Southerner 60 scaled to 72" span
I thought I would post a few photos of my new Southerner 72" span. Based on Vintage1's plan with reference to the Ben Buckle plan also.
To get the CG right I extended the nose 2" - I think the original had a longer nose ?? - and also put in a slightly more powerful motor than necessary.
Photos show the uncovered frame, then covered and finally a flying shot. The framework shot shows a 12" rule for size comparison
It flies nicely, but needs a lot of elevator in the turn to keep the nose up. It flies better in lighter winds with a hint of thermals to save on battery power.
I was going to go for the polyhedral wing but I made a reasonable job of steaming the curved L/Edge and T/Edges, that I couldn't bear to cut the wings in half. I think the resulting unbroken curve of the wings looks better in the air.
Essential statistics are -
Span 72" , weight 3.5 lbs, wing loading approx 12 oz/sq ft
motor - Emax BL 2820/07 - approx 400 watt motor - power to spare but the CG is right with the 2250 3S lipo loaded in thru the nose. I used Vintage1's battery hatch as access to servos and Rx.
Covered with doped polyester dress lining and tissue trim. The dress lining had a sheen finish which helped to keep the yellow strong with just enough transparency to show the framework
video of Southerner here