C_Watkins

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Anyone know what this bird might be?
100" span, glass fuse, removeable wings & stabs, flying stab, and spoilers.
Just picked it up in trade, and figured as long as it lives here, I may as well know its name

C_Watkins

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...looking at the nose.

C_Watkins

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...a shot of tail.

JohnBo

I would guess a "Golden Eagle" from Craft Air model, definately a keeper!
JB

C_Watkins

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Cool. So it does have a name!
(Not that I found one online, or anything. Must be outdated by now)

Yeah, I like the look and size of the thing, for sure.
Now if I can just meet someone with a winch, or a big ole tow-bird and a steady hand


Thanks for the reply.

bjaffee

I have a very old Hobby Shack catalog that shows a picture of the Craft Air Windrifter SD100, which looks very similar to this as well. 100" span, balanced rudder, full flying stab, clear canopy, etc.

C_Watkins

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OK, now I'm confused

I found a reference to a Craft Air Windrifter 99.8", AND an SD100 100" here.

Measuring mine more carefully, It's actually more like 99.5".
I may just write the guy named on the paper inside the canopy and see if he recalls it
(I know... fat chance he still lives there... but I might get lucky!)

JohnBo

The Windrifter has an all balsa fuse, the SD-100 has a ABS plactic fuse, the Golden Eagle was the final evolution of Craft Air standard class sailplanes of this type, check the Airfoil, it should be semi-symetrical from the leading edge to the spar, not flat bottomed like the Windrifter! Hope it helps!
JB

C_Watkins

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OK... yet another twist.
This is definitely a glass fuse, but the wing is flat bottomed. The wing tips curve downwards.
Maybe it's a hybrid of some sort

joeg

Very interesting. I just picked up a guys collection tuesday and this exact glider was included (It looks just like it anyway). I had the same questions you have (who what where). I was wondering if yours has spoilers and if so, how are they hooked up? I've had sailplanes but none with spoilers. This one has a nylon cord with a loop that comes out of each wing and must hook somehow to a servo. I see where the servo is suppose to go but am having trouble guessing how the cords are attached.

Also, unfortunately my seems to be missing the canopy cover . If you have any insight as to where I could get a replacement, it would be greatly appreciated!

C_Watkins

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My spoilers work exactly like yours. I would assume you'd place some sort
of a quick-release contraption on your servo arm, and place them both on the same arm.

I was thinking of using something in my tackle box... a swivel link that has,
a quick-clip on one end. I believe it'd work just fine for a quick release,
and I could just tie the other end to a servo arm with a suitable length of Firewire.

I don't have any mini-servos yet, so I haven't set it up.

As for the canopy, I'm afraid I can't help you out on that one.
Probably just have to engineer one out of something.

joeg

Too funny! I was just browsing out here when I stumbled on your post and decided to take a look to do the same with this one and it turns out to be the exact glider. She looks like a nice rig. Are you going to use a HD Hi Start to launch yours?

Makika

Kind of reminds me of an Airtronics " Aquila" with that turned down tip. Not positive, just a guess.

C_Watkins

My Feedback: (10)

Yeah, the Aquila looks similar, but from the pics I can find I believe mine's a Windrifter.
The Aquila's fuse is quite a bit different, back to the trailing edge, as seen on this page:
http://www.moneysmith.net/Soaring/soaring13.html


Joeg, I dunno yet how I will launch
I thought about making a pod to go in place of the hatch/canopy, but I sure would
like to get it towed or winched, or launch it off a nice hill somewhere, instead.
Haven't really thought about the hi-start thing, because I'd hate to shell out for
one and end up disappointed with it. Maybe I'll buy the tubing to make one and try.

Our club field sits atop an old landfill site... a plateau of sorts, with the hill
on one side about 20-30', sloped at 45 degrees or so, and the other is a terraced
dropoff (overlooking the County's live-fire and urban training range) of perhaps 60'.

If I ever scare up some mini-servos, I may just wait for the right wind, and see
if I can do any good off either side of the field. When nobody is down below, of course

BillHarris

Back when, spoilers did work from a single "standard size" servo via a string. At best, this was a PITA. I'd suggest a modern upgrade and operate the spoilers via a pair of microservos in the wing.
Much easier to set up and maintain.

C_Watkins

My Feedback: (10)

Bah... didn't acquire any mini's, yet, so I removed the old servo plate and
installed two regular servos... I'm doubting an extra 2oz is gonna kill this bird
I decided to just ignore the spoilers and let them rest, for now.

I still have no way to launch it, but I'm hoping for a bit of steady wind into
one side of our field or another, sometime soon. I'll try it tomorrow, and
at least get it trimmed nice and flat with a couple of hand launches.
(If I make it out there before there's a dozen folks buzzing around already.)

Hmmm.... I wonder if it would work out, if I handed some really energetic
kid a rod and reel, attached to the glider a few hundred feet away?

Chillybee

My Feedback: (3)

C_Watkins,

I've built 3 Craft-Air Golden Eagles since about 1980. Very good floater and you can lunch it with a heavy duty hi-start. I've always had an Airtronics releasable tow hook on mine and have consistantly gotten 500 ft starts with the hi-start still stretched when it released. The wing in this plane is built like a tank and since it's not completely flat bottomed, it will actually do an inverted loop. It penetrated pretty well and does allow you to build a ballast box. I'd say that it's a great all around Sundy flyer but still thermals with the best of them. Think of it kind of as a over grown 2 meter that penetrates the wind. If you need a copy of the original instructions, I have them because I located a new kit a few years back but haven't gotten around to building it.

KJohn

It sure lookes like a CraftAir tail. Note the stab pivots on the front stab wire.

Definitely not an 'Aquila' (I have scratch built many).

If that flat bottom does not handle the wind in your area you could try a mod that was made on the Aquila called the 'Miller Mod'. It can be found on the internet using that word group. It required placing a strip of balsa under the main wing spar to attempt to make a diamond shape on the bottom of the wing. However it may pay to actually cut foil shaped rib sections that could be retrofitted on the bottom to make a nice semi-symetrical shape. It allowed the Aquila to penetrate when the breeze picked up which was quite helpful in northern Ohio.