Brian Patrick

For several years I enjoyed slope soaring. First in Eureka, Ca, and then again on the So Calif Coast. I didn't know how good Ihad it, especially at Table Bluff in Loleta (just south of Eureka). Let's just say that there was tons of lift, and nothing but the great blue pacific as a backdrop. Sigh. Okay, so flash forward to the present day, and here I now live in Southern Oregon. Beautiful? Yes! Slope soaring prospects? Dismal. Oh, we've got lot's of slopes and mountains, but they are all tree covered. So, having been away from flying for around 5 years, I got the bug again, and decided to buy an electric planenot a glider. Am I frustrated with my choice? Yes. Do I like dealing with chargers, motors, ESC's, etc? Nope! But what can I do? That's really what I am asking here. I know little about thermaling in our area. Yes, I do see the hawks and vultures circling, so I know thermals are out there. I also know that when I see pics online about thermal competitions, they always seem to be in desert like locations. So here are some questions that I hope a few guys with some expereince might advise me on, as I'm still wanting to return to gliders, but in what direction should I go?

1) Just go to an electric glider, and if I can't find thermals, at least I can still hand launch in a large park or field and enjoy some simple flying (some gliding, and some with motor on). Though, I do wonder if this would seem like too much of a let down after the awesome slope soaring I was use to...i.e. long flights and great lift/views.

2) Should I go with a hand launch, such as a discus launch?I love the idea of how simple this is, however I've never seen it done in person, and I would be hunting for thermals. What's so wrong with this approach? Well, what if there are just too few days here where there are good thermals (got 6 mos of overcast and damp here)? Or, what if the quality of the thermals makes them unworthy? I'd hate to invest in a ship that is designed to thermal, only to find out that I am mostly unsuccessful at it.

3) Size? Is bigger better as for staying aloft longer?

4) Can someone please explain to me, or perhaps provide a link to what the various glider classifications are? Such as, F3B, HLG, DLG, and so on.

5) With the added weight of a lipo battery pack, a motor and ESC, can one really do any decent thermalling with an electric glider, or are they just too heavy to do it well enough to be enjoyable?

Though I really want someone to tell me how great and easy a hand-launch glider would be, I am a bit skeptical of how much actual gliding I can do with it in my area. Since there is no decent slope soaring anywhere close enough, I have no choice but to embracing thermalling...if I can successfully do it in these parts, that is, vs. electric gliding, which becomes e-flight along with some thermaling...or at least some intermittent gliding while the motor is off.

Last week I got my my Mini Pulse XT electric plane, and though I'm sure there will be some fun and failure associated with this conventional park-flyer (non-glider), I also know that I prefer slow flight and the awe-inspiring visage of a glider as it silently sweeps by me at eye level, like a whisper. Dang that's sweet! :-)

Can anyone help with some of these questions/concerns?

Thank you!
Brian
Merlin, Oregon

donaldtay

I may be telling you something you already know but the parkzone z-foam radian with a 78 inch wingspan is a great light air electric sailplane. very economical at around $160.00 ready to fly with only the addition of receiver and a battery. The motor is very powerful and will take it straight up at 70 degree climb-out yet it will thermal very easily with long flights with the motor off. It has only rudder and elevator control but still its a great flyer. Its has big following. I have had 3 myself and its an essential part of my fleet now. I use it for video. Highly recommended. Ck it out at:

http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=922597

Don

ps I also had a minipulse another simple but great flying plane

TIA

+1 on the Radian

rcpilotny

if you want to here that swoosh literally, if you have the money something carbon on nesail.com or soaringusa


If money is an issue as it is too me and don't mind foam.
I highly recommend the ezgp as unlike the radian and has ailerons/limited dihedral, can be balasted for wind via steel joiner for 10-15mph+ or aluminum for 9mph-5mph and plane joiner for no wind.

Brian Patrick

Okay guys, duly noted re. your liking the Radian, I really do appreciate it. That said, my questions are really about thermalling (the liklihood thereof, given where I live) vs. electric glider-and not so much about what electric glider to get. I know a lot of people like Radians, I just am not so taken with its "look" though.

Any thermalling people out there who can tell me that I can reliably find thermal here in Oregon? Or, any electric glider people out there who can tell me how great their planes fly, and well they can thermal, despite the extra weight on board? Any DLG people out there who might want to weigh in on this topic?

evan-RCU

Brian, I hate to give you the bad news but you are going to have to move again, to a better slopeing area...

No matter what you do you will always be missing slope soaring. I live 2 hours to the closest crappy site and have maybe 8 slopers including a really nice 3.2 meter slope racer and get to fly maybe twice a year with good winds. I even went and made a sloper that breaks down into a small case that I take on buisness trips looking for sites. It's a sickness... I should have never moved away from San Diego...

Tall Paul

As mentioned in the other thread... here's the Kyosho Stratus 1600 sloping today.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EOJOrPriqjo
.
And a ZAGI 400 powered sloper..
ZAGI 400 sloping
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dGFtSbsSTR0
And an unpowered ZAGI 3C
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=COk_aJ7ScZM

Brian Patrick

Yeah, I used to live in Carlsbad, and fly those bluffs all the time.

maukaonyx

Hi Brian,

I faced your dilemma years ago. I learned to fly on the windward facing slopes over Enchanted Lakes, Oahu. It is so pure, to fly on slope lift alone, many times above you, and as many below you. Quite a different perspective that still has a soft spot in my heart. So that was in the early 70's. I moved away to the mainland, to flat States, and for some reason I took my Ladybird with me. It probably flew once after that move before I got rid of it. I moved into power, and one Olympic II glider. Today, I love power still, but I also still love gliders, and it is not uncommon for me to take one 4-stroke plane and my Apache DLG glider with me. I took it the last two weekends and caught 15 minute thermals off the discus launch and guess what.......I live in Salem, OR where the skies can be just like southern OR. You can catch thermals as long as there is a temperature differential caused by different heating of the ground, and this can happen on cloudy days too. My recommendation is to go with a DLG similar to the Apache...it was the cheapest I could find at its weight. When I got it, it was $129, but I see it is still at SoaringUSA, now for $149. Long story short, I get my joy from the power flying and the DLG purity combined to give me the jollies I used to feel with slope gliders. BTW, I am one of the better ones at deadsticks, and I think it comes from the glider roots that I have. Jon

Brian Patrick

Finally...someone who understands me! I am sooo glad you wrote, since you live in Salem. It gives me confidence that I can find thermals to fly.

I appreciate all the replies! Thank you. Would still love to hear more replies. What I'd also like to know is...when you go out thermalling, how often are you successful? Or is it that you go out and are able to find nothing to fly 75% of the time??? If that's how it's going to be most of the time, then I'd rather go to an electric glider.

Brian

maukaonyx

Yes Brian, it could be that kind of potential for thermals. I took the Apache out a handful of times before, and did not catch thermals. It did not phase me since I flew power those days too. Then on both of the last two occasions, I did catch nice thermals. I think more are to be had by better thermal sniffers than myself. One thing nice about an electric glider is that you can save your arm, and just power up when you need to go back up and search. It's pretty much cheating though, lol, because you can really often find thermals at the higher altitudes that electric motors obtain for you. DLG is so pure and much satisfaction is gained from getting a thermal off arm power, lol. What a snob! Jon

Brian Patrick

Hey Jon, do those DLG's last? I mean, with all that yanking on the wing tip, doesn't it take its toll on the plane?

Brian

maukaonyx

Maybe someone with more experience with DLG and who flies them religiously can provide a more reliable answer regarding DLG longevity. All I know is my Apache shows no signs of weakening in the wing or tips that I can tell. I used to think the whole tip would fall off on the launch, but it never happened and the whole wing seems as rigid as ever, with the plane now going into its second year of use. No matter which direction you take, it'll be fun and a learning experience. Jon

Brian Patrick

Thanks Jon!

Tall Paul

From what I've seen locally with DLGs, you get a lot of practice landing.

SpektrumRC

Hi everyone,

Thanks for reporting your experiences with the AR6250 here on the forums.  Because of your feedback, the Spektrum engineering team has been thoroughly investigating the instances reported with the AR6250 and has decided to issue a voluntary recall for these receivers.  The full details can be found at the link below:

http://www.spektrumrc.com/Products/S...odID=SPMAR6250

We’re very sorry for any inconvenience this causes you, and want to assure you that we’re working hard on the development and testing of a new solution that addresses the issues that some of you have been facing. This new receiver will be provided free of charge to those of you who own an AR6250 and return it to the Horizon service center (please click on the link above for details).

Sincerely,
Spektrum Marketing Team

Frede2

Thermals are everywhere. I suggest looking into Carbon Art Videos.
I started flying the Radian almost exclusively about a year ago after deciding that if I was ever going to learn thermaling, I'd better get started at 63 years of age.
The weather was so good for the 3rd calendar quarter last yeat that I was able to get about 75 climbs to altitude a week. Finding thermals just started coming to me. The most suprising ones are when I'm circling around the end of the airstrip losing altitude to land and I just keep getting higher and higher. These days, I find thermals almost every time I ffly.

Try it. You'll like it!
Phil

davidj

I've hooked thermals in December when it was 40 degrees outside. Rising air only takes a temperature diffenential. Thermals are everywhere, you just need to go find them.