dave_lilley
Oct 16, 2002, 01:00 AM
<blockquote>I would thank everyone who has visited the LiftZone. The first articles have been well received, and so far, I have received very positive feedback.</blockquote>
<blockquote>This month I would like to announce a new column about thermal duration modeling. Just as the scale sailplane and slope genres have two writers each, the thermal column will be co-authored by George Voss and Marc Webster. Both gentlemen have their own areas of expertise, which should make for a very diverse and informative column. Please give them and all our writers your support. </blockquote>
<blockquote>This month, I would like to ask a favor of the LiftZone community. Each month, I need a picture for my column. Since I just don't have time to write, edit, build, fly, etc, each and every month, I am asking for user submissions. Each submission should include one to three nice color photos of at least 800x600 pixels, and included a short paragraph or two (spell and grammar checked please) about the plane or project. I will select one each month and use it for the Gliderport picture, as well as include the info in my column.</blockquote>
<blockquote>Thanks!<br>
Dave Lilley <br>
LiftZone Editor</blockquote>
<hr>
<p><big>October Articles</p></big>
<div align="center">
<table border="1" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0" width="80%" bgcolor="#E6E6E6">
<tr>
<td width="40%" valign="center" align="center"><img src="http://static.rcgroups.com/articles/liftzone/2002/oct/gliderport/th_northrop_t.jpg" border="2"></td>
<td width="60%" valign="center" align="left"><p><strong>Crunchie Corner</strong></p>Russ Thompson, one of the LiftZone's slope columnists, brings us his first column in the form of a very nice report from this year's Soar Utah.</td>
</tr>
</table>
</div> <br><br>
<div align="center">
<table border="1" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0" width="80%" bgcolor="#E6E6E6">
<tr>
<td width="40%" valign="center" align="center"><img src="http://static.rcgroups.com/articles/liftzone/2002/oct/gliderport/crazee.jpg" border="2"></td>
<td width="60%" valign="center" align="left"><p><strong>Dymond Crazee</strong></p>Andrew Willetts was looking for a nice ARF sport-sailplane that would be easy to fly, fast, aerobatic, and a good thermal trainer, and he found all this in the Dymond Crazee.</td>
</tr>
</table>
</div> <br><br>
<div align="center">
<table border="1" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0" width="80%" bgcolor="#E6E6E6">
<tr>
<td width="40%" valign="center" align="center"><img src="http://static.rcgroups.com/articles/liftzone/2002/oct/gliderport/ade_t.jpg" border="2"></td>
<td width="60%" valign="center" align="left"><p><strong>Dynamic Soaring</strong></p>Welcome to the world of Dynamic Soaring, (DS) a relatively new and exciting part of slope flying. Dynamic Soaring is not a new concept by any stretch of the imagination, but RC pilots have only been exploiting this phenomenon since around 1995 when Joe Wurts recognized it during a foamie 'combat' session at Parker Mountain in California. To learn more, check out this new LiftZone column.</td>
</tr>
</table>
</div> <br><br>
<div align="center">
<table border="1" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0" width="80%" bgcolor="#E6E6E6">
<tr>
<td width="40%" valign="center" align="center"><img src="http://static.rcgroups.com/articles/liftzone/2002/oct/gliderport/kelly-complete_t.jpg" border="2"></td>
<td width="60%" valign="center" align="left"><p><strong>Kelly</strong></p>It seems that beautiful sailplanes always fly better, and this review just confirms that statement. The Kelly is high quality through and through, goes together easily and quickly, and flies well both powered and gliding. Simple put, it is just one sharp little sailplane.</td>
</tr>
</table>
</div> <br><br>
<div align="center">
<table border="1" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0" width="80%" bgcolor="#E6E6E6">
<tr>
<td width="40%" valign="center" align="center"><img src="http://static.rcgroups.com/articles/liftzone/2002/oct/gliderport/opus_side2-mid.jpg" border="2"></td>
<td width="60%" valign="center" align="left"><p><strong>Opus V</strong></p>In a world filled with so many 1.5 meter and 3 meter race planes, the Opus V fits nicely into the under-populated mid-size slope glider class. With a span of about 2 meters, the slick Opus looks a bit like an undersized F3F racer. Its smooth, high-speed performance has made it a popular slope sport plane in southern California. The Opus is big enough to have the smooth handling characteristics and speed of a larger plane, yet it's less expensive then a full blown unlimited F3F ship.</td>
</tr>
</table>
</div> <br><br>
<div align="center">
<table border="1" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0" width="80%" bgcolor="#E6E6E6">
<tr>
<td width="40%" valign="center" align="center"><img src="http://static.rcgroups.com/articles/liftzone/2002/oct/gliderport/all3_t.jpg" border="2"></td>
<td width="60%" valign="center" align="left"><p><strong>ScaleZone</strong></p>Tom Pack, who shares the scale columnist duties with Pete George, brings us a new ScaleZone column. Tom shares information about his latest scale projects, tow tugs, building techniques, and more.</td>
</tr>
</table>
</div> <br><br>
<hr>
<p><big>...other stuff</p></big>
<div align="center">
<table border="1" cellpaddin="4" cellspacing="0" width="80%" bgcolor="#E6E6E6">
<tr>
<td width="100%" align="center"><a href="/articles/liftzone/2002/oct/gliderport/l3.jpg"><img src="http://static.rcgroups.com/articles/liftzone/2002/oct/gliderport/l3_t.jpg" border="2"></a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="100%" align="left">Here I am launching the "Turbo Spatz". The little fellow in the left hand side of the picture is my 18 month old son, Joshua. He loves to watch my planes, so this day he was acting as my spotter. (I am just kidding. Mommy is just outside of the frame, and she immediately pulled him back by her after the photo was snapped.)</td>
</tr>
</table>
</div>
<blockquote>Having read the September columns and articles, I decided to update my <a href="http://www.ezonemag.com/cgi-bin/alist/jump.pl?ID=589">Jamara Spatz review</a>. The Spatz flew well enough as it was, but I wanted to give it a boost with a little more power. I took out the Speed 400 motor and bolted a Permax 450 right back in its place. I then hooked it up to a 7x4 folding Graupner prop and an 8x1250SCR pack. The extra weight required that I push the battery back into the fuselage of the Spatz as originally intended by the designers. The only other change that was required was replacing the ESC with one that could handle 25 to 30 amps. The p450, 7x4 prop, and eight cells should only pull around 20 amps, but I like to use an ESC capable of supporting a higher load just in case.</blockquote>
<p align="center"><a href="/articles/liftzone/2002/oct/gliderport/img_1813.jpg"><img src="http://static.rcgroups.com/articles/liftzone/2002/oct/gliderport/img_1813_t.jpg" border="2"></a> <a href="/articles/liftzone/2002/oct/gliderport/img_1816.jpg"><img src="http://static.rcgroups.com/articles/liftzone/2002/oct/gliderport/img_1816_t.jpg" border="2"></a> <a href="/articles/liftzone/2002/oct/gliderport/img_1817.jpg"><img src="http://static.rcgroups.com/articles/liftzone/2002/oct/gliderport/img_1817_t.jpg" border="2"></a></p>
<blockquote>While I found the Jamara Speed 400 motor sufficiently strong enough to fly the Spatz, the p450 combination is a far superior choice. This combination gives the Spatz a longer flight time and a much stronger climbing ability. It can now make more climbs to altitude, at more aggressive angles, at higher speeds. In flight, the extra weight can actually be an advantage. The extra weight increases the sink rate a little, but on the other hand, the Spatz now retains forward speed much better and is affected even less by the wind. Recently, I flew it on a warm, slightly windy day, and the Spatz was still able to catch a quick thermal or two. I put the Spatz into eight or so aggressive 20 to 30 second climbs, and then sailed it as long as I could. I am not a great thermal or sailplane pilot by a long shot, but the flight lasted around 30 minutes. I am sure that a more experienced sailplane pilot could have kept the Spatz flying much longer.</blockquote>
<blockquote>
<ul>
<li><a href="/articles/liftzone/2002/oct/gliderport/spatz.mov">Original Spatz video (QuickTime MOV - 1.2 MB)</a></li>
<li><a href="/articles/liftzone/2002/oct/gliderport/turbospatz1.mov">Turbo Spatz video #1 (QuickTime MOV - 891 KB)</a></li>
<li><a href="/articles/liftzone/2002/oct/gliderport/turbospatz2.mov">Turbo Spatz video #2 (QuickTime MOV - 2.1 MB)</a></li>
</ul>
</blockquote>
<blockquote>For all those who are interested, I have attached a video of the Spatz with the Jamara Speed 400 on its first flight and "Turbo Spatz" with the new p450 power system just for comparison. It isn't quite a fair comparison though, since I used the very first flight on the Speed 400 system to trim the plane. While it doesn't show any attempts to gain a lot of altitude, it does show the speed of the Speed 400 powered system. Please note the first flight video did not have any sound.</blockquote>
<blockquote>The p450 is obviously a more powerful system than the stock Speed 400 system, and while it makes the plane a bit faster under power and in a glide, it does offer a longer flight time and higher climbs, which are important when learning to fly RC planes. Sometime soon, I also plan to try an inexpensive, inline 4:1 gearbox, Speed 400 motor, with a large folding prop. This should slow the Spatz down again, yet still provide better climbing ability and long flight times over the stock system.</blockquote>
<blockquote>Before I forget, I want to mention something else I tried with the Spatz. I was at my local field when a sailplane flyer stopped by for a quick flight. He set up his bungee launcher, and after watching a few of his launches, I asked him if I could give it a try with the Spatz. The Spatz is equipped with a tow hook, but he was worried that the wings would be ripped off during the launch. Frankly, I hadn't thought about it before he mentioned it, but after his comment, I was a little nervous. I decided to try it anyway, and low and behold, the Spatz handled the stress of the launch just fine. The wings flexed quite a bit, but they didn't fold, and after the flight, I didn't find any signs of stress or damage in the spar or the foam wing.</blockquote>
<blockquote>The Spatz foamie glider isn't as elegant as a nice composite or balsa sailplane, but I still feel that it makes a nice, low investment, versatile sailplane trainer.</blockquote>
<blockquote>This month I would like to announce a new column about thermal duration modeling. Just as the scale sailplane and slope genres have two writers each, the thermal column will be co-authored by George Voss and Marc Webster. Both gentlemen have their own areas of expertise, which should make for a very diverse and informative column. Please give them and all our writers your support. </blockquote>
<blockquote>This month, I would like to ask a favor of the LiftZone community. Each month, I need a picture for my column. Since I just don't have time to write, edit, build, fly, etc, each and every month, I am asking for user submissions. Each submission should include one to three nice color photos of at least 800x600 pixels, and included a short paragraph or two (spell and grammar checked please) about the plane or project. I will select one each month and use it for the Gliderport picture, as well as include the info in my column.</blockquote>
<blockquote>Thanks!<br>
Dave Lilley <br>
LiftZone Editor</blockquote>
<hr>
<p><big>October Articles</p></big>
<div align="center">
<table border="1" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0" width="80%" bgcolor="#E6E6E6">
<tr>
<td width="40%" valign="center" align="center"><img src="http://static.rcgroups.com/articles/liftzone/2002/oct/gliderport/th_northrop_t.jpg" border="2"></td>
<td width="60%" valign="center" align="left"><p><strong>Crunchie Corner</strong></p>Russ Thompson, one of the LiftZone's slope columnists, brings us his first column in the form of a very nice report from this year's Soar Utah.</td>
</tr>
</table>
</div> <br><br>
<div align="center">
<table border="1" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0" width="80%" bgcolor="#E6E6E6">
<tr>
<td width="40%" valign="center" align="center"><img src="http://static.rcgroups.com/articles/liftzone/2002/oct/gliderport/crazee.jpg" border="2"></td>
<td width="60%" valign="center" align="left"><p><strong>Dymond Crazee</strong></p>Andrew Willetts was looking for a nice ARF sport-sailplane that would be easy to fly, fast, aerobatic, and a good thermal trainer, and he found all this in the Dymond Crazee.</td>
</tr>
</table>
</div> <br><br>
<div align="center">
<table border="1" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0" width="80%" bgcolor="#E6E6E6">
<tr>
<td width="40%" valign="center" align="center"><img src="http://static.rcgroups.com/articles/liftzone/2002/oct/gliderport/ade_t.jpg" border="2"></td>
<td width="60%" valign="center" align="left"><p><strong>Dynamic Soaring</strong></p>Welcome to the world of Dynamic Soaring, (DS) a relatively new and exciting part of slope flying. Dynamic Soaring is not a new concept by any stretch of the imagination, but RC pilots have only been exploiting this phenomenon since around 1995 when Joe Wurts recognized it during a foamie 'combat' session at Parker Mountain in California. To learn more, check out this new LiftZone column.</td>
</tr>
</table>
</div> <br><br>
<div align="center">
<table border="1" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0" width="80%" bgcolor="#E6E6E6">
<tr>
<td width="40%" valign="center" align="center"><img src="http://static.rcgroups.com/articles/liftzone/2002/oct/gliderport/kelly-complete_t.jpg" border="2"></td>
<td width="60%" valign="center" align="left"><p><strong>Kelly</strong></p>It seems that beautiful sailplanes always fly better, and this review just confirms that statement. The Kelly is high quality through and through, goes together easily and quickly, and flies well both powered and gliding. Simple put, it is just one sharp little sailplane.</td>
</tr>
</table>
</div> <br><br>
<div align="center">
<table border="1" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0" width="80%" bgcolor="#E6E6E6">
<tr>
<td width="40%" valign="center" align="center"><img src="http://static.rcgroups.com/articles/liftzone/2002/oct/gliderport/opus_side2-mid.jpg" border="2"></td>
<td width="60%" valign="center" align="left"><p><strong>Opus V</strong></p>In a world filled with so many 1.5 meter and 3 meter race planes, the Opus V fits nicely into the under-populated mid-size slope glider class. With a span of about 2 meters, the slick Opus looks a bit like an undersized F3F racer. Its smooth, high-speed performance has made it a popular slope sport plane in southern California. The Opus is big enough to have the smooth handling characteristics and speed of a larger plane, yet it's less expensive then a full blown unlimited F3F ship.</td>
</tr>
</table>
</div> <br><br>
<div align="center">
<table border="1" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0" width="80%" bgcolor="#E6E6E6">
<tr>
<td width="40%" valign="center" align="center"><img src="http://static.rcgroups.com/articles/liftzone/2002/oct/gliderport/all3_t.jpg" border="2"></td>
<td width="60%" valign="center" align="left"><p><strong>ScaleZone</strong></p>Tom Pack, who shares the scale columnist duties with Pete George, brings us a new ScaleZone column. Tom shares information about his latest scale projects, tow tugs, building techniques, and more.</td>
</tr>
</table>
</div> <br><br>
<hr>
<p><big>...other stuff</p></big>
<div align="center">
<table border="1" cellpaddin="4" cellspacing="0" width="80%" bgcolor="#E6E6E6">
<tr>
<td width="100%" align="center"><a href="/articles/liftzone/2002/oct/gliderport/l3.jpg"><img src="http://static.rcgroups.com/articles/liftzone/2002/oct/gliderport/l3_t.jpg" border="2"></a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="100%" align="left">Here I am launching the "Turbo Spatz". The little fellow in the left hand side of the picture is my 18 month old son, Joshua. He loves to watch my planes, so this day he was acting as my spotter. (I am just kidding. Mommy is just outside of the frame, and she immediately pulled him back by her after the photo was snapped.)</td>
</tr>
</table>
</div>
<blockquote>Having read the September columns and articles, I decided to update my <a href="http://www.ezonemag.com/cgi-bin/alist/jump.pl?ID=589">Jamara Spatz review</a>. The Spatz flew well enough as it was, but I wanted to give it a boost with a little more power. I took out the Speed 400 motor and bolted a Permax 450 right back in its place. I then hooked it up to a 7x4 folding Graupner prop and an 8x1250SCR pack. The extra weight required that I push the battery back into the fuselage of the Spatz as originally intended by the designers. The only other change that was required was replacing the ESC with one that could handle 25 to 30 amps. The p450, 7x4 prop, and eight cells should only pull around 20 amps, but I like to use an ESC capable of supporting a higher load just in case.</blockquote>
<p align="center"><a href="/articles/liftzone/2002/oct/gliderport/img_1813.jpg"><img src="http://static.rcgroups.com/articles/liftzone/2002/oct/gliderport/img_1813_t.jpg" border="2"></a> <a href="/articles/liftzone/2002/oct/gliderport/img_1816.jpg"><img src="http://static.rcgroups.com/articles/liftzone/2002/oct/gliderport/img_1816_t.jpg" border="2"></a> <a href="/articles/liftzone/2002/oct/gliderport/img_1817.jpg"><img src="http://static.rcgroups.com/articles/liftzone/2002/oct/gliderport/img_1817_t.jpg" border="2"></a></p>
<blockquote>While I found the Jamara Speed 400 motor sufficiently strong enough to fly the Spatz, the p450 combination is a far superior choice. This combination gives the Spatz a longer flight time and a much stronger climbing ability. It can now make more climbs to altitude, at more aggressive angles, at higher speeds. In flight, the extra weight can actually be an advantage. The extra weight increases the sink rate a little, but on the other hand, the Spatz now retains forward speed much better and is affected even less by the wind. Recently, I flew it on a warm, slightly windy day, and the Spatz was still able to catch a quick thermal or two. I put the Spatz into eight or so aggressive 20 to 30 second climbs, and then sailed it as long as I could. I am not a great thermal or sailplane pilot by a long shot, but the flight lasted around 30 minutes. I am sure that a more experienced sailplane pilot could have kept the Spatz flying much longer.</blockquote>
<blockquote>
<ul>
<li><a href="/articles/liftzone/2002/oct/gliderport/spatz.mov">Original Spatz video (QuickTime MOV - 1.2 MB)</a></li>
<li><a href="/articles/liftzone/2002/oct/gliderport/turbospatz1.mov">Turbo Spatz video #1 (QuickTime MOV - 891 KB)</a></li>
<li><a href="/articles/liftzone/2002/oct/gliderport/turbospatz2.mov">Turbo Spatz video #2 (QuickTime MOV - 2.1 MB)</a></li>
</ul>
</blockquote>
<blockquote>For all those who are interested, I have attached a video of the Spatz with the Jamara Speed 400 on its first flight and "Turbo Spatz" with the new p450 power system just for comparison. It isn't quite a fair comparison though, since I used the very first flight on the Speed 400 system to trim the plane. While it doesn't show any attempts to gain a lot of altitude, it does show the speed of the Speed 400 powered system. Please note the first flight video did not have any sound.</blockquote>
<blockquote>The p450 is obviously a more powerful system than the stock Speed 400 system, and while it makes the plane a bit faster under power and in a glide, it does offer a longer flight time and higher climbs, which are important when learning to fly RC planes. Sometime soon, I also plan to try an inexpensive, inline 4:1 gearbox, Speed 400 motor, with a large folding prop. This should slow the Spatz down again, yet still provide better climbing ability and long flight times over the stock system.</blockquote>
<blockquote>Before I forget, I want to mention something else I tried with the Spatz. I was at my local field when a sailplane flyer stopped by for a quick flight. He set up his bungee launcher, and after watching a few of his launches, I asked him if I could give it a try with the Spatz. The Spatz is equipped with a tow hook, but he was worried that the wings would be ripped off during the launch. Frankly, I hadn't thought about it before he mentioned it, but after his comment, I was a little nervous. I decided to try it anyway, and low and behold, the Spatz handled the stress of the launch just fine. The wings flexed quite a bit, but they didn't fold, and after the flight, I didn't find any signs of stress or damage in the spar or the foam wing.</blockquote>
<blockquote>The Spatz foamie glider isn't as elegant as a nice composite or balsa sailplane, but I still feel that it makes a nice, low investment, versatile sailplane trainer.</blockquote>