thistle2311
Jan 26, 2009, 03:33 PM
Around here it is all snow and temps in the 20's.
I had some errands to do and as I went out to the car I noted that the breezes were light and the sun strong, so I went back in and packed up the Swyft. I bought this plane as my intro to rc gliding. Never flew an kind of plane rc ever.... so this one took a beating as I went thru the learning curve. My son Derek got into it, does a better job than I do. Must be all that video game training. Anyway, two fuses and a new set of wingcores later, I am at the point that if I remember to turn on the gear before launch, my flying session won't be over when I crash the plane.
On the way back from the errands, about 1 pm, I pulled into the local farm where I have gotten permission to fly. Back in September, I told him I was getting in to RC gliders and needed a place where "I can't hit somebody, and I can't break a window". He said "Have at it" and I have done most of my crashing, I mean flying out there.
So I pulled in and drove out back. This field is about 20 acres, very gentle west facing slope, and the breeze was dead onto it. About 8" of snow everywhere, and 200 yards north to the nearest building. A half mile from anything east, west or south.
I've been reading about thermaling and made a point of launching and getting the plane set up in a straight glide hands off. Added a click of right rudder as it was tending left a bit, added a click of down trim too. I did some sidearm launches and just let the plane glide, minimal control input.
Then I started some hard launches, doing it discus for a bit more time to accelerate. I was stalling at the top, not coming out into the glide early enough, so I worked on getting a clean transition to glide with no stall off the quite vertical trajectories, and finally had a good one with lots of pace at the top and substantial elevation, maybe 80'. As I took the plane out 150 yds straight into the breeze I noted a wing tip rise, so I carried a bit and then turned right, adding some up elevator, very smooth and deliberate. The circles were fairly tight and airspeed good but not fast. I wanted to avoid a stall at all costs, with the resultant elevation loss, and I let the plane come downwind toward me, minimizing input, letting the plane circle on its own, opening up if the circle started tightening, adding up or down as needed to avoid a stall, and soon it was overhead, then downwind of me. I found I had to hold rudder in the turn, couldn't just let it bank or it would start to come out of the circle. I was a bit surprised at the bank angle I was holding, but that plane was gaining height.
Before I knew it the Swyft was over 200' and maybe approaching 250'. That 45" wingspan was looking pretty small, stark white and red against a deep blue sky.
I have never had the plane at these elevations before and I was a bit concerned that it was going to be far downwind pretty quickly so I came out of the circle and headed upwind. It was the last of the thermal but by the time I was down I would estimate I had 3-4 minutes up there.
Didn't get another one but I definitely was getting more airtime with the minimal input. And now I recall the wind diminishing and increasing as I flew. I think it was light when I launched, right into the thermal.
What a blast! Guess I'll have to write this date down in the logbooks!
I had some errands to do and as I went out to the car I noted that the breezes were light and the sun strong, so I went back in and packed up the Swyft. I bought this plane as my intro to rc gliding. Never flew an kind of plane rc ever.... so this one took a beating as I went thru the learning curve. My son Derek got into it, does a better job than I do. Must be all that video game training. Anyway, two fuses and a new set of wingcores later, I am at the point that if I remember to turn on the gear before launch, my flying session won't be over when I crash the plane.
On the way back from the errands, about 1 pm, I pulled into the local farm where I have gotten permission to fly. Back in September, I told him I was getting in to RC gliders and needed a place where "I can't hit somebody, and I can't break a window". He said "Have at it" and I have done most of my crashing, I mean flying out there.
So I pulled in and drove out back. This field is about 20 acres, very gentle west facing slope, and the breeze was dead onto it. About 8" of snow everywhere, and 200 yards north to the nearest building. A half mile from anything east, west or south.
I've been reading about thermaling and made a point of launching and getting the plane set up in a straight glide hands off. Added a click of right rudder as it was tending left a bit, added a click of down trim too. I did some sidearm launches and just let the plane glide, minimal control input.
Then I started some hard launches, doing it discus for a bit more time to accelerate. I was stalling at the top, not coming out into the glide early enough, so I worked on getting a clean transition to glide with no stall off the quite vertical trajectories, and finally had a good one with lots of pace at the top and substantial elevation, maybe 80'. As I took the plane out 150 yds straight into the breeze I noted a wing tip rise, so I carried a bit and then turned right, adding some up elevator, very smooth and deliberate. The circles were fairly tight and airspeed good but not fast. I wanted to avoid a stall at all costs, with the resultant elevation loss, and I let the plane come downwind toward me, minimizing input, letting the plane circle on its own, opening up if the circle started tightening, adding up or down as needed to avoid a stall, and soon it was overhead, then downwind of me. I found I had to hold rudder in the turn, couldn't just let it bank or it would start to come out of the circle. I was a bit surprised at the bank angle I was holding, but that plane was gaining height.
Before I knew it the Swyft was over 200' and maybe approaching 250'. That 45" wingspan was looking pretty small, stark white and red against a deep blue sky.
I have never had the plane at these elevations before and I was a bit concerned that it was going to be far downwind pretty quickly so I came out of the circle and headed upwind. It was the last of the thermal but by the time I was down I would estimate I had 3-4 minutes up there.
Didn't get another one but I definitely was getting more airtime with the minimal input. And now I recall the wind diminishing and increasing as I flew. I think it was light when I launched, right into the thermal.
What a blast! Guess I'll have to write this date down in the logbooks!