How is "Lockdown" going for you?

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Mike_K
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Joined: 16 Feb 2018, 06:35
Location: Hertfordshire

Re: How is "Lockdown" going for you?

Post by Mike_K »

Hi Paul

What a shame it got broken, it's a really good looking glider. I have a similar looking "Simply the Best" powered glider with v-tail (from electro-slot days) with a similar looking amount of dihedral on a polyhedral wing platform. It flies very well, but its first flight was a similar near disaster, twitchy as hell on the elevator and no rudder response. I was lucky I was in a large field and landed without damage. They also did a "standard tail" version and it had a tiny movement on elevator and a barn door movement on rudder. I just checked my transmitter and it has 78% rudder and 22% elevator mix and I'd say it has a more powerful elevator response than rudder. If you do decide to rebuild, try way more rudder authority, not necessarily more dihedral.

Mike
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_AL_
Posts: 160
Joined: 17 Feb 2018, 01:09
Location: Sydney Australia

Re: How is "Lockdown" going for you?

Post by _AL_ »

Put it in in a corner for a few months. The repairs always seem easier once it's been sitting for a while.
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_AL_
Posts: 160
Joined: 17 Feb 2018, 01:09
Location: Sydney Australia

Re: How is "Lockdown" going for you?

Post by _AL_ »

Sounds like the Covid is rampant over in the UK at the moment. I hope you all are staying safe.
We've been lucky over here so far. Minimal impact on life in general aside from a short lockdown earlier in the year.
Stay safe everyone.

Al
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Sundancer
Posts: 122
Joined: 07 Jun 2018, 09:28
Location: Limousin, France

Re: How is "Lockdown" going for you?

Post by Sundancer »

You are right there _AL_, things are pretty bad in the UK and not a whole lot better here in France. We are currently sort of "semi locked down" in this rural area but things are not good in the cities and the north. The government is currently under fire for the very slow start to the vaccination programme - whilst the Germans managed 240,000 in the first week of roll out the score in France was 516 (yes, that is five hundred and sixteen!). I think the main reason for this was the French love of paperwork and bureaucracy in that one was supposed to make a doctor's appointment whereat you would be briefed on the vaccine and any possible side effects and sign a consent form which, once registered then required one to make a further appointment to receive the vaccination. Since it takes 1 to 2 weeks to get an appointment, perhaps the pathetic rate of vaccination is hardly to be wondered at.

Paul; what a shame to break such a nice looking glider. I agree with what has been said about a bit more dihedral improving the rudder response but also wonder if something else may be at play here. I have had a few "V" tail RET power models and lots of "V" tail RE soarers, both electric and pure glider. I found early on that to get the kind of balanced response I wanted the sweet spot for the "V" tail was an included angle of 100 to 110 degrees - that is 35 to 40 degrees dihedral on each half, leaning towards the 100/40 solution. Any bigger included angle than this resulted in a twitchy elevator and sluggish rudder. Given this set-up - and adequate dihedral (I use the "one inch per foot of semi-span plus one inch" rule of thumb) I have to say that I found the responses of my "V" tail RE soarers as good as and in some cases better than conventional tail models. I don't know what the "V" angle is on your Corona, it is hard to tell as it looks OK in the front view photo but a bit flat in the rear view which may be an optical illusion.

It is also worth bearing in mind that, in going to a "V" tail it needs to be somewhat larger in total area than the conventional tailplane - for example, if the conventional set-up has a 10% tailplane I would use 12.5% in total for an equivalent "V" set-up.

Of course, none of the above may apply to your model, it might just be a case of CG a bit too far back!

Stay safe everyone.
bluejets
Posts: 316
Joined: 19 Jun 2019, 04:09

Re: How is "Lockdown" going for you?

Post by bluejets »

Those figures sound much the same as we used to use back in the 90's.
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PaulJ
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Joined: 16 Feb 2018, 19:01
Location: Ipswich, UK

Re: How is "Lockdown" going for you?

Post by PaulJ »

Sundancer thanks for your comments....... The included angle of the Corona's tailplane was 110 degrees. I can't remember the area but I think it was about 10%. I have built several V-Tailers in the past and all had an angle of 110 degrees but they were all slopers, mainly slope pylon racers and had no rudder function, just Elevator (with coupled Flap) and Aileron with zero dihedral.
Lapwing 001.jpg
Lapwing M 001.jpg
Lapwing S 001.jpg
Something Else 2 (800x582).jpg
The last (red) one was a not very successful thermal soarer but used Flaperons and Elevator but no Rudder. It had a very small tailplane and was quite controllable but it was too heavy. I think the Corona's tail was big enough but I suspect the wing could have done with a bit more dihedral....... Hindsight is a wonderful thing! ;)

Paul
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Wayne_H
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Location: Temora, NSW. Australia
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Re: How is "Lockdown" going for you?

Post by Wayne_H »

While COVID has forever changed the way the world "feels & operates", one thing it clearly has not changed is the creativity, lateral thinking, positive attitude, the depth and breadth of technical expertise, the support & encouragement, and the willingness to help and share - the esprit de corps - of this group.

MZ, for me, is a bright light in an otherwise media-fuelled world of doom & gloom. I check in everyday just for a sanity saver, a re-charge & inspiration.

Thanks gang! Stay safe & well, wherever you may be in this crazy world. :)
Cheers,

Wayne
Once a Retrobate, always a Retrobate............ ;)
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Mike_K
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Joined: 16 Feb 2018, 06:35
Location: Hertfordshire

Re: How is "Lockdown" going for you?

Post by Mike_K »

Hi Paul

I was out flying today with my V-Tail glider, an FVK/Vladimir's Models "Simply-the-Best" and while flying a steep banked turn, I remembered the problem you'd had with your e-powered glider. I took a picture of it from a low down view, so you can see how little dihedral it has, there is none in the centre section and then one dihedral brake at about 50% span and another dihedral break around 90% span. Similar to yours, it's 2-channel rudder/elevator and flies as nicely as any other e-powered glider I've flown.

The setup is per the instructions, the cg is 35% cord and instructions say it can be between 30 - 40% and I tried adjusting the v-tail mix and 66% rudder movement, 33% elevator was the minimum I felt I had adequate rudder control (I know the transmitter photo shows an elevon, but as it's 2 channel and I want to use the aileron stick as it has to be elevon mix, not a v-tail mix). I wonder if your glider would benefit from a slightly more rear cg, more rudder movement and/or some additional dihedral at the tips?

Just for the record, there was a surprising amount of thermal activity around earlier today, though I was too rusty to hook up to most. From a 30 second motor run, I had a few 4-minute flights and a 9-minute flight. I hope you try and repair your model as it was good looking and I'm certain you weren't far off success.

Cheers Mike
STB.jpg
v-tail_mix.jpg
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PaulJ
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Location: Ipswich, UK

Re: How is "Lockdown" going for you?

Post by PaulJ »

Hi Mike,

Many thanks for this but sadly it is too late...... In the cool light of a few days later I had a good look at what was required to repair the Corona and decided that the fuselage needed a new nose grafted on and the wings were just too badly damaged and it needed new wings..... It had been quite a big build and frankly, I just didn't want to do it all again so I salvaged the hardware and burned what remained of the airframe. :cry: "You win some, you lose some......"

Paul
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Wayne_H
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Re: How is "Lockdown" going for you?

Post by Wayne_H »

G'day All,

Here in NZ & back home in Aus we continue to hear reports from other parts of the world of more lockdowns, harsh travel restrictions, rising morbidity rates, new COVID strains, delays or other problems with rolling out 'the jab', etc. :o

Wherever you are, be safe & stay well ;) .
Cheers,

Wayne
Once a Retrobate, always a Retrobate............ ;)
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