Fling 2 meter - lot stronger than I first thought

[ptglass]

I've been flying my Fling 2 meter for over 2 months now and I have been surprised how well it is holding up. When I put it together, I noticed that the wing was built pretty strong with sheeting on both sides, but I was worried about the tail which looked awfully weak. However, after a lot of winch launches and quite a few rough landings, I am happy to report that it is doing great. I'm very pleasantly surprised to say the least.

I've spun it around a lot of times on landing when I've gotten hit with crosswind gusts and there has been no damage. I think the light weight is what keeps the tail from being damaged. BTW, I didn't glue the tail on, but just used the bolts with locktight.

Also, for a light 2 meter, it penetrates the wind pretty well, because of the thin airfoil and narrow chord.

I would like to mention that I think the recommended cg is too far back.

I like this plane and would recommend it to anyone!

Patrick

[aeajr]

Good as a beginners plane?

[ptglass]

I'm not sure I would recommend it for a beginner. I think it is a good plane for a novice but not for a beginner because of the following reasons:

It has a narrow chord and a thin airfoil which makes it fly faster than most beginner planes and while it has been fairly robust, a beginner can make some extra rough landings that may break the boom at the tail area. I think the ARF Spirit is a better beginner plane. It flys a lot slower and is stronger - I would recommed that plane for beginners rather than the 2 meter Fling. If you are worried about the cost, you might try the "Vista" that is sold by Tower. I've heard that it is similar to a Spirit. If you can pay a little more, get the Spirit. Hope this helps.

[aeajr]

It is not for me. I am well beyond that phase. But I do teach new flyers and help new glider pilots as well as parkflyer pilots.

I usually start the new glider pilots on the Spirit or the Multiplex Easy Glider. Was just wondering if this should be added to the list.

I think your recommendations are good ones.

[Miami Mike]

I like the way it looks, and the price is right.
http://www.greatplanes.com/airplanes/gpma1062.jpg
Were there any defects? Was everything straight? Did you have to fix anything out of the box?

[Miami Mike]

I was just reading the manual (http://www.greatplanes.com/manuals/gpma1062-manual.pdf). Apparently you have to permanently glue the two wing halves together, which means they can't come apart for transportation like a Spirit's wing halves can. Is that right? Did you glue your wing halves together?

[ptglass]

The covering had a few wrinkles which were easy to iron out. The wing halves were straight and the covering was overall nice. I did glue the wing halves together, but as I mentioned above, you could keep them in halves if you fit the joiner real tight and add some pins near the trailing edge. If I get another one, I might do that.

The wing halves fitted together better than any ARF I've ever had in this price range. The wing itself is very nice. I've pulled it pretty hard on the winch and heavy duty high start (used for launching 3 meter gliders) and the wing is fine. I think it's a great glider for the money. It does fly a little fast, it's not really a floater like a Spirit. That's why I don't recommend it for a beginner. As long as a pilot is just past the beginner stage, it is fine.

It builds really fast and the canopy is already fitted and has the wire glued in. I've had trouble adding those in the past - nice to have it done for you. I might mention that they have the directions wrong for mounting the tow hook. The nut goes under the fuse. Also, I think the CG is way too far back - I had to experiment adding a little weight in increments to get it right. You have to use a small battery in the nose. I use a square pack of AAA cells, Nimh 700 ma. Fits nicely in there. I use a JR790 Scan Select reciever and HS-81 servos. I don't use a switch, but use an extension from the reciever and plug the battery to that. I used locktite on the stab bolts.

Although it is very light, it handles the wind better than a floater because it flies faster and the thiner airfoil penetrates better.

I think it looks beautiful in the air - very graceful looking.

I'd be happy to answer any more questions that you might have.

[Miami Mike]

...but as I mentioned above, you could keep them in halves if you fit the joiner real tight and add some pins near the trailing edge.No, I don't think you mentioned that above, but thanks for the report anyway!

[SoCalGliderFlyr]

Flew one a few weeks ago. Decent sailplane. Could use spoilers. I would replace the aluminum and wood joiner with a steel rod and brass tubes for a two piece wing. A rearward balance is better at sensing thermals. As the tow hood position is fixed you want to move the balance around (back) till the ship climbs straight on the hi-start. No poping off.

[aeajr]

I don't know if it would work well on this plane, but I have my Spirit wing as two pieces. When I join them at the field, I tape them together with clear packing tape. It works very very well. I have actually broken the wing and had the joint intact.

Patrick,

Thanks for the report.