aeajr

My Feedback: (2)

My ballast rod is a smooth steel rod that I place INSIDE the normal wing rod. Mine is only about 1/2 the diameter of the hole in the wing rod. You could get one that fills it. Just slides in and out of the wing rod when I want to use it. I have electrical tape on the ends to take up the extra space so it does not bang around.

DieHarder

Cool! I will have to try that! So if I use like a 1/4" solid steel rod it shouldn't be too heavy? Or should I use like a 3/16" or 1/8"?

Ernie Misner

Wow! What a nice job you did on your Radian!!! I bet it's easier to see against the sky now too. Looks like some strengthening mods to the elevator and wing? area? Nothing more relaxing that hooking a nice thermal. Funny how 90% of the nitro guys haven't a clue about that. Please send me an email when you get a chance...... Ernie Misner at: [email protected] Thanks a bunch.

aeajr

My Feedback: (2)

1/4" is a good start. I think mine is 5/16 but not really sure. You will see that the glider flies about the same but the glide is faster so it handles wind better.

My suggestion is to try in in fairly calm conditions first to convince yourself that this is not going to make your Radian go wild. It really doesn't.

I have a high end all molded Supra, 64 oz. I have ballasted that pure glider up to 100 ounces. Flies the same, just faster. Much higher sink rate but in a 25 mph wind it is like there is no wind at all.

DieHarder

Awesome, I will get a pack of these then! http://www3.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...?&I=LXR940&P=7

Or eBay is a bit cheaper considering the $5 shipping fee at Tower: http://www.ebay.com/itm/Music-Wire-1...item4d1f2f043f

aeajr

My Feedback: (2)

I get mine at Home Depot. Walk in, pick a rod, take it home and cut it.

DieHarder

So if I picked up one of these? http://www.homedepot.com/p/Everbilt-...8100/202183491

aeajr

My Feedback: (2)

Yep, that's what I use.

DieHarder

How exactly did you use the electrical tape to hold it in? I have my own idea using electrical tape, but want to compare it to what you are doing. If mine works I'll share it. Thanks.

aeajr

My Feedback: (2)

I wrap it around the end of the steel rod so that it fills up the void. It is just so it doesn't rattle around too much.

You could tape over the end of the wing rod to secure it inside if you like. I have not found the need for that.

DieHarder

That's pretty much what I did. After multiple attempts to get the right amount of tape on there, the rod stiffly slides in and out. The tape is just the right diameter to make it a tight fit and stay nice and tight in there. I have to shake the wing rod vertically real hard to get the steel rod to come out. It's perfect! Thanks for the tip on this whole deal. Can't wait to try it out at the field either tomorrow or Thursday.

DieHarder

....and forget the flying field..... went there and nobody was around. Went later and still nobody around. I did find that the steel rod limits the flex of the fiberglass wing rod. I've noticed when flying that the flexing of the wing rod and wings is part of the design. Is the steel rod going to limit the flex to the point of changing the flying experience and way it flies?

aeajr

My Feedback: (2)

Not that I have noticed. Of course the only time I use the ballast rod is in windy or gusty conditions when a little stiffer wing might be an advantage.

DieHarder

Well, I tried out my ballast rods. I bought one 1/4" one and one 5/16". I tried them out in a low wind area at the flying club. I tried the 1/4" first and it seemed to give the airplane a much quicker and snappier feel, which I liked. Then I tried the 5/16". It flew, but not very well. On a turn or when a gust would lift one side of the plane, having so much weight in the wings caused the plane to rock back and forth for awhile until it stabilized. I didn't like that. The larger diameter rod and it's weight also caused the Radian to drop out of the sky much more quickly on really slow passes. I almost crashed a couple times when I wasn't paying a lot of attention because I expected to have more time before it fell far enough to have to fly back up again. I've done a few more flights since then and have decided that the 1/4" is the best. I will be using that quite often, except when thermaling.

aeajr

My Feedback: (2)

The heavier the plane the faster it has to fly to stay in the air. So, when you have the ballast in the Radian it has to fly faster than when you don't. If you are getting wing rocking you are flying right at the stall speed. give it a click of down elevator to keep the speed up.

Likewise when landing you will have to land a little faster or it will stall.

aeajr

My Feedback: (2)

For those of you who are experienced glider pilots, what I am going to post here is quite obvious. For those who are coming from electric airplanes and just getting their first taste of thermal soaring sailplanes this may not be so obvious.

How do you get longer flights with a Radian or Radian Pro?

You may feel that going to a larger battery pack would get you longer flights. Well, yes, if you go from a 1300 mah pack to a 2200 or 3000 mah pack, this will give you more motor run time. However it might give you shorter flights.

If it makes your glider heavier it will make it harder for you to get it to climb in a thermal. And, if it shifts you CG forward because it is longer, it may make it harder for you to see lift. And if you have to add weight to the tail to offset that weight in the nose you get heavier still. So a bigger pack will give you more motor run time but will likely give you a shorter flight time if it throws off your CG or increases your weight.

If you are moving to a larger battery to add weight for windy conditions, that is fine. Make sure it remains balanced.

The way to get longer flights with a Radian or a Radian Pro is to learn to use the glider to read the air. Don't fly it, watch it. Use it as a probe, a sensor to identify lift and learn to work it. Once you learn to do this your flights will get longer and longer.

I don't have a Pro, I have a Radian and other e-gliders. I wanted longer flights so I went from the stock 1300 15C battery to a 1000 40C pack. I gave up 30% of my battery capacity but I also dropped an ounce of weight. I wanted longer flights and was willing to give up motor run time to get those longer flights. My Radian can rise in lighter lift and can show me lift easier with the lighter pack.

If this doesn't make sense to you, consider how a thermal soaring glider is intended to fly. That motor is only a lunch device. The expectation is that most of the flight will be with the power off, riding the natural energy in the air, thermals. If that is how you intend to fly, consider my note. Now flight times are tied to air conditions and your talent.

May the force of warm rising air be with you.

Ernie Misner

That is a good post that makes sense. How much lighter was the 1000mah pack? Were you able to move it forward to get the same CG? I have been flying my tiny UMX Radian and it thermals like a bandit!!!!!!!!! Getting close to 30 minute flights with thermals and throttle management. Not bad for a 130mah battery!

aeajr

My Feedback: (2)

Actually I have weight on the tail of my Radian to get the CG I want. With the stock prop I had 1 quarter (coin) taped on the tail. When I went to the 10X8 and the 1000 mah pack I went to 2 quarters on the tail. When I went to the 11X8 prop I am running now I went to three quarters on the tail. I think the 1000 saved me about 3/4 ounce as I recall. I no longer have one of the green parkzone packs so I can't compare.

DieHarder

Well, there goes my nice paint job on my Radian. I crashed it. It went full speed straight down (I cut the throttle just before the impacts) into the top of a 60 foot Maple tree. The tree had like a 4ft trunk, so it had many large limbs. I stood there frozen as I watched it fall from the top of the tree to the bottom. I heard 7 loud, distinct impacts of my Radian hit each branch. Those seven impacts put 7 dents/holes/scrapes in my plane. I made four mistakes.

I attempted a series of rolls/flips/loops including upside down flying:

1. without a reasonable amount of altitude.
2. a long distance away.
3. near large Maple trees.
4. without my glasses.

I lost orientation of it and it appeared to be going away from me upside down. It was really near the top of the tree, so I pushed some down elevator hard. It was actually upright, so the strong down elevator took it straight down with full throttle into the tree/limbs. As soon as I saw that it was too late to save, I cut the throttle and let her fall. She already had TONS of airspeed...

Now, you can imagine that something like that might total a plane. I though so too until I got over to it. I was lucky it actually made it to the bottom and not stuck in the tree. After doing a full evaluation of the damage, I found that the crash had torn a crack through the fuselage part that goes over the wings, broke the left wing in half at the end of the ballast rod, shattered a LOT of paint from the flexing, took some foam out of the side of the fuselage near the firewall, dented the horizontal tail wing, lifted a couple decals, and pulled a pushrod/sheathing from it's channel in the fuselage. I am working on repairing it now. I picked up a new set of wings and have already got part of the painted design painted on the bottom of them. I also glued all the broken seams and decals down on the fuselage. I want to make all these repairs in less than a week and having her flying by Thursday. Unfortunately it won't be the same, but at least I won't be too crushed next time it crashes as it's not perfect anymore, nor will that fuselage ever be.

aeajr

My Feedback: (2)

OK, so you have been spending all this time tuning and adjusting to make it fly the best it can. Now what are you going to do?

Any of you guys within driving distance of Mays Landing/Atlantic City NJ?

Why not pop a ALES/CAM unit into you glider and come play some ALES games.
http://www.soaringcircuits.com/

There is an Eastern Soaring League contest near Atlantic City Labor Day Weekend. Oh sure, you might not win, but you might have a lot of fun, meet some great people and isn't that what it is all about? I'll be there having lots of fun.
http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2224145

After all, what have you been doing all this tuning and adjusting for? To make it fly the best it can, right? So come on our and put that great flying to use.

Play some ALES games!

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LtcgsEOsReQ


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DieHarder

Funny how the posts are few in the summer. I guess everyone is out flying...

aeajr

My Feedback: (2)

You are probably right. I travel to an ALES contest that was 3 hours away. I didn't fly my Radian but I brought it as my back-up plane.


However the pilot who won the contest in Sportsman class was flying a Radian.

DieHarder

I live in West Michigan and there aren't really any competitions around here. There is a swap meet in Grand Rapids once or twice a year. I didn't go last year, but thinking about possibly going this year. I'm also 14 if I haven't mentioned that, and my parents would never drive me out of state for something as little as an RC competition. I probably don't even fly well enough to even become a contestant...

DieHarder

Not saying RC competitions are 'little', but my parents aren't thrilled with my RC addiction and they have no interest. I have such a hard time getting them to take me places, that I'm only allowed to go fly at the airport with the club I'm in once a week. Luckily I have nice neighbors with double digit acre fields, so it's not terrible. Also the 40 acre blueberry field behind our house. There is a strip of grass between the first row of blueberry bushes and our garden (which is on the lot line) that I land my Radian in. I would love to attempt to fly in a competition though. Some of the members in the club at my local airport have attended them.

aeajr

My Feedback: (2)

I think you are mistaken.


I took a shot at what might be around West Haven, MI. The West Michigan Soaring Society is only a few miles away. They seem to hold a lot of contests.


http://rcsoaring.org/
The WMSS is one of, if not the largest, RC soaring clubs in Michigan. We are an active group with training nights, club contests, trips to slopes, regional and national contest activities, picnics, club building sessions, club aircrafts, club hats and T-Shirts, special activity awards, records and more…
If you are interested in fun or competition our members will be glad to help. Winch launch equipment is available to members on site and group flying and training times are available. Once a beginner pilot has soloed they can fly anytime.

http://www.modelaircraft.org/clubdetails.aspx?club=1086
http://www.modelaircraft.org/clubdetails.aspx?club=1403
These guys list RC Soaring as one of their activities

If you want to look for other soaring clubs just put in your zip code and how many miles out you want to look. Remember that the address is probably not of the field but that of a club officer. Our club address is 15 miles from me but the field is less than 2 miles away.
http://www.modelaircraft.org/clubsearch.aspx