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Brian McLean Extreme

The McLean Extreme

Brian McLean used to make this ship for F3F, DS and any other high-performance slope soaring. I still have 2 and no, they are not for sale or ever will be! It is simply my all time favorite slope plane.

Specs Airfoil: Joe Wurts designed DS 19
Span: 78.5
Area: 500 sq in
Surface loading: 12.5 oz/ft2
Weight: 43oz
Control: Aileron, Flaps, Rudder and Elevator
Radio: Hitec Super Slim, 4 HS-85MGs in the wing and HS-85s in the fuse. 5 cell 600ae pack
Ballast: 1 – 16 oz piece of steel  made to slide in the tube provided.

Brian Mclean made this ship for F3F, DS and any high-performance sloping.

The fuse has a slip-on nose cone over a carbon servo tray insert, a removable carbon ballast tube, and a unique mid-tail fixed horizontal stabilizer with elevators. The linkage in the tail allows up-elevator with a servo pull, key for heavy DS elevator loading. The fuse is heavily reinforced glass, with thick Kevlar in the wing root section, with Kevlar and carbon extending from the wing root trailing edge to the tail in the boom.


The Rob Crockett view of my Extreme

Wings are carbon over  high density foam with a ply reinforcement of the leading edge and a heavy ply root and sub-rib. The DS19 airfoil and wing planform was custom designed for Brian by Joe Wurts for F3F and DS.

The kit comes with both carbon and steel joiners. Ailerons and flaps are silicone-hinged with internal balsa wipers, and the molded rudder has an internal wiper.

The Extreme fuse is carbon-fiber, fiberglass and Kevlar. It has a slip on nose cone and a strong carbin-fiber area for the battery, receiver and fuse servos.


Extreme nose

The elevator is mid-T. The horizontal stab is fixed in the front and the elevators are actuated by a linkage that allows the servo to pull for up elevator.


Linkage showing down elevator

Linkage showing up elevator

All the pretty parts that came in the box

Slope Flying at Coronado Heights 5/20/01

On my home from the Midwest Slope Challenge I stopped at Coronado Hights, near Salina, Kansas with Pat and Randy McCleave.

A view from the top. The lift was good, with 15 mph or better winds and thermals coming through every few minutes.

Uh, guys the rain will be here in about 2 minutes. OK just another minute then.

Pat’s warbird makes a pass.

Mike’s Foam-1 banking hard.

Some of the hazards of this site.

The castle in the distance. The LZ on this day is between the guys and the castle.

Greg and Tracy take a short drive to Crystal Ridge

04/21/01 – I flew the Vindicator first and had trouble finding the lift. I ended up landing it at the bottom of the hill in a convient field. I was not going to throw the Prodij off, but after some peer pressure from Tracy I gave it a throw. I worked a bit different area and was able to get about a 20 minute flight. I ended up landing the Prodij at the bottom of the hill too. The LZ at the top is small and rocks and buildings said don’t try it up here today. I would not say it was all that much fun. 45 mph may be too strong for this hill.

This was my first attempt at this hill. The wind direction seemed good, but the lift band was very narrow. I think a more Southerly or Westerly wind would work better because Southwest seems to get split on the corner of the hill. Tracy has flown in lighter winds and reports good lift

Tracy takes off a day of work to fly at Crystal Ridge

Crystal Ridge- Milwaukee, WI

Tracy’s Report – 04/13/01

I took Friday off to do nothing other than fly my planes. Bright and early Friday I went to Crystal Ridge to fly the Zagi off of the west face of the hill. Nice westerly wind, not too fast, but just right for my first try with this plane. The hawks were VERY interested in this new bird in their sky. I had one that flew about three feet off of the wing, mirroring every turn I made. He flew off after a while but returned with wings folded doing about 50mph! He screamed to a halt right along side the Zagi and again mirrored every movement. It was definitely the best soaring moment I’ve ever had!

Later on, I saw a group of four of them in a tight circle, thermalling over the trees below the hill. I flew over to them to get in their lift and none of them seemed to mind except a really bright red one. He descended to get a better look, then after deciding that I wasn’t much of a threat, let out a cry which was echoed by the other three. Too cool.

I also flew the Majestic with my new high-start to some amazing heights and one incredible 24 minute flight that could have gone much longer. I got nervous when a curiously low Sun Country jet flew almost right over the ski-hill. I came in for a landing immediately after that. I’m sure that the jet was over 6,000 feet and my plane never got above 2,000, but better safe than to be the cause of a disaster.

Later that day I flew the Xterminator at the local school. It was going great until I hit a light pole 50 feet off the ground with the wing. Depth perception was incredibly difficult against the clear blue sky. I thought I was well beyond the light pole. The plane skidded down along the pole toward the concrete base and shattered the fuse when it hit. Believe it or not, the plane still flew after the accident, even with the nose section splintered from the plane. After an hour repair job, I was back at the school with about 25 more flights (the next day my arm was so sore that I thought it would fall off!)

I went back to the ski hill on Saturday morning with the Zagi. The wind was blowing a lot more than the day before, so there was a LOT more lift. I had some incredible flights, very fast. Faster I think than I’ve ever flown before…which explains the crashes. It’s very easy to get disoriented with a flying wing. Did I mention that I love EPP? No damage done. I just tossed it out again for more abuse. I practiced bleeding off speed by coming up the face of the hill and plopping it down on the ridge on which I was standing. Got pretty good at it too. Landing a foam and glass ship will be tricky as the hill face is nothing but dirt and broken concrete. I think I’ll watch you do it before I try it with a plane of my own. The hill is excellent in northwest to southeast winds. You’ve got to try it.

Greg Flys at The Big M

Flying at The Big M

Platteville, WI – 04/01/01 Greg

I got the opportunity to fly at the Big M today. I was coming back from a wedding in Iowa and routed the return trip past this large mound in Southwest Wisconsin.

This was the second flight for the SH-50 and the conditions were perfect to test the plane more thoroughly than the first test flight, which was done in 6 or 7 mph winds. Today was about 15-18 mph. It was coming a bit more northerly than is ideal, but this place has very good lift and I had no problem putting the SH-50 through it’s paces. This plane flies very well! It accelerates quickly, rolls very fast and loops are tight. Pylon turns are quick and it is easy to work a small area of the slope. I flew it unballasted at about 17 oz. I can’t wait to ballast it up.

If you are going to be in the area and would like to fly here contact:

Greg Smith – ( I am a couple of hours away, but can make the trip with enough notice.)

CR Fun-1 One Design Racer

Update on this plane. I still have it after almost 8 years and it is still a super plane. I’ve now won the One Design class at the MWSC with it and finished second a couple of times. I did blow up the wing DSing it but a decent repair and it is back in action and now right at the 25 ounce weight minimum negating the need for the 2.5 ounces of ballast I used to need. Still flies great though.

I originally bought this plane to race in the One Design class at the Midwest Slope Challenge.

Fun-1
Specs

Airfoil: 6062 (modified)
Span: 60.0
Area: 360 sq in
Surface loading: 9-14oz sq ft
Weight: 22-1/2oz to 35 oz
Control: Aileron (Flaperons) and Elevator
Radio: Hitec Super Slim, HS-81MGs servos for the Ailerons and Elevator, 600ae battery pack.

12-1/2 oz of ballast can be bolted in. 2-1/2 oz are needed to get my version to the minimum weight for the One Design Class at the Midwest Slope Challenge and the other 10 oz brings it to the 35 oz maximum.

Purchased from CR High Performance Products (unfortunately CR is no longer selling planes. I for one will miss the great planes at fair prices!)

I bought this plane to race in the One Design class at the Midwest Slope Challenge. (I tied for 5th place by the way) At the time it was the only kit available which meets the rules, however it is possible and encouraged to build your own plane that meets the specs. With the affordability of this kit ($80-$90 bucks depending on how it is configured) most choose this route. In fact this is one of the best all around values in slope planes today.

The Fun-1 makes an excellent intermediate sloper and is capable of flying in really light conditions. I use it often in winds as low as 6 or 7 mph. When the wind comes up, put in some ballast and this plane is almost as fast as composite ships costing 4 times as much.

I built mine as the instructions indicated. One thing I should have done is to add a spar of some kind. I guess I can always build another wing.

Update: May 2002 – Once again I used this Fun-1 for the One Design class at the Midwest Slope Challenge. There were a lot more planes that meet the rules there this year. In fact no fewer than 5 different designs meeting the specs were represented. In the end CR Fun-1s took the top three places with yours truly netting a 3rd this time.

The new designs showed a lot of promise with a Magnum Models Cobra Racer making the finals and finishing 4th. Could have been 3rd but for a mid air with my Fun-1. I guess we will never know. (sorry Larry!)

The Hammerhead from Polecat Aero was also very competitive but the top two Hammerhead fliers mid-aired and took themselves out of the running. Pat McCleave’s looked particularly fast and Mike Garton’s flew to a soft landing even with the wing at about a 45 degree angle to the fuse after the rear mount bolt broke! Maybe next year guys.

May 2001 – It did not disappoint. I made it through all the rounds of the One Design class at the MWSC and netted a 5th place! It makes me happy since this was my first slope race since about 1984!

I have been using the Fun-1 to practice inverted flying. It is pretty good at it and has no weird tendencies.

It will be going to the 2002 Midwest Slope Challenge. We will see if it is still competitive. There are several new kits to contest its domination of the class.

Tennesse Slope Soaring

The site we use is 6 miles off Interstate I-75 between Lake City and Lafollette TN. In fact I-75 passes at the foot of the mountain. Called Cross Mountain by the USGS, it has three usable slopes. The smallest is the north slope, which is usable but the air is disturbed by a nearby point. The north slope pretty much requires a true north wind for good flying. The east slope is better and larger, overlooking a grand valley. From the east slope any wind close to east is good. The best and largest is the west slope, very big and bowl shaped. Any west wind, especially SW, works well. The uncluttered terrain of the west slope makes it the combat flyer’s choice! All the slopes have acres of good overgrowth-covered LZ’s. Below are the directions used by most everyone, although there is a 4WD-only route from Lake City. The exit is 30 miles north of Knoxville TN. Generally, going up you need to stay left, and down stay right.

The east slope, with it’s nearby tree line.

On Interstate I-75, use exit 134. From the south turn left at the end of the ramp then left again at Shoney’s restaurant; from the north go straight past Shoney’s. Just past Caryville Surplus Sales you will bear left and cross the RR, that will be Mountain Road. Approximately 1.7 miles from Shoney’s the pavement ends at Ivy Grove Church, go straight onto the gravel road. Start counting switchbacks! Keep going through 6 tight switchbacks; at 1.7 miles from the church you will see a cell phone tower on your right. Go 4/10 mile and one more switchback, then turn left onto a one-lane dirt logging road. This is the worst part, but not really bad! To help you, with a brief exception a power line runs all the way to the slopes, just follow and stay on the well-travelled road. Go 2.2 miles and you will see the north facing slope site, and the west and east sites along with the north slope access are just beyond there. Be sure to follow the same way back down that you did going up! There are no facilities of any kind on top of the mountain.

SUV’s can handle the roads easily, passenger cars may strike bottom if you are not very careful. Go slow and keep your lights on as many ATVs use the area for recreation and dust is a real problem for visibility! During the week logging trucks may be operating so be prepared to yield or back up. Also do not attempt the trip if your vehicle is mechanically unsound as a tow truck may not come to get you, or will charge you extra. This route is steep at intervals but will not overheat your vehicle if it’s in good condition.

Larry Blevins flies his mini-P40 inverted over the north slope.

The main contact for this site is Larry Blevins, who lives at the bottom of the 4WD route in Lake City, and is the owner of Magnum Models. Larry has been flying this site for years, and is an able guide. He can be reached in the evenings at 1-865-426-4826. Weekend flying is informal, with a promising weather report we contact each other and meet at Larry’s home or at the top of the mountain.

Here is the north slope as seen from the access road.
The bowl shaped west slope, as seen from the north end.

Ellison Bay Slope, Door County, WI

On the Door County penninsula. This is a great place to take the wife or whole family for vacation and still have a place to fly.

There are two spots on either side of Hwy 41 that work well in a N or NW wind. Just before you enter the town of Ellison Bay you crest a hill, on the West side is a Hotel with the slope between the road and the Hotel, on the East is open land. The open land is platted for a subdivision though, so I am not sure how long that will be usable. The Hills are only 40 or so feet right where you launch but is about 150 feet above Lake Michigan and the wind seems to work better here that some other small slopes I have tried.

SH-50 Compact Sloper

sh-50
SH-50 number 1

The SH-50 is a 50″ sloper designed to be light, fast and strong. Our slopes are mostly small and under 150 feet high. It is really nice to have a plane that is super manuverable and doesn’t need a whole lot of sky to have fun.

Airfoil: 7012 mod or 6063 mod
Span: 50.0
Area: 300 sq/in
Surface loading: 7oz/ft2
Weight: 16oz
Control: Aileron and Elevator
Radio: Hitec 555, CS-25s all around. 300mah pack.

4oz and 6oz lead ballast made to bolt in the fuse under the wing.

Designed and built by Greg Smith and Russ Whitford.

 

Kansas Slope Soaring at Wilson Lake

These are locations we have had the privilege to fly. Some may have access restrictions.
Check with local flyers for information.

Kansas Slope Flying Sites

Wilson Lake – This is the location of the Midwest Slope Challenge in May.

Race report from Wilson Lake 2001.

Wilson Lake is located at mile 153.9 on the Saline River, in Russell County, in north central Kansas. The damsite is about 45 miles west of Salina and 10 miles north of Wilson, Kansas. Interstate 70 is located approximately 7 miles south of the lake. Direct access to the lake is provided by Kansas 232 which crosses over the dam and connects Interstate 70 and Kansas 18. Access to the lake is also provided by Kansas 181 and numerous county roads on the north and south sides on the lake. The Dorrance Road, which connects with Interstate 70, and South Shore Drive are paved county roads that provide access to the parks on the south side of the lake. Other county roads are well maintained gravel roads.

There are several possible locations to fly depending on wind direction.

Local Pilots

Pat McCleave – Hi, my name is Pat McCleave and I have been sloping KS since the late 70’s. Of course my favorite site is Wilson Reservoir in north central Kansas but there are several others that are still quite Spectacular. Pat is working on a couple of other sites. Contact him for the latest info.

If anyone ever wants to do a Kansas Slope Safari let me know, I am sure we would have a great time.

Wisconsin Slope Flying at Atwater Beach

Atwater Beach, Shorewood, WIExperenced flyers only! People present!
Good for North East winds. Tricky or unconventional landing at the top (this involves coming at the slope, diving down, following the slope contour up to dump speed and plowing into a bush) but the beach is big and there is a path to walk down. This is a nice North Suburban Milwaukee site and very good lift in ENE winds. Not for beginners though!

Local pilots

Greg Smith
Russ

Sloping at the Big M in Platteville, WI

This view of the mound is from about 8 miles away. We fly over the Big M on the right side.

Wisconsin Slope Flying Sites – The Big M

The Big M is a large mound near Platteville, in western Wisconsin. It faces West but because of it’s shape it is usable for several directions from Northwest to South.

bigmtop

This view is from the top of the mound. The white patch on the left is part of the top of the Big M

From Madison take 18/151 towards Dodgeville. At Dodgeville continue on 151 towards Platteville. You will make a right turn at the end of town in Belmont (still 151) and will be about 7 miles from Platteville. You will see the mound off to your right. About 4-5 miles after Belmont is Mound Rd. (maybe West Mound Rd.) At the base of the mound take a right and the farm with the access road is on your left. You go between the farm house and the out buildings up the access road to the top where the antennas are.

Local pilots

  • Greg Smith
  • Clayton Greaves

 

Mini Acacia – speed demon like its big brother

The Mini Acacia is a 1.5 meter slope ship which also has a bungee hook! It is a hot little plane and is at home in light breezes or stiff gales. The Mini Acacia is all hollow molded from CNC tooling.

Mini Acacia

Specs

Airfoil: RG15 mod
Span: 57.0
Surface loading: 7oz/ft2
Weight: 18oz
Control: Aileron, Rudder and Elevator
Radio: Hitec Super Slim, JR241s in the wing and Cirrus CS-21s in the fuse. 600ae pack.

3oz and 6oz lead ballast made to bolt in the fuse under the wing

Purchased from Composite Specialities www.f3x.com

The Mini Acacia is a 1.5 meter slope ship which also has a bungee hook! The Mini Acacia is all hollow molded from CNC tooling. This is top notch composite construction. It has a strong molded carbon fiber spar, one piece quad taper wing, flat center section with dihedral in the tips. Removable one piece V tail. All live hinge control surfaces. The fuselage has enough room under the canopy for mini sized radio equipment, a 600AAE flat pack in the nose and there is just enough room under the wing to carry enough ballast to allow the Mini to scream on the slope!

Building was straight forward. It is a pleasure to work with a model as well made as this one. The only things to do are install the control horns and radio equipment. The only part I didn’t get to fit right was the servo fairing on the wing. (the instructions do mention this)

I have flown it several times in less than ideal conditions and it flies great. Ideal conditions are even more fun. In 20 MPH winds, with 10 oz of ballast it is the most fun!

Update: Now that it has been flown several times, I am finding it one of my favorites when the wind is between 10 and 20 mph. It is smooth and fast, penetrates very well and, with the slight polyhedral, is great in bumpy air.

I did break the boom on a less than smooth landing in about 25 – 30 MPH at Mt Baldy, but the repair was easy and it is again happy in the air. I also recently got the electric fuse, which I will get going as soon as I get a couple of other projects finished.

Another Update: This plane rocks off the bungee! The slight polyhedral makes it track straight and the thin airfoil lets it climb like a rocket!

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