xactibu

The Aure is my first glider with aileron control so it was huge step up from soaring with a 2-channel floater and also no mean investment once radio equipment, etc is taken into consideration. I have only had two good sessions on the slope with the Aure in fairly strong NE winds and have already crashed a number of times causing quite extensive damage. It was a hassle having to repair this damage and transform all those clean beautiful lines into its current state but it also helped me overcome the nervousness I experienced during the first few launches (when the glider just didn't want to leave my hand). Even though I still have a lot to learn I now feel quite comfortable flying the Aure and I can actually enjoy the experience and experiment a little. There is nothing quite like watching it bank into a nice turn. Very impressive!

anyway, my question is this: Is it normal for the wings to flex markedly when the glider picks up speed or the wind gusts? At one point they seemed to almost flap!

Xactibu

slopemeno

My Feedback: (2)

Whats probably happening is the combined small damage points are weakening your wing. Keep in mind this thing is not the hottest sloper on the planet to begin with..

Heres my suggestion: Start taking some good notes on your setup: CG in MM from the leading edge, control throws, etc. THEN, when the unthinkable finally happens, you can just stick your radio gear in a new Aure. They ARE cheap..

And trust me, when the wing breaks in flight it'll be SPECTACULAR!

I saw an Astro Challenger flutter and one wing broke next to the root, and it sounded like a gunshot. The sound took about 1/2 second to get to us, and the sound echoed around the area nicely. The plane shed the main part of the wing and managed to hit the only rock in the brush, which was pretty much the end of it.

xactibu

I am tempted by the challenge of building a new set of wings from scratch before the wing breaks - I may have to start now. Any suggestions as to how I can improve the design. It seems fairly standard. Perhaps an extra spar???

Xactibu

papermache

My Feedback: (35)

xactibu,

Check the shear webs - first, does the wing have any and second, is the wood grain vertical on them. Shear webs are the major source of strength in a wing and their absence could cause excessive flexing or even breakage. I have heard of several ARF sailplanes, especially the Chinese ones, that have the shear web grain going horizontal. This can lead to the same problems. If you build a new wing, make sure you incorporate shear webs in the build.

papermache

da Rock

Very excellent idea!!! Very good idea no matter what the original model is.

It actually takes very little time to build just a wing compared to building an entire airplane. And you often wind up with what feels like a new airplane. And you can include all manner of changes to see how they work. But for a first time, just build something very similar in planform.

With most gliders up to Standard size (100"span) spruce spars with balsa sheer webs will make a wing that'll take any loads you can throw at it. Matter of fact, it's not a good idea to use less than spruce main spars since you're not going to save enough weight with balsa spars to make up for the terrible loss of strength.

da Rock

I just looked that Aure up on the World Models website. No way a wing that short and simple should flex. It isn't unsheeted foam is it?

It's a simple planform. It should be easy to create a new wing from scratch to match that fuselage.