The pad is a simple base made from 2" plastic pipe with a 1/2" bolt to hold the blast plate and rail. There is no adjustment as I launch all of them straight up and pitch into the wind after it clears the rod if needed. I have a hose clamp on the rail about two feet up from the bottom. The launch buttons sit on it so I don't need a standoff and it holds the model high enough that i don't need to worry about any back blast melting the foam. The rail buttons keep the wind from making the model twist due to any breeze. Simple and very stable. I've had tripod based launch pads blow over with gliders on them.

Frank

Originally Posted by ttabbal

Great flights burkefj. Makes me want to get off my butt and build some.

Looks like you're using a standard rail / rod launch pad. Anything unique about it?

Originally Posted by burkefj

The pad is a simple base made from 2" plastic pipe with a 1/2" bolt to hold the blast plate and rail. There is no adjustment as I launch all of them straight up and pitch into the wind after it clears the rod if needed. I have a hose clamp on the rail about two feet up from the bottom. The launch buttons sit on it so I don't need a standoff and it holds the model high enough that i don't need to worry about any back blast melting the foam. The rail buttons keep the wind from making the model twist due to any breeze. Simple and very stable. I've had tripod based launch pads blow over with gliders on them.

Frank

Beautiful flights, Frank! I noticed on the last video, the X-2 that the ascending fight was more horizontal. Are you using the r/c to control it at that point? Or, at what point are you allowing the r/c to fly, @ apogee? Glen

Glen, I steer them on the way up, more or less depending on what I want, and what the wind is doing. The X-2 I pitched over a bit to make sure I was upwind.

This was the first flight where I had only full flying tail controls on that plane(no ailerons) and it has a large wingspan so I wasn't sure how much turning authority I would have and wanted extra room for my approach, turned out to be a non issue.

Also, it isn't as horizontal as the video appears, it's pretty vertical but due to the camera person being in a different spot than me, it always looks like the plane is level or diving when it doesn't look like that me when I'm flying it

On the bomarc, It started to go toward the nose a bit, so I pitched back up vertical and then pitched over when the motor burned out, but on the video, the smoke cloud and wind makes it look like it was doing a sort of corkscrew...

Frank

Originally Posted by Saxguy1000

Beautiful flights, Frank! I noticed on the last video, the X-2 that the ascending fight was more horizontal. Are you using the r/c to control it at that point? Or, at what point are you allowing the r/c to fly, @ apogee? Glen

off a bungee

HK Radjet 680r (0 min 39 sec)

How are you igniting the motor?

Originally Posted by mice1m

off a bungee
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wz1ZWB8OszI

.
...with a sparkler..

Originally Posted by mice1m

.
...with a sparkler..

You'r prelighting the sparkler? Seems like a marginally safe practice.

You'r prelighting the sparkler? Seems like a marginally safe practice.

Agreed, an electronic Radio Controlled air start would be a much wiser chose. That way if the high start launch goes bad you could abort lighting the motor.

X30

Originally Posted by iter

Well, the original kit has a full 24" 24mm tube running up the length of the fuselage. I cut mine to 2.5" and put servos right in front of it, but if you put servos further up front, you can use the 6-grain (9") G65. Get some video--I'd like to see the fireworks. On a slightly saner note, a 3-grain (5 1/4") F30 might actually be survivable.

Ari.

Well, this has happened. I have flown the Ecee Thunder on an F30 (83% F longburn). I'm waiting for video to percolate up. In the meantime, here are a couple of post-flight shots. I have servos right in front of the motor mount, so the 5 1/4" motor can only go part way in and hangs off the back.

I'm very happy with the flight and the extra altitude. On the up part it got going pretty fast. I tried to correct a roll and ended up severely overcorrecting. The roll was very axial, and with the glider still going straight up, so no harm came of it, just my surprise at how lively this glider can be with a bigger motor.

My Ecee is fun again!

Ari.

The CTI F30 is one of my favorite motors. I wonder though, Rob I believe says not to airfoil the balsa,but I think the Ecee is large enough that it could do it much good if an AG type for example was correctly carved into the balsa. Well maybe I'll just have to save up and try it myself.

Saw the video on TRF, love the slow mo take off! Hope you get a full vid on too.

Richard

I'm afraid that's all the footage that I have. Cameraman was expecting a shred. He filmed at 240 fps and didn't follow the glider up once it didn't shred :=)

Ari.

Ecee Thunder Cesaroni F30 longburn (0 min 6 sec)

Originally Posted by iter

I'm afraid that's all the footage that I have. Cameraman was expecting a shred. He filmed at 240 fps and didn't follow the glider up once it didn't shred :=)

Ari.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=iBY9XFZB2Z0

This is still a cool vid in slowmo!

240 FPS man!

Ari.

Here is a RBG getting trimmed out prior to the first boost:




kj