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Gliders & Free Flight Home Page
The Terminator - Hand Launched Glider
(HLG)
What if we could design a pretty high performance
HLG that 'non-experts' could build and fly successfully, and
could be built for about $20-30 of materials? Many tries later,
here it is!
The Terminator HGL
(PDF File) or Webpage.
The Terminator HGL
performs almost as well as some of the expensive
"super HLG's" yet costs only a tenth as much to build.
[Courtesy of Bill Grenoble,
Denny Maize, Joel Foner,
David Dicks and CCRC] |
Introduction
A 2-channel (rudder+elevator) polyhedral glider is just about the easiest way to learn to fly, and is highly recommended. Once you can handle that you can move up to rudder - elev. - spoiler - flap competition ships or (on the slope) rudder-elevator-aileron-spoiler aerobatic ships.
Sailplane plug (aka religious sermon): ... don't think glider flying is just "launch, then glide back". It's very easy to get 30+ minute flights and about 1000' altitude. Remember, power flying is limited by the size of the fuel tank (about 10 minutes) and gliders are limited by the receiver batteries (about 2 hrs). And glider flying is much more challenging (my opinion, of course), while at the same time being easier to learn. And no fuel costs, no starting hassles, no
cleanup afterwards... Also, many cities have ordinances prohibiting model engines, which means the flying fields are outside city limits. BUT, since sailplanes don't have those nasty, messy smelly things, we can fly in any large enough area!
Are most gliders hand launched, or do they have a small engine to get them up?
Gliders are usually launched by a "hi-start". A section of rubber with about 500' of line. The rubber end is staked to the ground with a stout spike. The other end of the line has a ring that is hooked on the towhook on the plane. Walk the plane back until you have about 10 lbs. of pull - this will depend on the high-start, the weight and strength of the airplane, and how deperate you are for a good launch! The airplane is launched at about a 30 degree angle, the rubber then
pulls it up kite-like. (It is NOT like a catapult launch!). Launches of heights up to 500' can be obtained on a good day. The launching procedure is simple keep the elevator neutral (for now) and keep it flying straight. At the top the glider will just fly off the line.
A small engine can also be used but it creates a lot of drag which is very detrimental to gliding performance. Hi-starts range from around $20 for light-weight models to $100+ for heavy-duty ones.
Winches are also used. It's very similar to a high-start except that you (the pilot) always have control over the line tension so you can usually get better launches. It does take more skill, though; as a beginner you don't need to worry about winches just yet.
Flying at the slope you just chuck the plane into the wind. That's it!
How do sailplanes stay up?
Since a sailplane has no engine, it follows that it must always sink through the surrounding air. The trick then is to find some air that's going up faster than you'll sink through it... and for our purposes, there are two kinds of such air:
air heated locally will tend to rise. The heating could be by the sun on a parking lot or a bonfire or a .... This is called "thermal soaring". The columns of rising air are called thermals. This needs some skill/experience, and mostly involves smooth flying and a good idea of how your plane reacts. An easy way is to just follow more experienced fliers (some of which are birds) into them.
wind striking a slope will rise to go over it. You just fly in front of the slope where the air is going up. With a steady wind this is easy to fly in, with challenges provided by aerobatics etc. This is called (surprisingly) "slope soaring." Landing is more challenging while at the slope unless you have a large field or something at the top. |
Recommendations
Sailplanes:
6' or 2m class:
Carl Goldberg Gentle Lady, Dynaflite/Craft-Air Drifter II, Airtronics Olympic 650, SIG Riser, Great Planes Spirit, etc. These are all polyhedral ships with rudder and elevator controls. All are highly recommended.
Carl Goldberg Sophisticated Lady: basically a souped up Gentle Lady, it is in general not recommended. It's heavier and the T-tail structure is very easy to break, even on a slightly rough landing.
100" or standard class:
These models fly better but are more cumbersome to launch and transport, and are also slightly more expensive. Try Dynaflite/Craft-Air Butterfly, Airtronics Olympic II, SIG Riser 100 etc. These are basically scaled up versions of the 2m ships above. |
Costs
What kind of cost am I looking at for a solid training glider or powered plane, with all gear?
$200 is in the ballpark. $120 for a 4-ch radio, $60 for a 2m glider, covering and other supplies. ARF Gliders - $100 + radio + supplies.
Powered planes: about $350-400, $120 radio, $70 plane, $120 engine + supplies.
(By "supplies," I mean things like rulers, knives etc.)
Where can I mail-order stuff from?
Try Tower Hobbies (1 800 637 4989) and Sheldon's (1 800 228 3237) [Inside CA, 1 800 822 1688]. Also look in modelling magazines for ads. Try Radio Control Modeler, Model Airplane News, Flying Models, Model Aviation.
If you come across any additional tips that you would like to share with everyone please email them to me at this site. I can be reached at rcmodeling@gmail.com. Please feel free to contact me so we can talk about one of our favorite hobbies!
Developed by Geistware of Indiana© ., 1999.
Updated September 28, 2002
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