Top Flite Econokote = 1.8oz/sqyd
Top Flite Monokote = 1.8oz/sqyd
Tower Towerkote = 1.8oz/sqyd
Hobby Lobby Oracover (solid) = 1.8-2.4oz/sqyd
Coverite 21st Century Film = 2.25oz/sqyd
Coverite Black Baron Film = 2.25oz/sqyd
Coverite 21st Century Fabric = 3.1oz/sqyd
SolarFilm SuperShrink Polyester = 4oz/sqyd

[War Bird Radio]

Steve,
Does the Slofly Sloper have the EPP LE?
Have and XE2 built and an XR in process but your Sloper would be great when the wind is almost dead.

John

[KingOfTheHill]

they have an ALL epp for 30bux.... i fly it and LOVE it and people freak when they see me toss it in NO wind.... great great plane. i believe they have 1 with just an epp leading edge for like 20 bux.

Joe

[sloper steve]

I've been making the all EPP planes because they turn out stiff enough.
EPS is stiffer but it gives after many flexes so I've opted for overall durability and optional spars by going all EPP.

Today a J250 with a 4025 prop flew the 43" electric with plenty of speed and power and no spars. 70 to 80 degree climb on a 1200mah 2 cell lithium pack.

For extra strength and resistance to flutter at high speed a 1/8th inch carbon tube or larger is recommended.

[War Bird Radio]

So I take it the 43" Slofly Sloper is all EPP?

John

[sloper steve]

Yes all the planes are all EPP including the winglets.
No balsa or EPS anywhere on the plane.

[surfimp]

I don't think I've posted to this thread yet, but I just want to say that I had a chance to try out the Slofly slope wing that Droydx has, and it's a pretty sweet-flying little thing. I'm not as much of a fan of the chevron "flying-V" type wings, but I do love lightweight planes that fly in very little lift, and this describes the Slofly plane to a T. It's cool to see someone else out there with a similar appreciation for the light lift conditions which so dictate much of our sloping experience here in Santa Barbara.

Steve

[sloper steve]

Slofly wallpaper 1024x768 (http://www.slofly.com/images/wallpaper/slofly_wallpaper1.jpg)

[sloper steve]

http://www.slofly.com/images/videos/mini_wheel.jpg
Wheeled Mini video (http://www.slofly.com/videos/mini_wheel.mpg)

Power: 180 motor with 3020 or 3030 prop
Battery: 2 cell lithium 560mah
Wheel: 1" Dubro micro wheel (.7g)
Motor mount: EPP cut with razor blade to make motor stand which clears prop from ground.

[steve wenban]

Do you export down under I gotta get me one of those light flying slope wings :D whats the damage to the wallet????
Cheers
Steve

[sloper steve]

Hi Steve,

It costs $25-$35 to ship one or two wings to Australia.
Global Express Mail 3 - 5 Days or Airmail Parcel Post 4 - 10 Days.

With shipping to AU the price is still less than the kits at my local hobby shop :)

[timocharis]

I've been working and reworking my 43" for a couple of weeks now. Tried a 'long-can 180 toothbrush motor' lying around from an old e-gull (readytoflyfun.com) which was a kick because the wing could more or less keep up with a MiniXE-400 and the owners were a bit twitchy when I showed them the mighty power plant.

I've since put a GWS 280/5030 setup on it which I'm still dialling in. Truth to tell, I'm still dialing everything. The first rev used solite film that destuck, so I'm sticking with the thin packing tape. The result is _extremely_ rigid -- surprisingly so, without any struts or other support. I did shoegoo the wings together since I'm just too old-fashioned for this tape-only stuff. But every tip Steve has printed or mentioned has worked, so I don't really doubt that would too.

I'm literally amazed at the climbout with that little motor and the flight times I can get with such an efficient setup. Working with the wind is a challenge, but if this were easy everyone would be doing it!

Have some bad pix but this is your lucky day: I couldn't figure out how to post them.

[War Bird Radio]

Tim,
Sounds like a nice set up. I will be building my Slofly Sloper when I finish the XR.

If you really want to see what your Slofly wing can do you can try to keep up with my XE2 with the Astro 020 4 turn motor on eight 1950 FAUP cells. I had some slimers trying to catch me today. Keep trying guys!

But really the Slofly wings are great. Can't wait to get my sloper built so I can fly when others are grounded on the slope.

John

[Cody WIlson]

They really are great for light conditions. I cant wait to get my mini so I can electrify it with one of Steves Johnsons.... Motors that is.

[timocharis]

Mr. Slow-To-Reply has been in a creative fervor building a Mini to compare. I thought about putting a Johnson on it, but decided to try an IPS direct-drive first. It worked okay, but really just didn't have enough oomph.

Thought about trying an IPS/LPS geared setup but ended up trying a Johnson w/4020 prop on the big wing (plenty of power! but an ugly whiny buzz compared to the quiet 280/5030) and put the 280 on the Mini, which seems to be a good match. Still don't have the balance completely dialed yet, but these are two very different creatures.

Fantastic roll rate on the Mini, but without perfect balance I'm finding inside and outside loops a bit challenging. The 43-inch does fantastic outside loops but is understandably a bit less roll-worthy. Overall the 43 seems easier to control at low speed. I like them both a lot, and it's early in the Mini's career to really draw any conclusions.

Would love to run an outrunner, but think perhaps the Astro 020 is a bit more than I would like. Even my Nippy is more weight/power than I want. Something like a Razor might be nice, but I haven't seen people having good luck with those and they are way overpriced.

Oh, the point: for now I'll probably pull the Johnson and stay with a 280 on both. Prefer the lower current draw and power is adequate for the design parameter.

Actually, I want to build sloper versions of each. Probably start with the Mini due to transport issues, but I'll bet the 43 is the better sloper just 'plucked from air.'

Dave North (Timocharis was an ancient Moon scholar and I'm into astronomy)

[sloper steve]

Speaking of travel issues.
The Sloflys are designed as 'foldable' as permitted by the no spars, no glue required idea.
To make the plane foldable the bottom seam is taped from the 1/4 chord to the trailing edge and acts as a hinge. The rest of the tape is tabbed to make it easy to remove.
The winglets can be taped on one side so they unfold with the plane too.

[sloper steve]

'Slofly Research Labs' :) has been testing a Tiperon plane.
The first Tiperon had no elevons and servos moving winglets with little wings on them.
It worked okay.
The next Tiperon has 6" of the wing tips swivel on servos and flys good!
Tiperon 3 now has elevons starting at the 1/2 the wing tip to about 1/4 in on the wing.
You'll lol when you see the wingtip move video.

[sloper steve]

A friend used an 8 cell NIMH pack and told me it doesn't fly slow and that the motor gets hot.

The 8 cell battery is too heavy for slow flight and too high in voltage for the motor.

If you are making a Mini and using the 180/IPS GWS motor make sure to use a lithium 600mah or close to it and light packing tape or the color covering.

[timocharis]

[QUOTE=sloper steve]Speaking of travel issues.
> The Sloflys are designed as 'foldable'

Oh _now_ you tell me.

Ah well, I'll try it on the sloper ... in other news, I found the Johnson to be a bit more power than the 43" needs this morning, plus it's a battery hog. Dramatically shortened flight time (really about half) even running at low throttle a lot of the time. I think I'll stick to the 280 or try a geared LPS/IPS setup until I can get a small outrunner. Or I might not bother -- the 280 is a good match with 5030 or 5043 prop.

I'm having a bit of a challenge getting the Mini balanced out. It seems to want to be at about (or exactly) your indicated measurement, but even slight variations make quite a bit of difference. I'm also not sure how to really test it, so for now I'm using the inside/outside loop test (assuming we're hitting a fair balance when performance is about the same on each).

The 'dive test' is a bit inconclusive, and I'm having to use a bit more 'up' on the elevon trim than on the 43. Is that similar to your experience?

I've got the motor mounted more or less aligned with the mean airfoil (as best I can eyeball) and that seems fine.

I'm using a Thunderpower 1350 2s2p with the 280, by the way, mounted more or less in the stock position. With that configuration, the cutout from the trailing edge (at center, not counting elevons) is about 3/4-inch. All-up weight is a hair over 6 ounces.

Rolls like a demon.

When I tried the 180/DD I used a 700MAH Etec, which is a pretty light cell (about an ounce). It flew fine but just wasn't quite .. interesting enough. But what really bothered me is how hot the IPS got and how soon it crapped out. Probably wouldn't be a problem with a geared setup.

Tiperons? You're designing planes faster than I can build them...


Dave North

[War Bird Radio]

Dave,
You mentioned the Astro 020 would be a little more the you would like. I should say so! On the 43" Slofly powered wing it would rip it a part with out some major reinforcement. My XE2 is heavier EPP and has a carbon spar with lots of strpping tape, I opted for iron on covering instead of colored tape. AUW is 32 - 33 oz with eight cell 4/5 A packs. The Sanyo 1950 mah cells just get good and warm, not really hot from WOT flying. It's not really made for the same type of flying as the Sloflys are.
The Slofly wings look to be a great travel wing for light to moderate wind. Never thought of folding it like Steve just mentioned. Finished my XR and will now start on the Slofly Sloper.

John

[timocharis]

John:

I can certainly see an 020 on an XE2, no problem. My first wing attempt was a MiniXE 36" -- I had avoided them because all the wings I saw seemed to be aimed at high weight/high speed applications and that's just not where I'm at.

Best I could do with the MiniXE was about 13 ounces and it still kind of wallowed around. There's no doubt it would fly better faster with more power, but my target was to see how light I could get it to slow it down. Basically, I failed.

After some more doodling around I tried the PCW which is great fun but very twitchy and just about 20-30 percent underpowered. Perhaps it would be about perfect with a 3-cell, but the little IPS gets so hot so fast, even with the heat sink. Nevertheless, I've clocked some ridiculous number of hours on the thing, and it's extremely portable. Guerilla flying, any time any place just about.

So I'm a natural Slofly customer -- these things do exactly what I wanted to do from the start. Plus the EPP ailerons and tips are just demented and work amazingly well. I keep telling myself I'll make depron replacements, but nah...

When it comes to motors the hottest thing I run is a Himax 2015 5400 (a first attempt at running brushless at 7.4v). Not bad but it's still something of a power hog and makes a godawful whine. Then I got a Nippy 98 which is damn near perfect on my little stunt plane (home design) but still more juice than I wanted to run on a wing.

All just personal preference stuff. It is kind of fun to bounce the light ones off each other -- they usually just whack and fly away. Quite a giggle! And messing with the wind is an adventure unto itself!

I noted at Aeromicro that they have a dead match for my old 180 can listed as a "Wattage 280." I think that's probably fair, as it seems to be very similar in power characteristics to the GWS 280 can. Just not as durable and heats up more easily (and may draw a little more current).

Flight time on the clock for the Mini today was 38 minutes, mostly full bore, and that used up just about the right capacity on the 1320 Thunderpower -- about 900Mah. There's probably a minute or so of fooling around so give it a solid 35 minutes in the air.

The scary thing is I have three of those batteries...


Dave North

[daveWCO]

Cool thread!

I just ordered Steve's Slofly Slope wing with the proper gear (hopefully). It was a shame not being able to fly in the light wind today.

I've never been able to build an RC plane under 8oz (AUW), so this should be a nice challenge for me. I'm always 2-10oz over the "limit" on my parkflyers and slopers.

BTW, I don't believe any of you that claim you achieved 6oz or less AUW's on the Slofly products. :D

Dave

[timocharis]

Dave:

> BTW, I don't believe any of you that claim you achieved 6oz or less
> AUW's on the Slofly products. :D

Wish I could be sure! It could definitely be dropped under six ounces with no trouble if I wanted -- I certainly don't need to use a 1320 Lipo on it. The 3-amp current draw of the 280 could easily be handled by a 700 Etec (for example) and I'd probably be solidly under 5.5 ounces at that point. And _still_ keep it in the air 15-20 minutes a charge.

If you go rad and use an LPS/IPS and a 600 or less Lipo, it could simply be outrageous. But one thing I learned about the 28" today (finally got the balance spot on -- perfect response in all axes) is it handles wind quite nicely at six ounces, so I think I'll stand pat for a while. In fact, it was handling some fairly significant gusting with no sweat at all -- I was stunting three feet off the carpet and only dorked it once.

Steve is _very_ right in his all 1lb EPP design with light covering. It's scary to think how light a sloper could be, but I'm going to find out!

Now if I could just get a 1lb EPP Hornet wing for my stunt plane...


Other Dave

[War Bird Radio]

Dave N,
The XE2 is heavy with the 8 cell 4/5 A packs. Like I said there hasn't been a slimer at the field that can pass me (yet!). I've run against a .40, .19 & .15 sized planes so far, the XE can out run them all on a dead run and out climb them too.
I put in 7 cell packs in for hunting for themals or slope soaring, it's about 29 - 30 oz with these packs. One place I slope is from a cemetery on a hill. One large section is new so there are no graves, don't like stepping on graves, not very respectful. Anyway, at the base of the hill there are some fir trees in the 100' tall range, they come up the base about 1/4 of the way so they are almost level to the top. I have to fly the XE out just above the trees and and cut power then slope off the wind going over the trees. In front of the trees is a couple of fields, about 20 acres worth of grass. The sun heats up the field and the wind blows the thermals in to the hill and trees. I have flown the XE with motor off up over 1000' from the cemetery on the combination of slope and thermal.

Last week I built a little wing from EPS cores. They were for a Speed 400 Wedgie, a 34" span wing at 16 oz with a lot of sweep angle. I changed the angle to that of the XE and installed a CD ROM brushless I built. This was my first taped wing, it weighs 6.9 oz with a 2 cell 1200 mah LiPo pack. It is real twitchy on the sticks but is great for spotting thermals, it really twitches as it transitions into lift. My flying time on this wing is about 30 min at WOT. The CD ROM BL pulls about 6 - 7 amps at WOT and gives a solid 7 oz of thrust on a 5.5x2.5 APS .049 prop. The motor was pretty easy to make.

Just finished the XR day before yesterday. Been bungee launching it the last coupe of days on a mini bungee. Tried it up at the cemetery but couldn't get it out over the trees. The trees are more on the north end of the slope and the south end is some what clear. There was some lift there but just not enough to keep the XR up long. Now the Slofly Sloper would have done just fine. I could have hand launched it but will try a rubber band chain bungee to really get it up there.
I did take the XR out to my private slope today on the way home from work. Yep, It is a private slope, will do a thread on it here shortly. A very cool site to fly because it has a south west and a north west slope. I flew the XR off the north west slope for about an hour in 10 to 15 mph wind. Quit when the wind died down. Really got to try the XR out tho. Really fun. Mine is spot on 18 0z. Could have flown the Slofly Sloper I bet. And that's the beauty of having wings at different weight, you have the option of flying in strong wind or light wind. Can't wait to see what the other guy's say when they are grounded and I pull out the Slofly with my rubber band bungee! Guess I better get it finished so I can start bragging about it!

John

[timocharis]

More addictive flying today, but I did find time to put up a few pictures of the 43-inch. Anyone building one might find a thing or two of interest, though nothing special (maybe a little controversial).

http://timocharis.com/doodles/planes/slofly/

Dave North

[sloper steve]

Nice Dave!
It is so cool to see Sloflys posted.

'The Tiperon'
Progression of the Tiperon video (http://www.slofly.com/videos/unposted/slofly_tiperon.mpg)

Flying wings typically have twist in the wing for built in elevator.
When elevons are used for steering they create drag and slow the plane down.
If elevons are moved to the tips they let you have a symmetrical airfoil all the way for less drag and twist is added only when needed with up or down elevon action.

The plane is around 8.5 ounces and really cuts through the wind for its weight.
Next version will have slightly larger elevons taking up more than half the chord at the tips.
Also lots of strapping tape will be used along with a big spar and heavier battery to bring the weight up to 11oz.

On occasion when I do want to go really fast a Moth does the job http://www.northcountyflyingmachines.com