HARBOR SOARING SOCIETY
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KARL HAWLEY 949-574-9379 |
"Tips
for new flyers!" If you want to go up, pull back on the stick. If you want to go down, pull back a little more. If you want to go down real fast and spin around and around and around, just keep pulling back. Karl Hawley (club trainer) |
Sailplane
Selection
| One of the greatest concerns of the newcomer to the sport of sailplane soaring is which model of the many available at the local hobby store is best for the beginner. The answers will vary depending on who Is asked, but the consensus is that the bigger model kits (planes with wingspans measuring 100 Inches or greater) will allow the beginner to fly solo sooner and with more confidence than with smaller planes. Among the larger planes, the recommended kits include the Paragon, Windrifter and Olympic II. These models are considered floaters, slower flying models - characterized by large area, flat-bottomed wings. These planes are referred to as Poly-Dihiedral Ships, due to the bends in the center and outer portion of the wings. This design replaces the straight wing designs that use alerons for roll control. Currently the club highly recommends one of the foamies (E,P.P.Foam), such as the TG3 by Daves Aircraft Works. The new pilot will find the foam models easier to fly, land, and repair than the Balsa models. Foamies will prove to be more stable, forgiving and able to withstand the punishment of a new flyer. The larger Balsa models will cost somewhat more than the smaller ones. Among the smaller planes with wingspans of 2 Meters or less, the best bets are the Olympic 650, Gentle Lady, Pussycat and | the Wanderer 72. These models are more fragile, have weaker wing construction than the larger planes and are somewhat more difficult to master. However, most of the new pilots who are reading this will have already purchased and built one of the smaller planes. For the new guy, it’s best to hang the balsa model in the garage, and save it while learning on an EPP Foamy. Also available at the hobby stores are numerous "high performance" models, both large and small, that are not recommended for the beginner. Construction of these models is much more sophisticated, generally requiring prior modeling experience and the cost of the kit is usually higher. Assuming that the model is built correctly, a high performance sailplane will require a more skill to fly and successfully land. Learn to fly one of the models listed especially one of the E.P.P.foamies before you tackle a more advanced sailplane. It is estimated that it will take about 50 hours of stick time to become somewhat proficient at launching, flying, and landing in a controlled manner. |
Radio Selection
| New pilots also want to know which radio is the best to start off with. Since radio equipment is expensive. It is recommended that you start off with a good 4-channel system. Do not purchase a 2 channel - 2-stick radio! Recommended 4 channel radios include the Futaba Conquest (FP-4TNL). The Hobby Shack Cirrus Wave 5 (RC-5JK) and the Airtronics Vanguard (VG4R-AM). These radios generally cost under $150 and include the transmitter, receiver, transmitter and receiver battery packs,battery recharger, servos, frequency flags and | various minor components. Both companies have repair facilities in the local area. Futaba is located in Irvine and Airtronics in Anahime. For a few extra bucks, It is recommended that you purchase one of the entry-level computer radios, such as the Airtronics Radiant. These radios will serve you latter as you advance to simple flat wing models, such as a slope type ship. The extra $50 or so may save you from buying a whole new radio latter. |
Glider Preparation
| Now that you have built your glider and purchased a radio, the next step Is to install the radio equipment, balance the glider, charge the transmitter and receiver batteries, test the controls. Conduct a radio Check and hand launch (test fly) the airplane. Mount the servos, receiver and receiver battery in the glider fuselage according to the model plans. Be sure to wrap the receiver and the battery in foam padding to protect the equipment from crashes or hard landings. Connect the pushrods to the servos and check the movement of the control surfaces (elevator and rudder) by turning on the transmitter and the receiver. Stand behind the airplane and move the control stick on the transmitter up and down, left and right. Both the rudder and elevator should operate off of the same stick -generally the stick on the right side of the radio. The rudder should move to the right when the stick is pushed to the right and to the left when the stick is pushed to the left. The elevator should move up (nose up) when the | stick Is pushed down (toward you) and down (nose down) when the stick is pushed up (away from you). If any of the controls are opposite, you will either have to use the servo reserving feature of your radio to correct the problem or, If your radio lacks this feature, you will have to remount your control rod(s) on the opposite side of the servo(s). After you satisfy yourself that the control surfaces are moving In the proper direction, it Is Important to set your trim to ensure that the rudder Is in line with the centerline of the fuselage and the elevator is level with the horizontal stabilizer (neutral trim). Moving the trim tabs on the radio a number of “clicks” in the direction that you want the control surface to move does this. You may have to adjust the pushrod linkage to ensure that the trim tabs are in the center position once the trim is properly set. |
radio check
| Conduct the radio check by placing the glider on the ground, collapsing or removing your antenna (IMPORTANT- check your radio owners manual to determine if the range check should be conducted with the antenna collapsed or removed) and move the radio stick | right and left while you walk about 100 feet from your plane checking for proper movement of the rudder. If control is lost at any point in time during this test, you have a radio problem that must be checked out prior to attempting to fly your airplane. |
Balancing
| Balancing your airplane is critical. A glider will not fly properly unless it is balanced. Start off by checking the balance of the wings. Add small amounts of lead shot to the lighter wing tip as necessary. Then check the plans for the center of gravity (CG) which is usually on or slightly behind the wing spar. Test the balance of the plane by placing a finger on the wing spar on each side of the plane. If the tall drops then you need to add lead weight to the nose as far forward as possible or take weight out of the nose, if the nose drops. Gradually adjust the weight in the nose until the plane balances level. Glue the lead weights into place to prevent any possibility of the weight shifting while in flight as it will effect the CG with possible disastrous results. Once you are satisfied with the airplane's balance, attached the wing to the fuselage (use at least six rubber bands) and are sure that the control surfaces are properly aligned and move In the proper direction In | response to the ratio input, you are ready to test glide the airplane. Make sure your radio and receiver are on. Put In a couple of clicks of down trim. Hold you glider above your head and gently, but firmly, throw the plane straight out In front of you. Release the plane in an attitude parallel with the ground. Do not throw the plane upward. A properly trimmed airplane should glide at a slightly downward angle and land about 50 to 75 feet away. Do not try to over control the plane; just let it gently glide to a smooth landing. Avoid putting in too much up elevator as you may stall out and end up crashing the plane. From here you can fine-tune the trim adjustments until you achieve a straight and level flight. It is possible to conduct these tests successfully by yourself. However, it is strongly recommended that you bring your plane out to the field and have an experienced pilot check it out and test fly it for you. |
| "Aviation in itself is not inherently dangerous. But like seafaring, it is terribly unforgiving of any carelessness, incapacity, or neglect." That old pilot's maxim gives some insight into the methodology for making our flying safer. Preparation is the Key. The more I fly, the longer my list of safety rules gets. What I have to say about flight safety comes from my experience and that of the pilots with whom I've flown. Many of these tips are aimed at making sure that you stay in control of your airplane, which not only preserves the model, but also averts damage to people and property. I'll also briefly discuss winch safety. Preflight Inspection: A thorough preflight will prevent more launch accidents and flight crashes than any other thing you can do. (In full-scale aviation, pilots use a written preflight checklist for everything from a Cessna 152 to an SR-71 Blackbird.) Start with an airframe integrity bench check before you leave for the field. Check for and repair cracks in the wing, the fuselage, and the empennage. Are the servos mounted securely, and are the control linkages free- moving and secure? Is the tow-hook firm and tight? Are the hinges secured? Too many crashes are caused by loss of electrical power in flight. After charging the batteries, check the transmitter and receiver battery pack voltage with an expanded-scale voltmeter (ESV), which places a load on the circuit. Look for meter readings consistent with those of new packs. Lower voltage can indicate a dead cell in the pack. Discard electrical components that show intermittent functioning or other faults; crashes initially blamed on radio | interference have been traced to loose or worn connectors. After assembling the airplane at the field, check for "correct and free" operation of all control surfaces. Check all functions, and if there's any doubt, ask for a second opinion; a brain cramp here can put your model in the dirt. At my home field two. Airplanes were crashed on launch in two weeks because of elevator control reversal. Using a four-channel radio, one pilot switched airplanes and neglected to reverse the elevator servo. Another pilot performed about a half-hour of programming in an advanced computer radio, and proceeded to launch with the elevator reversed. It's believed that the fault was caused by incorrectly copying the program from one model to another. Both accidents could have been prevented by thoroughly checking the control surface movement before hooking up. Here, thorough means carefully watching the surfaces move--not just wiggling the sticks and listening for servo noise. You can't be too meticulous with the control surface inspection, and it makes sense to grasp each control surface and see how it performs against some resistance. This will help detect loose servos and weak linkages. One F3B flier told me about a $1,000 full- house model that passed a visual-only control surface check on the ground, but crashed immediately on launch. The elevator incidence pin was lying on top of the elevator bellcrank, not inserted through it. That makes me shudder just thinking about it. According to the manufacturer's instructions. Radio problems get worse in the air, not better. |
Winch safety
| Winch safety involves respecting the power of the winch motor and the line speed that it produces. Electric motors react to resistance by drawing more amperage, so a nearly-stalled motor can do considerable damage- One horror show is a runaway winch, which can pull your airplane into the ground faster than many pilots can react- An automotive starter relay switch generally fails in the on position. The contacts "weld" themselves closed, energizing the motor and rendering the foot pedal useless. You can cut power to the motor and save the model if you've installed a heavy-duty switch in the high-amperage circuit- suitable switches are available from marine and RV dealers. Make sure that all winch users know where the motor kill switch is. An "arming switch" in the 1ow- amperage relay circuit prevents another problem: Inadvertently stepping on the foot switch and energizing the winch motor when | someone is holding the parachute or handling the line. When fetching the parachute, do not put your finger through the tow ring. Fold the parachute and carry it in your closed fist. If the winch is accidentally energized, or if the line snags while you are walking with the 'chute, it will pull out of your hand. Wear a glove to protect your hand when handling the line itself. If you are not familiar with the serious hazards associated with handling and using lead-acid storage batteries, be sure to get a briefing from an experienced automobile mechanic or your battery dealer. Get in the habit of throwing your sailplane vigorously on launch from a winch or high-start. Getting the model up to flying speed increases airflow over the control surfaces, and gives you positive control sooner so you can make quicker corrections to the flight path in this critical early phase of the launch sequence. |
Flying safety
| Flying safety consists mainly of watching for other airplanes and announcing your intentions. Look around and make sure that the launch airspace is clear to avoid collisions. Yelling "Launching!" before stepping on the winch pedal reminds those watching there own models not to fly into the launch area at that time. Loudly announcing that you are "Landing!" further alerts other pilots who may not be looking in your direction that you'll be flying low and slow, and closer to people than at other times during the flight. Calling out may prevent a midair collision between models that are on final at the same time, and it may prevent a person from being struck by an aircraft. | The safety rule for joining other sailplanes in a thermal, or (Gaggle), is Circle in the same direction as airplanes already in the lift. Aircraft circling together are operating much closer than when searching independently for lift, and if they do collide, their closing speed is lower if they're traveling in the same direction, rather than meeting head-on. Displaying a frequency number placard reduces the chance that someone will turn a second transmitter on your frequency and shoot you down without warning. Frequency flags could have prevented most radio shootdowns that I've witnessed at fields that did not have frequency control boards. |
| More Skegology: Whether skegs and shark' s teeth increase or decrease Soaring safety has been long discussed and hotly debated. AMA allows them, and the FAI (Federation Aeronautic International) does not. Some say that skegs increase the chances of injury if an airplane (a relatively rare event) strikes a person; others say that skegs decrease the chances of injury if an airplane slides into a person's ankles (a more common scenario). At the 1997 Nats I saw an interesting solution: a retractable skeg. Troy Lawicki's | 2M and Open-class Ducks had sheet- aluminum skegs that could be lowered or raised under the control of a servo. Mike Fox told me that he was in the landing zone when one of Troy's Ducks was sliding rapidly toward him on wet grass, and then the airplane stopped suddenly; Troy had deployed the skeg in midslide. It's interesting that a retractable skeg can increase safety and improve landing scores. Troy made a construction drawing for this skeg. For a copy, send to DaveGarwood@compuserve.com |
Harbor Soaring Society
General Field Rules and Field Safety
1 Do not fly at low altitude or make high-speed passes over the pit area.
2 All winch launching shall be in a westerly direction from the launch area. Electric powered models will be launched/ to the north of the winch launch area in a westerly, northerly, or easterly direction.
Exceptions to #2:
A) Relocation of the pits and launch area to the western end of the field.
B) In the event of south winds, electric powered models may be launched to the south or east, provided launching is not over the pit area and the launching direction is clear of people.
3 All pilots shall fly standing in the area
between the winches and the landing area, or to the north (well clear of the winches), and west of the landing area line. Pilots must keep out of the landing area except when retrieving their planes.
4 All low level approaches to landing shall be from the north and east. All high-speed approaches shall be to the north of the winch launch and pilot standing area and shall not carry into the launching or pilot standing area.
5 All electric power sport planes (planes other than soaring types) shall be flown only to the north of the launching and pilot standing area when operating at low altitudes.
6 Hand launching of models (either for test gliding or thermal hunting) shall take place to the south of the winch launch and west of the parking areas. (Obviously, a hand launch pilot does not have to stand in the normal pilot standing area).
7 Under most circumstances, launching models have right of-way over sailplanes in flight; however, the bottom line is to maintain courtesy and consideration for others, whether you are flying or launching. (Note: right-of-way for launching models is an AMA rule for contest flying where the intention is to keep flying sailplanes from holding up launches and thus delaying the operation of a contest).
8 When other flyers are on your frequency, you
should limit your flight to 15 minutes,
unless prior arrangements have been made with the other flyers on the same
frequency. This courtesy time limit also applies to electrics and hand
launch thermal hunting, but is not intended to limit the number of hand launches. REMEMBER THAT COMMON COURTESY Prevails
9 The AMA safety code requires your that model be Identified with your name and address or AMA number on or in your model. (Note: For AMA sanctioned contests, all non scale/non-indoor models ".shall be Identified by the contestant's AMA license number permanently affixed to the upper side of the fight hand lifting surface (with the) height of the numerals (being) at least one inch or 1/3 of the wing root chord, which ever is less."
10 Visiting pilots from other clubs are welcome on a limited basis with proof of AMA Insurance. Beginner pilots are welcome and we will offer help in learning to fly. Non-AMA members should not be encouraged to fly on there own. A certified trainer of the club, for Insurance liability purposes must supervise them. This coverage is for thirty days maximum and is subject to filling out an AMA training form that the club trainer supplies.
