Making the best of a crash
12-14-2003, 07:48 AM
#1
Making the best of a crash
This is how you come out of a wreck better than before you crashed.
My first sailplane was a Great Planes Spirit Select. The plane came ready to fly with all the electronics installed and a three channel 72 MHZ radio.
It has been a wonderful plane for me. I have enjoyed it very much and would recommend it to anyone who wants to learn to fly sailplanes but doesn't want to build. Also it is very cost effective if you don't already have a radio. The cost of the ARF at about $95 plus a low cost 3 channel Hitec radio with two standard servos at $60 comes out at $155.
I purchased this plane from Tower Hobbies, all built, for $139. It was cheaper for me to buy it than build it and I figure I saved myself about 6-10 hours of work. That means more flying time and flying sooner.
Another thing I like about this plane is that it has spoilers built into the wings. While they are not enabled when you get the plane, they are not too hard to set-up. I flew about 40 flights without the spoilers. Then I added them and have really enjoyed learning how to add them to my flying skills. They work very well.
My Spirit and I have become best buddies. I have mastered hi-start launching and enjoyed 65 great flights.
I felt it was time to learn the winch, so I received some instruction from the club wizards in the use of the winch. As part of the 65 launches mentioned above, about 20 of them were winch launches that were managed by someone else while I handled the controls of the plane. We knew the plane would winch launch without problems with a little pedal management.
On my third attempt to winch launch on my own, I messed up and crashed the plane hard on the launch. I considered the plane a total loss and purchased a kit. This time I would build one. A new learning step.
As it turns out, the plane was not a total loss. Using the plans from the kit as a guide, I was able to repair the wings. The damage was less then I originally thought. The servos I had put in the wings to operate the spoilers survived the crash. They worked very well, so I will keep them there.
While I probably could have repaired the fuselage, since I had the Spirit kit on the shelf, I decided to build a new fuselage. In the process I am making some changes to the layout of the plane.
My original interior layout used two CS-61 standard servos which sat under the wing, just in front of the CG. That arrangement required about 4 oz of lead in the nose weight compartment for balance. This is pretty typical for the Spirit, or so I am told.
The first change is to shift some weight more forward for better effect. As part of the rebuild, I embedded about 2 oz of lead in the nose block which gets it about 1" further forward.
I am also moving the R/E servos forward, to the front of the receiver compartment. The standard size servos appear to just fit side to side but there will probably not be enough head room under the canopy. If that is the case, I will replace the standard servos, CS-61s which weight 1.75 oz each, with Hitec HS-81 micro servos at .6 oz each. They have plenty of power and are 1/3 the weight of the standard servos.
If I make this servo change I should reduce total weight by about 2 ozs while shifting the servo weight 4 inches further forward of the CG. With this shift forward of the servo weigh plus a 1" shift forward of weight to the nose block, I hope to reduce the net balance lead so the plane nets out about 2-3 ozs lighter, which is about a 5-8% weight reduction.
A second change will be a switch to golden 'n rod control rods for the elevator and rudder. Their flexibility will allow me to run them along the sides of the plane. The standard control rods ran down the center. I am doing this to opened up the space right over the CG, under the wing, to be used for another purpose now that the servos are out of this area.
With this space open, I can accommodate a 7 cell 2100 mah battery that I will use to feed a Great Planes electric power pod I built for the Spirit. This will allow me to launch it electrically at times, but keep it a pure unpowered sailplane the rest of the time.
By moving the servos forward and running the control rods along the sides, I can place the battery directly over the CG. Hopefully this will minimize or eliminate any need for rebalancing or adding balance weight when I add and remove the pod. Having to do a lot of rebalancing would make it very inconvenient to use the pod.
I could continue to use the 3 channel radio and just disable the spoilers when I have the power pod on, however I want to be able to use both. With the addition of electric power I am going to need a 4th channel, so I am switching to a Hitec Micro 555 receiver, from the original 3 channel receiver and will move the plane over to my Prism 7X computer radio. This will also drop another .6 oz in weight.
The three channel radio won't go to waste as I also use it to fly my Sagitta 600 RES sailplane and my Electrajet parkflyer.
With these changes I have the opportunity to reduce the plane's overall weight and balance weight giving me a lighter plane. I gain the flexibility to add electric power at will, or have a very convenient place to add ballast weight when I am flying in heavy wind. I always found it challenging to find a well balanced place to add ballast. Now it will be easy. I might even just add the pod battery, 12-14 ozs without the pod when I need significant ballast.
If you are building a Spirit kit or ARF, and haven't committed the position of your components, you might give these changes from the standard placement some consideration, for the flexibility they provide. If you switch from standard servos to the HS-81s you will probably add about $15 in electronics cost. The golden 'n rod probably adds another $4.
If you like the power pod idea, that is about $32 at www.towerhobbies.com. You will either need an ESC for it, if you want full range throttle control, or you can put a cheap micro servo in it for simple on/off operation using the included switch.
Since I was able to fix the original wings, I still have the wings from the kit I bought. I am toying with building them, but modifying them to a flat configuration and adding ailerons. I might add perhaps flaps as well. If I put 4 servos in this wing, I can have a full house 2 meter sailplane.
The Spirit is my first sailplane, so I bought it as my trainer. When I finish the changes mentioned above, and if I build it a second wing, I will have a highly flexible training and flying platform.
I will be able to fly:
Pure R/E/S sailplane
R/E/S with electric launch.
Full house sailplane with 4 servos in the wings
Full house with electric launch
It will take a 7 channel radio/receiver to handle the full house electric opton, but I have one of those already.
I can learn different flying configurations with one base fuselage. What a great training opportunity.
How's that for making the best of a crash?
This could be fun!
My first sailplane was a Great Planes Spirit Select. The plane came ready to fly with all the electronics installed and a three channel 72 MHZ radio.
It has been a wonderful plane for me. I have enjoyed it very much and would recommend it to anyone who wants to learn to fly sailplanes but doesn't want to build. Also it is very cost effective if you don't already have a radio. The cost of the ARF at about $95 plus a low cost 3 channel Hitec radio with two standard servos at $60 comes out at $155.
I purchased this plane from Tower Hobbies, all built, for $139. It was cheaper for me to buy it than build it and I figure I saved myself about 6-10 hours of work. That means more flying time and flying sooner.
Another thing I like about this plane is that it has spoilers built into the wings. While they are not enabled when you get the plane, they are not too hard to set-up. I flew about 40 flights without the spoilers. Then I added them and have really enjoyed learning how to add them to my flying skills. They work very well.
My Spirit and I have become best buddies. I have mastered hi-start launching and enjoyed 65 great flights.
I felt it was time to learn the winch, so I received some instruction from the club wizards in the use of the winch. As part of the 65 launches mentioned above, about 20 of them were winch launches that were managed by someone else while I handled the controls of the plane. We knew the plane would winch launch without problems with a little pedal management.
On my third attempt to winch launch on my own, I messed up and crashed the plane hard on the launch. I considered the plane a total loss and purchased a kit. This time I would build one. A new learning step.
As it turns out, the plane was not a total loss. Using the plans from the kit as a guide, I was able to repair the wings. The damage was less then I originally thought. The servos I had put in the wings to operate the spoilers survived the crash. They worked very well, so I will keep them there.
While I probably could have repaired the fuselage, since I had the Spirit kit on the shelf, I decided to build a new fuselage. In the process I am making some changes to the layout of the plane.
My original interior layout used two CS-61 standard servos which sat under the wing, just in front of the CG. That arrangement required about 4 oz of lead in the nose weight compartment for balance. This is pretty typical for the Spirit, or so I am told.
The first change is to shift some weight more forward for better effect. As part of the rebuild, I embedded about 2 oz of lead in the nose block which gets it about 1" further forward.
I am also moving the R/E servos forward, to the front of the receiver compartment. The standard size servos appear to just fit side to side but there will probably not be enough head room under the canopy. If that is the case, I will replace the standard servos, CS-61s which weight 1.75 oz each, with Hitec HS-81 micro servos at .6 oz each. They have plenty of power and are 1/3 the weight of the standard servos.
If I make this servo change I should reduce total weight by about 2 ozs while shifting the servo weight 4 inches further forward of the CG. With this shift forward of the servo weigh plus a 1" shift forward of weight to the nose block, I hope to reduce the net balance lead so the plane nets out about 2-3 ozs lighter, which is about a 5-8% weight reduction.
A second change will be a switch to golden 'n rod control rods for the elevator and rudder. Their flexibility will allow me to run them along the sides of the plane. The standard control rods ran down the center. I am doing this to opened up the space right over the CG, under the wing, to be used for another purpose now that the servos are out of this area.
With this space open, I can accommodate a 7 cell 2100 mah battery that I will use to feed a Great Planes electric power pod I built for the Spirit. This will allow me to launch it electrically at times, but keep it a pure unpowered sailplane the rest of the time.
By moving the servos forward and running the control rods along the sides, I can place the battery directly over the CG. Hopefully this will minimize or eliminate any need for rebalancing or adding balance weight when I add and remove the pod. Having to do a lot of rebalancing would make it very inconvenient to use the pod.
I could continue to use the 3 channel radio and just disable the spoilers when I have the power pod on, however I want to be able to use both. With the addition of electric power I am going to need a 4th channel, so I am switching to a Hitec Micro 555 receiver, from the original 3 channel receiver and will move the plane over to my Prism 7X computer radio. This will also drop another .6 oz in weight.
The three channel radio won't go to waste as I also use it to fly my Sagitta 600 RES sailplane and my Electrajet parkflyer.
With these changes I have the opportunity to reduce the plane's overall weight and balance weight giving me a lighter plane. I gain the flexibility to add electric power at will, or have a very convenient place to add ballast weight when I am flying in heavy wind. I always found it challenging to find a well balanced place to add ballast. Now it will be easy. I might even just add the pod battery, 12-14 ozs without the pod when I need significant ballast.
If you are building a Spirit kit or ARF, and haven't committed the position of your components, you might give these changes from the standard placement some consideration, for the flexibility they provide. If you switch from standard servos to the HS-81s you will probably add about $15 in electronics cost. The golden 'n rod probably adds another $4.
If you like the power pod idea, that is about $32 at www.towerhobbies.com. You will either need an ESC for it, if you want full range throttle control, or you can put a cheap micro servo in it for simple on/off operation using the included switch.
Since I was able to fix the original wings, I still have the wings from the kit I bought. I am toying with building them, but modifying them to a flat configuration and adding ailerons. I might add perhaps flaps as well. If I put 4 servos in this wing, I can have a full house 2 meter sailplane.
The Spirit is my first sailplane, so I bought it as my trainer. When I finish the changes mentioned above, and if I build it a second wing, I will have a highly flexible training and flying platform.
I will be able to fly:
Pure R/E/S sailplane
R/E/S with electric launch.
Full house sailplane with 4 servos in the wings
Full house with electric launch
It will take a 7 channel radio/receiver to handle the full house electric opton, but I have one of those already.
I can learn different flying configurations with one base fuselage. What a great training opportunity.
How's that for making the best of a crash?
This could be fun!
12-14-2003, 10:24 PM
#2
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RE: Making the best of a crash
dude you live in new york thats awsome not many hobbiest (hobby people) live in new york where do you go to fly. Around here there aren't many places to fly at except parks.
