Stork 2 Pro

[David_C]

Hi

I'm gonna order a Stork 2 Pro, but can't decide on V or X tail.
What are the gains or drawbacks between them?
I will fly mostly F3J and some on the slope with it.

/Dave

[Goinav8n]

David

Rudder corrections are easier with the X-tail on landing. Also easier transporting

Jeff

[Jurgen]

V-tail is often lighter, thus an easier push-over-on-top-of-the-zoom *someone told me* and more safe for not being damaged in landings.

X-tail should be better traject routing and steering *someone else told me*

*Yet another one told me* Its only a mather of personal preference without possible outcome of which one is the best.

I just asked my wife which one she likes the most, it was X-tail, i have a tremendous trust in her choices as once she choose me :)

Jurgen S.

[David_C]

Thanks for the replies.

As you say the better handling and easier transportation might be good reasons to buy a X-Tail but then IMHO V-tails look much better on F3X type planes and the lighter weight isn't so bad either.

It's so hard to choose. =)

[John Ellias]

I have a Stork 2 V-tail. One very important advantage of a V-tail is that it offers some degree of redundancy for elevator control. I had a Volz servo fail inflight on one of the V-tails, but I managed to land safely because the other V-tail control surface was working.

John

[mlee8249]

The main difference comes in competition flying where in the United States, we fly Precision Duration, requiring a landing on a normally very small target spot. In FAI type flying, like F3J, the center of the landing spot is one meter large, and so is much larger a spot than in the U.S. A cross tail model can be very exacting in the yaw axis and so you can make very precise corrections to hit the center of the spot without inducing "Dutch roll" as would happen with many V-tails. V-tails can be lighter than the cross-tails, but lately, with better construction techniques and lighter but stronger materials, this advantage has been whittled down to virtually nothing. Cross-tails seem to guide faster and better on the launch, in particualr at that critical moment when the plane leaves your hand, but good throwing technique can easily equal that out. Cross-tails can make for easier transportation, but then wearing a V-tail as a hat can make for some very interesting conversation in the airport terminal.

MIke Lee

[flyingdogtwo]

http://www.charlesriverrc.org/articles/design/donstackhouse_conventionalvsvtail.htm

[David_C]

http://www.charlesriverrc.org/articles/design/donstackhouse_conventionalvsvtail.htm

Great link :cool:

[Tuomo]

It's so hard to choose. =)

I would take the x-tail because it is better to transport.

Flyingwise the difference between X and V is very much up to what kind of feel you want in rudder. X-tail has also some advatages in trimming because incidence (if you want to change that because of extreme CG position etc.) is not an issue.

[baum58]

I have two of them for "sail"
All are V-tails
yellow and blue and
orange and red
with Volz servos in the wings,
with battery
Flown, uesd and trimmed
$700 each
Ping me

Peter
netstation@charter.net

[David_C]

Think I'm gonna go with the X-tail, the incidence trimming might come in handy.

[lrsudog]

I have the V-tail Stork and as has been said, transport requires a bit more work.

That being said, I do like the V-tail version. Once it was dialed in with regards to the correct elevator/rudder mix, it has performed flawlessly.

[David McNeill]

I have the V-tail Stork...Once it was dialed in with regards to the correct elevator/rudder mix, it has performed flawlessly.

I fly a V-tail Stork 2 Pro-E. It flies very nicely though I feel the v-tail mixing could use a bit of tweeking. Is your mix something you can share?

David M

[lrsudog]

I fly a V-tail Stork 2 Pro-E. It flies very nicely though I feel the v-tail mixing could use a bit of tweeking. Is your mix something you can share?

David M


It was via trial and error. Literally. I found that my Stork would pitch up slightly in a calm air glide when I innitiated rudder only turns. I dialed out a little mix on the "Upper moving" control surface a degree at a time until it yawed equally either way without a pitch change.

The result is that when I use rudder only in say a right turn, the left control surface moves up about 95% of the distance the right control surface moves downward. They still both move up and down the same distance for up or down elevator.

I have a couple other V-tail gliders, and they all could stand the same type of tweaks to the rudder/elevator mix. I fly a Royal Evo and found the individual servo movement much easier to adjust than in my old Stylus. With the Stylus I just compensated with the sticks. Badly, most of the time.

[flyingdogtwo]

Irsudog:
Why was your stylus hard to get V-tail differential set? In the V-tail mode, there's only two buttons..up or down, for adjusting balance and differential. Didn't think it got much simpler.

[David McNeill]

Irsudog, Thanks a bunch! I think you nailed it; that is exactly the scenario I have been experiencing. Now I need to see if I can accomplish those corrections using my Eclipse 7. I'm pretty sure it separates the mixes enough to allow me to do this. We'll see.... Thanks again.

David M

[Tuomo]

Irsudog:
Why was your stylus hard to get V-tail differential set? In the V-tail mode, there's only two buttons..up or down, for adjusting balance and differential. Didn't think it got much simpler.

I think you do not quite understand the point. Up / down elevator is another thing. differential refers to up / down movement in rudder function. It is very critical -- I know this from my v-tail Sharorn pro.

[flyingdogtwo]

O-Contra Tuomo:
I fully understand the difference. I was refering to how easy it is to program differential on a Stylus. If you look closer to my post, you'll see I was talking about up or down "buttons" to control the percentage of up vs down of the rudder and not effect elevator movement. Which is what's going to happen when David M tries it on his E-7. As he'll have to go thru EPA to get any diffterential. Which "will" effect elevator. Not much, as the percentages are very little. But it will to some extent.

[Tuomo]

Ok, sorry. MC-24 has similar menu for v-tail differential. For those with less sofisticated tx, trimming v-tail to perfection is not so easy because you have to get so involved with servo disc geometry and control horns.

[flyingdogtwo]

NP...I know I give one of our club member fits..cuz I just can't seem to Quit Pushing Buttons seeking out that elusive perfection!!!..... :rolleyes: :D

[David McNeill]

: Which is what's going to happen when David M tries it on his E-7. As he'll have to go thru EPA to get any diffterential. Which "will" effect elevator. Not much, as the percentages are very little. But it will to some extent.

Right again, :rolleyes: We have established the Evo has v-tail/rudder differential. Does the XP 9303 have this function also?

David M

[lrsudog]

Irsudog:
Why was your stylus hard to get V-tail differential set? In the V-tail mode, there's only two buttons..up or down, for adjusting balance and differential. Didn't think it got much simpler.

Probably because the Stylus was my first computer TX and I found it generally hard to wrap my head around the way it did mixes. I bought a MPX Cockpit MMX as a backup and the MPX travel adjustment scheme made much more sense to me, as does the EVO's.

[flyingdogtwo]

Probably because the Stylus was my first computer TX and I found it generally hard to wrap my head around the way it did mixes. I bought a MPX Cockpit MMX as a backup and the MPX travel adjustment scheme made much more sense to me, as does the EVO's.


Sorry if I gave the impression the Stylus was child's play to program. It is! Only took me 465 times of being explained the process to figure out what I was doing.

David..I wish I could help you with your questions, but I have no idea bout those TXs. I'm famaliar only with the Stylus and E-7. To tell you the truth, once you figure out how to do full TE cambering on the E-7, I've always found it just as good and quite capable of doing anything you want and weighs bout 100# less. Besides, seeing how 99.9% of our club uses the Stylus, well...you know the story.

[wrhinehart]

Paul Naton (RadioCarbonArt) just released his newest Video entitled "Performance Tuning for Gliders".

In it he illustrates the main reason why "V" tails are suspect during pin point landings like those we have in American TD contests.

He explains that the number one reason for the Dutch Roll upon rudder input is that most pilots program in more UP than DOWN rudder/elevator Differential just like Aileron Differential. He explains that the programming needs more DOWN than UP. Like the turns, it's opposite the wing.

In his video he shows a "V" tail Stork 2 Pro wagging it's tail back and forth WITHOUT a hint of dutch roll while in flight. It displayed perfectly horizontal wings like the X tail version.

The Stork when PROPERLY programmed will act EXACTLY like an "X" tail for pin point landings.

I have had several discussions on this matter with Master Pilot Mike Lee. (my trainer) He warned me that NOT EVERY "V" Tail bird can be made to fly that way however. It depends on the design of the airplane.

I will never be able to get my "Breeze" to turn without roll. (BUMMER)

Bill