Mode Zero

A great design from John Beer

Designed for single channel / galloping ghost

Plans and (interesting) article at https://outerzone.co.uk/plan_details.asp?ID=9044

I have an original from 1974 - and still fly it - and have been making different sizes - usually in depron (sorry)

Think of it as a design in between an Impala and an Amigo II - very common on the slopes around Stroud (which weren't thought be be steep enough for an Impala and a bit too wild for the Amigo / back end of a Soarcerer (given usual range of soaring conditions). All are good designs!

Well worth a build - I fly it on FrSky using Pascal Langer's s/c emulation - usually on Crook Peak

For a reason I don't understand it seems to damp out unwanted pitching - though tail moment / tail area seems to be about the same as Wizard of Oz

Various pix / video to come in the future

This pic from South Cotswold Soaring Association website



Don't recognise flyer...

Plan

Phil G's video from Ivinghoe Vintage Glider event

Near Z is 6mm depron + brushless outrunner (nose can go over if prop is off)

Wing made up with ribs and capping with c/f spars - hot glued.

Big mistake as covered in Solarfilm - shrinking built in warps - but all straight now. Won't build like that again...



Far Z is original from about 1974 - flies well - usually Crook Peak

Fr Sky and Pascal Langer s/c emulation - SW slope is spine ridge so hard to land on the button (well for me)

22 Oct 2020 60% Zeitgeist at Crook Peak





Fair amount of this flying on the button but trim wrong on elevator - so had to resort to elevator to get Z to penetrate

Wing is 2mm depron with ribs but no spars. Fuz is 6mm depron

Building a depron mini Z next week - in the interim

Z + seagull at Ivinghoe to remind us of summer

2mm depron (with apologies) - laser cut

some edges dodgy... had to run it through twice

I use some of the formers horizontally - stops fuz being crushed on launch...

Apologies for grandmothers / sucking eggs etc

I decided to make this version with a 6mm front floor to protect from bumpy landings / keep weight forward - though not of the other 2mm versions of the fuz have had a problem so far

Important to get sides to line up so I sellotape, open un and squirt in hot glue
Pretty straightforward build - with depron / hot glue best to glue, put on flat surface - and then move. This has the advantage of making joins true but stopping things getting glued to the table!

If this happens don't pull up but rotate horizontally which unsticks. Pulling up vertically just removes large chunks of depron
I put in formers - sometimes a few extra ones diagonally or horizontally - stops crushing of fuz when you launch

Hot glue is very heavy and either dries quickly (bad) if too cool - or burns and shrinks the depron if too hot (bad!) - best solution is to glue in small sections - and put on firm surface to make sure it's true. Easy to pull in an unwanted curve with 2mm depron

Spot welding works surprisingly well and certainly better than putting too long a line of glue which will solidify and, importantly, not make a solid join + heavy into the bargain





Laser cutting doesn't produce a straight cut but a slightly bevelled edge which can be useful - and lookswrong if you glue it the wrong way - e.g. fuz hatch / top rear sheet of fuz etc (and have less surface area)

Keep off cuts as sometimes useful - here to support the double layer that makes the front hatch

Hot glue allows you to (easily) build in a curve when gluing two surfaces

At rear of the hatch I have spot glued a small piece of depron at 90 degrees to the former - not much weight but far stronger - this former could easily be lite ply on a normal model but this works fine - This the 4th Zeitgeist this size.
I'm not promoting depron above balsa - but given this is the kitchen table and builds have to be fast and furious it works for me!