[RCSE] Re: Beginner Sailplane recommendation

[Jeff Thompson]

How about something from californiasailplanes.com Their Eraser 60 performs very well and is easy to build.  With more effort, their Redback 60" sailplane performs great and is very sleek for a foamie.  Finally their U2 is a fast performer, though requires more wind than the Redback or Eraser 60. Who says foam doesn't perform? If you'd like something scale that still flies very well, check out leadingedgegliders.com  which has gliders in a range from 48" to 72", and I can attest that they fly very well in a wide range of wind speeds.  You can even have them expertly shape the fuselage for a small additional charge. I would recommend an EPP foam glider like these over Graupner's easily broken 'Elapor' foam gliders.  Learning to fly is a lot more fun when your mistakes don't end the day's flying or require frequent field repairs.  Besides, these planes will fly much better than the Easy Glider. Jeff Soaring wrote: Soaring Sat, 27 May 2006 Volume 1 : Number 7705 In this issue: RE: [RCSE] Beginner sailplane recommendations ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Sat, 27 May 2006 09:33:06 -0400 (EDT) From: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Cc: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>, <soaring@airage.com> Subject: RE: [RCSE] Beginner sailplane recommendations Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> I have assembled and flown both Easy Star and Easy Glider (non-motorized version) and recommend the Easy Star as a first plane to learn on. It glides very well and is much easier to handle and transport on the ground. As was mentioned by Ed Anderson, Easy Glider does not penetrate well unless it is ballasted and a hefty nose weight added. I put 2 inch long steel rod pieces in the spar tube and another couple of ounces in the nose to make it penetrate on the slope. For Easy Star, a beginner is likely to corkscrew the plane unwittingly. I helped a friend recover from one and the wing broke at the end of the spar. A length of fiberglass tape from the wing root to over the curved wingtip edge solved this weakness. I also like to dive the Easy Star full throttle on a brushless motor and found the horizontal stab lose authority in recovering from steep dives, resulting in my Easy Star taking a dunk in the Han River of South Korea on more than 1 occasion. This too was solved by adding a length of fiberglass tape on the bottom surface of the horizontal stab and the elevator. One more modification for a beginner Easy Star is to fix the wing to the fuse. I found the wing roots get loose after few insertions, removals and tumbles. Of course, having a minivan big enough to carry the fully assembled Easy Star is helpful too. I get fine directional control with the stock rudder - just have to be patient and wait for the plane to listen to your directional control input or anticipate the necessary change in direction by a few seconds :) Hee-Choon Sam Lee Seoul, Korea Member of RCCAFE, AMA 817622 Personally I'd recommend the Easy Star since it's electric, he'll get more flying time in per session. I'd recommend making the rudder 1/2-1" wider since the rudder is pretty small. I taught my brother-in-law to fly with one. gv -----Original Message----- From: Jim Laurel [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]] Sent: Friday, May 26, 2006 5:23 PM To: RCSE Yahoo Subject: [RCSE] Beginner sailplane recommendations I know this has been discussed before, but wanted to get your current thinking. A co-worker hears me talking about soaring all the time and is asking about a sailplane for his son. Years ago I would have suggested a Highlander, but they are no more and there don't seem to be any really credible (i.e., decent performing) foamies. If you want a nice molded TD plane, I can talk all day, but when it comes to this kind of plane, I'm at a loss. I'm thinking about recommending the Multiplex Easy Glider, which is inexpensive and readily available from Tower Hobbies: http://www2.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin/wti0001p?&I=LXKHS7&P=7 Any ideas appreciated. .............................. Jim Laurel Co-founder Twango Inc. mob 425.985.4849 ofc 425.883.1638 http://www.twango.com/profile.aspx?twangoid=jim RCSE-List facilities provided by Model Airplane News. Send "subscribe" and "unsubscribe" requests to soaring-request@airage.com. Please note that subscribe and unsubscribe messages must be sent in text only format with MIME turned off. Email sent from web based email such as Hotmail and AOL are generally NOT in text format RCSE-List facilities provided by Model Airplane News. Send "subscribe" and "unsubscribe" requests to soaring-request@airage.com. Please note that subscribe and unsubscribe messages must be sent in text only format with MIME turned off. Email sent from web based email such as Hotmail and AOL are generally NOT in text format ------------------------------ End of Soaring V1 #7705 *********************** RCSE-List facilities provided by Model Airplane News. Send "subscribe" and "unsubscribe" requests to soaring-request@airage.com. Please note that subscribe and unsubscribe messages must be sent in text only format with MIME turned off. Email sent from web based email such as Hotmail and AOL are generally NOT in text format RCSE-List facilities provided by Model Airplane News. Send "subscribe" and "unsubscribe" requests to [EMAIL PROTECTED] Please note that subscribe and unsubscribe messages must be sent in text only format with MIME turned off. Email sent from web based email such as Hotmail and AOL are generally NOT in text format