Mike Ledbetter

Hi. I have a Kyosho Viento sailplane and love to fly it, but I would like something a little sturdier for higher winds. My Sky Scooter is fun, but I like the idea of another glider-type airframe.

Are there any good high-quality foamie electric sailplanes with aileron-elevator-rudder controls? Speed 400 would be good, 550 even better, but I'm afraid I'm dreaming.

Thanks.

aeajr

My Feedback: (2)

Based on what you are describing I would look at the electric slope wings, like the Zagi's. EPP and rugged as can be. Many are really powered gliders, though some are designed as electric models.

There are other makes as well.

Soar_dude

Mike that Sky scooter can be thermaled I have done it with mine down in Vegas. the stock Zagi razor 400 and the scooter fly at the same speed The only draw back with the zagi is battery placement you will beat up the battery in crash. wind rider makes a good glider i think would handle electric conversion [link]http://www.windrider.com.hk/products/product.cfm?id=9[/link] here is their web site should give yo some ideas. the glider I ma refering to is the Easy.

Soar dude

Mike Ledbetter

Yeah I have fun flying the slopes and thermals at the flying club with the scooter, but its motor is wearing out and I am tiring of aileron and elevator only.

What's really fun is to get the scooter up way way high, yell "OOPS" and enter a spinning dive straight down, pulling up about thirty feet above the runway. I think it's the scooter's most impressive maneuver.

I would really like to use the five battery packs I have for the scooter in another plane. Maybe I'll just move up to the Multiplex Space Scooter, which is supposed to be an upgraded, sleeker-looking sky scooter.

I've searched and searched the web and can't find a serious all-foam sailplane to suit me.

Regards and thanks for the responses.

aeajr

My Feedback: (2)

A Serious all foam, as in EPP foam?

There are two 2M EPP foam planes that I know of. One from MountainToys, www.mtntoys.com called the gentle foamy which is a r/e polyhedral plane. I think you can add ailerons. They also have a good selection of other foamy slope planes

The other is from Northeast sailplanes, www.nesail.com. called the defiant
http://www.nesail.com/detail.php?productID=1445

Both are beginner class planes.

I don't think you are going to find a full house 2 or 3 meter thermal plane done in all EPP foam. Usually when people get to that level they are looking for enhanced performance and EPP is not the material that meets that expectation. Then you get to glass, carbon and and kevlar structures. Many have sheeted foam wings, but that is not an EPP style foam with the bounce to the ounce features.

If that is what you want, you are going to have to make one yourself.

Mike Ledbetter

Thanks, aeajr, but I'm lookig for something electric powered. Weak arm.

I've abandoned the foam for now. Some of the Cermarks are looking really good to me, especially the Phoenix with the T-tail. I can fly the Viento when I'm feeling confident and the breeze is light.

But I just bought an Omei EP2000 on Ebay for $66 to use to practice landings for now.

Still, any sturdy 2 meter full house recommendations, foam or not, would be appreciated.

aeajr

My Feedback: (2)

I have looked at the Phoenix myself. I like the look of it, but my hanger is over full now. I have a dozen planes, and have not flown half of them yet, so I can't justify any new additions.

Will give some thought to your request for a sturdy full house with a motor. By sturdy I presume you mean something that can take some rough landings.

Consider this.

Take one of the 2M poly wing planes I suggested and modify the kit. Flatten the wing! Add ailerons and flaps made of balsa or coroplast.

Why not? Should be easy.

Jeff Thompson

If you're looking for an electric foamy for durability, you mean EPP foam, not styrofoam. EPP has revolutionalized slope flying, but is just now "taking off" in the electric plane category. Check out Hobby Lobby's web site--they currently sell more electric EPP foam airplanes than anyone else.

Two friends of mine have Sky Scooters--one of them is especially tenacious at gluing all that styrofoam together after it crashes. Every time he glues it together again it seems to get more wobbly than before. It's become kind of a joke between us--I keep asking him when he's going to finally throw it away, & he insists NEVER! Now that electric powered EPP foam planes are around, maybe durability and foam won't be a contradiction in terms anymore.

Mike Ledbetter

Yes, EPP is great. I have a Potensky Cobra and it is amazingly durable. A 2 meter Cobra-based design would be pretty awesome.

Jeff Thompson

Not going to find a serious 2 or 3 meter glider in EPP foam?

How about the MDM-1 Fox? (Or the Swift S-1 from the same website)

[link=http://www.falconairrc.com]Falcon Air RC[/link]

Temporarily unavailable is the three meter Schleicher Ka6 from Dave's Aircraft Works (I've been told production of Dave's Aircraft Works kits will be produced by another modeler.) 'Dave' makes (made) some of the best-flying foamies around. The website is still up so you can wish you'd found out about it earlier:

[link=http://www.davesaircraftworks.com]Dave's Aircraft Works[/link]

But what were EPP foamies made for? Slope flying! And who says there aren't serious EPP foamies? There's the JW, currently the fastest foam flying at over 150 mph while dynamic soaring, from Bowman Hobbies. Nipping at its heels are the Gulp from Steve Drake, the Moth and M60 from NCFM, the Electron from Canterbury Sailplanes, fast flying wings from Combat Wings, the Redback 60" EPP slope racer from Dezzanet, molded EPP planes from Windrider, tons of Power Slope Scale aircraft, Discus Launch Gliders from Aerofoam, and I've only scratched the surface! Now the larger distributors are getting into the act; Hobby Lobby sells several EPP foam electric planes, and I fully expect that EPP foam will revolutionize electric flight just as it has slope flying. The future is plastic. Elastic plastic.

aeajr

My Feedback: (2)

There are several Rudder/elevator thermal planes in 2M, but they are not electric. Of course that would not prevent you from making them electric. Nothing preventing you from adding ailerons as well. I believe you have to add the wing tips to the planes when you assemble them. Just take the dihedral out of the wing to flatten it, then add the ailerons.

The Gentle Foamy from www.mtntoys.com

The Defiant from www.nesail.com

When you add the motor, take pictures so we can all see how you did it. I would say a geared speed 550/600 should work. Use you sky scooter packs, but use them in parallel to feed enough current to the motor. I have done this with aerobird packs. Works great!

Then again, there is the Easy Star, epp like foam R/E from Multiplex. Again, you could add ailerons as this wing is not a poly design.

Jeff Thompson

The Multiplex Easy Star isn't tough at all. It's made from smooth skinned, hollow molded styrofoam which they call 'elapor' foam. The grain is like extruded polystyrene; pink foam insulation. Doesn't have the large beads of expanded polystyrene, that's all. I have a 1.5 meter Fox I got from Hobby Lobby that's made out of the same stuff--I took it for it's maiden on a day with too little wind at the slope & it was tore UP on its first contact with a tree. Not recommended.

Well, the two places I know of where you could get a 3-meter EPP ship have stopped production. The famous Ka-6 from DAW and the MDM-1 Fox from Midwest Slope. Anyone out there know someone else with one?

The next thing you could try would be to make one yourself. There are a number of shops online that will cut a foam wing to your specs (a very common slope wing is the RG-15) and you can have it as long as you want; just stiffen the wing up with a carbon fiber spar or two. Making an EPP fuselage can be done with EPP sheet, or (if you can find them) cylindrical EPP boat bumpers, whittled down to the shape and size you want. I found mine in two different diameters at my nearby surplus store. Another possibility for the wings would be Coroplast. With a 4x8 sheet you could make an 8 foot wing, if you wanted to. At larger scales the Coroplast wouldn't be at a weight disadvantage to EPP, is plenty strong, and you can learn how to build with it at [link=http://www.spadtothebone.com]spadtothebone[/link].

jcosta

Completely wrong... The EasyStar is made of Elapor, yes, and no it is not styrofoam nor EPP. It is glued with standard CA, which would eat styrofoam, and Elapor is FLEXIBLE, where styrofoam is not. It is a good choice for a e-powered sailplane as it is quite crash resistant, thermals quite well and can be sloped in light to medium lift.

flybaby101

well dude actually daw are back , the guy just took a break , i ordered a tg-3 last week

. cheers



dug[&:]

Jeff Thompson

Last I heard, someone else was going to take over manufacturing DAW planes. I heard that from many different sources, too.

How did you contact DAW for the sale? I've recently tried their phone number but it had been disconnected.

flybaby101

I emailed the guy????? sent payment via credit card , plane is on way.. dont know whats going on , im still getting a tg3 into oz somehow?

ill send photos once done...

cheers
Dug

Mike Ledbetter

Hobby Lobby sells 550 plywood motor mounts, precut round or oversize square. You could epoxy one into anything and make it fly.

For now, I'll just fly my Omei. But a full house epp electric thermal sailplane with a carbon fiber tube for a spar would be a great idea.

Regards.

flybaby101

www.skycraft.biz has a few i think , ive seen some full house ships in austrailia from somewhere , im hoping to make the tg3 full house.

cheers

dug[&:]

mmartin55

Mike,

I am working on a couple of designs for foamies that are 1. inexpensive, 2. tough, 3. simple to build, 4. larger and better handling both on the slope and in thermals, and 5. are scale!!

The foamies are modelled after the 1-36 T-tail Sprite from Schweizer and the second one is the 1-23A which I hope to publish plans for in the RC press in a couple of months. The specs on each are:

1-36 1:7 scale, 79" wing span (2m), overall length 35 1/4", sd7037 airfoil
1-23A 1:6 scale, 87 5/8" span (2.2m), overall length 41 1/8", sd7037 airfoil

The 1-23A foamy goes to Wilson lake for test flights next week. The prototype 1-36 should be complete within a month.

Meantime, visit our web site for our selection of built up and ARF scale ships to move to once you get your wings and PM me for photos or emailed plans of the two foamies mentioned above.

Tom Martin
www.tmrcsailplanes.com
"Home of the Schweizers"

Jeff Thompson

About Dave's Aircraft Works: You ordered from the DAW website? I know someone's supposed to be taking over DAW, but if you read the "Changes at DAW" note you see that they don't take email orders, you're supposed to call them direct, and if you try that you'll find that the phone number has been disconnected. So have you heard from DAW regarding your order, or are they still shut down?

Jeff

Jeff Thompson

Your website lists the 2 meter 1-26 foamie as being ready to ship--is this a little premature? It wasn't in the price list. Any idea what it will sell for?

Jeff Thompson

OK, I found out on slopeflyer.com who is making the DAW planes. His name is Ed Berris, happens to be in the RC sailplane club I recently joined and I didn't even know it, and his web site is: [link=http://www.skykingrcproducts.com/]Sky King Products[/link]

He's located in Minneapolis, MN. Check out the other kits, too--very interesting. In the accessory department, he sells a plug-in antenna kit so that you can remove a receiver from deep inside your foamie without having to cut the antenna, and also if, should you have too many planes & not want to buy receivers for all of them, you can swap your receiver(s) between planes. There's even a link to a site which will tell you exactly how long your receiver antenna should be based on its exact frequency, for those radio purists. Great news! DAW planes are back!

Jeff Thompson

Did you buy it through the new builder, [link=http://www.skykingrcproducts.com/]Sky King Products[/link]

Soar_dude

Mike if you are still looking for a electric glider I have found a small one that is pretty good. the Ripmax Coyote with a speed 480, graupner 6-3 folder and 1100 mah NMIH pack. flys real nice great hang time. My friend bought one and set up for him. The little beastie covers alot of ground fast, good climb rate and is stable in the air. It also makes a nice little sloper too. The Coyote is kinda of a knock-off of the Ridge Runt.

Soar Dude

mmartin55

Jeff, Sorry I didn't get emailed on your post or question. The kit that is ready to ship is the 1.5 meter 1:8 scale 1-26B which would compare in size only to the DAW HLG 1-26. It has all the scale details of the full size by using the same canopy and landing wheel setup from our woodie kit but is 90% EPP with fuse and tail stiffeners to make it more rigid than a traditional foamie such as the Dave's Aircraft version. It comes with five peices of EPP largely cut to shape for minimal finishing of the fuse and the two wings, plus landing wheel, balsa tails, color instrument panel, two peice wing joiners, laser cut ply stiffeners and uses 1/4" ID tubular carbon spars for the wings/joiner system.

PM me for more information or catalog sheet. Kit contents can be viewed here: www.tmrcsailplanes.com/images/1-26Bfoamie2.jpg

Tom
www.tmrcsailplanes.com
"Home of the Schweizers"