At the end of last November my buddy and I traveled to Cleveland Ohio from New York State to take advantage of late season 60 degree temperatures and 20 to 30 mph winds with the guys from Cleveland {North Coast Glider Games}.
In the air that day was a assortment of flying wings ,DAW foamy's and a number of different designs
produced locally by Don and Mike aka - GEMS which can be seen at their website http://www.slopeslayer.com/wordpress/

The plane that caught my eye was their newest offering called "The Sizzle",a 30 inch EPP flying wing ,there were a couple of them in the air most of the afternoon and they handled the gusty building wind with ease as they went after each other like crazed maniacs.
Eventually a transmitter was thrust into my hands as I was told to "give her a try" {Thank You Jim }
Once I got the feel of his set up ,after blasting it into the ground a couple of times {these things are tough} I spent the rest of the afternoon ripping and tearing up the slope.
I am not sure my words can do it justice describing how it fly's,the sizzle penetrates effortlessly into the wind ,has a blinding roll rate and yet stops instantly,it was like flying a laser beam.
All from a 30" epp wing weighing 11.5 ounces.
You know where we go from here - at the end of the day as we packed up our gear for the 4 hour return trip home there was a extra box in the van

What follows is my build log for "The Sizzle"
Mike


Good Things come in small boxes !

Looks interesting. Can't tell from the site whether it's cut EPP or molded.

-= Dave

Hey Dave :
I will be posting more details and pictures this afternoon.
It is cut epp , cnc cutter i think

Originally Posted by BDOG1

It is cut epp , cnc cutter i think

Thanks, Bdog. Makes sense - seemed like a tough shape for hot wire cutting.

Following with interest.

-= Dave

Ok here we go :
Opening the box to find a very complete kit.

The wing halfs
,coroplast tail
,coroplast receiver cover
, GEMS - spars,
Ailerons,
push rods,
control horns and micro connectors...
AND a rubber band - hang on to that you will use it latter

What you add :
2-micro servos - I used corona CS-929 MG's 12 gram servos
1-2s 700 Life battery - I used a Zippy from HK
1- micro receiver - I use the 6 channel Lemon 2.4 full range model
ca -hinges

Also the glue you use to join the wings, install the receiver pocket cover and hinges - I used a combination of Becons "Foam Tac" , some CA and Hot glue
I used a combination of hot glue and "White Gorilla glue for the spars

Strapping tape for reinforcement {if you use it}
and your choice of covering - I used 1.7 laminating film over rustoleum spray paint

Spread out and ready to begin

As you can see here, there is a high degree of prefabrication with this kit.
The only foam that is left to be removed is for the 2 pockets for your servo's,2 ballast pockets and minor adjustments to the battery compartment if needed

Here is the Sizzle build instructions from GEMS -
http://www.slopeslayer.com/wordpress.../09/SIZZLE.pdf

I think it is very complete and straight forward ,there was only one area that i was not sure about ....
I wish I could say that about the rest of my life

Hey Dave - I loved your Orca build ,
such a cool airplane !

Originally Posted by BDOG1

Hey Dave - I loved your Orca build ,
such a cool airplane !

Thanks! It was a fun project.

I have a mold and a CNC hot wire wing cutter, you know...

-= Dave

Most of this is probably second nature to a lot of you so I will be referring back to the instructions as we go, adding what I feel is needed to explain or clarify what the pictures show .

First take the bottom core beds - align and then glue them together, Hot glue works well here and is fast

Once glued cover the center seam with a piece of waxed paper or saran wrap to prevent any glue used joining the wing sections together from seeping out and sticking the wing to the core bottoms.

With the wing upside down check the fit of your battery in the precut pocket.
The battery should have some clearance around all sides,you will need some room for the plug wires to run to the receiver compartment and not distort the wing shape.
Also make sure that the battery is centered in the pocket side to side.

Check the fit of the of the wing haves together while resting in the beds ,top side up - the precut spar channels should line up side to side.

Before gluing the wing together,take a second to note :
the slot in the back of the wing [used for the rubber band}
and the pocket {for the front of the fin} be careful not to get any glue in theses areas while joining the wing together,they are cut to the proper size and would be a pain to clean out latter

To glue the wing together I used a combination of Becon's "Foam Tac" and some hot glue.

If you are not familiar with Foam Tac - it is a quick drying flexible adhesive that will glue almost any thing together, wood ,foam , metal, plastics ect
It can be used for fast field repairs as it sets quickly ,but achieves its full strength in 24 hours .

The glue is applied to the two mating parts, they are pressed together and then pulled back apart for a couple of seconds and then back together,
repeat this until you see "strings" start to appear, then back together.

I used foam tac on most of the center surfaces leaving a section on the nose and at the trailing edge unglued.
Once the foam tac was getting "stringy I put a spot of hot glue on the open nose and trailing edge areas and quickly pressed the wings together.
After it cools the hot glue locks the alignment of the wing.
I then set the wing aside for the night to fully cure.