Spirit Elite ARF maiden and it's first thermal

[bugeater]

I'll just stuff this all in one post :)

Got some help on the maiden of my Spirit Elite, however on the second hand launch it stalled or something (it was a little strange) and came down hard on a wing. Didn't notice the damage till later in the day, but it was easily fixed with CA (balsa covering near the wing mounting dowl was split - you could tell by the split in the covering).

Anyway, with a bit of help, I bungee launched it, which went off without a hitch. Did a few, though didn't find much lift. Then I discovered the wing damage and decided to go home.
Another problem was variable wind. What do you do when the wind is swinging all over the place? Just ignore it and launch anyway? Overall it was just light and I think it was probably the thermals influencing the wind as it was such a weak breeze.

Today was also a good day, so I took it out and waited till about 11pm to let things heat up a bit. Forecast looked good - light winds, cold front went through about 2 days ago and the temperature was about 26 degrees C. Lovely blue skys. On my third launch I hooked something bigger than anything I've experienced before. I got it to at least twice its launch height and just circled across the field going up and up. It was awesome. I was probably up for about 6 minutes rather than the usual 2 or so. Then after that the wind started getting all variable again so I wasn't sure about launching, so I waited a couple of hours, and once the breeze decided to find a direction, it became quite strong, so after a couple of flights, I flew my Siren and went home.

The variable wind issue is something I need to find out about, since it is impossible to move the bungee, since by the time you move it the wind is somewhere else. With really light wind does it matter so much?

Marty

[Sparky Paul]

With a light wind, the plane will weathervane (pull off to one side) into it on release, but it's controllable once it gets going up.
Don't restrict yourself. Getting the experience as to what is or isn't possible makes you a better flier.
You'll get a LOT of landing practice. :)
Thermals are sometimes just not within the flight range of the plane at release.
So practice landing close by the flag on the towline where it came down.
Cuts down the walking. :)

[aeajr]

If the wind is moving around +/- from the lay of the hi-start/bungee you can walk back and forth to get the best allignment, then release into the wind. This is where the hi-start has an advantage over the winch. You can allign with the wind more easily with the hi-start.

If it s moving so much that you can't get a direct into the wind launch it becomes harder to control the launch. The more the wind is coming from your side, especially if it is gusting, the greater the tendancy for the plane to go sidewise on the launch. However once you launch, you can direct the plane into the wind somewhat for better climb.

I remember the thread where you were trying do decide what glider to get. One of the advantages of you Elite for windy/gusty conditions over a Spirit/Gentle Lady and the like is that the Elite has a fairly flat wing so it will be less effected by gusts than a plane with a lot of dihedral/polyhedral like my Spirit 2M. And your ailerons will let you more easily bank slightly into the wind on launch than the di/poly wing planes.

As sparky said, on days when there are no thermals that I can grab, I just work on my launches and landings. I might get 12 launches an hour if there is no lift. Again, as SparkyPaul suggested, I watch for where the flag/chute comes down and declare that my landing target. I want to land as close as possible to it. It provides precision practice and it gets me back into the air faster.

I have gone to the field on many occasions just to practice my windy day flying, with little expectation of catching something. I will focus on heading up wind on the launch so that if I do hook some lift, I can ride it up and get out before I get too far down wind.

Also good for practicing my ballasting. Add some ballast and launch. How does it fly? Add more and launch again. How does it fly?

Even if I can't catch a thermal, I have a great time working on skills.

At 80 ounces, my full house 3M Legend handles wind and gusts on the launch and in the air much better that my 2M Poly wing Spirit, even if I add ballast to the Spirit. Those gusts lift that poly wing and push the plane around more. The flatter winged aileron managed Legend can ride through those gusts with much more authority. That is one of the reasons I recommended the Elite to you.

Glad to hear you are in the air.

[redietz]

Consider. too, that the "variable wind" is often due to the presence of thermals. If the wind's been blowing predominantly straight at you, and it suddenly seems to be coming from behind you, lauch right away -- chances are you'll be launching into lift, even though it seems like you're launching downwind. The same goes if the wind suddenly seems to drop.

By their very nature, thermals are sucking air into them. Any sudden change from the prevailing wind is a good sign.

Bob

[thelocust]

One of the best methods for cross-wind launches is to launch with the wingtip pointing in the direction of the wind to be lower than the other wingtip. Since the whole wing lifts "up", you can counteract the cross-wind with this method.

Works for me!

The Spirit Elite ARF was my first full-house plane, and I have had a ball with it. It is heavier than the regular Spirit, so it is easier to manage on windy days. Also, it responds decently to rudder input, so learn to use it! Rudder thermal turns are much more efficient.

Here are the steps I take when making a thermal turn:
1. Slightly "kick" the plane in the direction you are turning with the ailerons.
2. Release the aileron throw and increase the rudder throw in the same direction (effectively swapping aileron control for rudder)
3. If necessary, use the ailerons in the opposite direction as the rudder to "flatten out" your turn. Flatter turns are better because the wing lift is better used.

Also: try to fly at ONE SPEED in a thermal.