I just received a Pioneer for testing from a local hobby shop and I have been reading through this thread for information. I plan on turning this into an FPV platform if I can get it flying well enough.

The holes in the control horns are a little too big for the stock rod stoppers and have some slop. Since the horns are only glued in place, I think I will just change them out for some that use a screw on backing. I found that I alreay had 2 stripped servos and set out to change them. Luckily, the glue used was sub par and the wing came apart after cutting down the sides with an exacto-knife. I am going to go ahead and replace all of the servos, working or not, with some TG-9's while I have the opportunity.


While working on the wing I noticed how easily the decals were to remove. I like the way they look, but I don't feel like messing with them falling off later on. I'll add some simple red paint and maybe a few black stripes on the bottom for orientation. Here is a pic with decals removed.



The removed decals weighed in at 11g! Its not much really, but around the weight of an extra servo...



I will keep updating as I progess up through the maiden flight.

Decals ???
I think Mine are Painted on - pretty sure any way.
I have the Yellow version.

Boy IF I could get all that crap off of there I'd be a happy camper.

I'll go take another look.

L8r

Today was the day for maiden!

Reflex - elevator/ailerons set to the recommended +10 and 2mm.
CG - 25mm (I will play around with this more. I went with 25 to be safe on maiden)
Rates/Expo - 100%.
- Servos changed to 9g Turnigy's (same as T-Pro/HXT)
- Also added 1 washer to the bottom corners of the motor mount to lessen the down thrust angle

Maiden Flight - My friend launched for the maiden and the canopy immediately flew off as it went forward. The plane itself, however, kept going for a perfect launch and climb out. The Pioneer needed no trimming! That is a first for me. I started with nice wide circles and my friend eventually told me to try some slow flight. This is where the Pioneer leaves things to be desired. It goes in a straight line just fine, but if you are going slow and begin to bank with any good angle it wants to tip stall. This is what led to my small "unplanned" landing on the first flight. Everything was fine and it happened only 5-8ft off the ground, but it gave me a pretty good heads up for next time.

Flight numbers 2 through 4 - After getting used to taking the turns wider that I usually like to (of course, this is a glider, not an aerobatic plane!) I got more comfortable with it and was able to counter any tip stalls without over correcting as much. While flying at a second location, we easily noticed when it was in a thermal or not. It kept trying to climb when we were setting up an approach for landing and had the power off. It likes to land fast! Make sure you have a nice open area to make a long approach or you might just keep on gliding.

Notes - I need to set up the brake function on the ESC to get the prop to stop spinning when off the throttle. I am sure this is hurting my glide ratio quite a bit, but it still had plenty.
- Moving the rudder one way or the other did change the flight much at all. I think it would be fine just functioning as a vertical stabilizer and without the functioning rudder.
- It does not like wind! Even with the 4mph "gusts" today, it tried push the plane over suddenly when going cross-wind.
-Orientation with my Pioneer needs some improvement on the bottom. I think I will add a few black stripes to each wing. I never flew with the stock decals, so I cannot comment on them. Without having a traditional tail it is easy to get confused at higher altitude.
- I had to re-hinge the elevators due to stiffness that refused to get easier after lots of flexing.

Overall - This is not a good plane for beginners! With the 2 bad servos experienced at the start to all of the small changes made before maiden (thanks to this thread), I can't see it going well for someone new. Especially after experiencing the first tip stall. However, it you fly it like the glider like it was designed to be, I think experienced modelers will enjoy the radical look and the generally good flight characteristics. This will be one of the planes I bring out on 0-4mph wind days. It is sure to turn a few heads at the field! FPV coming next..

I will upload the GoPro soon! (Ground view, not in plane)

Pioneer 3 - Flying Wing / Powered Glider Flight #2 (3 min 37 sec)

I'm not sure why this video looks like its going faster than real time...

Video on the real Pioneer 3:

Jim Marske Flying Wings 10 (7 min 31 sec)

Jim must be an Alien as he hasnt changed since I saw him speak 15-20 yrs ago
at EAA, R/C club and SHA meetings.

Hey guys, got one on the way. Not sure what I got myself into though. I will use it mostly for fpv.

Originally Posted by BLOWZILLA

Hey guys, got one on the way. Not sure what I got myself into though. I will use it mostly for fpv.

I would try to get very comfortable with line of sight flying before adding the FPV gear. It has some flight characteristics that you need to be ready for. Watch that CG!

No fpv till I get this thing figured out! My verdict is not in yet, but when I hear that a "glider" does not like "wind" I am worried.

Re glue, washers at the bottom of motor mount, /glue c horns, any other notable stuff?

Nope, that should be it. Just make all of the settings the same as what other have posted (CG, reflex, etc) and you should be fine.

Hopefully your servos are better than mine were. Two were dead from the start...

Ok, got the plane and everything is working! Next step is to do a few mods and then up she goes! It looks like the battery goes above and behind the wheel. Do you need the reflex on both ele and aileron?

Maybe - see post #86.

I ran 2mm on the ailerons and 10mm on the elevator.

Ok, saw that. 2 and 10 it is. Thanks.

Did anyone mark the wing for the CG on the underside? Where is it in relation to the spar or spar cover?

I ask bc this wing has a leading edge (duh - lol) but it also has a VERY different leading edge at the root where the wing mounts into the fuse (probably for more reliablility) at the root.

Also - does it not make sense that the more you move the CG back, the less reflex you will need? There is probably a CG setting where you can have almost no reflex - this will make it more efficient on battery, but of course then the throws will have to be reduced to match.