Hello Dave and other AVA owners,
> written by Dave Darling:
> You don't know me, but I believe you wrote the E-mail on the AVA.
Yes, I've written a couple of emails on the AVA. I'm not sure how much
credence you can place on my ramblings, but normally I don't say/write
something without at least the experience or knowledge to back it up. I'll
be the first guy to tell you I don't know when that's the case. Mike Garton
did have a picture of my AVA in his soaring column in the last issue of
Model Aviation.
> Mine is almost together, just waiting for the spoiler servo to arrive, but
I didn't use your layout to install gear. I sort of copied that of Mike
Reagan, who won the RES class at Visalia with his, standard size Hitec
servos mounted in the rear of the servo tray, .080 carbon pushrods running
outside the fuselage to the rudder and stab.
Obviously his installation worked out OK!!!
I placed the servos as far forward as possible to reduce the need for nose
weight. Also, I installed .050" pushrods (lighter slower plane so I didn't
think bigger ones were needed) inside the boom, using foam plugs inside the
boom to lock the outer housing of the pushrod in place.
> Barry Kennedy said to balance the plane at 15 inches from the end of the
nose and install the towhook about 1/2 inch in front of that: As I recall,
you recommended a balance point 100 mm. behind the LE of the wing. That
would place the towhook perhaps 15 mm in front of that. Is that about
correct?
After flying the AVA some more the balance point, now at 105 mm from the
wing
leading edge, is spot on for me. It is now essentially neutrally stable
(unless you go vertical without the spoiler) and indicates the slightest
variation in lift. But as for towhook position, I can't say as I've never
used mine! So far all I've done is toss it off the mountain or up off the
flat and thermaled out. However, I would think that 15 mm would be a good
starting point. Mine is set for the first try, when I finally need it, at
116 mm from the nose cone offset (16 mm ahead of the CG), with 100% of the
adjustment (9 mm) going back from that position. I may end up unhappy with
this as it does not let me get the hook to or behind the CG.
Perhaps someone with winch or high start experience with an AVA can chime in
with their recommendation for towhook location..
> On mine, the servo tray was very thin, perhaps 1/20 inch, much too thin to
> mount servos: I reinforced the tray by cyaing small plywood rectangles
> under them and drilling through them, seems to be adequate.
I had the same problem. It seems that many of the new molded planes are
coming with molded trays, most of which are not thick enough in the area
where you want to use screws. I too have been adding plywood plates to the
underside of the tray so the screws have adequate 'bite'. I've even gone so
far lately as to install metal inserts (the type pressed into thin sheet
metal, 2-56) to give me permanent and solid threads where I have fears the
servos might move - and found at least one case where they did!! Two screws
in Volz servos without grommets is looking for problems when trying F3F
and DS'ing. I've eliminated the grommets as they are another elastic
element that can contribute to flutter. The same is true with four screws
and a molded tray, as the molded
materials often creep under load and the screw tension is lost after a
period of time! Sliding servos are really hell on centering!
> Lucky you, living in Germany, most of my favorite hobby shops and many
> friends are there!
Had you lived in Germany sometime earlier? I live quite close to
Heidelberg, not the best of areas for thermal soaring as there are very few
places big enough for even a short highstart. Most of the soaring I've done
has been of the alpine variety - launch off the mountain and go look for
lift. I have adapted their use of the 'speed start' - USA slope-on-a-rope -
to get some initial altitude to go look for lift. It keeps you from having
to walk or drive to a lower landing field after you've been unsuccessful
looking for lift. Nearly the most fun a grown man can have in 5 seconds
with a sailplane. When I return to the States I'll really have to psych
myself up to use a
winch because as compared to the 'speed start' it now seems ever so
dangerous! 8-)
> Any advice gratefully appreciated!
Hope some of this has helped.
regards,
Jim Porter
Neckargemund-Dilsberg
Germany
"The airplane stays up because it doesn't have the time to fall."
Orville Wright
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