first slinger flight, lot of fun.

Hi Steve

I was interested in your Slinger comments due to the fact I purchased one just yesterday. I've not started putting it together yet as I'm still working on my Seagull Boomerang which I also bought recently... hopefully I'll have a go at it in a couple of days.

I'm an old beginner :-)) so I'm hoping its not too difficult to fly, I thought I'd give an electric plane a go as I thought it would be convenient for those times I don't fancy carrying all the gear etc. Also it looks as though it would take the odd knock better than my Boomerang and its smaller of course.

I notice according to the manual that the wings just push together using the 2 hollow rods and then tape applied to hold them together, did you epoxy yours or just tape them as the manual states.?

The kit itself looks reasonable with very little to do, although I thought the vertical wing tip ends looked a bit iffy. is it usual for the ailerons on these type of planes to be just hinged using tape only... ie. no proper hinges. Just wondered.

I have purchased a 1100ma battery and charger plus a 22amp speed controller etc. to get me going, I can do the mixing on my 6EXA so no problems there.

Will I need to buy smaller servos etc. for this model, I have a spare Hitec Laser 4 set with standard servos (also supports mixing)

I would be very interested in any comments you have regarding the model, both building it and its flying behaviour.. ie, any tips! Sorry for all the questions.

Sounds like your having lots of fun with it anyway, and that's what its all about.

Kind regards

Mike

Hi Mike

Aye. The only extra gear I have is a charger that plugs into my cigarette lighter and can charge the plane or the transmitter.

Aye. My second flight last night ended with a full speed noseplant. I had to take it all apart and straighten out the aluminum bars, and rebuild a servo, but I'm ready to go again this morning. I shifted the weight back a bit.

I epoxied at first, but the noseplant seperated them anyway, I rebuilt with tape. The epoxy is much stronger than the foam it attaches too...

They revised the tips (and the tray), you can just drill and screw them to the plane if you have the revised model. 2 screws each. They added some wood to the tips for this purpose. The ailerons came pre-taped.

I had small servos laying around so I used them. But I had to rebuild one after 2 "flights". I evidently could use the durability of full size servos till I get the hang of flying this thing. I was considering the fullsize ones during last nights rebuild. Taping in servos is admittedly a little strange.

It is very durable and tapes together so it rebuilds easily. Check the condition of your servos after a crash, you should be able to move the motor with the pushrod and not hear any skipping of gear teeth. I suspect that my servo was already compromised after the first crash. I don't have many flying tips yet, but I'll let you know if I'm a better pilot this morning...

ciao.

Thanks Steve,

Yes it is the version 2. Being a belt & braces type of person ;-) I think I will epoxy the wings. Should be ready for flying tomorrow. What sort of flying time should I get with a 1100ma battery any idea.

Cheers

Mike

The foamie flying wings are a blast! I've had both a Zagi and a Unicorn and I've had more fun with them than almost anything else I've flown! Most folks recommend Hitec's HS81MG servos.

Morris

Hey Mike, I just wondered how the new wing was doing?

I had to go through some revisions to get mine to fly right, and several hours on FMS to get myself to fly right.

Here's a description of my slinger revisions:

A couple ounces can be saved by eliminating the top wing cover, the result is probably more aerodynamic as well. Mine to cover had already been smashed and taped together a few times so it was no cosmetic loss. I cut off the back two inches of it, then trimmed it to 5 inches wide with the motor mount centered. A strip of 2" packing tape holds it in the front and makes a "floor" and front wall for the battery tray. Another 5 inch long strip of tape secures the back, and two long strips on the sides hold the sides of the mount in and cover the servos. My cover was actually messing up the thrust angle of the motor until it could sit flat on the plane like it does now. Before this mod my plane was flying nose up (and was %10 heavier). Tape the smallcover in place over the guts.

Sine the small cover is taped in place, I put holes in it for the switch and for a power jack (same type as my transmitter) and wired the jack to the battery. I can charge it and turn it on and off without removing anything.

Use tie strips to secure the servos. With the leftover cover plastic I cut two rectanges, each rectangles has two holes and the tie threads through the wing and through these holes. The rectangles sit on the bottom of the wing and no tape is necessary to cover them if the ties are run front to back.

The revised version flies and glides very well, I'm consistently overshooting the landings.

Let me hear how you're getting along...

Steve.

I managed to shave a couple ounces off by removing the, already smashed repeatedly and taped back together, top wing cover. Essentially I cut out a

It doesn't fly nearly as well as my Zagi.

Hi Steve...

I've still not got round to putting it together yet, been finishing off my Boomerang trainer plus I was called away for a few days. Hope to make a start on the slinger the weekend.

Will post my results.

Cheers

Mike

Steve do you think I can use standard Hitec servos in this Slinger, has I have a spare Hitec Laser 4 set which I'd like to use or will I need smaller servos's.

Cheers

Mike

The standard servos will add about an ounce apiece. It will still fly, though lighter IS better. If you are confident in your ability to re-fit smaller servos later, and don't mind building time (I don't) then go for it. I was much happier with the perfomance when I removed a couple ounces and got the thrust line right (and practiced on the computer). But I also had too much throw on the elevons too. So I don't know exactly what effect lightening it had since I improved several things at once.

I can say that it has a very light wing loading and glides a long way, even with a 1800 ah battery and motor and stuff. It should be managable with a couple extra ounces IMHO.

Let me know how the experiment goes...