Wing for Gentle Lady

[Don Mackay]

Can anyone give me the website address or phone# for R.A. Cores ?
I looking to replace a damaged wing on my GL.
Carl Goldberg models is not making any kits or parts for the near future, so they tell me.
I thought I saw something at the E Zone regarding this vendor
clueless in Syracuse.
thanks
Don

[Ollie]

As long as you are replacing the wing, why not use a much better airfoil such as the S3021 or even a much, much better airfoil, the AG 35? Both are flat bottomed, will thermal as well and will penetrate much better.

See:
http://www.custom-cores.com/
http://world.std.com/~racores/othercutters.html

It looks to me like RA Cores isn't doing it any more but, they posted a list of others in the business.

[Don Mackay]

Ollie,
Thanks very much for the site address, and airfoil recommendations.
Don

[Carl Petersen]

I just got a set of GL wing cores from RA Cores. I believe it's the custom core cutting service that hs been discontinued not the standard products which include the two meter wing kit.

[BrianSmith]

I have built a number of gentle lady wings with the 205, 3021, and the 7080 wing...The 7080 is my favorite by far...Won a number of contests with it...They were all built like the Sagittas of old, built up with hand cut ribs and spruce spars..Is more work than foam wing, but lighter and cheaper...My 2 cents...Brian

[Don Mackay]

Hey Brian,
I found your post most interesting, I'm new to flying gliders, I have 2 GL's, a Windfree 99,"
an electric ARF Odyssey. How do you go about building these wings. (plans, etc)
Thanks
Don

[BrianSmith]

Your best bet would be to get/see how the old 'I' Beam wings were built..Then follow that with your own airfiol...The ones I built were built after the design parameters of the Airtronics Sagitta wings...It was a spruce spar top and bottom with shear webs inbetween...I'll look in the barn for some old plans I could maybe send you...Brian

[ICTHRMLS]

Originally posted by BrianSmith
Your best bet would be to get/see how the old 'I' Beam wings were built..Then follow that with your own airfiol...The ones I built were built after the design parameters of the Airtronics Sagitta wings...It was a spruce spar top and bottom with shear webs inbetween...

Don't forget to glue a strip of carbon fiber along the inside of both spars - great strength with little additional weight and perfect for those gorilla launches!!!!!!! :D

[ICTHRMLS]

Originally posted by Don Mackay

I looking to replace a damaged wing on my GL.
Carl Goldberg models is not making any kits or parts for the near future, so they tell me.


I traced the original wing ribs for a Gentle Lady and can provide a set or two. I run them on copier paper then lay the paper on the balsa and run a hot iron over it to transfer the rib outline to the wood. I learned to do that with all built-up wing kits in case you need to replace a large section due to "mishaps" :p

[Don Mackay]

Thanks for the post,
The carbon fiber upgrade sounds like a great idea, some of the guys in the club have a winch for the larger sailplanes, since I'm new to this, I'll use a hi start.
The tracing of the ribs is a good idea, as I will probably have a few crash and burns learning to fly.
thanks
Don

[ICTHRMLS]

Originally posted by Don Mackay
some of the guys in the club have a winch for the larger sailplanes, since I'm new to this, I'll use a hi start.


I saw a pilot at the '97 or '98 Nats launch his "Gorilla Lady" (his name, not mine) full out on some very powerful winches.... naturally it was a crowd teaser with everyone going "OMIGAWD" but the wings never folded. Don't know the exact secret of his building but I know c/f was involved. You can't use too much of that black gold IMHO.

[BrianSmith]

That was no doubt my Ohio friend Walt Schmoll who is flying the same wing as I used on my ladies...

Don, send me your e-mail address and I'll scan you the info this evening..Brian

[Ollie]

About 10 or 12 years ago Walt Good took the Gentle Lady configuration and equipped it with a strong wing using the S4061 highlift airfoil. It weighed about 40 ounces but the high lift airfoil worked well with the high wing loading. Walt won many contests here in Florida with that Gutsy Lady.

In my opinion, the best feature of the Gentle Lady is its configuration and the resultant, outstanding handling qualities. The worst feature is the original structural design of the unmodified wing.

[BrianSmith]

My deceased friend Bill Davis was the first person I knew of to put the beefy wing on a GL..In about 1984 .. He was inspired by the Sagitta 205 airfoil and that is what he used...The next thing to fail is the stab..Stock, they are very weak, and if your gonna zoom launch..Beef up the stab.....I, and he always put a spruce spar down the center of the stab, made from 1/8x1/4 spruce...another 2 cents...Now that is 4 cents..Brian

[ICTHRMLS]

The Sagitta with the Eppler 205 was a great flying glider - a nice transition up from the GL if you didn't feel comfortable going to an aileron ship. It would handle ballast well too - even won a speed event at a local club fly back when we did the multi-task events..... a full pound of lead in that baby and LOOK OUT!!!! :D

Eh, another red cent to the kitty:p

[culiv]

RA Cores stopped their custom core cutting but the website still lists the 2 meter wings for the Gentle Lady and Spirit.

http://www.racores.com/current_products.html#2MWings

From their website at the link above.
2 Meter glider wing upgrades: We offer full replacement wing kits for upgrading either the Gentle Lady or Spirit to a more competitive intermediate level glider. These popular gliders are great to learn on and we offer a low cost upgrade to keep them flying so you can develop your intermediate skill levels. The wing planform is a 24" inboard panel with a 9" constant chord and a 15" tip panel tapering to a 7" tip. These wing kits include 3/8"x1/8"x18" basswood spars with vertical grain balsa shear webs, balsa leading edges, full 1/16" balsa sheeting, fiberglass tape for the center section and trailing edge, and instructions for creating a bolt on polyhedral, aileron, flap or full house wing. S3021 or SD7037 airfoils available from stock or your choice of airfoil in the same planform for the same price with a possible slight delay. $35.

We get a lot of questions on airfoil selection. My feeling is that you can't go wrong with the SD7037. It penetrates well and has a good speed range. I personally have flown the S3021 with polyhedral and flaps and the SD7037 in a tiplet planform with flaps and ailerons and prefer the SD7037.

[Don Mackay]

Yesterday I recieved a Gentle Lady kit from fellow zoner wildbill. UPS managed to crush the box, and destroy the wing parts. My daughter trashed the original wing, I haven't gotten it airborne yet and I've gone through two sets of wings. Since Carl Goldberg isn't making Gentle Lady kits or wing kits any longer so I'm going with plan (B). Brian Smith sent me some templates to build a better airfoil from scratch. I enjoy building so I'm going to give it a try, thanks Brian.
I'm also going to try the foam cores, thanks culiv.
Time for some good karma,
Thanks
Don

[steelhead]

This thread needed to be undead.... Seems like a current topic.

I've been working on a new set of replacemtn cores for the GL. I love the "test bed" capabilites for thew GL. Good all around airfoil tester and has a good planfom to boot!

Dean