snuts

On the beach

CBM Racing

Ha ha! Nice one .No binoculars for me, I figure if it is that far up, I did what I set out to do. It would be usefull though if someone with you had a pair for spotting ang helping out. The chrome trim is a great idea, Would really hate to lose this plane due to getting to far out and losing sight. Name and number and addy are always a good idea in any rc plane, things happen. But, lousy weather AGAIN today and tomorrow, go figure [:'(]. Good day to cut some spare wing cores I reckon.

Tom Nied

Well I put the chrome MonoKote strips on mine. Not sure how effective that is but would rather have it than not. I usually fly by myself, so I'm hosed if I lose track of it. Been taking a pair of binoculars with me just in case. I keep them around my neck so they're handy, but I'll have to try to see if I can use them while flying. I can hear it now, "Mommy, why is that man sitting out in the middle of the field with the binoculars"?

snuts

(I just had to) Seriously now fellas' Try and spot a bird with your glasses, Now that will show you how much more time the glider has to get away for sure. But a good lost glider aid, heck they are even fun just to have them out with you. That said, I will throw my set in the bottom of my battery case. Thank-you, My buddy just called, time to pack up to go power and glider flying Enjoy your day. Snuts

CBM Racing

Been down with horrible flu for a week, missed best flying weather in weeks . But, had to try binoculars out the window at birds flying a good distance out. Ha ha! If low to the trees for a reference it was no problem, when looking up higher, good luck! Now these were birds moving faster than the radian, and smaller, but I think if you were high enough to need them, it's to late man, it's gone. Fun test though, just showed me what I kinda suspected. If you can't find your glider with your naked eye, by the time you get the binocs up and even pointed in a similar area the plane will be somewhere else, so unless your spotter already has them in their binocs there of no real use while flying. But, feeling better today finally, so of course the rain begins anew, curses!

Tom Nied

Better weather has got to be coming and hope you're feeling better.

CBM Racing

Good weather comming in the am, YAY! Went to park today, started with a homemade one, as soon as I unraveled my highstart the wind started howl. Packed it back up and will head out in the am to see how I do in light morning lift conditions. Good luck all!

CBM Racing

Mannoman! Went out at 9 this morning, got back a few minutes before 6pm, sweet! Started with my homemade pinkfoam special, after 1/2hour and 1 decent climbing thermal out of 10 launches, brought out the radian. Wind almost dead, varying from ssw-sse, sun beating down. First climb to around 100ft to retrim, then searching for low level lift (wobble bobble, TILT). From a tilted wing at around 50ft I turned into it and gained 15-25ft before losing it, back down to 50ft, same thing again, but able to work it to a few hundred feet before falling out and not getting back in. Circled back over a ball diamond and kept catching light lift that kept me up for close to 45 minutes but never specking out or really climbing very high. Back up again to my usual hunting altitude (15-20second runtime). Guided it back over diamond again and same thing but able to speck out after working it for what seemed like forever, but probably close to 45 minutes. This went on all morning untill around 1pm, then it was like a switch was flipped! Wind picked up to around 5-10mph, and this thing was like a thermal hunting machine. Specked it out, brought it down, searched for 30 seconds, boom...ALL DAGGUM DAY!!! Went through a 1800mah pack 2 times and about 1/2 a 2100mah pack for close to 9 hours flying time. Best flying day of my life!!!. Now to explain to wife how face got so burned and why neck is sooo stiff. HEEHEE!!!

Tom Nied

Wow, I'm envious. Was out with the Radian yesterday but the winds made it difficult. I only did 36 minutes. Geez I wish I had another battery.

CBM Racing

I've only run my 1800mah battery to cutoff 2-3 times before today. If conditions are pretty good I usually run out of steam before my battery. But, today was the first flying day I've had in a long time so I made the most of it. Good thing since more rain and storms rest of the week. Man, when I first got this plane I was really kinda wondering what the hype was about and if it would even thermal it seemed so heavy and flimsy. Now after flying it a bunch I can't imagine being without it. It's not perfect, but is incredible thermal floater for the guy getting into sailplanes. If you can't find lift on a half decent day with this ship, you gotta be trying to stay out of it.

matrix-RCU

My Feedback: (7)

Just had mine out this evening. Been raining here for 5 days...thankfully the rain stopped long enough for me to get home from work and head to the park. Had her up for about an hour. No thermals, but the constant breeze of approx 7-10mph just kept her floating there. I swear, I think my Radian knows how to fly itself! I would head across the field and let go of the sticks and it would weathervane into the wind and make a turn and fly downwind for a spell and then gently bank again....

This thing is fun, but I can see I'm going to have to upgrade sometime this summer. Foam obviously is not as stiff as a molded plane and I can only imagine how one of those higher end ships must carve through the air....talk about precision!!!

CBM Racing

Yeah, I'm thinking on my next one as well. But it'll have to wait awhile due to budget cuts. Good news though, my bro saw mine fly and he had to get one. He's never flown before and I gave him as much instruction as I could over phone as he lives 300miles away. First time out last week he did the expected, turn, panic, oops, crash! He launched 4 or5 times and crashed/hard landed all of them. He called very frustrated as we all have been. 2 days ago he tries again by launching to 2 telephone polles high, gliding a short way making one turn and landing. He calls and says he's about done do to all the walking. I tell him just keep trying and before ya know it it'll be second nature. He calls today all excited, he can now fly around making it go where he wants and no more long walks or crashing, yay! He has natural rc abilities, but to be able to fly after 3 unassisted sessions says alot about a plane. Now he is hooked as bad as me! Can't wait till he catches his first thermal.

loungefly

Hi there. I am looking to get a radian pnp and would like to know if anyone runs the spektrum ar6200 receiver and how it fits? Or does anyone think there will be no problems with the fit? Thanks.

CBM Racing

Just looked at my pnp instructions, and it is one of the rx recommended for it, so should be a nice fit. My bro got one and learned how to fly on it in about 3 sessions, but now a bit of bad luck for him. He was out yesterday when suddenly it started a turn and wouldn't stop! Then after drifting a looong way out it started looping uncontrollably. Suddenly he got contact with it again and decided to land it right away even though far away, and then started looping again! It went down HARD out of sight and took him an hour to find it[]. Says it's busted up pretty bad.Anyone else have issues with spektrum equipment from them? I have seen the original spektrum dx3 surface radios fail way to frequently to trust them actually. I hate when you get a decent plane/car whatever, and the cheapo radio kills your plane/car, and you never know when it's comming. Anyone else having problems with the stock radio?

loungefly

I know what you are saying, I recently lost a plane in the ocean because of a cheap radio. Thats my reason for buying a DX6i.

Tom Nied

I've got the Radian RTF and that came with the DX5e.  No issues after 11 flights now and I've had it "specked" out.

CBM Racing

Thats good about no issues, maybe something happened like a servo or motor short. He got a new pnp model today and is putting the rx into it. Hope it was a one time thing. Wanted to go out today, awoke to 30mph wind and snow[X(]! Tomorrow is supposed to be nicer though, need to get airborn soon!

Tom Nied

Well, it finally happened.  Today the weather couldn't have been better.  Winds were 3-6 mph out of the North and we had some cirrus clouds.  Like this but only patchy and a very thin veils http://www.peterbellingham.com/largeImage.asp?id=3011 . Temperature was about 55 warming to 60.   I was thinking, this could be the day I make a flight over an hour.  Set myself up at the local park, did my pre-flight and radio check.  Had my chair and AM radio, things couldn't be better.  I launched, got myself back to my chair, took it up to altitude.  Right away I hooked into a thermal.  Initially I'm thinking, "this is great, I'm going to get it way up there and milk this".  So I circled and it couldn't have been easier, it was going up.  "Man, it really is getting high".  I could still see it though, but flying it further, it was really getting high.  Shoot, it is only a speck, I think I can still see it.  Then all of a sudden against that thin veil of cirrus, I start losing sight of it.  And then it was gone.  My chrome MonoKote pieces on the leading edge were no longer giving me any flashes.  Crap!  I can't see it at all.  I stayed there and looked for 1/2 an hour and never regained sight of it.  Even tried doing turns so that maybe I would get a flash from the leading edge.  It's gone, it flew away.  So depressing, guess its time to just go home.  Well I got home and checked my cellphone that was on charge and there was a voice mail.  Pat called and said that my aircraft had crashed into his house.  It's a good thing I put my name and cell phone # on my plane.  Fortuneately no damage to his house, but my Radian's fuselage is a mess.  I can't believe I got it back.  PUT YOUR NAME AND PHONE NUMBER ON YOUR PLANE.  It really may make a difference in getting it back.  Now I just have to research what glue I can use to maybe glue her back together.  I'm thinking 30 min epoxy.  Will have to come up with a new canopy and spinner because both are on backorder from Horizon.  I think I can get my plane back in the air.  Seriously thinking about a Radian PNP.

CBM Racing

Man! That sucks big time. Good you got it back without damaging anyones property or worse, sucks you have to fix or buy a new one. My brother used tire glue (ca) but not sure what viscosity it was, I think medium ca, but not sure. Maybe you can get by with a new fuse or other parts instead of shelling out 159 clams for pnp? He fixed his from previous mishaps, but had to buy pnp model after last wreck, but it didn't break where he glued it together so...maybe? I can see how easy it would be to lose one of these, I often say to myself "one more circle and I'll bail out." Then lose it for even 2-5 seconds and I about pooh myself! Can't imagine the feeling of NOT watching it go down. If the electronics are still good, I would opt to fix it as best I could. If the esc or motor was toast (besides the fuse/wings/whatever)then maybe a new pnp model would be the way to go. Had mine out today in mediocre conditions, wind up to 15mph, cold, cloudy...But still managed to speck it out several times. Was really odd, clouds moving in opposite directions at different altitudes, and where they would meet was either monster vacuum cleaner lift or pile driving sink, but never predictable? Hope you get it back in the air soon though, good luck!

CBM Racing

Oh, for glue either use ca or pu glue like gorilla glue. I love gorilla glue as it takes very little and it sticks to anything I've used it on. Just mist one or both surfaces with water and tape securely for a couple hours untill it cures. It foams up and fills any small gaps and is stronger than original foam, but much lighter than epoxy or even ca as it dries very light especially after water evaporates. Just use it very sparingly and tape securely untill dried.

snuts

Tom, good luck on your repair. Another step in the learning curve. You are looking at 2 options. First is to repair, so who cares what it looks like, at this point use it as a learning tool. Once repaired, try dark water based spray bombs, for visibility, etc.  If you plup, & play. Then that equipment will work great in a 100", oir 3 meter ship this winters build. Now bigger is better (Tom will tell you that!)

I'm glad to here that there was no damage, or worse-inguries-, these toys can be dangerous.  My Fater always said houmor, was nothing more than tragedy, plus time. That said, Tom this will be one of your most memorable gliding experiances. Enjoy -Snuts-

Tom Nied

Thanks CBM and snuts. I'm just surprised I even got it back. I've had plenty of crashes in my modeling history. Now the day after I'm starting to look it over and thinking seriously to the repair. I've never used Gorilla, so I'm not familiar with it. I don't think I want to use something that requires evaporation in order for it to set, but the Gorilla epoxy might be the way to go. CBM, which of the Gorilla glues were you suggesting? I might even put a very thin layer of fiberglass over the broken area for additional strength. What do you think? Also have issues with the wings, but if I can glue the fuselage, wings will just follow suit.

Tom Nied

I took a look at the Gorilla Glue websitehttp://gorillatough.com/glues.aspx and they have four glues. I'mguessing CBM is suggesting the "Gorilla Glue" that is good for bondingmany types of surfaces. They have a quick set that dries white. Thismight be a good way to go. It expands a little, so will fill somevoids. Seems to stick to anything except polyethylene orpolypropylene. Question is, will it bond to Elapor foam? Doesmoisture kick off the chemistry of the glue in order for it to startsetting up? Maybe regular 30 min epoxy isn't a bad idea. I'm not tooworried by the additional weight of the epoxy, especially in front ofthe CG. Whatever I use, I want it to hold. Glues that evaporate likelets say Elmers, have a tendency to dry around the seam of the gluejoint and seal off the rest of the glue, preventing it from settingup. That's why I'm leaning towards Epoxy, it's a chemical reaction anda timed event. I think out loud way too much, I'd probably have it repaired by now if I didn't think so much.

CBM Racing

Ha, hear ya about thinking to much. If you're more comfortable with epoxy, go for it. I don't think the little added weight will be much if you don't really over do it. Bro used medium ca on his and when he last crashed bad, it broke about an inch in front of glue joint, so it works really well. He said it took a long time to set up though, so he taped it tight around glue joint overnight and it worked great for him. After looking at pic, it doesn't look to awfull bad. Use some toothpicks poked in (watching alignment)and use whatever glue you feel comfortable with. If the joint lines up pretty good epoxy or ca should be great, if there are lots of gaps or missing pieces I would try Regular gorilla glue as it foams up and hardens nicely. The gorilla glue I use is almost like a honey color and about as thick, but dries a yellowish color. I use it on pink foam alot and even with tight joints and a tape seal it always cures clear through. It does activate with water and foams quite a bit after about 10-20 minutes, so if you use it, practice glue something first to get the hang of how much to use. Good luck!

snuts

Tom, I tried some Gorila glue today, gluing foam blocks together simulating a repair. After about 15 min it was all stringy when I pulled them apart. After 1 hr they were glued permenant, maybe not fully cured, but as a result of a chemical reaction.

The same honey colored stuff discribed above. Very thin smear on one side spray a mist of water on the other side, and place together. Hope this helps. This will be my new glue for foam, and more as I experiment in the R&D lab (dungeon).

See ya in the thermals soon. -Snuts-