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Perecman Router Base And Templates

I’m a sucker for tools and gadgets. I’ll admit that up front. I buy a lot of stuff that looks good in the ad but when I finally get it and use it I am often disappointed. When I saw a write up about the Perecman router base and template set a bell went off and I placed my order. Everything arrived  from SkyKing RC Products (www.skykingrcproducts.com) about four days after I placed my order. That was a good start.

The first thing you need to know before rushing out to buy this tool is that you will need to own a Dremel Router base. You will be using some of the parts from the Dremel base along with the Perecman items. Here’s what the $29.99 kit consists of. A clear Plexiglass base that replaces the base that comes with a Dremel router attachment, a router bit and five clear Plexiglass servo templates.
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Wizard Compact Cross Tail

I ordered a fuse and tail only to use with my existing Wizard BPV wings. I already have the standard V-tail fuse with elevators, not the full flying stab, that I got with the wings and I was curious to see if there is a noticeable difference in how the two tails fly. The finished weights are within about an ounce so it should be down to the tail for any differences in flight.

Wizard Cross tail
Photo: ET-Air

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Dremel 8000-01 10.8 Volt Lithium-Ion Cordless Rotary Tool

I bought this model while I was attending Soar Utah 2004. I left my trusty 7.2 volt Multipro at home and REALLY needed a Dremel to finish up the installation of the radio gear in my RaceM. I bought the tool at Lowe’s but you can get this model a lot of places.

This Dremel is a 10.8V rotary tool with variable speeds from 5,000 – 35,000 rpm. This is the first Dremel with a Lithium-Ion battery. If you are into electric models you know this means more voltage and longer run times in a nice, compact package. Lithium-Ion batteries hold a charge up to six times longer in storage than Ni-Cad batteries, so it’s ready when you are. The manufacturer says the new Lithium-Ion Cordless is the strongest, fastest, highest performing cordless rotary tool on the market. From my experience I don’t doubt it!
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Dremel 7700-01 MultiPro Cordless Tool Kit

Posted by Greg Smith on Nov 18, 2004

Dremel 7700-01 MultiPro Cordless Tool Kit

dremel 7700The 7700-01 is an update of one of my most used Dremel tools, my original red and black, 7.2 volt MultiPro model 770. In fact, when I went to buy this new tool I thought I was just getting another one like I already owned. I wanted a second unit and there was a good sale at the local Ace store. I travel to different flying spots in different states quite often and previously had forgotten my Dremel while hastily packing the flight box. No more, I wanted a tool for the road and this is the one!
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RaceM / Racemachine – a Bit of History

This is a collection of a couple of articles that Espen Torp orignially wrote about the history of the RaceM / Racemachine project.

Here is some background on the RaceM F3F, RaceM F3B and Racemachine competiton sailplanes from a couple of articles that Espen Torp originally wrote. Some editing applied!

Joakim Stahl, Matthias Carlsson and Stefan Wahlberg from Sweden developed the Racemachine for the 1999 F3B season. It was made with European conditions in mind but they also used it in the 1999 World Championship F3B. They were not particularly successful the first year and many thought they had gone the wrong way when choosing a relatively small wingspan compared to the trend at the time. They faced some problems in the beginning but there were never any doubt in their minds that they had a winner. After the Championship they made a longer fuselage for the V-tail and then a cross-tail. The extreme wing shape gave tremendous lift for the winch start and was clearly a big factor. But the flying characteristics in both distance and speed also gave them something extra. Thermal duration was never a problem with this design. Suddenly the Racemachine became easy to master and they began to win competitions with it.

In the 2001 F3B World Championship Sweden managed 3rd place in the teams classification.

Pasi Vaisanen made the podium (3rd) at the F3J World Championship in 2002.

Before the 2003 World Championship F3B in Germany they made the wingspan 20 cm longer and both Pasi Vaisanen and Joakim Stahl came very close to winning the Championship. They ended up 3rd in the Team competitions together with Henrik Karhusaari, who also flew an old Race Machine. This surely made it clear that the Swedes once again proved their capabilities. Pasi Vaisanen holds the current unofficial F3B speed record with 13.87 set in the Eurotour in Finland in 2003. In the same competition Joakim won with the big Racemachine.

ET-AIR and Richard Frawley got the chance to buy a mould set in 2001 but were given a two year ban from using it in F3B as part of the contract. Clearly the Swedes did not want competition from their own model and the ban was respected.

So, after a long wait the RaceM is finally ready for the commercial market. There are two basic versions called F3F and F3B. Both have UMS (HIGH MODULE CARBON) in the spar. Wingspan for the F3F version is the original 296cm and for the F3B version the span is increased to 315cm. Both versions can in fact be used for both F3F and F3B, it is a matter of taste. The bigger version may prove to have advantage in the start, duration and distance. For the F3F class both types can be good but the smaller version can probably tackle more wind and rougher conditions.

The RaceM comes with a two piece wing.

Standard lay-up will be one layer Carbon 93 and balsa for the F3F and ROHAcell for the F3B version.

Two types of V-tail are currently available, the proven all moving system taken from the Compact 2 and a one piece standard V-tail with flippers. There are plans to develop a X-tail but cannot give a time estimate for this.

The fuselage is originally made from the Ellipse 3 by Jaro Muller. It was redeveloped by Milan Janek for the Wizard Compact 2 and then made longer in the tailboom and fitted with the root section of the RaceM. New all moving V-tails were made and now we also offer a one piece V-tail taken from the Wizard F3B (no longer in production).

When the fuse was first made the nose was kept as it was from the Compact. Now we use a longer nose to offer a lower overall weight and easier radio installation.

The RaceM is truly joint venture product. The wings are made by Marian Maslo and the fuselage and the V-tail are made made Milan Janek of Wizard Compact fame. Quality control, packing and shipping is also done by Milan Janek. The brand new mould for the RaceM F3B was developed and made by Marian Maslo.


Hangar 9 Double Vision Fast Field Charger

I’ve been using this charger for several years and it is a super unit. I have both JR and Hitec radios and the ability to have one field charger do it all has been great.

The Double Vision will reliably peak charge all types of transmitters, regardless of brand, polarity, or if the transmitter has a built-in diode. A “TX Polarity” switch located on the charger is switched to match the transmitter being charged. Choose either the “JR” position for JR radios or “STD” (standard) for Futaba, Hitec, Airtronics, Multiplex, or other transmitters. If the switch is accidentally left in the wrong position and you push the “Charge” button, nothing will happen. A universal transmitter plug is attached that fits all transmitters. If the transmitter you are charging has a diode, just push and hold the “Start” button for 10 seconds and a normal charge cycle will begin bypassing the diode. It also handles all types and sizes of 4-cell and 5-cell receiver packs, including NiMH batteries. It can also charge glow drivers. In addition you can charge both transmitter and receiver packs at the same time.

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Airtech Passion Building Info

The Passion is a 2.45-meter sailplane from Airtech in France. It is an all around plane with an eye towards slope flying and F3F but is also a very capable thermal ship. This article has tips from the building of my current Passion.

Routing out the aileron and flap channel

 

Scraping the wood away from the hingeline

 

Pushrod holes in the fuse

 

Gluing the pushrod housings to the fuse

 

Pushrods housings installed

 

V-tail control horns

 

Center mark on the V-tail

 

Ready to glue the control horns in

 

Control horn channel

 

Control horns installed

 

Control horn installed

 

Routed out servo pocket

 

Fuse setup

 

Receiver tucked forward of the wing

 

Control horn and control rod setup

 

Wing tip routed out

 

Servo leads

 

Ballast block and ballast tray

 

Ballast tray installed

Erwin 5 Build Tips

The Erwin 5 is an all carbon, 2-meter slope ship. This article has several pictures and some notes on the building of my current version.

Erwin 5 elevator showing the channel for the control horn
Erwin 5 V-tial half
Wing root showing 2 joiner tubes, bakllast acces in between and the wire channel aft
Hitec HS-5125 thin wing servo
V-tail control horns
V-tail control horns installed
The V-tail cradle with control horn access hole.
This is the pallet that slides up into the nose

 

Columbus Day 2004 – Wilson Lake, Kansas

Greg and Mirko took a trip to Wilson Lake, Kansas for what has become a tradition, the Columbus Day slope get together at one of the Midwest’s best known slope sites.

Mirko and I left Milwaukee dark and early on Thursday at 5 AM for the 12 hour drive to Wilson Lake near Lucas, Kansas. We took a different route that I had been using in the past and it seems like a better way to go. Basically I-80 to York, Nebraska and then south on US-81 which is now 4-lane all the way to Salina, Kansas. Very nice.

We got to the lake about 5:30 PM and met a few guys just packing it up for the day. We were still in for a couple of hours of flying! We didn’t drive all this way for nothing! The highlight for me was the first flight of my Erwin 5. The wind was light but it was “magic air”, the buoyant air at the end of the day, and the Erwin loved it. I spent quite a bit of the remaining daylight sorting and tweaking.

After it got dark we headed over to Jack Cooper’s new home and the new shop for Leading Edge Gliders. Very nice!
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Mirko Reports on the 2004 Soar Utah Event

SAFARI TO SOAR UTAH 2004

Greg and I left Milwaukee late Monday afternoon, the 30th of August for our latest Safari with Salt Lake City as our final destination. We had plans to fly the Chamberlain, SD area, (depending on the wind direction) and wherever we could in Wyoming. We picked up Emil in Sioux Falls the next morning and headed over to the Missouri River, a two hour drive, just south of Chamberlain.

When we got there, we were greeted with no wind, and stifling heat. Temperatures would run into the 90s for the next several days until we got to Salt Lake City. I did a little hand tossing of my new PIXEL, testing the trim, and found it perfect. Emil, and Greg, were also launching with no results, so the three amigos decided to push on to other unexplored areas on the way to our final stop: Templetown, aka Salt Lake City.

We worked our way along I-90 westward and just after Kadoka, SD, we exited on state HWY 73 toward Philip, up to Billsburg, through Hartly, then still staying on 73 stopped above the Cheyenne River where we found bluffs facing west to north. This was before the descent to the bridge. It was a 50 to 100 yard walk to this face. Greg and Emil flew here for a while, but winds were light. After about an hour here we moved on to Howes where we continued on HWY 34 to White Owl, Enning, Union Center, then found a spot near where the road crossed the Belle Fourche River just around Volunteer. We called this spot “Junkyard hill,” due to a pile of junked cars near where Greg and Emil flew their planes while I languished near the van. On this day I found the heat too grim to fly, especially with such light winds.

After about a half hour of that we kept moving west on HWY 34 to Sturgis where we rejoined I-90 and headed on to Wyoming to Gillette, where we had supper, then finally to Buffalo, where we found a motel for the night.

The next morning, September 1st, while having breakfast in Buffalo, Greg noticed a big hill just outside of town. This was just west of Buffalo on HWY 16. We drove up a dirt road to a fairly good site, but again, the wind was inconsistent, and light. So we departed westward on HWY 16 for the southern pass of the Bighorn Mountains. Taking the Cloud Peak Scenic Byway over the Powder River pass, we finally came to a gravel parking area in Ten Sleep Canyon. Here we flew for about 45 minutes with a pretty decent wind coming up the canyon.

Next, we passed Worland, then moved on to Thermopolis and the Wind River Canyon. Here we found a dirt (what else!) road on BLM land leading to another series of bluffs overlooking a valley and the road below. Plenty of wind here but to me the lift was very uneven. Due to a hill about a half-a-mile across the valley, there was a lot of rotor coming in front of this 200 ft bluff. So we left here after about an hour, and moved on with all three of us giving different explanations for the uneven lift at this site.

It was mid-afternoon and we hit the road for Evanston, but on the way by way of HWY 20, to Shoshoni, then HWY 26 to Riverton, then Hwy 789 to Lander, and from there HWY 28, where 16 miles from Lander we found the best spot of this two day slope hunt. This was Red Canyon Rim. We pulled off the road and parked next to the guardrail; a barbed wire fence kept you from falling off the slope edge; there was a nice large flat landing zone to the left of our launching area, but on the other side of the fence. The wind was light but consistent from the NW. This slope should work WNW to NNW. Greg and Emil flew Weasels and Pixels while I took pictures. After flying for a while, we all wished that we would have found this spot earlier in the day. The light, late afternoon winds were producing great lift. Notable names adjacent to this area were Young Mountain, Limestone Mountain, and Iron Mountain. This was north of I-80 halfway between Rawlins and Rock Springs.

We rejoined I-80 at Rock Springs and went on to Evanston where we found a motel for the night. The next morning Thursday, we headed for Temple Town, about 80 miles away.

Soar Utah 2004 Mini Report

Mirko, Emil and I arrived on Thursday about noon and headed to Point of the Mountain. The wind was good and the lift was building. With a minor exception on Saturday AM we have had great flying conditions at POM North for the last three days. This is truly one of the very best slopes in the country.

Brian Laird’s BD-5 ripping it up on Thursday

Lots of PSS action. Some big scale ships and a whole slew of slopers are flying. The conditions mean that you can fly just about anything you brought. I had 20 ounces in the already 57 ounce Opus and could have added the wing ballast as well.

Of note to a few of us Mirko finally, after almost 3 years, got the first flight on his 4.3 Meter ASW-15B. The flight was almost anticlimatic. Owing to the 17 pound weight, and Mirko’s experience launching big tubs, he decided to do the launch duties while I did the flying duties. Thanks, Mirko! So, Mirko, with a herculean effort, threw the big ship into the lift. I jabbed down on the elevator and built up some speed and then didn’t touch the stick for about 10 seconds. The plane just flew straight and true, climbing a bit. It needed some significant down trim but after that I tooled around for a couple minutes gaining several hundred feet getting the feel of the plane. About 2 minutes into the flight, and feeling confident in the planes abilities, I dove it down and checked the roll rate. Not fast but it sure was cool to see the big ship do a nice roll! Mirko, having recovered from his launch effort glommed on to the transmitter after I had been flying and trimming for about 5 minutes. Must be nice to get a trimmed out plane when you waited three years to fly it! He sure looked happy! Guess the drive to Utah was worth the trip! So easy to fly was the ASW-15 that Mirko even handed the transmitter to Emil for a bit. Very nice flying tub.

Mirko’s 4.3 meter EMS ASW 15B

I’ll be doing a more detailed report when I get home. I have a bunch of photos and will post those as well. Stay tuned!

First Flight With My New BPV Wizard Compact 2

I got my new BPV (Bullet Proof Version) Wizard Compact 2 in the air for the first time at the Big M in Platteville on a really decent day. The wind was about 25 mph and there was also a good thermal kick.

The Big M is about 200 feet of 70 degree slope and then another 250 at the bottom of much more gentle slope. It has always produced good lift and the day of the Wizard’s maiden voyage was no exception.

I spent about an hour and a half at the hill finishing the radio install, mounting the servo covers, redoing the aileron linkage and setting the CG. BTW I needed about 7 ounces in this BPV version of the Wizard. Next BPV I do I will leave a little more room in the nose for shot and epoxy. (Actually this will be really soon as I have a cross-tail fuse to use with my existing BPV wings that I will start on ASAP). Anyway, my original plan was to set the CG at a nice, safe 95mm from the leading edge but I just could not get myself to add even more weight to the nose and ended up at 101mm. That is about where I planned to set it anyway. I usually like the comfort of a slightly forward CG on a first flight but this is my 4th Wizard so I am very familiar with them and I figured this would pose no problem.
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Bear Tooth Highway West Summit, 10,947 feet!

beartooth slope photo The West Summit of the Bear Tooth Pass is at 10,947 feet. What a view! Actually, everything from this point is down so slopes exist all over. The two I flew were just a couple of the many available.

Site one
At the sign for the West Summit there is a turnoff and parking area. On the day I was there the wind was westerly and I just walked a bit away from the parking lot and tossed the Weasel. It flew great. The slope at this point is not really steep but the Weasel made the most of the site. If I ranged farther over the road there was a terrific elevator of lift and at times I wondered if I could get the little Weasel down!
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Beartooth Pass Montana Slope Spot, Rock Creek Vista

Whenever I am out west on vacation I usually find a way to get to Beartooth Pass. The road between Red Lodge, Montana and the NE gate of Yellowstone Park. On this trip I had several slope planes along and tried several slope spots on the drive. This one describes the Rock Creek Vista overlook.

Heading out of Read Lodge take US Hwy 212 up towards Bear Tooth Pass. This is one of the most scenic drives in the entire United States and would be worth the drive even if it were not for the many slope flying opportunities that are presented along the way. Venerable CBS newsman, Charles Kuralt has called this road “America’s most beautiful highway.”

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Idaho Slope Flying Site

David sent in this report. He is in Rexburg, in eastern Idaho. North of Idaho Falls.

Here is his report on a nice slope on public (BLM) land. It’s a bit of a trek on unmaintained dirt roads, so you’ll need a vehicle with good ground clearance. I go in my Chevy Astro van, but I bottom out sometimes. Better in a truck.

photo by Lynn Johnson

The slope has very nice south/southwest exposure, which is in the direction of the prevailing winds. There is also an adjacent bowl, from which you could do anything from straight west, through south, to right east. No northern exposure.
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Midwest Slope Challenge 2004 Coverage

The Midwest Slope Challenge 2004 was one of the best on record and THE best I’ve attended in my 5 years of going to the contest. I arrived a couple of days early this year and stayed a couple of days afterward. I plan to do the same next year. Some of the best times of the weekend were non competition happenings and I look forward to more of the same.

Note: I’ve included a few pix with this story but there is a big gallery of 247 pix that is available here.

Wednesday
I was able to get going at 5:30 AM and of the 12-hour drive to Kansas from Milwaukee, I spent 11:38 in the vehicle! 2 gas stops and that was it. The idea was to get some flying in before dark on Wednesday.

The wind was north when I arrived at Palmer’s Pasture at 6PM or so. There were a few guys flying including Jim Porter who was flying his Elita.
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McKinnley Ridge in Southwestern Washington

Posted by Eric Molstead on Apr 26, 2004, 22:56

This fine flying site is located in Southwestern Washington. The site features relatively easy road access, great lift, and decent landing zones. The ridge can be flown in west or east winds, although I personally prefer winds from the east at this location.

This fine flying site is located in Southwestern Washington. The site features relatively easy road access, great lift, and decent landing zones. The ridge can be flown in west or east winds, although I personally prefer winds from the east at this location. The east side of the ridge has less trees and more open terrain upwind of the slope.  And when flying in an east wind, the sun is at your back instead of in your eyes all afternoon. Although I haven’t explored it, I would think there would be good potential for dynamic soaring here. The top of the ridge is rather sharp in places, which can set up quite a rotor.
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Washington Slope 90 Minutes from Portland

McKinnley Ridge in Southwestern Washington

This fine flying site is located in Southwestern Washington. The site features relatively easy road access, great lift, and decent landing zones. The ridge can be flown in west or east winds, although I personally prefer winds from the east at this location. The east side of the ridge has less trees and more open terrain upwind of the slope.  And when flying in an east wind, the sun is at your back instead of in your eyes all afternoon. Although I haven’t explored it, I would think there would be good potential for dynamic soaring here. The top of the ridge is rather sharp in places, which can set up quite a rotor.

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Glen Rose soaring site

Glen Rose, TX, is a small town roughly between nowhere and nothing, west of Waco and SW of Dallas, and Dinosaur Valley State Park is just outside of Glen Rose.  I found a nice slope inside the park overlooking a graceful bend in the Paluxy River that faces roughly SE to SW, with most of the slope facing due south.

The frontside of the slope is covered in mountain juniper, but has a few holes where you can see out and land.  A trail runs up the ridge and requires a crossing of the river from the parking area, but this shouldn’t be a problem unless the water level is quite high.
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Badger Mountian Washington

Badger Mountian Washington Sunday March 14, 2004

One of my favorite Slope soaring sites, about 20 minutes from downtown East Wenatchee, Washington, just a few miles from the site Clyde Pangborn and Hugh Herndon bellie landed the “Miss Veedol” after the first nonstop Transpacific flight, october 5th 1931.

The site is located to the north of a Radio Transmission site on Badger Mountain about 9 miles east of the town East Wenatchee, WA.

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Two More Slopes Near Houghton

I found two more great slopes near Houghton, MI

1. East facing slope near WalMart. This slope is about 200 ft high. It faces the highway that goes south from here (US 29 ) (Taco Bell, Walmart etc.). The top of the slope is occupied by “The Bluffs” an apartment complex for retirement-age folks. Between the apartment building and the slope is a paved trail (maybe for jogging and biking). There was no indication of who owns the trail and no “no trespassing” signs. The slope of the slope is maybe 45 degrees. There is a gravel access road about 75 ft down the slope accessible from the north. This road is marked “private property” but it doesn’t say “no trespassing”. Presently, whoever manages the slope had put a geo-fabric and grass on it and is watering it in the hopes that the grass will prevent erosion. I went there one day to test the air. A wind which was easterly 10 mph on the flat was turned into a 25 mph gale on the slope. I have never flown my gliders in such a wind, so I didn’t try it.

2. The other slope faces west, which is the direction of the prevailing winds here. This slope is just east of Superior Sand and Gravel. The location is just outside of the west end of Hancock Michigan. Superior Sand and Gravel occupies the base of the hill. On top of the hill is the Houghton County Arena and Fairgrounds. The slope is between the two. A high tension power line runs nearly parallel to the slope. The land just in from the top of the slope is maybe a jogging/nordic skiing trail area. You can drive/follow trails to the lip of the slope. This slope must be about 200 ft high. I have not been there when the wind is blowing. Again, I need to practice on smaller slopes before throwing my airplane of this one.

I asked at Superior Sand and Gravel about flying there. They didn’t seem to mind. I must say that there is a certain element of danger with that high cliff.

Also, there is a site near Eagle Harbor which looks good for thermal flying. It is waste basalt sand from a former copper mining operation. It may be reached by driving south past the Eagle Harbor cemetery and continuing more or less south for 2.5 miles. The site is privately owned but there are no “no trespassing” signs. There is a cable across the road but it may be just lifted off the post. The site is pretty much flat and is maybe 800 by 800 ft. (~ 16 acres). Unfortunately, it is also sometimes  a playground for people with two, three or four wheel bikes. A dozen or so of them came by when I was trying to fly, and I was quite concerned about them running over my airplane or tangling my high start.

Chuck Young

Massachusetts Slope Site in the Berkshires

Here’s a great slope site in Mass, The Mohawk Trail. 800 vertical feet high at least. West facing slope and the wind is always west here.

Here’s a panoramic shot.

The spot is the western most summit of the Mohawk Trail,  Heading out of North Adams follow RT.2  East – after a short drive up the mountain you will come to the Deadman’s curve “almost a 360 degree turn, then up another long ascent. At the very top of that first summit is a gift shop, directly across the street on that corner is a small dirt road. Down the dirt road 50 yards park next to the large antenna and radio shack, follow the trail in back of the shack to the launching site. 800 vertical feet below you, always a strong west wind. Tough landing EPP slopers  recommended.

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