All,

Some weather questions for the knowledgeable or experienced pilots out there:
Have any of you had experience flying you electric Zagi's in windy conditions ? What kind of results do you seem to get?

Also, what effect if any, does temperature have on the planes ability to fly? If its cold I seem to get erratic performance, when it's warm or hot things work fine. Any comments on this either?

Thanks in advance,

I've flown my Zagi 400x (stock with 1400 mAh battery) in a steady 5-10 mph wind before and it was fine. It was a handful when I got into a turbulant wind. The wind was coming down off a hill, and it had many pockets where the wind went either up or down.

I think your "Bad effects"from the cold are in your equipment as the cold air is"Thicker" and yourwing/plane should fly better not worse.

Kush

So the fact that I hear terms like "the season has ended" or that outdoor competitions will resume in the spring is only because the "pilots" don't want to be out in the cold ?

That is true. It is mostly a norm from the longer established glow flying group.

The wing has no real effect on a Zagi other than testing your skills and limiting the "fun" factor.

Temperature, however, does have some effect on both lift and power level. While it's true the air is thicker, you get absolutely no help from thermal air rising.

I have used the last several Winters to fine tune (or upgrade) power systems on many planes. If you can make them fly well on a cold day, they will certainly perform on a warmer day.

Good luck!

My Zagi is brushless powered.

I have flown it on a day with 20 mph winds with no problems.

I also have an old stock FMA Razor 400. I have flown it in a 15 mph crosswind, but it needed to land before the BEC kicked in. You definitely needed power for landing in that wind.

I appreciate all those who have responded so far. Every one of you have contributed in my quest for more answers regarding this new hobby!

I have a Speed 480 motor in my Zagi now, but on the Windy days, it just hovers in one place when flying into the wind if I can get it up long enough before it goes down.

But I have to say, flying the Zagi in the wind sure doesn't leave much room for error. It seems like every movement is amplified and since I rarely get it higher than a hundred feet or so, there isn't much time to recover!

Thanks again.

We(in SoCal) don't have the weather problems you all have. On windy days I just head to the Slope. My Zagi 400 glides just fine on the slopes around here. And, when the lift dies, I just kick on the motor. Good all around. Calm days go to the park, windy days the slope. Cold? What is that?

The season never ends just for the cold. A local annual event was a sport fly off the ice on a lake on New Years Day. In defense of glow fliers, it is very dificult to start any alcohol burning engine when its below freezing - the alcohol doesn't vaporize. These days electric starters will usually warm the engine enough to get it started, then it will run fine. Electrics don't have the starting problem, but a warm the battery helps the performance.

My stock Zagi 400X flies well in any wind I want to stand in. I'm surprized a 480 powered one wouldn't make good headway. There is always turbulance near the ground when its windy, so carry a little extra speed on landing.

The best way to gain experience in flying during windy days is to do it.

One advantage of the Zagi. It's just about indestructable. This makes it a good airplane to learn to fly in the wind.

I love the speed I get out of my Zagi when I'm going downwind. It's impressive.

When flying in wind and gusting weather, have any of you just experienced the Zagi remaining stationary at full power when flying into the wind ??

I have intentionally put my Zagi in stationary flight heading into the wind. But, again, mine has brushless power, so it had plently of power to leave when I wanted it too.

It did some really cool aileron roles and "barrel roles" when it was "stationary" to the wind.

i actually love flying my wings in high wind. when the others are grounded, out comes the flying wings! i usually go for altitude, then just ride the wind for duration. its fun, and the wind tends to bounce the plane around....

ive noticed that certian wind speeds, i can 'slope' it quite well and get good duration. but higher speeds it tends to come down just as fast..

going to try the cam folder as its now cooler, thicker air. should be interesting if i can get it any higher than during summer....

Ron

What type and size motors are you all using ? And what batery capacity and sizes ?

It's not so much the wind speed as it is how turbulant the air is that effects the performance/stability of a Zagi(or any other lightly loaded aircraft for that matter) Your model WILL perform(climb)better in colder temps. As for no thermals being present in cold climates. Thats simply not true. Differential heating is present at all temps. I have had long flights with my sailplanes in the winter with temps in the 40-45 degree range.
Randy