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Re: Been sloping...

Posted: 20 Mar 2019, 17:20
by Shaun
Spike, I can honestly say I've never landed wheels up on any full sized plane I've flown. Good reason... Chipmunks Spam Cans, Jodels, Auster's, Cubs, Tiger Moths, Pitts etc don't have retracts 😀😀

Shaun

Re: Been sloping...

Posted: 20 Mar 2019, 17:33
by Martin
Many years ago I took off a large model Extra 300 (108 glow motor) with the ailerons reversed - and it survived. :o

The other three channels were the right way round - throttle is obvious and you 'check' the rudder and elevator during the ground run and rotation. I'd selected the wrong model memory (the transmitter was a Futaba FF7 and I think only had four model memories? 35MHz back then, and no 'model match' or whatever it's called). By chance three of the four channels worked the right way round.

Only reason it survived was I always used to pull that model straight up into a vertical climb after take off (to show off :lol: )... as it accelerated upwards I made some instinctive slight roll corrections... and I quickly realized what I'd done. :oops:

I found I could fly it in circuits concentrating like mad, but I knew I would revert to instinct mode during the landing approach and total it. I tried steering on the rudder and leaving the ailerons alone, but with an Extra 300, there is zero roll/yaw coupling.

Luckily there was a mate there who had the same transmitter so I called him over and while I continued to fly he accessed the transmitter menus and reversed the ailerons for me with a '3-2-1-Now!' countdown. What a relief! I've not made the same mistake since, but I suppose I will again at some point. :?

Re: Been sloping...

Posted: 20 Mar 2019, 19:14
by Spike S
After somehow successfully leaving the ground, I have heard stories of (model) pilots holding the Tx upside down. Elevator is still pull/push but the body's muscle-memory seems to be able to cope with a reversed aileron using that contortionist procedure. Still far better to get it right before takeoff.

There used to be a showman in Covent Garden who had a pushbike challenge with its handlebars geared to make the front forks go the 'wrong' way; it was (just) possible to ride it by crossing your arms, not looking at the handlebars, and trying not to think about it. Strange device, the Brain. :shock:

Apologies for the slight thread diversion but reversed ailerons is a totally avoidable event.

P.S. My only wheels up was in a COBRA 15 after 5+ hours of thermalling and desperate for a pee. Fortunately it was on grass and a 'greaser' but it took me a few hours of gelcoat refurbishment to put things right. I was mortified by my failure to properly complete my Pre-Landing Checks and a suitably long period of groveling to the CFI followed.

Re: Been sloping...

Posted: 20 Mar 2019, 20:27
by NeilMac
The man that never made a mistake, never made anything.

Re: Been sloping...

Posted: 21 Mar 2019, 15:31
by Colonel Blink
Good old BUMFITCH.... always made sure that I hadn't unbolted the wheels on a PA28 or a Robin 2160...

Re: Been sloping...

Posted: 23 Mar 2019, 06:30
by NeilMac
Mine has an all flying horizontal stabiliser.

In short, I cut the stab into three bits, set a tube into the centre section and a shaft through into the two outer parts. I'll take some photo's.

I kinda followed what Stephen Jones did on RCM&E forum, only not quite as neatly as I was sort of feeling my way with a white stick.

EDIT: Just looked up the Flame Glider, yup, that's the Bolt.

Re: Been sloping...

Posted: 25 Mar 2019, 21:12
by NeilMac
Took the Wildthing and the Bolt back to Sand Point today, but had two issues.

First the film company are still using Middle Hope; it's a Jane Austen apparently.

Second the wind that I could feel in my garden and could see blowing flags about when I got to the beach was almost totally absent up on Middle Hope.... not that it made any odds cos there were a bunch of horses and film cameras and all sorts up there too..... :roll:

Re: Been sloping...

Posted: 29 Apr 2019, 08:21
by NeilMac
Had a wander over to Sand Point again yesterday afternoon but the wind was from the wrong direction... again. So I ended up at the old Weston Airfield which is now being turned into a housing estate. I had great fun with my mini DLG until the wind just took it over the fence of the helicopter museum. :roll:

No problem, think I and drive to the museum, only to be met by a complete jobsworth who would not move his lard arse out of the chair to help. He told me I could not retrieve the model as "it's on a live airfield" and that he could not get it because he was "on his own" and I would have to wait "quite some time until he locked up". Given the fenced area is too narrow for any helicopter to land on and that the rest of the old field is open to the public and has a road running through the middle of it, and that there were at least two volunteers in the museum, I decided the guy was being a pratt. I did wait in the car park, as requested, but when 20 minutes later one of the volunteers came out and headed for his car, I realised that the chances of cooperation were nil, so I drove back round to the field, walked the half mile to the 7 foot wire fence, climbed over it, got my model back, and climbed back out again ripping my jeans in the process. :evil:

On the plus side, the wind and weather look favourable from mid week onwards.

Re: Been sloping...

Posted: 17 May 2019, 13:37
by Carl
Went flying this morning and the breeze was northerly and blowing directly onto the ridge of where I often fly. I tested a glider that a local guy gave me and it flies well but needs a bigger rudder as response was very slow. I moved onto a little HK Ezio 800 I purchased some time ago as it was on offer. It's a great glider though a little fragile in places (these areas I've sorted).

I had my first bit of slope soaring ever today with the Ezio. I must say I cheated by using a little power to gain some height and move away from the slope but cut the power and found I was slope soaring :D

The good thing is that I now know I have somewhere with little risk to go sloping when the North wind blows :) The model will need to be lightly loaded, but then today was only a breeze, so I guess with stronger winds I could try something more heavily loaded. I'll try there again when I have a northerly again.

Re: Been sloping...

Posted: 20 May 2019, 16:24
by NeilMac
Today turned from grey and overcast with no breeze to speak of into bright, sunny and warm with a nice 8 to 10 MPH Westerly breeze, so off to Middle Hope I went with three lightweight / cheap models: My converted Bolt, 1200mm span, my foam and carbon miniVick DLG, 775mm wingspan and my newly built Z84 flying wing with 850mm wingspan and no motor.

When I got to Middle Hope, as feared the wind was coming across from West Somerset rather than Wales, so the wrong direction for my training slopes. I wasn't about to go straight home so I had a wander about over some of the slopes and thought.... s*d it! Let's fly. This meant launching into a superb bowl that looks to have loads of lift and a land (rather than mud or sea) landing at the base should the worst happen, trouble is, the base is about 80 m down.

First the Z84, after a couple of launches into long grass it was off the edge and it very quickly became apparent that loads more throw is required, I really only had marginal control with almost no authority, so before I did some real harm, I packed it away.

Next the MiniVick. This is now suffering slightly from several months hard use and after a couple of fun launches where it more or less hung where I released it, slope style rather than dlg launch, a slightly fast down wind 'landing' into long grass pulled a z link free of its carbon pushrod, so another one for the workshop.

Back to the car with the casualties and back up the hill again with the Bolt, which is still to be proven.... well it is now. Were it not for two novice /pilot error hard landings I would still be there now, but while enjoying watching it fly I forgot the first rule of sloping.... never turn towards the slope. While carving a beautiful turn I suck up elevator on and thought it will hop over the top of the slope.... erm, no it wont, what it will do is fly straight into the slope. :roll:

So, three in the workshop and a little work to do, nothing serious which means I may well be back there later this week. Plus, I have now got the HiFly, so I'll be installing the Digimac 2.4 and may be brave enough to give that one a try too.