Where have all the deltas gone?
12-03-2011, 09:16 AM
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Where have all the deltas gone?
Famously fast deltas currently out of production or defunct:
Holy Smoke (kit)
Whiplash (arf)
Phenom (arf)
Diamond Dust (kit)
Outlaw (kit) then (arf)
Screaming Demon (?) (kit)
Sad [&o]
Can you think of others?
Holy Smoke (kit)
Whiplash (arf)
Phenom (arf)
Diamond Dust (kit)
Outlaw (kit) then (arf)
Screaming Demon (?) (kit)
Sad [&o]
Can you think of others?
12-03-2011, 11:06 AM
#2
RE: Where have all the deltas gone?
Most have tried the limited market and and gave up. Production costs, sales and profit margin.
Holy smoke (midwest kit?) long out of production. Midwest has not added to the product line in a very long time.
Whiplash ACM has been swamped with orders for target drones.
Phenom... well mine was very heavy. 5.5 pounds never flew on a speed prop. I dont know if Oakdale is still around
Not to many guys want hand launch - belly land planes.
Holy smoke (midwest kit?) long out of production. Midwest has not added to the product line in a very long time.
Whiplash ACM has been swamped with orders for target drones.
Phenom... well mine was very heavy. 5.5 pounds never flew on a speed prop. I dont know if Oakdale is still around
Not to many guys want hand launch - belly land planes.
12-03-2011, 11:08 AM
#3
RE: Where have all the deltas gone?
The Mach Racer not as fast as the others due to its thick wing.
Sold by hobby people is no long available.
The Swallow Jet and Falcon clones from NitroPlanes are both out of stock...
Copies of the Weston UK Velocity & Magnum.
12-03-2011, 12:06 PM
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RE: Where have all the deltas gone?
The Holy Smoke at one time was from Top Flight then perhaps Midwest. It may have been cloned as a Skyfire 40 (discontinued) by Four Pi Inc.(gone) and sold through Radical RC Kits.
Forgot a few, the Laser Arrow delta (discontinued), remember the black gold and white tiger scheme? I'd like to get a "cherry" one of these, Ive got a K&B 1.00 DF and tuned pipe laying around.
And the Bullet, that clear red thing, mostly done as electric thou.
Found one, Wild Wiz 40 http://www.radicalrc.com/category/Kits-145
Forgot a few, the Laser Arrow delta (discontinued), remember the black gold and white tiger scheme? I'd like to get a "cherry" one of these, Ive got a K&B 1.00 DF and tuned pipe laying around.
And the Bullet, that clear red thing, mostly done as electric thou.
Found one, Wild Wiz 40 http://www.radicalrc.com/category/Kits-145
12-03-2011, 06:45 PM
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RE: Where have all the deltas gone?
Yeah it really stinks that they seemed to have dried up, but I'd have to agree that the amount of work and production costs for the amount of profit margin is not good for small operation kit manufacturers (Screamin' Demon) comes to mind.
Oh well have to do more scratch building I guess.
My Screamin' Demon is still alive and well after a great flying season with it!
Oh well have to do more scratch building I guess.
My Screamin' Demon is still alive and well after a great flying season with it!
12-04-2011, 01:40 AM
#8
RE: Where have all the deltas gone?
The first couple of Diamond Dusts I ever built were just scaled off of build thread photos I saw at this forum....way back when I first joined RCU. Those planes sure seemed pretty awesome with OS.32 power.
I flew one once at a new construction job site at night shift break time and skid landed it [with aluminum plates glued to the belly] on a freshly paved concrete parking lot. It looked cool to see it skid land and the screech it made was pretty loud. It was cool to see it flying long passes over pavement instead of over a hay field.
I flew one once at a new construction job site at night shift break time and skid landed it [with aluminum plates glued to the belly] on a freshly paved concrete parking lot. It looked cool to see it skid land and the screech it made was pretty loud. It was cool to see it flying long passes over pavement instead of over a hay field.
12-04-2011, 05:33 AM
#9
RE: Where have all the deltas gone?
The BTE Delta Vortex kit is still available, but currently out of stock. (It must still be popular, as they seem to sell out periodically and then re order. At least twice in the last couple years.)
I just got an Outlaw, but they only had the U.S. Navy version left in stock. They seem to sell out and reorder a lot, too.
I think deltas would be more popular if more guys understood their flying qualities- very broad flight envelope. If the wing is not too thick, they are very fast, but can be slowed down to a walk for landing because of the deltas ability to fly at high aoa.
I got into deltas with laddie Mikulasko's "Arrow". It has a thinner wing than his Northstar and is quite fast (90mph) on a 46. I recently got foam core wing panels for it from flyingfoam.com, and am building a second hull with electric power. The hull is really easy to build- just a great big box with an engine stuck on the back. The wings were the tedious part, and with foam cores, that becomes a non issue.
I like the Arrow so much that I designed my own land based fuselage with retractable landing gear. ("Bullet") It is loads of fun.
Deltas rule. I can fly my Outlaw out of a baseball field surrounded by fences, and yet it will do over 70mph and flies away by itself on launch on a Rimfire 25/4S.
I just got an Outlaw, but they only had the U.S. Navy version left in stock. They seem to sell out and reorder a lot, too.
I think deltas would be more popular if more guys understood their flying qualities- very broad flight envelope. If the wing is not too thick, they are very fast, but can be slowed down to a walk for landing because of the deltas ability to fly at high aoa.
I got into deltas with laddie Mikulasko's "Arrow". It has a thinner wing than his Northstar and is quite fast (90mph) on a 46. I recently got foam core wing panels for it from flyingfoam.com, and am building a second hull with electric power. The hull is really easy to build- just a great big box with an engine stuck on the back. The wings were the tedious part, and with foam cores, that becomes a non issue.
I like the Arrow so much that I designed my own land based fuselage with retractable landing gear. ("Bullet") It is loads of fun.
Deltas rule. I can fly my Outlaw out of a baseball field surrounded by fences, and yet it will do over 70mph and flies away by itself on launch on a Rimfire 25/4S.
12-04-2011, 05:49 AM
#10
RE: Where have all the deltas gone?
The Outlaw is one of the best deltas, not overly fast but very agile. I started building them 10 years ago when Jerry was selling his first version of the plans. Right now I have three versions of it flying, An ARF in the Blue Angels theme, A highly modified one on floats and a scratch enlarged one with twin MVVS .40 pylon motors. I also have two resized/ highly modded DD's, one small with a .61 and one small with a S400 motor. I don't consider the Northstar a delta but I have one of them too. And a couple of Magnums... Deltas are still fun.
12-04-2011, 11:09 AM
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RE: Where have all the deltas gone?
have
Yep, you wont be rolling in gold making RC kits or planes, you got to have passion to make and share something amazing or....gov. grant money. It takes time and skill that most don't or can't pay for. I love kits or arf's, they're a deal. When you buy the low volume materials to scratch build yourself, it's very costly when you add up all the nickle and dimes.
The Whiplash and more so the Phenom were on the bit heavy side which make them a harder to get airborne without planting it in . Both are probably the fastest out of a dive because of weight, low and clean frontal area. Around the field thou, the Diamond Dust and Demon are much more agile if one knows how to set up the throws.
Hand launch and belly landings have always been things that I don't look forward to, but for the most part have conquered. Gee, I can't imagine why a newbie wouldn't want to let go of a screaming meat cutter! But I guess that's what weeds out the speed junky from the sport flyer.
Mostly, I think it's fear of speed and crashing why there are fewer glow powered deltas are sold. Also, are the mistaken beliefs that they are hard to fly or have bad flying characteristics, nothing can be further from the truth, it's all in how radical you want it and throttle setting. Fly a properly setup Outlaw and your a delta fan for life. Some of the larger wheeled Deltas are real puddycats.
ORIGINAL: Crazy4Flight
Most have tried the limited market and and gave up. Production costs, sales and profit margin.
Holy smoke (midwest kit?) long out of production. Midwest has not added to the product line in a very long time.
Whiplash ACM has been swamped with orders for target drones.
Phenom... well mine was very heavy. 5.5 pounds never flew on a speed prop. I dont know if Oakdale is still around
Not to many guys want hand launch - belly land planes.
Most have tried the limited market and and gave up. Production costs, sales and profit margin.
Holy smoke (midwest kit?) long out of production. Midwest has not added to the product line in a very long time.
Whiplash ACM has been swamped with orders for target drones.
Phenom... well mine was very heavy. 5.5 pounds never flew on a speed prop. I dont know if Oakdale is still around
Not to many guys want hand launch - belly land planes.
Yep, you wont be rolling in gold making RC kits or planes, you got to have passion to make and share something amazing or....gov. grant money. It takes time and skill that most don't or can't pay for. I love kits or arf's, they're a deal. When you buy the low volume materials to scratch build yourself, it's very costly when you add up all the nickle and dimes.
The Whiplash and more so the Phenom were on the bit heavy side which make them a harder to get airborne without planting it in . Both are probably the fastest out of a dive because of weight, low and clean frontal area. Around the field thou, the Diamond Dust and Demon are much more agile if one knows how to set up the throws.
Hand launch and belly landings have always been things that I don't look forward to, but for the most part have conquered. Gee, I can't imagine why a newbie wouldn't want to let go of a screaming meat cutter! But I guess that's what weeds out the speed junky from the sport flyer.
Mostly, I think it's fear of speed and crashing why there are fewer glow powered deltas are sold. Also, are the mistaken beliefs that they are hard to fly or have bad flying characteristics, nothing can be further from the truth, it's all in how radical you want it and throttle setting. Fly a properly setup Outlaw and your a delta fan for life. Some of the larger wheeled Deltas are real puddycats.
12-04-2011, 11:29 AM
#14
RE: Where have all the deltas gone?
I don't disqualify the Shrike as a delta because it has a tail, but because the root chord of the wing is too short in relation to the tip chord to give it the high alpha delta characteristics (due to vortex flow). If you get a bit slow with the Shrike, and get the nose up too high, it will stall and spin just like a straight wing aircraft. (Experience talking 
) Deltas just sink when you do that.
An example of a true delta with a tail is the A-4 Skyhawk, and another is the Northstar. I'm sure you guys can come up with others.
) Deltas just sink when you do that. An example of a true delta with a tail is the A-4 Skyhawk, and another is the Northstar. I'm sure you guys can come up with others.
12-04-2011, 11:43 AM
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RE: Where have all the deltas gone?
I had a Shrike 40 ARF with a Webra 55, I sold it before I killed it. It had a nasty high speed stall if you pulled hard. It also liked to land a bit hot, if it was too slow it would stall and splat without notice. Looked cool. Yup, not a delta.
12-04-2011, 11:58 AM
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RE: Where have all the deltas gone?
ORIGINAL: Mustang Fever
I don't disqualify the Shrike as a delta because it has a tail, but because the root chord of the wing is too short in relation to the tip chord to give it the high alpha delta characteristics (due to vortex flow). If you get a bit slow with the Shrike, and get the nose up too high, it will stall and spin just like a straight wing aircraft. (Experience talking) Deltas just sink when you do that.
An example of a true delta with a tail is the A-4 Skyhawk, and another is the Northstar. I'm sure you guys can come up with others.
I don't disqualify the Shrike as a delta because it has a tail, but because the root chord of the wing is too short in relation to the tip chord to give it the high alpha delta characteristics (due to vortex flow). If you get a bit slow with the Shrike, and get the nose up too high, it will stall and spin just like a straight wing aircraft. (Experience talking
) Deltas just sink when you do that. An example of a true delta with a tail is the A-4 Skyhawk, and another is the Northstar. I'm sure you guys can come up with others.
The Whiplash was a tough plane, cut a lot of brush and dirt clods with it, but it couldn't take the punch from the bottom.[&o]
12-04-2011, 12:20 PM
#17
RE: Where have all the deltas gone?
I loved my Whiplashes very tough!
Even better for the desert flyers...the bottom skin does not shred like monokote.
Now if Composite-ARF could build a light weight , under 4 lbs all up, x and sell for ~ $200.00. Woo Hoo!
Even better for the desert flyers...the bottom skin does not shred like monokote.
Now if Composite-ARF could build a light weight , under 4 lbs all up, x and sell for ~ $200.00. Woo Hoo!
12-04-2011, 12:41 PM
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RE: Where have all the deltas gone?
The Ultra Coat on the Diamond Dust does not hold up well to a startled 20 pound kitty as I found out. Other than that, I replace the covering every 170 flights or so, along with the CA hinges, Soon I'll have to do the third recover on the same dust! Dang thing wont be killed. Always doing little patches on the bottom even with music wire skids.
12-04-2011, 01:01 PM
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RE: Where have all the deltas gone?
I am just building a screamin deamon, I found here on RCU.
And I had a hard time finding any delta. To the costs - this one does not come with any hardware, no pushrods, hinges, screws.
Basically just some balsa sheets and profiles and the laser cut ribs. Most deltas are designed very simple, so I don't know
why they all disappear. Delta kits shouldn't be that expensive.
Maybe the chinese read this and put an ARF together for 50 bucks - I'd take one
And I had a hard time finding any delta. To the costs - this one does not come with any hardware, no pushrods, hinges, screws.
Basically just some balsa sheets and profiles and the laser cut ribs. Most deltas are designed very simple, so I don't know
why they all disappear. Delta kits shouldn't be that expensive.
Maybe the chinese read this and put an ARF together for 50 bucks - I'd take one
12-04-2011, 01:42 PM
#20
RE: Where have all the deltas gone?
This one might be interesting. I considered it before I bought the Outlaw:
http://www.radicalrc.com/category/JGRC-E-Kits-244
A bit on the small side- 400 size electrics or what looks like an .061, but maybe it could be scale up???
http://www.radicalrc.com/category/JGRC-E-Kits-244
A bit on the small side- 400 size electrics or what looks like an .061, but maybe it could be scale up???
12-04-2011, 02:09 PM
#21
RE: Where have all the deltas gone?
That's a good looking model...!
I've built a few in that size range for .049-.061 and they are great fun.
I crammed a OS CVA .15 into one with 22 inches of span [that was originally powered by a COX .049] and it flies just fine, even though at first glance it looks like too small of a plane.
I've built a few in that size range for .049-.061 and they are great fun.
I crammed a OS CVA .15 into one with 22 inches of span [that was originally powered by a COX .049] and it flies just fine, even though at first glance it looks like too small of a plane.
12-04-2011, 02:17 PM
#22
RE: Where have all the deltas gone?
A heavy Whiplash in a spin would have it's flywheel effect pretty hard to put a stop to. I've had deltas that opposite rudder couldn't stop from spinning and even with full down elevon just continued to land like a frisbee.