Hello all - Newbie here.
I've spent a long time looking at all the currently available sailplanes, and decided that most of them are well outside my financial reach. I've had a go at designing/making my own, and tried the first version out this evening. It seems to fly on the local slope really well (Flew for about 20 mins). Compared to the cool stuff you can go out and buy, it's probably rough and ready, but I'm happy with the way the design has come out. Its all cheap - Old model rocket nose cone, bit of 1 1/4 inch plastic pipe, bits of carbon rod Etc, and fittings I've made using a milling machine. My question is, do other folks do this, and what areas can lurk in to get clues/pointers as to how to make the designs better?
Sorry if it seems a stupid question... but you gotta try somewhere!

Welcome to RC Groups Lardie! Just mill around the forums and you'll find what you're looking for. A lot of the slope guys scratch build their own stuff so you may want to check there.

Don

Check out the "Jart" thread over in the slope forum. It's amazing what you can do with a few slabs of blue foam.

There are lots of good flying wood kits that aren't very expensive.

It's the big glass slippers that hurt your wallett.

Thanks for the guidance guys - I'll go check it all out

Get one of those foam glider's that come in a plastic bag, we once brought one up on the "A" (mountain) and had it sloping in 20min's.
Another guy added a electric ducted fan and started dobing holes through the sky
Sloper's are known for their ingineuity and scrounding abilities. Dave.

Lardie, As the previous pose has suggested the Walmat type chuck gliders in a plastic bags do fly and have flown off of slopes, you could also use a 13/4 pvc pipe and attach a good wing to it and fly that, (it's all in the wing anyway) mostly anyways... it would be heavy but on a high wind lift day it wouldn't matter.... lots of options and materials to use.... whatever it is trying it just part of the fun and who knows might be the next fad material....


Best Regards,


Wylei S.

There's at least one foamy forum someplace in rcgroups.

You could make a pretty good, cheap glider with hotwired foam and balsa or veneer sheeting. Or even dense cardboard sheeting. Or kraft paper with epoxy or white glue...

I suspect that you have missed some of the cheaper kits out there in your search. Hard to be cheaper than a Dynaflite Talon.

Even fiberglass and epoxy on foam can be pretty cheap, if you're willing to do the hard parts yourself.

My first slope glider cost me $6.00 in parts I didn't already own from K-Mart. Used a foam chuck glider wing with a few scrap parts from my shop. Flew in light lift better than a $300 hand launch. Pissed my buddy off bad! Anything that you come up with that fly’s good is great!

Good on you! I bet most good designers/builders started out this way.