Originally Posted by delfin

Today 2 flights on a hill with about 15km/h Wind. With this upwind it keeps the height, flies well, and I really like the plane. CG today about 45mm from leading edge (I put 11gr to the end of the plane), could probably be further back.
Youtube video is uploading, will post URL later. Not the best quality, first video of my assistant, always trying to find the plane and the zoom button.

Hey guys, just got mine and wondering what the best CG is?

Post 85 from delfin had it apparently flying best at 45mm (as per attached pic?).. Olmond seem to suggest main spar. Would this be the aluminum spar which would be far too aft of 45mm from leading edge?

Thanks in advance.

Hi guys have had a go at mine but appear to be nose heavy and one or two other probs.
main question is what should the COG be for this plane.
Rgds Paul

Hi I got an email back from HK to tell me that the COG for the Ventus is 30mm from leading edge

Originally Posted by dbflier

Hey guys, just got mine and wondering what the best CG is?

Post 85 from delfin had it apparently flying best at 45mm (as per attached pic?).. Olmond seem to suggest main spar. Would this be the aluminum spar which would be far too aft of 45mm from leading edge?

Thanks in advance.

Im sorry if I had misled you ,from memory mine has 2 spars I used the forward one. it was one of the first sold and had problems with the method of holding the wings on as the allum tubes were too short.

@dbflier: CG as in your pic is OK, @reefpilot: 30mm is not flyable.
Front spar is 30mm, servo cable channel is 35mm from leading edge.

Thanks to this thread and all your valuable inputs, olmond, delfin, I have finally finished doing the finishing touches and mods on my Ventus, and am just waiting for the weather here to clear and calm down for its maiden. I've setup some flight phases on my MPX with varying moderate throws... BTW, how are your (olmond and delfin) flight phases and throws setup? Currently I've setup Start (takeoff/landing, full travel/dual rates and moderate flaps on throttle), Thermal (camber on throttle, camber/reflex on E slider), Speed (Crow on throttle) and Normal (start/throttle activated) all with dual rates 80/20, with combo switch (aileron/rudder mix activation) on "I"

Here are some pics. Hope sharing these pics helps.

Great job dbflier! I have a V1 that has been sitting in the box for months. Once I saw the amount of work it was going to take to fix the issues, I just put it away. It appears that they made some significant changes, especially to the tail for the V2. Did the kit come with the carbon to stiffen up the boom? I like where you put the rudder servo. I plan to do the same with mine. What size battery can you put in and still balance?

Please let us know how the maiden goes. It will be good to know if it is even worthwhile to assemble mine.

I was put off too by all the bad feedback, but finally put it all together. I was great fun to fly, and dropping the wheel to land is real cool. The tail does need reinforcing and it seems to have been designed to be used without a motor as the CG is so far forward. I just cut a hole in the top of the fuselage above the wing and put the battery there.

It flies beautifully and the wings can take a lot of bending.

Great fun, put it together, what's the worst that could happen!

I bought the RTF with the stiffer wings for about $100.00 + $80.00 shipping. I've been struggling with getting this plane flyable. Have had about 3 flights but struggle with control.

I had to install a new motor, the one that came with it was defective. Also two defective servos replaced. Replaced the weak esc that came with it. The aileron and flap throws are insufficient. I'm going to carve them off, trim and make some proper hinges for ailerons and flaps. Also having trouble getting the prop to stop windmilling. Soft brake is apparently not enough, so I'll try medium. Not sure if I should test again without the windmilling before rebuilding the ailerons and flaps. Just not a whole lot of room for throw with the way the hinges are set up.

Anyone who has it controlling well and can give me their throw specs would be appreciated.

Certainly a good looking plane an appears to have a nice glide. Yes the retract is cool.

Thanks,

Hi guys I am still in the process of setting up bit of a handfull with the COG to far forward going to put it back to 45 mm.
Also I am unable to stop the prop from spinning can you help me with that please.

Originally Posted by reefpilot

Hi guys I am still in the process of setting up bit of a handfull with the COG to far forward going to put it back to 45 mm.
Also I am unable to stop the prop from spinning can you help me with that please.

My prop was windmilling too. I replaced the esc with a programmable one, and set it to hard brake.

Greetings fellow HK Ventus enthusiasts!

I am pleased to report that HK is shipping me a Ventus kit and I have plans to build this month. I thank all of you in advance for all the tips, tricks and mods posted in this thread. I will be building mine to take advantage of all the possibilities this plane offers, as well as achieve a high-quality finish and look. I will also mount a HK Wingcam on the top of the tail for inflight video recording.

Right now we are in the midst of a ferocious storm here in Colorado. Predictions are for several feet of snow by morning. So, I will be building an HK GL-Speedy Hotliner while I wait for the Ventus. I also have an HK Minimoa which you can see on YouTube at this link:

Hobby King Minimoa Ridge Soaring in Colorado (1 min 22 sec)

I look forward to further communications.

Jackson Stone in Colorado

After replacing many of the stock parts, I finally got my Ventus in reasonably good flying shape. Went out and flew her about 6 launches just before a rainy cold front came through here. My cg was way forward, so I had to use all my up trim for a decent glide.

To correct CG, rather than adding useless lead, I mounted a key cam on top of the horizontal stab. We'll see how that works out.

I think this plane will fly reasonably well, but probably won't thermal without medium to strong lift. There will be a learning curve as with any new plane, but she really looks good in flight. I expected her to hold her speed better for loops and such, but was a little disappointed there. Perhaps most foamies are not good at holding energy due to drag.

Since the maiden, I had cut the hinges on the ailerons, flaps, rudder and elevator because they were way too stiff and needed more throw. I left three sections uncut, about 1.5 inches on each surface. Wish I had seen the idea about the little perforating wheel up-thread. That's probably better than slicing away part of the foam hinges. I may end up taping the hinges for safety. Something had to be done because on the maiden a few weeks ago there was not nearly enough throw on any of the controls.

I fly a Radian Pro, which initially had many complaints about lack of roll authority. Now the RP seems twitchy in comparison to the Ventus. That said, twitchy is not a natural look for this scale sailplane. It has a very good scale look in flight, but as such it requires you to stay ahead of the plane. It also requires more rudder use than does the Radian Pro, mostly because of the scale (small) ailerons.

It's not a floater, but it has a reasonably good glide slope, and I hope to get her up in some good thermals real soon. Will report and post any onboard videos.

Pics of the Ventus with the Radian Pro.

Great photos!

If anyone is interested I still have my Mk.1 Ventus kit in the box, never opened
First $50.00 takes it shipped FREE anywhere in the USA 48 states.

http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1443168