cjtyped

My Feedback: (1)

My powered glider is a dream to fly, but sometimes it makes a shallow dive, picks up speed and climbs, etc. I think I am noseheavy, even though I tested it. Am I right?

speedracerntrixie

My Feedback: (29)

Yes, being nose heavy means you have some up trim dialed in. When it drops the nose and picks up same speed that up trim is evident. Years ago I used to adjust CG so that the sailplane would continue in a dive. These days I want just a little self recovery.

BMatthews

You're likely flying through turbulence related to thermals or rotors from features on the ground. But either way what the glider is doing is totally normal depending on what the turbulence does to the model. Other times it might be a wing lifting or dropping. It's up to you as the pilot to nudge the corrections into the sticks to stop this from happening.

If it's actually quite aggressive a drop to the dive and pitches up sharply then the CG might be a bit far forward. Look up how to do test dive testing to find the best spot for the CG. But for a glider of any sort I recommend you keep it somewhat positively stable for pitch. But not too much.

If you're not the sort to recognize a thermal even if it smacks you in the face then take heart. Noticing that it is doing this means you're becoming better at seeing the little nudges that occur in "active" air where things like thermals can be found. Watch for wing lifts or drops as well and you're at least half way there.