35cm EPP FF Glider RC Conversion ( pitcheron ) Updated 30th Oct

Well , been ho humming about the HOW for a while now ( How to RC a 35cm EPP FF glider )
I thought about a few ways , but it all came down to simplicity and the need for being apply-able .

I am using 3mm carbon tube as the axle .
4mm carbon tube as the wheel so to speak .

First you need to cut your wing into 3 sections , the winglets and the central core that will be glued to the fuse .
The first thing I did was cut the 3mm tube to 10cm length
Then make a very well aligned hole in the central core where I wanted my CG . ( About 50% )
Then push the tube in , make sure it aligns and foam safe cyno it in .
This is the same time I installed the nylon washers ( 3m)
Now cut and trim your 4mm tube so it fits perfectly or slightly longer ..
I then used nylond screws to hold the 4mm tube in place , make sure you dont use to much tension . ( cynoed in place )

With the centre section ready for wings :
Make some very straight holes in your wings about the same depth as the tubes
I made my holes a little undersized as the wings are held in place by tension ( No glue )

So far looks very good ..

For control I am using a WL toys V911 heli flight control board ..
It is going in inverted .
The battery is going into the back of the fuse from the control board as I dont need or want more weight forward of CG ..
I did a very short post on the flight board several posts ago .
It is coming together , and hopefully by the next post it will be done and dusted .



Part 2 ..

Wings are working , pitcheron is programmed into the transmitter ( V-tail / Elevon )
I did have to put some lead shot into the tail to bring the CG back to where the glider was happy .
Without the lead it just nose dived for the ground .
CG needs to be behind 50% .
Bit windy again today , gale force'y ..
But I did FF it in the back yard adding lead till it stopped nose diving ..
Some exciting chuck testing ahead ..
Flying weight - Looks to be 35.3 grams




Part 3
Some chuck tests : Sunday 28 October

Hmmmm ....

1) The 35 ( im calling it the 35 ) simply had a lot of trouble with the breeze . Often the breeze had more control over the 35 than I did
2) The Aileron function was way sensitive ..
3) Elevator function was way ineffective

I need 50% less Ail function , perhaps 75% expo ?
The elevator function was very ineffective and I could easily use 100% more if not maybe 200% more .
When the 35 went into a greater than 45deg dive , there was no pulling out . ( not enough altitude )

When things went right , the 35 did glide rather well .

So what needs doing , ?
Remove the control rods , cut and trim the control horns to increase throw .
Make new holes , fit new control rods .
@ the Tx seriously reduce Ail effect ( roll )
This is an experiment after all , so no giving up just yet .
But I dare say at this point that the 35 is on the small size for RC ( too small ? )
Perhaps if it had a motor ? ( Small park flyer )
The V911 board does allow the use of a brushed motor .
Well , I guess anything is possible ..



Fixes Applied

Shortened the control horns ..
Ail is at 90% Expo and 70% rates
Ele is at least 100% more than before ..
The 35 still gets pushed around by the wind , but at least up ele does something now .

The 35 is definitely a no wind glider ( gentle powder puff breeze ) .




October 30th

Ok , went out and tried with 100% more pitch up and down ..
Still wont pull up ..

Went home and stuffed more lead shot into the tail till the 35 FF like a tissue ..
Went out again and it's just the same issue , pull up and there is no up .
Turn off the Tx and chuck it FF and it glides

So I am calling it ( 30th Oct 2018 )
The little 35 does not want to be a pitcheron glider .
Oh well , it can be a wall hanger or garbage bin stuffing ( wall hanger for now ) .
I have a few more 35's , perhaps a regular rudder/elevator conversion .