Unbalanced wing on purpose?

[omega blood]

I recently recived a two meter glider (wanderer). I noticed that the wing was badly unbalanced so I added weight (almost 2oz) . when I flew it, it would still titer-toter. Well I got to crazy with it on the slope and broke the wing into three parts. When I stirpped the wing I found a large chunk of lead burried in the wing tip. To me it seemed that the wing was unbalanced on purpose, but why?

[Ollie]

Assuming the person who did it was rational, it might have been done to balance a camera or other payload strapped under the opposite wing.

It might have been done in a misguided attempt to adjust out the effect of a wing warp.

I doubt that you will find the true answer except by asking the oddball who did it.

[omega blood]

Thanks Ollie.

[Bill Glover]

I used a converted 100" soarer for AP in the 80s/90s (see below). The camera was a heavy Russian one with a mechanical (clockwork!) motor drive, it needed a retract servo to operate the shutter release! Anyway, I had a big lead weight that screwed to a ply plate let into the opposite wingtip to counterbalance it. One day I forgot to remove the weight after an AP sortie, and flew the rest of the afternoon with it there. You'd have expected it to drop a wing at slow speed (at the very least) but it didn't. I was looping and rolling it, flying inverted circuits, spins, flick rolls, the lot. No clue that the wing was seriously out of balance from the way it flew.

Since then I've worried a lot less about lateral balance! ;)

[Bob Chiang]

Bill,

That's interesting that the unbalance didn't seem to affect your flight. Maybe you're such a good pilot that you compensated without noticing :)

Interesting model too: Nice looking lines (are the wings fully sheeted?) and unique fender. Just on one side to protect the camera?

[Bill Glover]

Well I am a good pilot (after nearly 30 years r/c I'm slowly getting the hang of it :D), but I'd certainly have expected a wing to drop flairing out to land ... at the very least!

The plane is (was!) a UK kit called the Algebra 100, from Mick Reeves Models. White foam & veneer wings, swept back, plugged on to steel joiners. Fuselage mostly thin ply - very strong. It was tissued/doped/sprayed all over. I flew it as a soarer (bungee & slope) for a couple of years, got bored, stuck an old OS 10 on top of the nose and a 110 cartridge camera under the wing.

Then it got a taildragger u/c and a properly cowled motor (as in the pic), an OS 25 FSR. Then it got an old ex pylon racing 40 ( :eek: ) ... OS Max H 40P. Finally an OS 35 FP. By then I'd built the pod to take the 35mm camera and did my first paid AP with that setup. Used to take the pictures on the glide for best quality - being a converted soarer was very helpful! Yes, I had a mudguard on one side to keep spray etc. from the wheel going near the lense (although the hood helped too).

Without the camera it was my "hack" model for 5 years, surprisingly aerobatic considering it was only rudder/elevator. Won a club limbo comp with it, and the spot landing comp 3 years in a row. It flew on skis in the winter.

Finally all the abuse caught up, and one day it folded a wing at about 50' just after takeoff :(

[Bill Glover]

From the scrap book ...

[Bill Glover]

The End :(

[omega blood]

Very nice shots and plane Bill. Didn't like the end though.

[Antonsoarer]

Bill, great to see an Algebra again :cool: I also took mine or parts of it through several stages of evolution.

Standard 100s
100s with launch flaps
72" sloper with ailerons
60" sloper with V-tail

I have developed the old algebra fuselage build method to a point where I can now build them to be almost indestrucable and streamlined.

Here is thread with some pictures of one of my Birch-ply fuselages.

http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=216158&page=2&pp=15

Tony.

[Bill Glover]

Looks good! I have used the Algebra's hatch design (thin ply with a tongue each end, sprung into place) on several of my own designs :)

[PVenkman]

This obviously doesn't apply to the Wanderer (btw, I still fly a 15 year old Wanderer that's seen way too much abuse - I love that plane), but what about for DLG?

More weight on the outboard wing tip would probably get a higher launch. Would the additional launch height be worth the additional weight and the out-of-balance condition?

[FLYBYRF]

It looks like a control line weight, maybe for testing without radio???

[omega blood]

It looks like a control line weight, maybe for testing without radio???

On a two meter? :eek: Control line on the slope, humm. :rolleyes: