For no particular reason, I have never flown a Discuss Launched Glider. As a glider purist, this is unexplainable.

Now that I am living in the flatlands, Crossville, TN, with no slope flying to be found, it looks like I will have to earn my flying from here on out, so next up is a scratch built DLG. My first effort will no doubt be a bit of a pig inasmuch I prefer to learn by doing rather than endless forum reading.

The simplest description is a much simplified rudder elevator version of Drela's Super Gee at about 420 sq. in. wing area. I'm looking to get in the air asap so a fast and dirty build is a given. First off, I have got to rebuild the model building room, then it will be full steam ahead on the build.

DAY ONE
Its time to hit the road. This time with a few modern conveniences. Planning on traveling throughout the US on a real estate tour. Cashing out of California and looking for new digs in another state.............just don't know which one yet. Will probably be driving a lot everyday so a nice ride and good mpg is the starting point. I got a Kia Sedona. Will try to survive living in a mini-van converted into a mini RV. The design of the conversion is still quite fuzzy, but one thing I know for sure, I will not need all of those seats and seat belts, so those came out today. It is a tiny space but I hope to get a permanent bed, lounge chair, "kitchen", heating system and toilet (of sorts).

I like to error on the side of too many pictures.

I fly exclusively slope. So the likihood that I ever start my Ka-8 Flair kit is low. That scale plane will turn with it's scale aileron, but will not be anywhere near maneuverable enough to be a fun slope ship at my local rotor filled, paraglider infested coastal flying site. I am a scratch designer/builder so making a few mods is a given. Here is my short list. I am not a scale purist.

Dihedral
­Maintain the stock dihedral. this will not hurt the roll rate enough and the plane just looks better with dihedral. Rudder only turns are possible.

Tow release
­Although I do not plan on aerotowing, install the nose hardware for a vintage loop and pin tow release.

Flaps
­Modify to be fully aerobatic with full span aileron by adding full flaps. Flaps can be used for landing. Possibly make flaps stop at 20% of the half span. this would provide a 80% long aileron and a plenty big landing flap which is not needed for landing since it has spoilers. I am assuming that the Quabec 15% thick, 3 % camber section and 5% camber at tip will be very slow.

Spar
­Beef up wing for high loading. Add carbon spar cap. Top spar cap double the bottom spar cap. schedule based on moment loads. shear webs based on shear loads. wrap joiner with kevlar.

Scale details
­Looks like the FS steel frame fuse is built from 1" tubing or smaller. Replace the kit longerons with hardwood dowels and use MGS epoxy fillets. Also the FS was a full space frame without the giant lite ply formers. Maybe use the kit's formers just as a jig for your hardwood dowels, then after fully braced, cut the formers out. the manufacturer says that the longerons are spruce and you can see from FS photos that they provide a sharp crease in the covering.
For the first flight, no exterior paint or scale detailing, such as instrument panel, seat.
­Paint the fuse framework with heavy sandable filler to fully fill the grain then glossy paint to resemble steel tube.
­Build the wheel and skid to scale and make sandproof.

Had to put the nose down just to be able to penetrate in this moderate wind.

Sinbad - some fly bys (7 min 26 sec)

Just enough wind to barely soar. Except for one loop, the whole day at minimum sink. Hoping for more air soon.

Sinbad - maiden (6 min 51 sec)

The rib-only approach to wing structure really makes for a smooth airfoil. Just as smooth as can be from LE to TE.

time for the sanding block

some progress on a vintage design modified for the slope....Continue Reading

Beginning to get this one dialed in.

CP-1 in moderate lift (5 min 43 sec)

Well, I have been bitten by the PSS bug and am going to throw my hat in the ring and try to design a PSS ship that will fly at my local coast cliffs, which is modest lift most days of the year. This will cut out the typical PSS ships that you see on RCG with their wing loadings of 25 oz/sf. and up.

The trade off between the desired high speed and the ability to float in light lift will make it less fun than the lead sleds that race around at great slope sites. My little 32” span CP-1 at 17 oz./sf. and is quite the pig. It cannot even do a loop in modest lift.

If I go with 60” span, low AR, and a 11oz/sf wing loading, I could fly all year round and simply load up with ballast when needed. But that wing loading would be hard to hit with a fiberglass scale fuse and heavy skins on a foam wing. I am thinking of a Mig 3, so it is quite the chunky wing. With my normal construction techiques, it would probably be about 20oz/sf.

Wondering just how hard I need to work to make it flyable and fun for my local site.

A light 4m wing would be fun to fly at a thermal site, but I'm not sure I'd ever finish such a big project. 160" of dual built up carbon spars would really burn the hours.

Also, after I got done throwing carbon and Kevlar at it, chances are "light" is the last thing I'd end up with.

mock up of swept wing.......so far it looks light.

molded pod with dual spar vacuum bagged wing.

Carl gave me a pulverized Fluffy Bunny. I haven't decided whether to thank him or curse him.

2 broke spars, 1 blown out joiner box, broken nose, broken tail and lots of pulverized wing skins.

new DLG type fuse for Day Hiker wing

Here is the current iteration of the design sketch for a 7 servo plank.

My Nurflügel program looks like this.

Concept sketch for 20:1 aspect ratio, untapered, swept wing, 22 degree nose angle.

Intended use is for thermal flying and the odd 100mph dive from those thermals.

Target wing loading = 11oz./sf. (30gm/dm)

Just got a new camera that shoots better video, but once Youtube does it's conversion, there will be a loss. This is a test.

Why I didn't go flying today - conc block (2 min 59 sec)

Finally got some good lift out at the coast and got a little test flying in. Need to reduce rates all around.

Jet 48 - good lift (3 min 46 sec)