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Old 03-25-2016, 08:13 AM
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BMatthews
 
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I suspect you'll be surprised at how quickly it comes back. Just think ahead to what you're doing and after a half dozen flights most of the old skills will be back. And within a half dozen days out to the field it'll be like you never set it aside.

So I wouldn't sweat the screws vs rubber bands thing too much. The bigger issue will be that all important first flight where you're not sure of where the trim is. Some jogging into a decent breeze to "feel" the model flying in your hand and setting the trim so it's lifting to where it's light but not trying to pry itself out of your grip will go a long way to avoiding a "funny" at the first launch.

One thing I note is that your choices are all aileron gliders. If you're worried about your own abilities it might be wise to opt for one of the rudder and elevator models and skip the ailerons and flaps for this first re-entry effort.

In particular the Calypso and Walrus are smaller than 2m. The Walrus very much so. If the goal is to find and fly in thermals as you get your skills awoken these smaller models will be more limiting. And they certainly won't be as forgiving of any early mistakes.

So all in all even while I'm not a big fan of foam I can't help but think that a regular Radian might fill a good role of getting you back in the groove. And once your old skills are sharpened up THEN look at what you want for the next model. If that turns out to be an aileron glider then I think you'll be better equipped to deal with all the added factors that come with ailerons and flaps.