RE: Motor question for RC glider
I'm an L2, so I mostly fly I and J motors, but it's great fun to burn some BP once in a while, and two- and three-stage BP rockets are particularly fun. You should give it a shot.
Posted on: 9/13/2012 6:14 PM by Author "sylvie369" in the forum "Model Rockets & Rocketry"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11227809

RE: Motor question for RC glider
Respectfully: That's not quite correct. A -0 engine (D12-0, B6-0, etc.) does not contain an ejection charge. This is confirmed by the manufacturer here: http://www.estesrockets.com/media//catalogs/Estes_2012_Catalog.pdf (go to page 56, where you will read "Booster engines contain no delay or ejection charge"). An ejection charge in a booster would blow the upper stage clear without lighting the upper stage motor. Instead, as Charlie correctly said, "it just burns through". Booster motors often act as though they had ejection charges, though, as "burns through" does produce pressure in that direction, often enough to open a parachute despite the lack of ejection charge. That may be the source of your confusion.
Posted on: 9/10/2012 5:43 PM by Author "sylvie369" in the forum "Model Rockets & Rocketry"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11224348

RE: ol newbie
I think you'll find there's almost no activity on this forum. For questions/comments/help re. rocketry I suggest The Rocketry Forum instead. www.rocketryforum.com//index.php My apologies in advance if the RC Universe forum folks would rather I not post links to other forums. I just want to help out a rocketeer.
Posted on: 8/3/2012 11:53 AM by Author "sylvie369" in the forum "Model Rockets & Rocketry"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11179806

RE: Transmitter use
[quote]ORIGINAL: rgburrill I've heard that as long as I have been flying. But the members of the clubs I have been in say that is marketing hype and I believe it. I flew a 4-channel AM radio for over a year before finally "upgrading" to a 4 channel FM radio. It was at least 2 more years before I finally upgraded to a 7 channel computer radio. That was over 10 years ago and it is still my primary radio - and it is 72 MHz. So buy what you need now - by the time you want to upgrade something will come along that is much cheaper than it is today. [/quote] Perhaps it should be restated as "buy a computer radio, at least" (rather than something that sounds a lot like "spend as much money as you possibly can"). I'm pretty sure I'd be happy for quite a few years with any name brand 7 channel computer radio, as you are with yours. If I'm reading you correctly, you upgraded after one year, then again after two more years before settling in with your current radio ten years ago. Those first two upgrades are what I think people are trying to avoid. On the other hand, I paid the handsome sum of $100 for the 5 channel non-computer radio that I'd like to now replace, so yeah, it's not exactly going to break the bank if I stop using it in favor of a new one. In fact I've certainly gotten far more than $100 worth of enjoyment out of it in the 1-1/2 years I've been flying. But still if I were starting now knowing what I currently know, I'd have spent the extra $100 or so and gotten a computer radio instead.
Posted on: 7/19/2012 7:51 AM by Author "sylvie369" in the forum "Beginners"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11161084

RE: Transmitter use
As a newbie last year I bought a non-computer 5-channel radio. I'm mostly flying sailplanes, so the fact that it's only 5 channels doesn't really bother me, but I do wish I'd bought a computer radio. It seems that common advice is "buy the best transmitter you can afford right away, so you don't have to upgrade later". That sounds to me like good advice, and I wish I'd heard it in time. My radio is fine, but I bet I'll have another one before the end of next year.
Posted on: 7/18/2012 8:44 AM by Author "sylvie369" in the forum "Beginners"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11159880

RE: Apache DLG - Mods
[quote]ORIGINAL: Nodd Mix 1 - Ailerons to Rudder - I like it! Nothing too special here, when the ailerons move the rudder also moves. Much of thermalling is all about making smooth tight turns. Mixing in a little rudder helps keep the turns coordinated especially when the glider is far away & its difficult to see what's going on. I've flown her before with this mix & I think it helps. In addition to cleaning up my raggedy turns this mix also helps with low speed control. The small ailerons have a tendency to go mushy when she's close to stalling so the additional input from the rudder is nice. Some will say I should just use the left stick & I do. I find both aileron > rudder mixing & input from the left stick can work together in harmony for a glider. Now if we're talking aerobatics, that's different. [/quote] Curious: I've never flown an R/C plane with ailerons. I assume that a large part of learning to fly 4Ch is learning to coordinate rudder and bank in turns, just like in full scale flight (except without the seat-of-the-pants feel or the turn coordinator). This mix sounds like it takes care of that coordination, in theory at least, so you don't have to touch the rudder when banking into a turn. When you say "some will say I should just use the left stick", are you saying that some people will tell you to forget the mixing and just do it manually? With the mixing, do you run the risk of not learning the proper "feel" for adding rudder in a turn? (or more accurately, would *I* run that risk?). This is still fascinating stuff. I love these threads. They always make me want to get out there and fly, and I'm really glad I did this morning. Your thermals were all over here - there was lift galore, even early in the day. Today for my first time I felt like a hawk.
Posted on: 7/6/2012 6:23 PM by Author "sylvie369" in the forum "RC Gliders, Sailplanes and Slope Soaring"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11145919

RE: wondering about fling
I flew my Fling this morning in really good conditions, off the mini Hi-Start (which I have shortened considerably to keep the plane within the bounds of both my field and my vision). Great fun. I probably flew about 40 times, caught some small thermals and was able to keep her in the air while circling inside for a couple of revolutions. I hated to stop flying, but eventually I had to admit to myself that I was suffering heat exhaustion (it's going to be about 100 out yet again today). I flew at the new field I'd located, and it's a winner. Much closer than the place I'd been going, a little larger, and completely unused in the AM. I see that my vision is going to be the limiting factor in flying this thing. There were several times when I had good altitude and a lot of potential, but had to turn hard (and lose altitude) to make sure I knew whether I was flying toward or away from myself. I'll probably take my 2M sailplane out next time the conditions are like this - it's much easier to see. But that Fling has been worth every penny. Great fun. I may try pasting a little brightly colored trim monokote onto the top and bottom of the left wing to see if that helps with the orientation thing.
Posted on: 7/6/2012 8:25 AM by Author "sylvie369" in the forum "RC Gliders, Sailplanes and Slope Soaring"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11145274

RE: How to handle the guys with flawed plans?
[quote]ORIGINAL: rgm762 don't get me wrong, I have no problems with someone who wants to learn on their own, there's many success stories. it's the guy that comes to the field with a turbine, (true story) and after asking all the above questions, and all his answers are no, no experience flying, no sim time, etc etc, he bought it off ebay, then when you tell him he has the wrong plane to learn with, plus nobody in the club has a turbine waiver and show him an LT40 or an alpha 40 and his response is, "those planes are too ugly" what you do? what do you say? [/quote] How about "I'll bet they're prettier than yours will be if you try to fly it"?
Posted on: 6/25/2012 8:08 PM by Author "sylvie369" in the forum "Beginners"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11131913

RE: wondering about fling
[quote]ORIGINAL: Nikolas K Same thought for me also. I bought it as a trainer in sailplane flying techniques, before I build my 2m Gentle Lady (which will be electrified). [/quote] I think you'll be very glad that you did. I'm quite sure I would have seriously damaged or destroyed my 2M Riser if I'd flown it before learning on the Fling. I started by tossing the Fling down a hill over and over again until I had a pretty decent sense of the controls, then flew it off the mini High Start a few dozen times before I got the guts to fly the Riser. It turned out that the Riser was easier to fly than the Fling, but the practice really helped. I've flown both of them several hundred times now. Great hobby. One of these days I'll build a motorized fuselage for the Riser. I'm still flying pure sailplanes, but it'd be nice to be able to launch that much more easily.
Posted on: 6/22/2012 7:53 AM by Author "sylvie369" in the forum "RC Gliders, Sailplanes and Slope Soaring"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11127650

RE: How to handle the guys with flawed plans?
I'm a newbie myself in R/C, but I've been building and flying rockets and helping others learn to do so for a couple of decades now, and I've seen the same kind of thing: people who want to do the big exciting thing right away, without taking time to learn the ropes first. This thread seems to have two entirely separate discussions going on: the "do you need a club/instructor to learn to fly?" one and the original "what do you do about people who believe they can just start right in with the fancy, fast, flashy aircraft?" issue. I'll stick with the original issue. In a number of different areas (R/C, rockets, guitars, telescopes, cameras) I've seen the "more money than sense" phenomenon. It never ceases to amaze me. More amazingly, it seems to co-exist with the "what is the cheapest possible way to participate in this hobby?" phenomenon. You'd think they were contradictory, but nope, there they are, both at once. I think what happens is that people who COULD afford perfectly decent beginner level equipment instead spend the same amount of money on cheap versions of the fancy, advanced level stuff that advertises features they have no idea how to use even if it did work properly. Sometimes I think my childhood poverty was a big advantage in the long run. I fell for some of the cheap stuff, and was of course disappointed, and I think figured out by my mid-20s that in terms of my satisfaction, a solid piece of no-frills equipment beats a cheap knock-off of the fancy stuff every single time. Last year I spent a LOT of money to go to a guitar camp in hopes of finally moving past just strumming the thing to doing some fancy fingerstyle blues. There were 12 guys at the camp, and my $300 guitar (a 24 year old Seagull) was easily the cheapest one there. No-one else had a guitar that cost less than $1000, and most of them were about $2000-$2500. But at least half of those guys knew far less than I do about guitar playing. That's fine, of course - everyone is a beginner at some point - but how in the world do you spend $2500 on a guitar when all you can do is strum chords in the first position? I would have never dreamed of doing anything like that. The same thing happens over and over again in astronomy. People spend hundreds of dollars on telescopes when they would get much more out of a $120 pair of binoculars and a star chart (I'm completely guilty in this realm - as a kid, I poured money into big, cheap, useless telescopes, and never did learn the sky as I should have). In rocketry, the silliest version of the phenomenon is people getting all excited about finding free cardboard tubes that they want to turn into high power rockets. Really? You're going to fly $75 motors with $80 altimeters and you can't spring for $15 for a properly-sized body tube from a rocket parts manufacturer?
Posted on: 6/22/2012 7:47 AM by Author "sylvie369" in the forum "Beginners"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11127637

RE: wondering about fling
[quote]ORIGINAL: Tom Nied sylvie369 that's the battery I have. Where did you mount your battery? On my fling for balance it would be right over the canopy and no room for it inside. [/quote] Hmm. Mine is under the wing, running from the front of the chord back. I do have a small amount of nose weight as well - a small bolt and a nut on it, in the very nose. My receiver is also up in the very
Posted on: 6/22/2012 5:21 AM by Author "sylvie369" in the forum "RC Gliders, Sailplanes and Slope Soaring"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11127505

RE: wondering about fling
[quote]ORIGINAL: Nikolas K I have thrown away the supplied pull pull strings and I am using dacron fishing line. I have lots of it and it is easier to tighten and use, at least for me. For that flying field, my friend, I have to drive for 80 kilometers. It is an old salt pit. [/quote] I imagine the day will come when I replace the lines, and I'll keep your recommendation in mind. I'm too new to flying these things to have a good grip on where the good fields are, but I'm finding better ones than where I started. I have a new one in mind for the next time the wind is low enough to fly. As for the battery, I just used the one that Tower Hobbies recommends for the Fling: www3.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin/wti0001p I'm perfectly happy with it. I had a much bigger problem finding a usable receiver. I wound up prying the case off of a Hobbyking Spectrum clone, and using that.
Posted on: 6/21/2012 5:35 PM by Author "sylvie369" in the forum "RC Gliders, Sailplanes and Slope Soaring"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11127122

RE: wondering about fling
I've managed to get a lot of flying out of mine, and I'm very pleased with it. I _hated_ tying those pull-pull lines, and it took me a lot of tries to get them reasonably tight, but she flies great. I'm envious of your flying field. I'd love to launch her somewhere like that.
Posted on: 6/20/2012 8:27 PM by Author "sylvie369" in the forum "RC Gliders, Sailplanes and Slope Soaring"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11126047

RE: What kind of transmitter is good for beginner airplanes?
[quote]ORIGINAL: BarracudaHockey Get the best radio you can afford if you plan on being in the hobby a while. Its cheaper in the long run to buy a decent radio than to keep upgrading when you get sick of the cheap ones. [/quote] Agreed. Like many others, I spent less than I should have on my first radio. It's a perfectly decent radio and has worked flawlessly, but I now realize that I should have spent another $100 and gotten a computer radio with a few more bells and whistles. Were I making that decision today, I'd buy a DX7 or DX8 (depending upon how rich I felt at the time). Now I think I'll wind up buying a second radio - I'm pretty certain that I'd have been happy for a LONG time with either of those.
Posted on: 6/18/2012 6:06 AM by Author "sylvie369" in the forum "Beginners"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11122197

RE: Daytime Strobe to Signal Lift
[quote]ORIGINAL: Nodd Yeah I'll need to figure out how the trigger works. I know the Thermal Scout has several modes including a "data mode" which increases the output voltage in relation to the lift its sensing. Maybe I'll order one & see whats what. [/quote] That mode looks pretty straightforward - PWM voltage output. You could run it into a comparator like what you see here to activate the strobe (you may need something more than just a transistor as the switch). If you were willing to carry two strobes you could even have a "one strobe indicates weak lift, two indicates strong lift" circuit, using a dual comparator with two different voltage thresholds.
Posted on: 6/12/2012 8:47 AM by Author "sylvie369" in the forum "RC Gliders, Sailplanes and Slope Soaring"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11115569

RE: New T28 Trojan.. well replacement
[quote]ORIGINAL: Villa Well, since the elevator on a Canard is on the front wing, the elevator needs to move DOWN for UP elevator. I had designed and built the plane but never realized that difference. I reversed the elevator servo on the transmitter and took off. I just realized that a photo of the plane is to the left of this message. I totaled it last year and have a strong desire to build another. [/quote] I wish I had an excuse like that, but I don't. Mine was on a standard tail sailplane, one I flew a couple of hundred flights on last summer. Just a plain old rookie mistake, one that I hope I never make again. My transmitter does have a servo reversing switch but there was no way I was going to be able to reverse it while flying, even if I HAD thought of it, and even if there had been time between when I realized what had gone wrong and when I found the ground. In a testament to modern R/C design, I reversed the servo back to normal and flew her about 25 times (short flights off a high-start) after the accident. I realize I was pretty lucky - by all rights, I should have destroyed the plane. On the plus side, it was pretty cool to see how well she flew upside-down.
Posted on: 6/11/2012 10:31 AM by Author "sylvie369" in the forum "Beginners"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11114497

RE: New T28 Trojan.. well replacement
I learned this lesson the semi-hard way (no damage, thank goodness, but major heart attacks) on my first flight of the year, with the elevators reversed. Fortunately it's really easy to fly that way when your plane has flipped over onto its back.
Posted on: 6/10/2012 4:12 PM by Author "sylvie369" in the forum "Beginners"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11113606

RE: New to planes!
Just a couple of days ago I stopped at a field where I saw a club flying, and asked a few questions, and got more good answers than in a week of forum browsing. I think once they realize you're not going to get in the way and you're not going to ask "can I fly your plane?" (<grin>), they're more than happy to show off their stuff and answer your questions. I've been flying one of those little light foam-and-plastic "Champ" models, as well as a couple of much larger (2M) sailplanes, and having seen some larger (3-4 pound) high wing trainers close up makes me think I might be ready to try that - with close supervision, of course.
Posted on: 6/5/2012 6:42 AM by Author "sylvie369" in the forum "Beginners"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11107114

RE: Sailplane Wing Design Round II
[quote]ORIGINAL: Nodd When I first looked at split rib designs I thought, "well that's no good, the front & rear of the wing will just fall off". I'm still not 100% clear why this doesn't occur but I'm guessing the top & bottom sheeting may play a role. Also one rib butt-joined to the spar is probably quite weak but tied together with the rest of them via the LE or TE I guess they help support each other? My last thought is if the ribs are epoxied to the spar, that bond is stronger than the rib itself, so if its going to break, its the rib that'll fail, not the joint. I'm just guessing though *shrug*. [/quote] Ah, I've crashed enough rockets to be quite confident that if you're attaching parts properly, the joints will be stronger than the material itself. I'd be very surprised if you could break a rib off rather than breaking it in half. If I'm understanding the discussion properly, part of the issue is spar caps (the CF, in this case) debonding under flight loads from the spruce spar itself, thus leaving the spruce spar to bear the load. And wrapping is aimed solely at keeping that debonding from happening. Correct?
Posted on: 6/3/2012 4:05 AM by Author "sylvie369" in the forum "RC Gliders, Sailplanes and Slope Soaring"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11104497

RE: Sailplane Wing Design Round II
Newbie question: It looks like essentially all of the work to strengthen the wing is aimed at the spar. Under normal flight loads (that is, when not crashing into things), is it fair to say that's the only part that really matters? In other words, the accident involving wing 1 came in normal flight when the wing folded at an inboard piece. If the spar had been of sufficient strength to hold, might some other part of the wing have failed? Or is the spar bearing essentially all of the flight loads? Is there no point in strengthening ribs (for example) beyond just normal good construction? (assume I'm not talking about failures of hinges or other control surface moving parts). I ask because I was kind of amazed to see the "Continuous Webbing - Split Ribs" idea.
Posted on: 6/2/2012 4:19 AM by Author "sylvie369" in the forum "RC Gliders, Sailplanes and Slope Soaring"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11103523

RE: Astron Falcon wing airfoil
I put mine up on a B once. By pure dumb luck I managed to see it as it glided near the rising sun, and I was able to recover it a good half-mile away from the launch pad. Never again. Great flier.
Posted on: 5/29/2012 8:08 PM by Author "sylvie369" in the forum "Model Rockets & Rocketry"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11099345

RE: Sailplane Wing Design Round II
I'm sorry - and amazed - to hear this. If it's any consolation, this is even more great education for us newbies. Looking forward to the new build thread.
Posted on: 5/29/2012 1:41 PM by Author "sylvie369" in the forum "RC Gliders, Sailplanes and Slope Soaring"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11098893

RE: Spectrum receivers
At least a few of their product descriptions include this: "***we are not able to tell this is a real spektrum rx, or not. But we are responsible for the quality, and guaranty each rx to be in good working situation, any defects can be return or refund***" Uh, okay.
Posted on: 5/17/2012 7:33 PM by Author "sylvie369" in the forum "Beginners"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11085142

RE: Good gliders
[quote]ORIGINAL: da Rock Gentle Lady for an excellent beginner glider. You'll need a HiStart and more than the average RC field to fly it. Using a HiStart at your average RC field won't work very well. There used to be a DrifterII and a Sig Riser that were similar. They are excellent beginner gliders. If you're wanting to thermal and want to catch at least a few in your lifetime, keep in mind that the greater the wingspan the more probability you'll have finding lift and thermals. 2m is about where you'll have better luck. The Bird of Time was available from Tower last year. It's 118" wing makes it a better bet finding thermals. Another HiStart required glider. [/quote] The Bird of Time is still available from Tower Hobbies, both in kit and ARF form. The Sig Riser is still available from Sig - I just built my second one.
Posted on: 5/16/2012 12:13 PM by Author "sylvie369" in the forum "RC Gliders, Sailplanes and Slope Soaring"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11083242

RE: Scratch Designed/Built Sailplane
Newbie Question: The flaps are attached/hinged by the tape alone? Did you just put them into position and then run the tape across the top? One side only? This has been a fascinating thread. Thanks.
Posted on: 5/4/2012 5:19 AM by Author "sylvie369" in the forum "RC Gliders, Sailplanes and Slope Soaring"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11067979

RE: binding question
Do the other Spektrum transmitters (DX6i, DX7, DX8 etc.) only need to be bound once to each plane? That is, once they've been bound to a plane, if I used a different plane, and came back, I wouldn't have to re-bind? Forgive my newbie-ness, but I've got a DX5, and I assumed that you ALWAYS had to re-bind when you switched from one plane to another, no matter which transmitter. If that's not true for the other ones, that might be the push it takes to get me to upgrade.
Posted on: 4/29/2012 4:43 AM by Author "sylvie369" in the forum "Beginners"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11060973

RE: Rocket powered glider
There is an active "Rocket-Booster gliders" sub-forum at The Rocketry Forum: www.rocketryforum.com/index.php I'm sure that will be your best bet.
Posted on: 4/29/2012 4:39 AM by Author "sylvie369" in the forum "Beginners"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11060968

RE: Scratch Designed/Built Sailplane
This "silly build thread" is the most educational thing I've seen here. On the other hand, it's depressing to see how much work I have to do on my covering technique. I'd better get another build started for practice.
Posted on: 4/29/2012 4:35 AM by Author "sylvie369" in the forum "RC Gliders, Sailplanes and Slope Soaring"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11060964

RE: Brand New
As a complete newbie last spring I built a Sig Riser sailplane, one that is very similar to the Gentle Lady that red head suggested. I second his/her suggestion - I built mine from a kit, with essentially no experience (unless you count little Guillow rubberband-powered ones), and was able to get her flying from an Upstart (bungee cord launcher). Very very satisfying. I've built a second one which will fly if we ever get a day with less than gale force winds again. You should be able to come in well under that $250 budget, even with a low end 2.4 GHz radio included.
Posted on: 4/25/2012 4:00 PM by Author "sylvie369" in the forum "Beginners"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11056682

RE: Gentle lady or Sophisticatied lady?
Okay, thanks. I get it. All this talk makes me want to build a Gentle Lady. It'll make a great winter project, except of course for the agony of not being able to fly it right away.
Posted on: 10/19/2011 10:11 AM by Author "sylvie369" in the forum "RC Gliders, Sailplanes and Slope Soaring"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10773163