Do you have an example of a hands free launcher?

Originally Posted by aeajr

Do you have an example of a hands free launcher?

I believe this is Preston's.

Hands Free Launcher #1 (0 min 14 sec)

The HFL web site also has a more extensive demonstration video.

The HFL is very interesting. I have not seen anything like that before. Pretty expensive but for some it might be exactly what they need.

There are a couple folks in CASA with shoulder injuries, who use it to good effect. I think Antonio has used one in a contest before, but it does tend to take up space on the winch line.

I think it could be accomodated.

Any idea what the release tensions might be? May be too high for the Onewinch.

Originally Posted by aeajr

Any idea what the release tensions might be? May be too high for the Onewinch.

I don't know the quantitative values, but the web site describes three release hook positions: Woody, Ava/Topaz, and Moldie. From what I have seen, the release tension is very consistent.

Originally Posted by bigwheels0

I regularly launch my 79 oz Pike Perfect with the OneWinch. Wind or no wind the proceedure is the same for me. When all hooked up, back up in small steps with the plane holding hand & shoulder rotated forward & leaning forward at the waist. When I can't tension anymore I rear back to the normal launch position with the tail almost touching the ground & immediately throw. You cannot achieve as much tension by moving back with the plane in the launch position because of the pulley ratios & friction. Do that with a 40 oz plane & you have a rocket ship

I was thinking about what you describe but didn't know how much extra tension you'd get with that last few feet of stretch to the mono. Sounds like you get enough to be worthwhile.

I got a chance to launch my 64 oz Oculus today. I am guessing 8-10 mph winds, a bit cross again but not bad enought to reset. The altimeter said 310 ft. I could and will get more out of it, different than launching the 2 meter light birds. With the Oculus I had to move back sooner as the tension disipated. After moving back about 15 feet I slowed down alot to controll the tension. The field is shorter than 500 ft so I have about 50 ft tied off the main line. The 2 meter was launching higher than the 3 meter oculus.
I was going to take some video...well flying is more important, sorry.
rick

Hi all just a quick note on our event in Rochester. Well 1st I am proud to say that with Wayne's help We both did solo launches ,Once you get the feel for it it's awesome.I also helped three other guys launch , and they liked it a lot.Most of them are low time pilots or out of practice.Some were leery of it But all had a good time. Also we used it to launch what is probably the first canard sail plane with the One Winch.That was way cool.Thanks.

Hi Gang!
This is one sweet machine- very smooth, even with 'bumps' which are described here: Johnny
https://www.rcgroups.com/forums/show...239263&page=16

Thanks, Johnny.

A few comments from the video:

I'd have to agree that your canard is the first to go up on the Onewinch. Probably also one of very few RC sailplanes. It's obviously very forgiving on stalls.

Doc: Your Crimson is a pretty plane. I think you can get much higher launches. In the video it's hard to judge altitude, but it should rotate up farther after release. Work on getting a higher starting tension, then follow with little adjustments to the plane.

Maybe next time I can join you guys. It's just a little drive around the lake.

Tim

Thanks Tim I do believe there is some dialing in needed to the Crimson by Doc, as even with standard highstart, it seemed the hook could move aft about 3/8" etc. etc. It is, very easy to see how each bird will need to be 'tuned' to the One Winch
Johnny

Well, I finally got the 140" Topaz restoration done and put it on the line yesterday. What a monster.

I still get nervous on the first flights of a new build or restore. My wife said, "Your thumbs are shaking!"

The plane launched great. I can tell I'm going to love having full trailing edge control. Even basic dropping of the flaps just a bit helped slow it down and made it easy to keep it above stall. It only weighs 54 ounces but I will be able to ballast it up for testing at higher weights. It doesn't have a ballast tube right now so it will be a while before I get to this.

The plane flies like an overgrown DLG, though the tail seems a bit small. It just takes a while for all that wing to swing around.

When putting in the turnaround I laid the wooden handled hammer down "for just a minute" in the alfalfa while straightening the lines. Big mistake. I was starting to think about metal detectors by the time I found it. No way was I going to leave it in the field to be found by the farming equipment. I want to stay in the good graces of the land owner.

Speaking of finding things in the field, I proved the value of the white marker flag we include with the OneWinch system. The white flag shows up against the alfalfa much better than the blue. This leads me to recommend the orange/white parachute option over the blue/black/white - at least for those with vegetation on their flying fields. The blue/black/white may be better on bare ground.

Tim

While flying the Topaz for the first time yesterday I tried bigwheels0's technique for getting the line as tight as possible before launching. It works. Thank you for the recommendation.

It certainly lets you get a final bit of stretch after the pulleys stop turning.

It also lets you focus better on backing up if you can let the airplane hang out in front of you. This seems like a small thing until you try it. It's quite a bit easier than backing up while you hold one arm behind you in the launch position. I'll try to get video of this soon.

It does require a plane you can hold firmly behind the wing. This might not be the best approach for some lightly built woodies.

Tim

Hi all .Tim I have indeed launched higher.I left the one winch set up for my home field.I could have added at least a 100 ft more line,but I left it .I was determined to get a solo launch.I found that if I back up a lot I can feel the pretension on the plane,At this point it feels very unusual because of the stretch in the mono.Once I'm pulling back it go's fine .That launch on the film was my first solo launch.Not till the very end of the pull did I feel normal tension.Then I did a launch with my hand launch plane and it felt much better. The second launch of the crimson went better.The learning curve is intreging.But after yester day I'm really glad I bought this device.We had a blast!