Topic: Advice for first Glider

As above, being as I have Christmas and a birthday close together I'm going to have the pressies I really want this year by everyone clubbing together - so I get to have a Fusion funfly and something else.
Well I really fancy a glider; one that has.been suggested is the Freebird from Robotwings, and I quite fancy the idea of something I can chuck it the car and fly when I get the oportunity. Not really sure what qualifies - heard good things about Weasels, Alulas and similar but not sure what their advantages / limitations are; also not sure whether one with a motor would be a better choice.
Any comments / advice would be welcome.
Thanks
D

SAS Wildthing..either the 46 or the 60 inch..the 60 rolls slower but slightly more user friendly for a beginner. £60 gets the kit..choose the tape you want (colour) when you order it. from Alan..buy a pair of standard servos (Fut 3001/148's, similar) are fine... Throw in a rx and square4 battery and cg at 120 mm and away you go. Honestly, even when you move on to other stuff, you'll still fly it..it's tremendous fun.. especially when you combat with a dozen others..! something slightly smaller is the Hawk from Flyingwings...great little thing..again, great fun.

My Wildthing when new...looks a bit more battered now, but still flies tremendously.

+1 for Wildy. I'd get the 46.

I like the Fusion - also from SAS but have never flown a Wildthing so I cant compare it.

+1 for the Hawk though always in my car, great fun.

The fusion and  wildy are very similar. Either is a good choice.

I have both sizes of Wildy. I love the smaller one for higher winds & aerobatics, & the bigger one for soaring in light winds.

Both are stable & almost fly themselves when trimmed out nicely, & soar really well.

I think the Fusion is faster, but needs a bit more of a breeze to fly in. 

Oh a tip if you get a WT...go to your local Decathlon and get a 60 inch length of 5mm CF tube (kite spar)  for the wing spar..the one in the kit doesn't reach full span and the tips will bend.. Ask me how I know.

There's a nice Wizard DSX in the classifieds!

Z

Im gonna start trouble here but.... I like my zagi si! I know almost everyone hates em but i think its much more enjoyable to fly than a fusion say which i did have once! Imho its quicker and just as good in light lift.

Before i sign out and avoid the abuse :-) i also fly an Erwin, big bird, furio etc so do have Standards :-)
let the abuse commence!!

As above, being as I have Christmas and a birthday close together I'm going to have the pressies I really want this year by everyone clubbing together - so I get to have a Fusion funfly and something else.
Well I really fancy a glider; one that has.been suggested is the Freebird from Robotwings, and I quite fancy the idea of something I can chuck it the car and fly when I get the opportunity. Not really sure what qualifies - heard good things about Weasels, Alulas and similar but not sure what their advantages / limitations are; also not sure whether one with a motor would be a better choice.
Any comments / advice would be welcome.
Thanks
D

D...I have been flying an Irvine x-it for many years.Its still my light air test plane which I launch to test the air before anything else.its quite efficient and clean and will out fly the zagis when they are bouncing off the hillside.Also with about a pound of lead on as ballast it really shifts.Can bring it to shipley for you to see if you want to.BTW ignore the glider Zim mentioned..its only about £1400 to buy(and thats 2nd hand)..he's teasing...naughty Zim..he is a newbee don't confuse him...go gentle...Chris.T

PS..heres a vid of one being DS..will explain sunday..but to do this you need the cg way back from the plans and small ele movements and a few other tweeks of fine tuning.They fly Carp if setup as per instructions but with a few mods they are a very usefull tool.BTW..the x-it is a windrider Bee in other countries..its the same kit you see...chris.T

Steve and Gary DS an old quarry with windrider Bee

There's a nice Wizard DSX in the classifieds!

Z

How fast has that dsx gone? Would be a nice addition to the hangar.

How fast has that dsx gone? Would be a nice addition to the hangar.

Will it be suspended under the ASW or fly autonomously?

It would tow the 20 in the ds circuits.

Another vote for the Wildthing here.
46" version is more agile and is a smaller target if you get involved in any combat.
It also goes in a small car easier.
Virtually indestructible and a whole lot of fun. Weapon of choice for first lob off any previously unflown slopes.
Here's my little beauty..........not so pretty now after several hard hours of combat, but still flies just the same as ever.

I've seen worse 

D...I have been flying an Irvine x-it for many years.Its still my light air test plane which I launch to test the air before anything else.its quite efficient and clean and will out fly the zagis when they are bouncing off the hillside.Also with about a pound of lead on as ballast it really shifts.Can bring it to shipley for you to see if you want to.BTW ignore the glider Zim mentioned..its only about £1400 to buy(and thats 2nd hand)..he's teasing...naughty Zim..he is a newbee don't confuse him...go gentle...Chris.T

PS..heres a vid of one being DS..will explain sunday..but to do this you need the cg way back from the plans and small ele movements and a few other tweeks of fine tuning.They fly Carp if setup as per instructions but with a few mods they are a very usefull tool.BTW..the x-it is a windrider Bee in other countries..its the same kit you see...chris.T

Steve and Gary DS an old quarry with windrider Bee

Thanks Chris, it would be interesting to see one - I'm determined to get one of some sort or other, these look nothing like the glider I built in my teens but there again that was a l o n g  t i m e ago.
Model maniacs have them for about £50 and I think the servos from the Discovery wreck might be ok, so I wouldn't have to buy much whichever I go for; see you Sunday.
D

Saw Roger flying his nice new Bee2 at St Agnes last week. It looked really good in the air, very precise. Excellent multi point rolls and good slow flying characteristics.

I was quite impressed.

Nobody seems to have the x-it in stock and most say no longer available; but Robotbirds have the Windrider range in stock so looks good.
Thing I'm not sure about is whether or not to have one with a motor - not sure where I can fly one without a motor reasonably close to where I live (Halesowen, West mid's).

+1 for Wildthing 46 or Fusion Dar.You can't go wrong.It seems i live not far away from you--S/bridge and i fly at Malvern[Sundays].Clent not good.Waseley ok--NE only.Bob.

Whilst a bit limited in as far as wind direction, you can fly from Clent I believe. Though to rely on just one slope is very limiting.

See http://www.ebley.plus.com/slopesites2.htm

I've seen worse 

The photo was taken before it had been maidened!

Whilst a bit limited in as far as wind direction, you can fly from Clent I believe. Though to rely on just one slope is very limiting.

See http://www.ebley.plus.com/slopesites2.htm

Thanks for the link, it looks like Beacon hill could be good - have to find out if there are any restrictions!
I must admit I can't see a lot of difference in all that has been suggested to me, it looks liks being a toss up between the Bee2 and the Wildthing; thanks for your help folks I do really appreciate it, I know that being sensible and asking questions is going to save me money and grief in the long run.
D

The Windrider Bee2 does fly very well, the advantage to a Wildthing/ Fusion is that they have a fus which does aid orientation and makes them easier to launch in a high wind.

The Windrider Bee2 does fly very well, the advantage to a Wildthing/ Fusion is that they have a fus which does aid orientation and makes them easier to launch in a high wind.

The WT does look a bit more plane like (Vulcan ish?) whereas the bee2 is more bird like. The bee2 is tougher for combat and for training 'incidents'.

Both are pretty much the same when it comes to the conditions they will fly in.

I like both, can't go wrong really!

Thanks for the link, it looks like Beacon hill could be good - have to find out if there are any restrictions!
I must admit I can't see a lot of difference in all that has been suggested to me, it looks liks being a toss up between the Bee2 and the Wildthing; thanks for your help folks I do really appreciate it, I know that being sensible and asking questions is going to save me money and grief in the long run.
D

If you do go the WT/Fusion route; be prepared for a lengthy phone call when you ring Alan up to order it..I've never heard a word against him, but he can chat for England! So enthusiastic. 

In my view, Alan is in a similar league to those who have made easy and  accessible flying an affordable hobby. As his creations are virtually unbreakable (Although I split the fus on mine front to back near Mam Torr  ) it gives you confidence to carry on learning and gain skills, whereas otherwise you'd be going home to mend it after the first flight.

I have to say the quality of the last SAS Fusion kit I put together recently was excellent. It was extremely well designed and thought out, the materials were top notch. For instance black EPP is used which has better UV tolerance than white and is easier to glue/stick because it doesn't have that waxy feel of white EPP.

The fuzz is pre fabricated so no challenges there and the instructions are very complete with advice on setting up the model and radio settings. See here... http://sas2.webs.com/f46m.PDF

All tapes and adhesives were supplied (Im not sure if extra was paid for the covering tape as I didnt buy it) plus the actual quality of the tapes is first class. You DONT have to a**e about spraying the damn thing to your get tape to stick to the wings (which I personally hate) for the reasons given above.

I couldn't fault it from a build point of view - and it flies great!

I'm sure the same goes for the Wildthing too.

We all see to be recommending foamies here. There is a good case for getting a built up plane too.

Perhaps I could suggest something like a Great Planes Fling.

Learning to fly a proper aircraft will teach you to fly and land rather than react and crash (how most WT/foamies are flown).

We all see to be recommending foamies here. There is a good case for getting a built up plane too.

Perhaps I could suggest something like a Great Planes Fling.

Learning to fly a proper aircraft will teach you to fly and land rather than react and crash (how most WT/foamies are flown).

It teaches you to land by breaking if you get it wrong. Like being taught to swim by being thrown into a shark infested swimming pool.

I agree there should be a built up model second or third in line, but only once you have had a foamie to cope with the up/down/left/right confusion impacts, the flying too slow impacts, the 'where did that tree come from' impacts, all those things that happen to everyone in the early stages.

We all see to be recommending foamies here. There is a good case for getting a built up plane too.

Perhaps I could suggest something like a Great Planes Fling.

Learning to fly a proper aircraft will teach you to fly and land rather than react and crash (how most WT/foamies are flown).

And why do you think we are all recommending  foamies Jim.because we all have been flying for over 10 months?While a built up model might help as you say and i agree for actual flying /landing skills yes,but with a newbee its more likely to help him with his repair skills,and not everyone is as good at repairing as you seem to be(actually a sort of compliment to ease the situation )

I know D reasonably well and to spend his time " repairing" would seriously reduce his air time and have an adverse effect from the desired one to learn to fly properly.....and probably put him off the slope soaring sport for good.Next you will be advising he buy a 5m semi scale glider and learn to fly on that....gee...who would do that..cant think of anyone

Perhaps an Easy Glider is a good compromise. It flies like 'a real plane' is robust and easily repairable. I watched two novices learn the ropes with them this year.

Perhaps an Easy Glider is a good compromise. It flies like 'a real plane' is robust and easily repairable. I watched two novices learn the ropes with them this year.

Once upon a time I would have agreed. I learned on middle  phase, ish. But ad mentioned I learnt more about mixing epoxy and repairing than I did flying. Conventional gliders have too many sticky out bits when you've never done it before, and can be very dispiriting if all you do is break it.

Perhaps an Easy Glider is a good compromise. It flies like 'a real plane' is robust and easily repairable. I watched two novices learn the ropes with them this year.

Or if he doesn't have that many slopes nearby but wants to glide, how about a Radian Pro?

The EG seems to do a pretty good job as a trainer glider - decent soaring performance in light-to-moderate lift, not as tough as a combat foamie but definitely better than balsa. And usually fixable with superglue and carbon rods...

I've googled for Wildthing / Fusion gliders and can't find out where to get them from so atm I've got no info apart from the vids I've looked a on youtube; can anyone point me to the relevant info?
Thanks
D
ps Once I've learned to fly an EPP foamy I shall most likely invest in a built up glider; doing the same with powered ones, just seems good to me - as has been said I really need stick time, Phoenix is ok but I soon found out it's not really like the real thing!

I've googled for Wildthing / Fusion gliders and can't find out where to get them from so atm I've got no info apart from the vids I've looked a on youtube; can anyone point me to the relevant info?
Thanks
D
ps Once I've learned to fly an EPP foamy I shall most likely invest in a built up glider; doing the same with powered ones, just seems good to me - as has been said I really need stick time, Phoenix is ok but I soon found out it's not really like the real thing!

Worry yeah not...we'll get you flying gliders if it kills us!

http://www.freewebs.com/sasepp/

http://www.freewebs.com/sasepp/

Ro.

I've googled for Wildthing / Fusion gliders and can't find out where to get them from so atm I've got no info apart from the vids I've looked a on youtube; can anyone point me to the relevant info?
Thanks
D
ps Once I've learned to fly an EPP foamy I shall most likely invest in a built up glider; doing the same with powered ones, just seems good to me - as has been said I really need stick time, Phoenix is ok but I soon found out it's not really like the real thing!

SAS Wildthing/Fusion

Windrider Bee2

or you can get it straight from the source in Hong Kong (often good deals, but you have to wait and might get stung by customs which wipes out any saving.

Windrider

Worry yeah not...we'll get you flying gliders if it kills us!

http://www.freewebs.com/sasepp/

I really hope you do, it's been nearly 45 years since I had one but have to say I'm really looking forward to it!
Thanks guys
D

........ snip! ....... Phoenix is ok but I soon found out it's not really like the real thing!

Sims do have their reality limit for sure.  The freebee at the following link is quite reasonable for gliders though.  The backgrounds may be crude but the aerodynamic computer modelling is great.  There's even a timed F3F course (under options) to play with.

http://crrcsim.berlios.de/wiki/index.php?n=CRRCsim.HomePage

It's available ported for a Mac too - as well as the Windoze version.

Ro.

The backgrounds may be crude but the aerodynamic computer modelling is great.

It looks like this when I play it...

CRRCSim Alpine scenery addon

Oh, and I play it on Linux, controlled from a real tx. Soon it will be from a wireless tx...

The pretty backgrounds work on any OS.

It looks like this when I play it...

CRRCSim Alpine scenery addon

Oh, and I play it on Linux, controlled from a real tx. Soon it will be from a wireless tx...

The pretty backgrounds work on any OS.

Downloaded it, but although I'm using a Tx sim lead via USB; the sim is saying the tx fails to initialise..I'm sure I've downloaded and played this before a year or so ago, and it seemed okay then with same set up. Graphics are poor though..how did you get yours?