evlwevl-RCU

Hi everyone

I just recieved a very old Gentle Lady kit from a friend who like many ambitious sailplane kit purchasers never got around to building. Most of the wood looks in good condition and I've built a few balsa kits and standard class plane that I'm learning how to launch on a winch.

I'd like to build this Gentle lady specifically for competition use. I want to modify it so it can take a good heavy launch and possibly install spoilers so I can enter it into the RES class.

Any GL experts out there have any ideas on what to modify to make this plane better and stronger? I'm all ears.

Thanks

BMatthews

Hate to say this but you've got the wrong model for that sort of task. The wing design is just all wrong for heavy duty winch action. Even increasing the size of the spars will not be enough. You really need to go for top and bottom caps with full webbing. Also the airfoil is a lovely floater but doesn't handle windy weather worth a hoot. And if you load it up with ballast it doesn't help much and then won't float either.

The GL is a great machine in it's element but contests, other than very specific calm light lift days, are not it's forte. If you've flown any of the more modern designs then you won't be satisfied with a beefed up overweight GL.

Now if you wanted to use the plans for the outlines and layout only and custom build around that with a new airfoil and structural method then that's a song of another colour...

R. Carver

Built it straight and light..That's really all you need. It launches highest with a very light foot on the pedal. It won't zoom, even if you could stand on the pedal, just comes to a screeching halt as soon as the line is released. About the only reason to beef up the wing is so you can dive straight down out of lift without folding the wings.
If the wind picks up you'll be at a serious disadvantage..but then there are other days when the thermals are small and light when you just can't beat one

evlwevl-RCU

Since it was free and I've always wanted a GL for basic floating, I think I'm going to build it as a very light plane and just have fun with it till I can afford a good RES like the Geminis and the Gnomes I see at the flying feild.

thanks

AllThumbs

I flew one for several seasons until my Sagitta 900 was ready (that was the best RES sailplane in my opinion - a beautiful design, real sleek).

The Gnome has a thickened E205 so the wing could work lift well and thickened the spar and webbing made for a very strong wing to handle some hefty launches.
That thickened wing was a problem in a headwind though. You couldn't venture too far downwind lest you land outside and must walk to retrieve it.

It had instructions for spoilers so installing them would allow one to work on spot landings.

As for the Gentle lady...it is a floater, and I've seen a well practiced kid with a GL clean the clocks of older guys with big heavy glass slippers in monthly club contests when lift was light to none existent.

I've seen everything done to GL's from "V tail" conversions, air brakes and flaps, to electric motors - it is still a GL by design.

You can add a bell or whistle but nothing that would dramatically improve performance to match a Sagitta 600, Gemini or other hot 2M.

I have a GL in a box, thought along the same lines.
(Spoilers, thin sharp trailing edge and reinforcing those flimsy spars - and call it the "Rough *****").

I would consider beefing up those kit supplied spars, and replacing the wood for good spruce, and maybe Carbon Fiber on the spars.

But I don't see zoom launching a GL.

evlwevl-RCU

a good classic name for a good classic plane.

I think some of the older scratch builders at my club can help me to slightly improve this plane, I just want to be among the people who'ved built and flew a GL at some point

WO

A friend gave me a 2m Gnome and it flys great. I don't want to bash it and if you know of any plans I would sure like to get my hands on one. Warren

papermache

My Feedback: (35)

evl,
The GL teaches a lot about building. Just follow the instructions and you can't get too far off. One thing I've done on the three that I've built is to build in the washout on the wingtips. An appliance shim (wedge type) under the TE does the trick. There may also be an addednum sheet (depending on how old your kit is) that talks about adding an additional spar piece to the top of the wing for strength. Since i fly a lot of slope, I've done this on all mine. It's worth doing and the additional weight is negligable.
The GL is at its best in light lift and winds. On those days it's a sheer pleasure to fly. Good luck, have fun, and e-mail me if you need any help.

papermache

Tall Paul

Don't let me near a Gentle Lady!
http://www.angelfire.com/indie/aeros...eLadyIdeas.htm

The R/C Man

Hey!

My first sailplane was a Gentle Lady. That was about 25 years ago. I loved how well it floated around. It definatetly has a problem penetrating. I did however do inverterted loops with it and never folded the wings! I am actually considering purchasing another kit and modifying it a bit. First I am planing to reduce the polyhedral by half hoping to get some more duration at a loss of tracking. Another mod will be to use carbon on the spars to strengthen them. Then add small alerons to improve response. This will get me back into flying since it has been years. If anyone has any thoughts on these mods that would be great.....

Tall Paul

Ailerons on a Gentle Lady won't buy you anything. It flies way too slowly, unless you have 100% differential, so they don't go down at all!
I built two wing for mine, one with straight dihedral, and one flat, both with ailerons, and ended up removing the ailerons, and making the flat wing have tip dihedral, and putting the tip dihedral back into the straight dihedralled wing.
With a faster airfoil, you'll get benefits from ailerons, but I prefer just RE flight with mine.

OzMo

My Feedback: (3)

Seeing as the wing is rubber banded on you could build a second wing with a faster penatrating airfoil and have it both ways.

daja

Faster penetrating airfoil:
I have two different sailplanes with different style wings that have the same cross section. I can swap back and fourth between two sailplanes wings if I want to. The wing built for the lighter plane has a thickness at the spar of 1 inch and it flyā€™s slowly with a floating style like the GL. The other wing I swap in, has a thickness of approx 5/8ā€¯. What I have found is the thinner wing will fly considerably faster comparing the two wings with a flying weight at 30 to 35 oz, but when comparing the two wings flying at 24 oz the two wings both float and fly slowly, and the speed difference between the two is almost the same. For me, I prefer the thicker floaty wing (and a warm still day) but it appears you can get more speed range with a thinner wing.
daja

Tall Paul

Oh yeah... make the nose longer!
This lets you move the radio battery away from the c.g.
A kit GL comes out tail heavy.. the longer nose gets rid of any excess ballast requirement.
Lighter flies better.

Aficionado of RC

Does anyone remember the OLY 650? Another great flying plane. I have 2 that I am going to sell along with alot of other rc planes and stuff. Just clearing out the hangar.