Can you guess? Sundancer sorta buildlog.

[Mtntop]

Its an old woodie but I'm using foam cored wings for this one. I should have taken more pics before this but I just found out theres no buildlog done on this one. I may do another one in all wood soon just because its easy to build and I like the look of open bays with transluscent covering!

So guess away!!

[Mtntop]

A clue... From the 70's and someone on the forums did a handlaunch version.

[Soar_dude]

Pitch Moth?

Soar Dude

[Mtntop]

R. J. Dellacameras' Sundancer. I've built three in the past per the plans. They build quickly with a high AR wing. I don't know what the original airfoil is but its high cambered maybe a E193? The core for this one are the E214 triped. Cabellas graphite arrow shafts in the tail boom with the same for wing rods in carbon wing tubes left over from one of my stunt kites.

[Mtntop]

Heres a pic of the original back in 76. Zoomzooie built a handlaunch sized one in the HL forums instead of the original 98". In fact thats where I got this pic.

[Curare]

aww that thing with the godawful rudder. I remember now.

CHANGE THAT RUDDER!

[FrogChief]

aww that thing with the godawful rudder. I remember now.

CHANGE THAT RUDDER!

I was SOOOO about to say that!!! :D

Yeah...seriously, the rudder needs to go. ;)

[Thermaler]

My OFB Jim Deck has one and it flies pretty darn nice. He brought it out one day and histart launched it all day. If I remember he had one of the better flights of the day. Did better than my Falcon 880 and Merlin.
The rudder does look upside down but when you think about it the beef of the rudder is not blanked by the wing at any point from release to landing. It looks cool to me, not run of the mill or trend of the day.
I had a glass fuse kit, one of 75 I wish I had not let go of.

Joe

[Mtntop]

I've redone the rudder on a previous one and it was hard balancing "looking better" and still performing, it just was'nt as nimble as with the ugly parallelagram tail. Maybe a higher aspect ratio fin rudder with the same area? My last try was more Sagitta-ish.
Any Ideas??

[Mtntop]

I had a glass fuse kit, one of 75 I wish I had not let go of.

Joe

I didn't know it was ever kitted! I was only 8 in 76 building my free flite glider that actually had a built up construction. How close to the balsa fuse was the fiberglass one?

[Curare]

High aspect ratio tails were used by Bruce Abel back in the eighties, gave an aircraft a "destinctive" look. I like it but others think it's wrong.


...case in point

[Mtntop]

High aspect ratio tails were used by Bruce Abel back in the eighties, gave an aircraft a "destinctive" look. I like it but others think it's wrong.


...case in point

I agree with that ar of a wing but compare them side by side and it looks like both would look better swapping the fin/rudder.

[Mtntop]

I just finished a quick draft of the new fin/rudder. What do you think?

[Mtntop]

Got a little building done today. Been using titebond on this build, forgot how nice it is to work with.

[Thermaler]

Sorry, but as nice as the new rudder looks, it won't look like a Sundancer any more.

Joe

[Mtntop]

Here's what I got done between watching the grandson and working on my pitcheron.

What would be the pros and cons of leaving the wingrod and tubes this long?

[schrederman]

I have plans for this if anyone wants them... PM me.

Jack

[John Walter]

...it won't look like a Sundancer any more.

Joe


Good. ;)