From: dfk@col.hp.com (David F. Kurth)
Subject: Re: Some Glider Questions...
Date: Thu, 20 Aug 1992 20:52:41 GMT
Organization: HP Colorado Springs Division

frei@astro.Princeton.EDU (Zsolt Frei) writes:
> 
> Hi Fellow Netters!
> 
> I just decided to get into this hobby starting with some simple gliders.
> ....
> After absorbing all the above information I still have some questions:

Go to a local hobby store and ask if they know any clubs in your area.
Go find their field and hangout there.  Find somebody who likes to
help newcomers or has a knack for instructing or is just plain helpful.
Find out what planes they like and which ones they don't.  You can learn 
alot more and alot faster from other peoples experience.
> 
> - Radio: If somebody *WANTS* to stay with polyhedral gliders do you
>   still suggest to buy a 4 channel system, or a simple 2 channel AM
>   system is enough? 
>   How long will normal AA batteries last as transmitter and receiver 
>   batteries in the cheap 2 channel AM systems?

I believe the 2 channel systems have rudder and elevator controls on
SEPARATE sticks.  I tried to fly a friend's plane (his first plane)
with a 2 channel radio and almost broke the right-hand stick off!
I won't fly a 2 channel radio again.  I don't think anybody in our
club uses a 2 channel radio.
Buy the 4 channel system.  It comes with Ni-Cads so you don't have to
worry about "how will normal AA batteries last".  Someday you *will*
want spoilers (a third channel).  If you give up on this great hobby,
it will be easier to sell a 4 channel radio.

> 
> - Kit: Can I use STANDARD SERVO-s in the 2 meter planes???  

I built an Oly II (100 inch wingspan) as my first plane which of
course has more room in it for servos.  You can put standard servos
in most anything, but you may have to work more to make them fit.  I
believe most 2-meter planes (trainers/beginner types) will accommodate
standard servos and battery packs.

>   Wing loading is a key factor? Lower wing loading stays up longer?
>   Are these planes good for both thermal and slope soaring?

Wing loading is a key factor.  Lighter planes stay up longer.  The
trade off is that light wing loading on a flat-bottom airfoil
(what you want for a beginner plane) results in a slow airspeed.
This is great for learning how to fly since you will have some 
reaction time to correct the plane's attitude and avoid crashes.
Light wing loading is bad on windy days when you find you have
to use full down trim in just to keep from going backwards.
I've seen lots of Gentle Lady's (a 2-meter plane) on the slope
flying great in light wind when the heavy planes aren't able
to stay up.  When the wind get above 10 or 15 mph, the Gentle
Lady's get real scarce.

> 
> - Hi-Start: There is very little talk about hi-starts in the FAQ file.
>   Any instructions on how to use them? Which one to buy? 300 feet or
>   800 feet versions? Can I operate it alone?

I've only seem "regular" and "heavy duty" hi-starts.  The heavy duty
version has larger diameter rubber hose and will pull a 100 inch and
larger planes up.  For a 2-meter plane, the regular version is fine.
Most of the hi-starts have 100 feet of rubber.  The rest is string/cord.
The longer the length, the higher the launch (roughly).  A longer length 
also requires a longer field to lay it out.

You can run a hi-start by yourself quite easily.  Lay it out into
the wind, pull the string back until the rubber is stretched 2 to 4 
times (or the pull tension is what you want), connect the ring to 
the hook on the plane, verify the radio is on and surfaces wiggle,
and let it go.
Get help before that first flight though to get everything setup properly.
If you don't, you may find your plane hurling at the ground nose first 
or upside down on a pop-off a few feet above the ground.

If you find a club with a winch, you may not even need the hi-start.
I've had much more fun flying with other people.  When I started, I'd
fly by myself with my hi-start and usually had poor flight times (around
2 minutes).  Well, the air is just "bad" I thought.  When I flew with
a group, I would make 5 flights while somebody was still on his first.
My "bad air" theory just didn't hold water.  I slowly realized that 
these quys that stayed up forever knew something I didn't.  The challenge
of sailplanes is to find out what those secrets are!

> 
> - Covering: Kits listed in the FAQ file do not contain any covering.
>   What can I use to cover them? Monokote (and alike) is/are the only
>   solution? Can I use Japanese paper with tightening lacquer?
>   How many rolls of Monokote are required for the 2 meter sailplanes?
>   Do I need the heat gun, or the sealing iron is enough?
>   How can I produce multi-color coverings frequently pictured in sales 
>   catalogs? (Say half of the wing is blue, other half is white, not just 
>   a simple trim sheet. See the Spirit in the Tower Hobbies catalog, page 16!) 

Monokote is probably the most common, and also maybe the easiest.  A
heat gun and sealing iron are nice, but not required.  I covered my Oly II
using a regular clothing iron.  It's heavy and bulky, but it worked.
You should get 2 colors (2 rolls) of covering.  I used a light color for
the top of the wing.  When the plane is far away and I bank in a turn, the
top of the wing will reflect light from the sky and sun and make the plane
very easy to see.  I used a dark color on the bottom of the wing.  When
the plane is overhead, the dark wing will provide contrast with the bright
sky.  I also put a large portion of the bottom of the right wing in the
light color so I can minimize orientation problems of left/right and 
coming/going.  Since the wings are what's seen from the ground, the
fuselage color is so important.  Anything compatible with the wings
is fine.
Multicolor monokote jobs shown in the catalogs look great, but keep in
mind the picture they show is only from a few feet away.  When that plane 
is up 1000 feet and a half-mile away, you can only see a spot of light or
dark.  That's when you need maximum contrast so you don't loose sight of 
your plane.

> 
> - Misc: Besides kit, radio, hi-start, covering, iron, epoxy; what else
>   do I need to get started? FAQ mentions '$60 for a 2 meter glider and
>   other supplies'. What are those other supplies? 

Well you don't NEED anything else, except maybe a Dremel tool, various grades
of sandpaper, 5 minute epoxy, 45 minute epoxy, more razor blades or
replacement knifes, thin CA glue, thick CA glue, accelerator for the CA,
various sizes of piano wire, a building surface, long stick pins, ruler, 
straight edge, etc etc

> 
> Thanks in advance: Zsolt Frei       frei@astro.princeton.edu

Dave Kurth  Colorado Springs, CO  dfk@col.hp.com
Newsgroups: rec.models.rc