Flew my slowstick for the first time today!!

[thor4944]

Hey..well..I was flying my zagi outside..and I was getting a little ticked off because it would not roll real well so I put it into a dive and low and behold a zagi flap!!!! battery flying, motor flying and wing in two!!!...well I have been putting together this slow stick waiting for the radio parts in order to finish it and I just ripped them out of my zagi and put them in the slowstick...not reading the directions...just shoved them in....I took it to my school 9:00pm...(I am a teacher) went to the gym and throttle up....as the plane was moving it was very easy to control on the ground then all the sudden the nose went up like a porpose.....(sp?).....I throttled down and slam!!! right to the gym..well the wheel was broke but I heard their cheap anyways...so I put the C.G. back a bit and after a bit of tinkering with the C. G. it was up in the air.......flying around..still bobbing up and down.....wow can this thing float......real nice....I bought it for my wife to teach her how to fly but I think I will not tell her that.....I have a couple questions:
1. How much elevator do you guys have for this thing to take off....do you apply some or does it leave the ground itself...I think I had to much weight back because I was half throttle and it was going over 10 mph and it was not up in the air..I was just skimming the floor...either my C. G. was to far back or I need more up elevator??? Any sugestions......
2. Also I just shoved my servos in..I know your not suppose to do that....does any of you guys have any pics of how you did your servos with rubber bands or tie wraps...(I heard that was used???) I even heard to get rid of some plastic to lesson the weight....my S S is 15 1/2 oz.......I have a 3 oz. battery pack on it.....and micro servos (hs81)...555 receiver...
Thanks guys..I might turn into a slow stick man if this keeps up..oh and is the motor always that loud!!!!?

[lakedude]

I am by no means a SS expert as mine has only flown maybe 15 times but mine does fly very well behaved.

I think I had to much weight back because I was half throttle and it was going over 10 mph and it was not up in the air

I don't think the SS goes over 10mph.

either my C. G. was to far back or I need more up elevator???

My cg is 4" back from the leading edge of the wing. Are you giving any up ele at all? Mine takes off it under a meter with a 12/6 prop and in under 4meters with the stock [edit]11/8[/edit]. I do pull back a little on the ele while the SS is on the gound but then normally give it a little down ele once it is up to level it out and pick up speed. Mine pretty much goes where you point it. It normally keeps going the direction it was headed until you change it. Mine would take off the way you describe your if I just left the right stick alone.

[thor4944]

Where does the letters on the prop face...away from motor or toward motor?

[FLYWINGFAN]

The letters should point away from motor.Have fun
-Sam

[bugleboy]

"11/4?" My SS came with an 1180 which I took to mean was an 11/8. Was I wrong? I am still somewhat new to electric.

I am by no means an SS expert either, and I have only flown outdoors in a slight breeze: 1-3 mph. Going into the wind the SS will almost hover at 1/2 throttle, but will pick up speed quickly when traveling with the wind. It is by far one of the slowest planes I have seen. I would guess the stall speed to be around 7-10 mph, but it can get up and move under full throttle!

Takeoff: usually a few feet with slight up elevator. Of course, outside I have a headwind advantage.

CG: 10 cm from the leading edge on mine. Recommended is 95 mm to 105 mm. I got lucky and mine just happened to be in the middle.

Throws are to the extreme, so I am not a good example. I need to reduce them a little. It is too much. I wanted a lot of control, but when your elevator can actually touch your rudder, it is too much .

Weight should not be an issue unless you have the EPS100C power system. With the EPS300C, it shouldn't really matter. I am flying my SS with the GWS micro flight pack designed for the Beaver (heavier battery).

Of course with extra weight it is going to fly faster, but some people are using mini servors (heavier), 7 or 8 cell battery packs and a camera pod for an Aiptek camera (my next project).

The motor on mine (actually the gear box) was pretty loud. One forum said that as the gear box loosens up, some of the noise will subside. I think mine has quieted some.

Happy flying!

bugleboy

[thor4944]

If it bobs up and down is the C.G. to far up........and can you take off on 1/2 power?

[bugleboy]

I will let someone with more experience answer the CG bobbing question.

I takeoff from short grass at full throttle. . . only a few feet, six at the most, needed for takeoff.

Pure Guess: I would think that from a smooth gym floor that the SS could takeoff with 1/2 to 3/4 throttle in 15 feet or so. Once again, that is a pure guess ! I will let someone who actually knows correct me.

[Pork Tornado]

Ahh, aerodynamics and the physics of flight. Something I actually know a little bit about.
The plane "bobbing up and down" sounds like the CG is too far aft. Look at the fuselage as a lever, with the CG being the fulcrum, or pivot point. The closer the cg is to the tail surfaces (and all of your control input) the more force is required to move the nose of the plane, which is essentially what you are trying to do. It also tends to put the wing at a high angle of attack, causing you to fly closer to stall speed. These two factors will make the plane much less stable in flight. A forward CG makes the plane more stable, but only to a point. If it is too far forward, all of the elevator input in the world won't point the nose skyward.

To find the CG of a plane with a straight, constant chord wing (which is what I think the slow Stick is), measure the chord of the wing and move weight around on the fuselage until the plane balances at somewhere between 20 and 30% of the chord.

If you have any more questions, feel free to send me a PM or e-mail.

-=D=-

[thor4944]

THanks pork...so you think my C.G. was to far back??? hummmmm Great explaination..thanks........I will work on it and get back with ya......I am looking for anyone with pics on how they installed their servos........I know you use the plastic..but there has to be a way to do it not using the plastic..thanks
Bill

[Tres Wright]

You killed a Zagi? I didn't know that was possible

==not reading the directions...just shoved them in....==

OK, there's your 1st problem. Anytime you just shove stuff into an R/C plane, you're almost guaranteed it's not going to fly worth a flip. Everything needs to be carefully installed and anchored in place. ESPECIALLY the servos. Any slop in the servos is bad news. Look at the instructions and make sure all your components are located in the places listed. Especially the wing mounts, there is a specific location for them. Check it. Read the CG location in the instructions. Take a pencil and mark a line on the underside of your wing that corresponds to that measurement. Install your battery and balance the plane on your figertips. See if it is on that line. If not, move the batteries around until it is. NOW you are ready to fly. But don't maiden inside a gym. Go to a nice big field and try it there first. Once you get it dialed in and are used to flying it, THEN try flying it in a gym.

Good luck!

[jbc455]

I don't give my SS ANY up on takeoff. It just rises off the ground at 2/3 to 3/4 throttle.

Also, the SS tends to nose up on full throttle, due to there not being any down thrust built into the motor. SO... either give some down elevator on full throttle, or build some 'down' into the motor by bending the stick or building a motor mount as described in other threads.

Oh, and RTFM for the proper GC location.

John

[Pork Tornado]

I actually witnessed two zagi deaths, both spectacular in the speed with which they were dispatched and the sheep area that the parts covered when the dust settled.

One was the "zagi Flap" where the root of the wing gives way and the plane appears to flap it's wings before coming apart and fluttering to the ground. Happened in a VERY high speed dive.

The other was with the same pilot, who was flying in a field that had three foot grass growing in it. He was making low passes in front of us below the level of the grass, and all you could see was the grass being shredded as it passed by. On about the third pass, he hit a stump that was obscured by the grass, and a shower of zagi parts ensued. Truly a spectacular crash, although it ruined every part of the plane. Servos came out of their cases, the motor can split, two cells were never found, and the wires were ripped out of the ESC. The wing was reduced to it's component parts as well.

Back on the SS subject, Tres is right. I personally build for weight and balance before I glue anything in place. Leave the servo tray moveable, as wellas the wing if possible, until the plane balances where you want it to. There are few moments greater than when you fly a plane for the first time and it needs no trim.
-=D=-

[thor4944]

Oh ya oh ya..its my birthday.......well I flew my slowstick in the gym...did everything you guys told me to do.....killed me to be that patient and all but it was wayyyy worth it...what a slow flyer..this is exactally what I was looking for....a slow slow flyer I can fly in the gym when the weather is bad and I can use my zagi batteries (1100He 8 cells)....I flew 1/4 throttle the whole time..never got above 1/2..not even close..(5 clicks on the stick to be exact...)kept moving the C.G. and elevator in order to get a nice glide..........awsome......awsome...I flew for over an hour with two of those packs..off and on..landed..touch and goes...Under hoops..over hoops..man this thing can manuver!!!! wow....ok like always 2 questions:
1. Can I oil this motor (sewing machine oil) and if so at the two ends of the shaft like other 400 motors...I know this is not a 400 but oh well...
2. When I put the prop on the letters are facing away from the motor and the washer is closest to the motor.......is that ok....
3. My SS weighs 18oz...(with an 8 cell 1100HE pack 5.7oz) Is that about right....I put new wheels on so it might be a tad heavy..is that ok...thanks so much guys...you parkflyers are n ot that bad...........this zagi guy could really get into this parkflying stuff....it is just I have to supress the zagi spirit in me when I fly the SS...LOL.
Thanks guys..you help is appreciated!!!
Bill

[lakedude]

bugleboy

"11/4?" My SS came with an 1180 which I took to mean was an 11/8. Was I wrong? I am still somewhat new to electric.

OOPS! Yeah 11/8. 11 inch diam by 8 inch pitch.

[LESLIEx317537]

2. When I put the prop on the letters are facing away from the motor and the washer is closest to the motor.......is that ok....

No, your freewheeling it sorta maybe then.

You need to do this:

1. Put on one nut.
2. The prop with letters facing out.
3. Washer.
4. And the final nut. (You can tighten with another prop).