Interested in scale sailplane

[kwmtrubrit]

As the title says, I'm interested in getting a scale sailplane. I've looked at most of the threads in the sailplane forums regarding the cheaper makes ( AMD, aero-fever, CMPro $150-$200). not wishing to insult anyone, but they seem to have too many corrective requirements. Glassing the inner fuse area, making the spoilers work correctly, to name a few. Having said that, I don't have deep pockets but $500-$600 will be o.k. The plane must be winchable as we don't have tugs, but the ability for aerotow is good for future travels. No slopes (that I know of) here in AR, so that's not an option. As this will be my first full house, I guess something with kind flying characteristics would be good. Any suggestions?

Keith

I forgot to add that I'm thinking in the 3-4M area with a wheel (retract or not) and flaps.

[dgliderguy]

Good raves are coming in about this one:

http://www.soaringusa.com/products/product.htm?product_id=16643&category_id=380

Superb choice for aerotowing, but certainly strong enough for a winch, and a great thermaller, too.

[steve wenban]

As the title says, I'm interested in getting a scale sailplane. I've looked at most of the threads in the sailplane forums regarding the cheaper makes ( AMD, aero-fever, CMPro $150-$200). not wishing to insult anyone, but they seem to have too many corrective requirements. Glassing the inner fuse area, making the spoilers work correctly, to name a few. Having said that, I don't have deep pockets but $500-$600 will be o.k. The plane must be winchable as we don't have tugs, but the ability for aerotow is good for future travels. No slopes (that I know of) here in AR, so that's not an option. As this will be my first full house, I guess something with kind flying characteristics would be good. Any suggestions?

Keith

I forgot to add that I'm thinking in the 3-4M area with a wheel (retract or not) and flaps.
Not to insult you but you can break your $500/$600 model just the same and have to do the rework just the same as the $200 model the reworks of the cheap one only adds to their longevity they fly fine as they come out the box
but to make sure that they continue to last you make small changes .If the small improvements seem daunting then an expensive model as the first scalie maynot be a good choice , just a thought.
SteveW never judging a book by the cover.

[kwmtrubrit]

Steve Wenban,

I hear what you are saying, and it makes perfect sense, they all crash just as easily. But when I see things like "spoilers not operating correctly so they require replacement; the flying stab seat needs re-working because the throw isn't enough; and wings popping in flight during a gentle loop, so needs CF layed through the wing." That's a bit more to me than small changes. Just a thought.

[steve wenban]

none of the air craft you mentioned in your first post have spoilers ? none have poped wings either ?? Ive made no changes to my Salto and its been thrown around the sky with gusto no wing flex no reworking of the stab elevator throw is no issue as well as rudder , that also applies to the discus the ASW28 an the DG1000 . Had to use a layer of tape to align the 28 tail to wing but it was hardly what I'd call a major mod.
The Discus required a new wing joiner and tube the whole operation on that took 2 hours . The longest part was waiting for the glue to dry . Putting a layer of glass or kevlar in the fuse only serves to give the model a longer live span . I've seen $1500.00
model crack along the join line just the same so I think the reworks are being a bit over played. That aside there is plenty of scale stuff around at the price your qouting.
good luck with your choice.
SteveW

[TFLG]

If you are going to fly flat field off a winch or tow go as BIG as you can. Whether or not you like the small planes is irrelevant as they just don't fly nearly as well as a big one. And by fly I mean stay up in a thermal. You can't see those little skinny wings on the small planes once they get any kind of altitude. I have 2 of the aero-fever bird. Not a big fan of them. To me they are just not worth the hassle. I'de rather spend more and get a plane I don't have to dik with. I have had a lot of fun with the aerofever planes on the slope. But I seem to crack something every time I take them out.

The HF DG-1000 is a great first scalie. If you can find a sheeted wing version it should be under $600. Soarign USA sells the all molded version but it's a bit more moola.

Again, GO BIG. Small scalies just blow when flown off a flat field.

TFLG

[alibodin]

Also it is worth considering second hand as a good introduction with a known good model all set up and ready to go,

Alistair

[kwmtrubrit]

Steve,

I'm not really sure why you appear to have a "let me prove you wrong" attitude here. I did check the planes again and the CMPro 2.6 Ventus does have spoilers, as does the Raidentech 4m Ventus and the AMD 4m Discus. The veneer sheeting on the 4m has been popping at the joint because the joint wasn't staggered. The fix suggested was to remove the covering and glass over the joint. I think it was the 4m that had wing root ribs cracking (popping) too.

[dgliderguy]

Now that this thread is becoming a discussion about the merits of cheap Chinese vs. expensive European, I'd say you get what you pay for here. I have the Aerofever DG1000, and it definitely has some "cheap-o" going against it:

a) Chinakote wing covering material-- the clear plastic separates from the color adhesive layer, so the remedy is to rip it all off as best you can and re-cover with Ultracote, which is what the European sheeted wings use (or Oracover, same thing)

b) the painted polyester fuselage-- paint cracks off when the fuse flexes too much, where a gel-coated epoxy glass fuselage barely shows any scuff marks; polyester fuses tend to arrived with some twist that has to be taken out with heat, and two-part epoxy glue won't stick to it so you gotta get some polyester resin for adhering parts or for repairs

c) the carbon wing joiner rods are too wimpy, to say the least, so a hardened steel replacement rod is in order

d) the built-up, fully-sheeted wings seem a bit agrarian compared to the obechi-sheeted vac-bagged wings of the European ships.

That said, I have been enjoying my 2.6m DG1000, and it does the job it is intended to do, for what it is. I would never recommend this one as an aerotow sailplane, primarily due to its size (see TFLG's comments above), but as a toss-it-in-the-car weekend flyer, it's not bad for the price (I got mine on a Hobby Lobby deal for $158-- well worth the money at that price).

I would also recommend the hollow-molded HF Models DG1000 for aerotow (I have the DG505 version, electricized with a motor in the nose). It is, at 3.7m, an acceptable size for aerotowing, and the hollow-molded wings are near perfect works of art. The difference in quality between the HF DG1000 and the Aerofever DG1000 is like night and day.

[SteveR]

Sorry to get off topic but Don, how do you set up your TX for a sailplane that you use for both aerotow and electric flight? Do you use any TX logic so you can't inadvertently power the motor while still on tow? Or do you only fly the plane as either aerotow OR self-power?

TIA,

Steve

[dgliderguy]

When I do aerotow, I take off the prop and replace the spinner with the original cut-off nose cone (I just tape it on with a wrap of white vinyl tape), then I swap the ESC jack with the release servo jack. The receiver has its own battery (no BEC).

On my JR8103, I have the motor power (or the release) on the toggle switch (the 'gear' switch), and the spoilers are connected to the throttle stick. Retracting the wheel is done with the three-position switch. R/E/A hooked up as usual.

[Joe Yap]

Like what is being mentioned, if you are flying unpowered from flat field, you'll probably want a bigger model. I have personally aerotowed a 2.6m DG-1000 and it does not take too long for the plane to kiss the ground again. Personally, I find it too heavy and the airfoil too thick for my liking. I'll prefer scale sailplane this size to have thinner airfoil like S3010 or S3021 and much lower AUW.

I think it'll be better off being flown off from a slope or electricfied.

[kwmtrubrit]

Thanks for all the valuable info guys.

Keith

[steve wenban]

Steve,

I'm not really sure why you appear to have a "let me prove you wrong" attitude here. I did check the planes again and the CMPro 2.6 Ventus does have spoilers, as does the Raidentech 4m Ventus and the AMD 4m Discus. The veneer sheeting on the 4m has been popping at the joint because the joint wasn't staggered. The fix suggested was to remove the covering and glass over the joint. I think it was the 4m that had wing root ribs cracking (popping) too.


This is a bit rough the 2.65 cMpro discus CS does not have spoilers nor does the aero fever DG1000 nor the ASW28 or the Salto how do I know because I own all 4 of them the 4 mtr ventus has spoilers and a new release 2.6 ventus also its not a matter of prove me wrong you asked the question by saying they where rubbish and to much work to begin with . You have had advise from some of the best in the business I wished you luck with you choice and you spat at me about the remark . Once again I wish you luck with your choice .

SteveW resigned from offering opinions

[rocketman47]

BTW: Isn't it a shame that the Aerofever 1000 looks much more scale then the much larger one HF offers?! I have heard so many good things about how the HF 505/1000 fly, but I cannot get past the looks of their fuses.. Too stand-off scale for me! :(

[dgliderguy]

BTW: Isn't it a shame that the Aerofever 1000 looks much more scale then the much larger one HF offers?! I have heard so many good things about how the HF 505/1000 fly, but I cannot get past the looks of their fuses.. Too stand-off scale for me! :(

Good point, Randy. My beef, too. Oh, well, they sure fly good.

[Duke58]

I bought a Tangent kit a while back and finally got to build it last fall, it's an
AWS 27 B . I've flown it twice on the slope and I am really impressed. I have several other 3m scale ships and this plane will out fly them all. It is 100" with flaps and ailerons and I paid under $300, you have to do a bit of building but the kit is complete and whoever did the design work got the flying part right. I have some photos I can post up tomorrow.

Earl

[kwmtrubrit]

Earl,

Photo's will be great, thanks.

Keith

[dittens101]

Hi there. I have the ASW 27b still built by Multiplex originally ( Now by Tangent) and yes, it does fly so well. I even set the flaps up to become a full aileron wing if I want to do some aerobatics. Does a nice role at the flip of a switch. Infact it even safed my ASW ones when something went wrong with one of my ailerons (purely an electronic plug problim) and by switching to full aileron made that I could land the glider safely :)

Very good buy!!! It flies like they should fly :)

Cheers Hugo