Condor New Soaring simulator! World’s Most In-Depth RC Aircraft Magazine
we test Sebart PC-21
Plus
Flyzone™ corvalis Top Sky 2.0 DLG |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
How to
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& Build Reports march/april 2012
USA & Canada $6.49
rc-sf.com
CA Glue Elapor & Install Cowls
Climb into the Condor cockpit to discover how much fun you can have flying this simulator. Pg 64
Discover how easy it is to soar to the limit with this new Top Sky discus-launch glider. Pg 80
We give you in-depth information on this hot new scale airplane from Sebart.
New Sebart Pilatus PC-21 Test Report pg 86 6
RC SPORT FLYER — march/april 2012
DEPARTMENTS 10
leading edge
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Hot Products
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advertiser index
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Mystery airplane
how to
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CA & Elapor Foam Learn how to use CA adhesive for building Elapor foam kits and almost-ready-to-fly airplanes. By Gene Cope
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Install Cowls Jerry shows you the tricks that professionals use for installing fiberglass cowls. By Jerry Smith
march/April 2012 Condor Soaring Discover the joys of full-scale soaring with this one-of-a-kind simulator. By Scott Manley & Frank Paynter
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Corvalis RTF & Rx-r These FlyZone airplanes are foam replicas of the full-scale planes, and they fly great. See why. By Gene Cope
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Super Top Sky 2.0 DlG Don explains why the new Top Sky DLG delivers competition-level soaring at an affordable price. By Don Bailey
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sebart pilatus PC-21 We give you a first look at the new turbo-prop PC-21 electric-powered sport-scale airplane. By Christian Belleau
pg 46
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46
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column
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reviews
BUILD
Wings In Part 1 of Building Wings, Jeff takes you through a step-by-step process of making spars and sheeting. By Jeff Troy Sukhoi SU-26MM This month, we show you how to set up the engine, program the servos, and wire this beauty. By Wil Byers / Daniel Holman
pg 72
Tiger Kitten See how this vintage, electricpowered airplane is making a comeback with modern gear. By Gary Ritchie
RC-SF.COM
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Ares™ UltraMicro MD 500D CX 100 RTF 4-Channel CX Helicopter
Ares Phone: 402-434-5385 ares-rc.com Available exclusively at Hobbytown USA hobbytown.com
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he Ares Ultra-Micro MD 500D CX 100 is perfect for both first-time and experienced pilots looking for an ultra-scale and ultrastable helicopter they can fly indoors almost anytime and anywhere. The highly detailed MD 500D scale body is equipped with LED lights and is available in two attractive trim schemes. Included decals allow for quick and easy customization as a news, rescue, fire or police helicopter. The kit contains everything you need to fly on the spot. #AZSH1100B (Blue) #AZSH1100R (Red) Price: $89.99
Specifications Length
7.6 in. (195 mm)
Height
5.1 in. (130 mm)
Main Rotor Diameter
7.5 in. (190 mm)
Weight with Battery
1.6 oz (46 g)
Main Motor Micro
Coreless with fan (2 installed)
Battery
220-mAh 1S 3.7-V LiPo (included)
Charger
1S 3.7-V LiPo DC USB and AC adapter (included)
Transmitter
4-channel 2.4 GHz (included)
On-Board Electronics
5-in-1 receiver/2 servos/2 ESCs/mixer/ gyro (installed)
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HOT PRODUCTS
Ares™ NanoMicro Stick 75 RTF
Ares Phone: 402-434-5385 ares-rc.com Available exclusively at Hobbytown USA hobbytown.com
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eighing in at only nine grams ready to fly—about one quarter the weight of typical ultra-micro class models—the Ares™ [air-eez] Nano-Micro Stick 75 is the perfect choice in a lightweight airplane for indoor flying. The nano-micro size and light weight deliver slow and easy flying in small indoor spaces such as your home’s great room or even a conference room at the office. The
E-flite® Platinum Series Super Cub 25e ARF
F
Horizon Hobby 4105 Fieldstone Road Champaign, IL 61822 Phone: 217-352-1913 horizonhobby.com
or over half a century, Piper’s Super Cub has been a favorite of general aviation pilots who spend most of their time off the beaten path. Its respectable power, excellent short-field performance and rugged design have made it perfect for back-country transportation, towing gliders or simply getting away from it all. The E-flite Platinum Series Super Cub 25e expertly captures the look and feel of this aviation classic, with an accurate scale outline unlike anything ever seen in its power class.
model’s durable construction means you won’t have to worry about crash damage. The Nano-Micro Stick 75’s classic stick-style design is available in two popular WWI-era trim schemes, so you can fly in squadrons or simulate dogfights with friends. The airframe is factory assembled and ready to fly right out of the box using. The kit includes a 2.4-GHz three-channel transmitter with a built-in charger for the lightweight 30-mAh 1S 3.7-V LiPo battery. That means there’s nothing extra to buy and you can be ready to fly your new model within minutes of opening the box! AZS1150G (British Green) AZS1150R (German Red) Price $89.99
The working split-fold cockpit door and aluminum wing struts make the Super Cub as much fun to display as it is to fly. An optional detailed cockpit kit is also available (#EFL460018). The included shock-absorbing landing gear soaks up bumps during taxi, takeoff and landing just like the full-scale Super Cub. Realistic tires and hub caps are also included. The painted fiberglass cowl features accurately modeled inlets, air scoop detail and panel lines. And, because it is magnetically secured, there are no unsightly mounting screws. The E-flite Super Cub 25e comes out of its kit box with functional flaps that let you experience the same fantastic short-field performance that full-scale Super Cub pilots enjoy. It even has added realistic corrugation to the flap and aileron control surfaces. In addition, the necessary conduit has been built
Specifications Wingspan
12.4 in. (315 mm)
Length
10.6 in. (270 mm)
Weight w/ battery
0.3 oz (9 g)
Battery
30-mAh 1S 3.7-volt LiPo
Charger
Built in
Transmitter
2.4-GHz 3-channel w/ LiPo charger
Electronics
2-in-1 receiver/ESC and magnetic actuator
Specifications Wingspan
68.0 in. (1730 mm)
Overall Length
45.5 in. (1160 mm)
Wing Area
670 in.2 (43.3 dm2)
Flying Weight
5.00–5.60 lb (2.30–2.55 kg)
Motor Size
Power 25–32 brushless outrunner
Speed Control
60-A SW ESC
Servos
6 mini servos
Radio
5-plus channel transmitter and receiver radio system
Recommended Battery
14.8-V 3200-mAh 4S LiPo
into the wing for installing optional LED lights. • Top quality balsa and light plywood construction • Covered in genuine Hangar 9® UltraCote® covering • Traditional Super Cub trim scheme • Leaf spring tail wheel assembly • Two-piece plug-in wings #EFL4625
Price $249.99 RC-SF.COM
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BY Jeff Troy
Wings, Part I Let’s Stretch our Wings in this Build
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uilding RC airplanes is big fun! I hope you’re having as much fun building as I am. Currently, I’m constructing five all-wood RC airplane kits for the camera, and giving you the what, when, where, why and how of it. If you’re building a model along with me, you should have the tail section—the empennage—constructed and sanded smooth with the slots or holes prepared for the hinges. The wings are the next part of the process. Using my five models I’ll show you a total of seven different wings. The extra two are for the Ziroli Dr.1, which is a triplane. Constructing model airplane wings may appear to be intimidating if you’ve never done it, but follow along and I’ll show you just how easy it is to build a beautiful, straight and sturdy wings. Wing types are usually described by their airfoil, which is the combined shape of a wing’s ribs, leading edges and trailing edges when viewed from the tip or root of a panel. The easiest of all wing types to construct is the flat-bottom. A flat-bottom wing is just that, flat on the bottom from the leading edge to the trailing edge, with all the curvature on the top side. If
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you place a flat-bottom wing on your workbench, its entire bottom will hug the surface and it won’t rock or tilt. A few other popular airfoil types for RC airplane wings are raisedentry, also known as Phillips-entry, symmetrical, semi-symmetrical and undercambered. Each type, including the flat-bottom, comes with its own set of performance rewards. The flat-bottom wing is most often found on trainer airplanes and entry-level sailplanes. The flatbottom’s most valuable performance rewards are high lift, low stall speed and good stability. The raised-entry airfoil is essentially a flat-bottom with a slight upward curvature in the lower outline from the main spar to the leading edge. This upward curvature doesn’t surrender much in the lift and stability capacities of the flat-bottom, but it does improve penetration— the ability to advance against an oncoming wind. Most often found on highperformance aerobatic airplanes, the symmetrical wing has exactly the same shape on the top and bottom of the airfoil. If you drew a line through the airfoil of a symmetrical wing from the center of the leading
Jeff Troy’s 1/4-scale Nick Ziroli Fokker Dr.1 triplane needs a lot of parts to build its wings. The first step to construction is picking the correct parts from the kit box, so here are all the pieces required to frame the top wing, just one of three.
RC SPORT FLYER — march/april 2012
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edge to the center of the trailing edge, then folded the airfoil over on itself along that line, both sides would be identical. Because there is no difference in the top and bottom of the airfoil, the symmetrical wing generates no lift and zero degrees angle of attack. While this may seem like a negative, the symmetrical wing offers many positive performance rewards. In addition to excellent penetration, the most advantageous of these rewards are tremendous agility and identical performance whether upright or inverted. The semi-symmetrical airfoil is a compromise between the raisedentry and symmetrical airfoils. The bottom is not flat, but the curve of the bottom is still not as severe as the curve of the top. The semisymmetrical wing’s rewards include those of all the common RC wing types, but usually just to a somewhat lesser degree. The typical semisymmetrical wing provides good lift, stability and penetration, and provides better inverted performance than a flat-bottom or raised-entry wing. The undercamber airfoil is unique because it has curvature on the top and bottom, but the bottom
The triplane’s spars are each built by joining two lengths of 1/4-in. square spruce. Butt joints in a spar are a surefire recipe for wing failure, so Jeff follows the Ziroli design and uses scarf joints. Perfectly matching cuts are made in pairs with a kerf saw from the Zona Tool Company.
Wings, Part I
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Scarf joints can be secured with slow-setting epoxy, but thin CA is also acceptable when the spar is sheeted over and the scarf joint falls over a rib location. When using CA, the best bond is ensured by a dusting of baking soda over the ends to be joined.
When the CA has penetrated and cured, use 100-grit sandpaper on a bar sander to smooth the scarf joint on all four sides of the spar.
curvature is concave rather than convex. Looking somewhat like a bird’s wing, undercamber airfoils are most often seen on vintage airplanes through World War I. In models, undercambered wings are most often found on scale World War I and on old timers. Old timers are essentially new or original designs that exemplify some of the earliest free-flight, RC or RC-assisted models. In addition to its airfoil, there are many other factors that contribute to a model airplane’s performance. These include but are positively not limited to wingspan, chord, airfoil thickness, weight and weight distribution, wing and tail incidence, thrust line, number and location of wings and an endless number of variables. Rather than lecture on
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With the two spar lengths pressed against a straightedge to ensure a straight finished part, Jeff applies a few drops of Bob Smith thin CA to the scarf joint.
Pin down the trailing edge parts of the top wing and shim the lower main spar with short scraps of 3/32-in. balsa. The plans are taped to the workbench and protected by Great Planes Plan Protector. A 25-ft. roll is less than nine bucks.
aerodynamics, which is positively not my strong suit, I want to show you how each can be most easily constructed. Of the five models I’m building for you, none uses a true flat-bottom wing. The closest to a flat-bottom wing are the three raised-entry wings of the quarter-scale Fokker Dr.1 triplane. The full-scale Dr.1 has undercamber wings, but Nick Ziroli (the designer) wanted a sport-scale model that would be easier to build and deliver better flight performance than an exact-scale model. The raised-entry airfoil that Nick incorporated into his triplane design works well. Follow along with me for the basics of wing construction, and the result should be a set of properly built, straight wings that look good and perform correctly.
As always, begin by taping the wing plans down over a dead-flat work surface, followed by a sheet of Great Planes® Plans Protector or other protective barrier to prevent the parts from being glued to the plans. My work surface is a solidcore door, and although it requires a tack hammer to drive pins into the surface, the solid-core door has been my preferred building board since the ‘70s. When the plans are taped down and protected, you can rummage through the kit box and collect all the necessary bits and pieces needed to construct the wing. Of the triplane’s three wings, the bottom and mid wings have no ailerons, and that makes them the easiest to construct. For that reason, I chose to begin with the top wing. The top wing has ailerons and other RC-SF.COM
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BY Gary A. Ritchie
TIGER KITTEN Rebirth of a Classic Electric Airplane
On the day of the maiden flight, my Tiger Kitten is all dressed up and ready to go flying.
F
ifteen years ago, when I first ventured into the realm of electricpowered RC aircraft flying, motors were brushed, geared, inefficient and heavy. The typical model battery packs were NiCads, and One slight modification I made was to reinforce the upper section of the rudder with 1/8-in. balsa. This they were very heavy. protects the rudder from damage in the event of a The airplanes, normally rollover on landing. converted glow kits, flew okay but tended to lack the zip of their glowpowered brothers. Back in those early days of electric flight, AMA Hall-ofFamer Bob Benjamin began designing and offering kits designed specifically for electric motor power. Originally distributed by ACE R/C in the 1990s, one of An E-Flite 25 brushless motor on a four-cell LiPo battery pack was used. The motor mount holes fit the Bob’s designs was the back-mount perfectly. Tiger Kitten—an elegant little 54-in.-wingspan, low-wing tail-dragger with a distinct electric-powered model. Many were Golden Age look. The Tiger Kitten powered with the Turbo-10 brushed was designed to be a “no excuses” electric motor, an MEC (Model
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RC SPORT FLYER — march/april 2012
This shows a detail of the ailerons’ torsion bars. They were made from the bottom ends of two pushrods. Note that the copper tubes must be added before the bars are bent.
Openings were cut into the front of the cowling and then smoothed off with a Dremel tool and a 1/2-in. drum of medium sandpaper.
Electronics Corporation) gearbox, and 10 NiCad cells wired in series. These airplanes exceeded everyone’s
TIGER KITTEN expectations for electric flight. Fast forward to today. A fledgling company in Olympia, Washington, Premier Balsa Kits has reintroduced this little classic as a modern-day no excuses electricpowered model. Company partners Darrin Anderson and Mike Crawford have produced a laser-cut kit and short kit, both designed for brawny, brushless outrunner motors and lightweight, powerful LiPo batteries. Recently I had the good fortune to build and fly the first production model of their short kit. Here is my report:
This is a preliminary sketch I drew of the color/ graphics scheme I planned for my Tiger Kitten model.
I made a small test panel and covered it with black Solartex. Then I tested different types of graphic material. MonoKote Trim Sheets worked best. These were then over sprayed with Krylon Matte Finish clear to match the dull finish on the Solartex.
The graphics were applied, but using the Windex method—spray Windex on the surface, then apply the graphic and slide it around until it is in position. You’ll squeegee out the liquid from beneath the graphic and let it dry overnight.
The only paint used on this model was that applied to the cowling. I first sprayed it with white. Then it was masked off and the black was applied. Finally, everything was over sprayed with Matte Finish.
Short Kit
When you order the short kit here’s what you will get: Three generations of Kittens: at right is designer Bob Benjamin with his original, 22-year-old Tiger Kitten, left is Mike Crawford with the first prototype of the newly upgraded short kit and center is me with my Tiger Kitten.
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BY Gene Cope
CA & ELAPOR Foam ®
Its Easy! Do it This Way to Have Success.
I
n the process of assembling an aerotow trainer, in this case a Multiplex® Cularis, I realized that there are some of you modelers who have never used cyanoacrylate (CA) adhesives. Fortunately for me, the manufacturer’s step-bystep instructions include excellent illustrations to show where to apply the adhesive. However, CA is not forgiving! So if you want to build an Elapor airplane, it is important to read and understand the instructions before starting the assembly.
How To
Here is what I’ve learned about using CA with Elapor: First, ELAPOR® EP Foam does not bond properly with epoxy or even styrofoam-safe cyanoacrylate. You must use regular CA glue. You’ll want to follow the instructions and dry-fit the parts to ensure they will assemble properly and in the right order because there is no second chance to fit them once the CA is applied and it has “kicked” off. Any trimming or adjusting must be done prior to applying adhesive. You’ll want to have a large, level work surface as well. It lets you keep the flat parts flat when gluing spars in the wings or GRP rods into the side of the fuselage. In some cases an extra set of hands will do wonders in terms of holding parts and pieces in place while the CA cures. When installing GRP rods I’ve
Bob Smith offers cyanoacrylate (CA) products in a wide variety of adhesives, with accelerator and de-bonder. You can find them at most hobby shops.
Carbon wing spars must be prefitted in their channels prior to gluing them in place. This wing jig is supplied by Multiplex as part of the Cularis package. Use it on a level surface to ensure the wings are built straight.
found that it is best to use a rolling action to seat the rod in a foam channel. However, you’ll want to apply a small bead of thick CA the full length of the channel first. Again, be sure to prefit the GRP rod in the channel to ensure it is the correct For this step I applied a bead of thick CA along the length of the spar channel. Then the spar was pressed into position and held there until the adhesive cured. When bonding connectors in place, you must use a small amount of CA so it does not wick uncontrollably. I applied the CA to the rearmost part of the connectors to prevent permanently bonding them together.
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RC SPORT FLYER — march/april 2012
CA & ELAPOR® Foam length and that it fits the channel properly. By using this method, the rod will displace the adhesive around its sides, leaving a clean surface finish when the glue cures. This method also works for other flexible rods. If you are installing carbon wing rods CA de-bonder and tissue can be used to remove any remember they do not overruns of the glue, should it end up where you bend unless under lots didn’t want it. Here I’m using a piece of tissue to clean CA from the wing joiner. of pressure, so you must install them using a relatively quick and even downward motion such that the glue does not kick during the install. I recommend you get help to push the rod into place, and to keep the rod at the bottom of its channel until the adhesive sets. You might also want to cut some blocks of wood to use as a way to distribute Here you can see that the control horns are fitted to the force on the carbon the foam ailerons without any gaps. This makes for a rods over a wider area. very secure connection to the control surfaces. You’ll just run the CA under the control horn and kick it. Sometimes you’ll want to use a long applicator tube on the CA bottle as a way to reach deep recesses in the foam. I like to use Bob Smith’s #303 Extra Long Extender tips and his #304 Pocket CA Extenders. But, you may even want to use the #305 Teflon tubing to get deep inside a part. Check them out at bsiinc.com. Multiplex, like most manufactures, provides a stepWhen working by-step illustrated manual. It shows you where the with servo connectors CA adhesive must be placed on parts during assembly. Such a manual is a great aid to the builder, so take that get permanently the extra few minutes required to read it. mounted in either the fuselage or wings, I recommend you have the connectors much adhesive can result in wicking, plugged together when you apply the which can result in permanently CA to the parts. This will guarantee bonding the male and female plugs perfect alignment of the plugs when together. you are assembling the model. Let me sum up what I’ve learned. Typically, it will only require a small Don’t let the fear of using CA tack at the rear of the connector adhesives on Elapor foam scare you to secure it tightly to the foam. Be away from building such a model. Just careful with connectors because too read and understand the instructions
As per the instructions for mounting the control horns on the wings, CA accelerator was sprayed into the slot and recess so that when it cures it provides a gapless fit.
After a bead of CA adhesive was streamed into the bottom of its channel, the GRP rod was rolled into place. Once the CA cured, it left a clean application without overrun.
To aid in applying a bead of CA into the bottom of a deep channel or recess, an applicator tip may be attached to the CA bottle. It makes the task of putting the glue where you want it much quicker and easier, and without any mess.
before you start a project. Typically, the manufacturer will provide a good step-by-step process to follow. As they say when working with wood, “measure twice and cut once.” When working with CA glue and Elapor foam, I say, “fit twice and bond once!”
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BY Scott Manley & Frank Paynter
Condor
Soaring Simulation that Puts You in the Cockpit
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e want to introduce modelers to a simulator designed to give you a real-life soaring experience. The simulator is Condor. It has been used by full-scale glider pilots now for a few years. It is designed to increase their glider piloting skills, help them experience soaring flight in different areas of the world, test their racing abilities against other competitors, maintain their proficiency and dramatically improve glider flight instruction. In this issue we want to highlight the uses of Condor for a flight training tool, for a virtual cross-country badge and record attempts and for online multi-player cross-country racing. Scott Manley and I will explain how the simulator can be used to instruct as well as how to hone your skills for cross-country and competition flying. Scott is an experienced certified flight instructor in gliders (CFIG) and an advocate for the use of simulation in glider flight instruction. I am, for want of a better description, a completely fanatic, certifiably insane crosscountry racing pilot. For those of you who are already Condor pilots, please drop us a line and tell us about it. Scott and I would love to draw on your experiences in future columns that we write for the Soaring Society of America (ssa.org). You can contact Frank Paynter at paynterf@gmail.com and/or Scott Manley at smanley@wisc. edu.
you can’t or don’t want to afford a $200,000 18-m-wingspan ASG 29 or a Ventus-2cx it is not a problem. Just step right up to Condor (cumulussoaring.com/condor.htm). In it you will discover that these gliders,
What is Condor?
Condor—the Competition Soaring Simulator—is, quite simply, the finest soaring simulator on the planet. So, if 64
RC SPORT FLYER — march/april 2012
When you are “flying” Condor, you can pick a sailplane you want to fly and climb into the cockpit for hours of soaring adventure. Pilots can race each other via the Internet. Some report that they break a sweat during these competitions because they are so real.
Condor and many more, are available to fly right from your desktop! The simulations in Condor are incredibly realistic—right down to the fabric patterns in the cockpit interiors. So when you fly Condor as a beginner student you don’t have to freak out every time you try to box the wake. Rather, you practice using Condor, pausing the action as necessary to Gregor Rozman started writing look at the situation As you can see, Uroš Bergant is a model glider flyer. He is also the code for the simulator in 2002 and man who had the vision and foresight to design the Condor flight from different angles. optimized it for real-life physics. simulator in 2000 as an alternative to full-scale soaring. Alternately, if you are an instructor you pilots too. All you need to do will no longer watch a student’s Whether it is a high-aspect-ratio sailplane or a classic glider, Condor can give you the experience is sign up for one of the many eyes glaze over as you explain about of flying full scale, but without the high costs. ongoing, online multi-player maintaining coordination in the races that take place any time pattern to avoid the dreaded basein Condor. I’ll tell you that to-final stall/spin disaster. It is no you better be sure to wear problem! Now you can realistically your asbestos undies though demonstrate this situation in Condor, because some of the more complete with a wing-tucked-under, popular European races draw breath-stopping, cross-control stall. It hundreds of competitors— won’t take too many crashes before and they don’t take prisoners. your student is watching the yaw Monday night soaring races, string like, well, a Condor. by contrast, are run at times As a model glider/sailplane pilot, convenient for U.S. pilots, and have you ever wanted to learn a they are beginner friendly. little or a lot more about crosscountry flying in a full-scale aircraft? However, maybe you did not have the budget for a real glider or the confidence to fly full-scale, let alone the local mentoring support it takes to fly away from the takeoff airport. With Condor, you can now experience cross-country soaring in realistic conditions almost anywhere on the planet, but without worrying about landing out or crashing, which could cost you dearly monetarily or worse. When you “fly” Condor you can test your cross-country racing skills against other You’ll be able to check out what it feels like to fly in formation with another sailplane, even in lift.
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BY Gene Cope
Flyzone Cessna 350 Corvalis RTF & Rx-R ™
®
Cessna 350 Corvalis are a Wining Pair
The Corvalis has it all: good looks, a strong running motor, ailerons, flaps, rudder, elevator, tricycle landing gear and excellent flight performance. The RTF version comes as a complete package with transmitter, LiPo battery, AA batteries, charger and manual. You’ll be at the airfield in short order.
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he full-scale, four-passenger Cessna Corvalis 350 is a slick-looking, fast and highperformance airplane that has a maximum cruising speed of 191 knots. It sports a wingspan of 36 ft. The Corvalis epitomizes sleek, new, modern aircraft with its attractive lines and “glass” cockpit. The Corvalis also features low-speed stability by way of stall-resistant airfoils on the outer sections of its wings. Flyzone™ has captured this slick composite aircraft in two versions, one ready to fly (RTF) and the other receiver ready (Rx-R). They are built as AeroCell™ foam park flyers that let you start flying RC quickly, easily and happily. I wanted one to fly at my local park flyer site. When it arrived, I was happy to find that in the time it takes to charge the airplane’s 1800mAh 3S 11.1-V LiPo battery, you can assemble the aircraft—you’ll only need a small Phillips screwdriver
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and a pair of needle-nose pliers. It is so easy, even your son or daughter can do it.
RC SPORT FLYER — march/april 2012
Flyzone™ Cessna® 350 Corvalis RTF & Rx-R
Kit Contents • AeroCell™ construction • Hobbico brushless outrunner • Hobbico 30-A ESC • Servos • Navigational lights
While the 1800-mAh 11.1-V LiPo battery is charging by way of the supplied balancing charger, you’ll have enough time to assemble the aircraft.
The main landing gear comes preassembled. It is screwed to hard points that are built into the bottom of the fuselage.
The ready-to-fly version comes with a Tactic R624 six-channel receiver installed. It is also pre-linked to the Tactic transmitter.
For my Rx-R version I installed the recommended Futaba R617FS seven-channel receiver, which works great in this application.
Included in RTF Version
• Tactic TTX6006 6-channel 2.4-GHz transmitter • Tactic TR624 Spread Spectrum receiver • 3S 1800-mAh 15C LiPo battery • Four AA batteries • AC / DC 3S 11.1-V LiPo charger
Needed to Complete for Rx-R Version
• 6-channel+ Futaba 6EX transmitter • 7-Channel Futaba R617FS receiver • 3S 1800-mAh 15C LiPo battery • 3S 11.1-V LiPo charger
In Flight
A quick radio range check at the airfield and my Corvalis was ready to fly—check! Then it was taxiing the model out to the airstrip for a few circuits of the pattern. I found that it ground handles pretty well, although on pavement it is much better than on grass.
The full-scale anti-stall wing has been incorporated into the Corvalis park flyer. So, when I hit the throttle the aircraft rose briskly into the air. At full throttle it climbs aggressively! With its stall-resistant wings I found it difficult to stall the Corvalis, even at half throttle and full up elevator. Rather, it just
Accelerating down the runway, my Corvalis is about to lift off. Notice that it does not need to use flaps during the takeoff and climbout.
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BY Don Bailey
Super Top Sky 2.0 DLG Get Started and Win Contests with this DLG
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here is no question that the advent of discuslaunch gliders (DLG) has completely dominated the R/C handlaunch glider scene, and the old “javelin-launch” overhand method has now virtually vanished into ignominy. In order to be competitive in today’s handlaunch contests, a pilot needs to be skilled in sidearm launching. Moreover, a quality DLG glider with lightweight construction, good moments and an efficient wing is absolutely essential. Many aspiring modelers are stunned to find that the very best DLG glider kits can cost upwards of a thousand dollars for a hollow-molded machine with space-age materials and precision tolerances. While
Turning onto final, you can see that the Top Sky has lots of tail moment as well as wing area, which gives it superb handling. The kit includes all of the major components, pushrods and assorted hardware you’ll need to get this DLG flying.
Both rudder and elevator use an included ply jig to locate the fixed surfaces to the correct position on the boom.
the very best pilots will notice the subtle advantage in performance of a high-end machine, most pilots at the local level will do well with a glider in a more affordable price range. For all practical purposes, a good-quality DLG glider, made of all the right materials and featuring the latest airfoils and geometries, is all most pilots will need to beat the next guy—with a little practice, that is. Among the mid-priced DLG glider kits, the new Super Top Sky 2.0 DLG is truly a bargain. For a little over 80
RC SPORT FLYER — march/april 2012
300 dollars, you get a well-designed, precision-made glider, where a pilot’s skill, rather than the limitations of the equipment, can put you over the top against your peers. If this model can’t place you well within shooting range of a trophy at your local contest, you need more practice, not a better glider. The Top Sky 2.0 represents a high level of craftsmanship, putting to rest any doubts that the mainland Chinese have figured out how to make good quality glider kits. Featuring all
Super Top Sky 2.0 DLG carbon/aramid materials, with blue foam cores and a wound carbon fiber tapered boom, the construction methods of the 2.0 result in a lightweight and yet torsionally very stiff airframe. The 2.0 version includes a prefabricated fiberglass-over-foam tail group, each piece (stabilizer/elevator and fin/rudder) weighing a mere 5.5 g. This is about the lightest tail assembly available, and a decided advantage over the former balsa sheet tail feathers, which required the builder to cover with fiberglass and vacuumbag the surfaces. Much of the fabrication of the Top Sky 2.0 is already done, and the remaining tasks can be performed in just a few evenings.
The pod provides enough space for all the components—servos, receiver, LiPo battery and a voltage regulator.
The aileron servos fit into servo pockets, which are cut into the foam core wing—in my case I used a router to cut them.
You will attach the tail feathers to the boom with fiberglass cloth and epoxy resin. Note the elevator is driven with the metal pushrod.
Ready to fly, my Top Sky glider has an all-up weight of 306 g. It is lightweight yet very strong so it can withstand side-arm launching.
In the air, you can see why the Top Sky can be a winner when flown by a competent pilot. It has everything you’ll need to discover the fun of flying DLGs.
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BY Christian Belleau
Sebart
PC-21
Great Scale Looks Combine with Excellent Perforamce
In terms of good looks and design, the Sebart PC-21 has it all going for it, including a color scheme that you will not lose in the air.
T
he Pilatus PC-21 is a single-engine, turboproppowered aircraft manufactured by Pilatus Aircraft of Switzerland. It is a low-wing monoplane that sports a cockpit with a tandem seating arrangement. The PC-21 was designed as a trainer aircraft for Swiss military pilots. Pilatus began development of their new airplane in January 1999, with the prototype airplane being flown April 30, 2002 in Stans, Switzerland. With defense budgets worldwide under pressure to reduce costs, militaries have been looking for a low-cost alternative to jet
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fighter training. Pilatus’ PC-21 provides a training platform at a minimum cost that delivers fourth-generation fighter systems, including front and rear night-vision gogglecompatible “glass” cockpits, a heads-up display in the front seat and a jet-type single-lever throttle. The PC-21 has pilots believing they are flying a jet-powered aircraft within minutes of leaving the tarmac. It gives them the feeling that they are flying an F/A 18 because the 21’s cockpit was designed to replicate it. It is simply an affordable aircraft that is a joy for pilots to fly and use for training.
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Specifications Year Built
2002
Function
Military trainer
Length
36 ft 11 in. (11.23 m)
Wingspan
29 ft 11 in. (9.10 m)
Weight empty
5,026 lb (2.280 kg)
Max. speed
337 mph (624 kph)
Engine
Pratt & Whitney PT6A68B turboprop
Horsepower
1600
Range
828 miles (1333 km)
Rate of climb
4000 fpm (1219 mm)
Sebart Pilatus PC-21
Model
The PC-21 model was designed to replicate the full-scale aircraft in terms of performance and handling. The design is by13-time Italian Champion Sebastiano Silvestri, viceEuropean Champ and FAI World Cup winner in F3A. The 60-in.-wingspan PC-21 has the aerodynamic design lines that make it a great sport flyer as well as one that an RC pilot can fly through precise pattern maneuvers. Sebastiano’s almost-ready-to-fly (ARF) Pilatus PC-21 kit is the result of his research and experience in F3A as well as his passion for scale
airplanes. Sebart’s attention to detail in design, combined with the model’s extremely lightweight structure, plus some aerodynamic innovations give the PC-21 nice pilot feel as well as good overall performance. Plus with power delivered by way of a Hacker A50-14S motor that turns a APC 16x8E propeller, this model has a superb rate of climb. I wanted to own and fly this 60-in.-wingspan airplane because it has the looks I’ve been after in a scale model. It also is powered by a clean, high-performance electric motor that will deliver hours of reliable service. So, when I saw it is
This model delivers very good knife-edge performance, and it tracks like it is on rails because of the long design moments.
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