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Just sent in my application and looking for suggestions on a resonable glider setup for starting the journey.

da Rock

The first levels can easily be accomplished with a Gentle Lady. In fact, I think they defined them to be done with basic birds.

Keep in mind that the larger the glider the easier it is to do the thermal tasks. 2M seems to be about the starting point.

aeajr

My Feedback: (2)

What is your budget? $100, $1000?

Build from plans? Kit? ARF? Receiver Ready only?

how will you launch? Hi-start? Winch? Slope soaring?

What radio will you use?

da Rock

LSF is for pure gliders. The thermal tasks are launched from towlines or handlaunch. Just about every way a line can be used is permitted except being towed aloft. Since the towline can be 300m long, it doesn't pay to handlaunch. Honest, 300 meters of line is a lot. Winch, hi-start, human tow all have the same 300 limit, if you consider that a limit. As for the slope tasks, simple handlaunch is good enough, but LSF permits all the towlines too.

The tasks increase with each level, but trust me, the launch method is really insignificant. And a towline launch for slope won't matter much at all since the tasks are simply increasing amounts of time.

The LSF level pursuit is great fun. The higher levels really are challenging. Really.

Heck, just reading about LSF is fun. http://www.silentflight.org/

aeajr

My Feedback: (2)

DLG or similar hand launch is valid also

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I have a high start that I have been using with my House of Balse 2x4 for the past 15 yearsand itand the airframe are well worn.


I have a Futaba8 channel 2.4 radioand reciever so mixing is not an issue but I would like to keep the project under $600 with servos. I would prefer an ARFto start and am looking at a Great Planes Spirit Elite 2M as it seemed to be a step up in performance.

I do not have a good understanding of the models available and what a good starter craft looks like.

Thank you in advance for the advice.

-Erik

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Aeajr,

I went to your club site and found the following inf:

http://www.lisf.org/what_we_fly/What..._consider.html

The Spirit is one of your reccomendations and I believe the Spirit Elite is the next version of the model.

-Erik

da Rock

The tasks really aren't those that require specially equipped gliders. They simply require a good thermal glider. The longer thermal flights (whether for LSF or your own personal accomplishment) usually require you to fly high to insure longer times. That usually is best done with a spoiler equipped glider. Whether you're going for LSF times or not, spoilers are a good idea if the sky's the limit. But that's it for special equipment.

The Bird of Time is an available ARF that thermals well. So are the two you mention. As for slope........

LSF is only interested in elapsed time for the slope flights. Trust me, after a couple of hours, faster slope gliders aren't a help, they're a pain. I did most of my slope flights with a polyhedral 2meter rudder/elevator bird. I'd park the sucker with trim and often had the TX on my stomach while I laid on a blanket. Don't plan on inviting the wife and kids.

da Rock

Today's batteries make LSF a lot easier. Once upon a time, all we had was NiCds. Back then, some of us doubled the TX packs for the longer slope flights. Turns out we could used carbon batteries in the glider. That was really the only special equipment worthy of the name.

aeajr

My Feedback: (2)

Which Futaba 8 channel radio. There have been many over the years and many can be converted to 2.4 GHz. Tells me nothing about the mixing features.

So, you have a hous of Balsa 2X4. So why don't you start with that? Does it fly well?

The Spirit Elite is fine, especially if you tend to fly in windy conditions, but if you have a lot of low wind, under 7 mph days, the wing loading on the Elite is a bit high. In the hands of a good pilot it thermals well but it would not be my first choice. But the price is certainly right.

If your conditions tend to be somewhat light then you might consider the Pulsar. It is within your budget.
http://www.espritmodel.com/pulsar-2s-sailplane-arf.aspx

The Albatross also looks attractive and should handle more wind than the Pulsar. The 2.4 meter wing span will work well for you as you start to work toward those longer thermal flights.
http://www.espritmodel.com/albatros-2-4s-e-arf.aspx

Art Hobby has a nice selection. Iwould look at the 2.4M and up choices. RES is a great way to get going. Much less complex for set-up and flying. And they thermal very easily. The Thermic RESand the Evolution are worth a look.
http://www.arthobby.com/index.php?pa...ub_category=32

The Ocolus is a kit, but the fuse and the spar are prebuilt, so if ou don't mind doing some buildling, take a look:
http://www.mmglidertech.com/oculus.php

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I have the 8FG Super so I have up to 14 channels if needed and a number of wing modes.

We rarely have light air days here in CT where the wind is blowing less than 7 knots so I think I am going to gopurchase the Elite to start and do a bit more flying of the House of Balsa 2x4. It flies ok, but has had a number of repairs over the years so it is well balasted for windy days.

I really like all the airframes listed on the Art Hobby site, but think that will be step #2.

I want to thank everyone for your suggestions and advise and aeajr I may try and make a trip to your field in the Spring as I live about 20 miles away in CT.

Best Regards,

Erik

aeajr

My Feedback: (2)

The 8FG should handle any mixing you could possibly need.

I think you will like the Spirit Elite.

Some people replace the steel wing rod with a carbon rod which saves about 4 -6 ounces, as I recall. That is a lot on a glider of this size.

http://www.cstsales.com/carbon_rods.html

Let us know how we can help you.

Let me know if you plan to visit.We have a club member from CT. And we often host regional contests here where we get 30 to 40 pilots from around the country coming here to fly.

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Iwent with the Spirit Elite and maidened the plane and newhigh-start this weekend. Was only able to get a max flight time of 7:45 on Saturday, but played with the CG and throws all day to get flaps and CROW working correctly. Sunday was able to put in a number of nice flights making more adjustments and had a best of 17:10.Thetrimming guide on the ESL site was very helpful and I will be working on camber and snap flaps over the next few flying sessions. (http://www.flyesl.org/forums/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=233) Need more work on the landings as I can't get much closer than 5 feet!

Thank you for the suggestion about the carbon wing joiner and will make a trip out to Long Islandto see how it should be done in the Spring.

Thank you both for your time and advice on this thread to help me get from an idea into the air and thrumy Level I requirements.

-Erik

da Rock

Landings come with practice. Five feet isn't bad.

The CF rod and the weight savings can help on quiet days when the lift is spotty and not very strong. On the other hand, some days you'll actually hunt better with ballast on board. Thermal designs don't usually handle heavy ballast, but some with the more modern airfoils will surprise you with moderate ballast on days when the wind is strong enough you have to concentrate to stay upwind.

John C

When I try to get to the LSF website using http://www.silentflight.org/ posted above, I encounter a full scale web site [:'(] Has anyone an idea as to what I'm doing wrong?

Thanks,

John C

da Rock

Works for me????

http://www.silentflight.org/

John C

Interesting, da Rocks site above worked this time too. Don't know what the issue was.

John C