tonydoc Posted November 2, 2020 Share Posted November 2, 2020 Ian Mason at whitesheet Sunday fine tuning his new glider, almost broke my back trying to pick it up. Very successfully flown showed a good turn of speed and definitely strong enough. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ian F3F Posted November 2, 2020 Share Posted November 2, 2020 A fun morning thrashing that Harrier, good to see you there Tony. When I got home I weighed it with the ballast I was using and it came out at £3.8kg, definitely enough to cut through the turbulence! The Harrier is a project I started in the first lockdown with Zhou, we have been working together for over 10 years. In that time I think we have developed a good working relationship and the quality of his building has come on beyond all recognition. The design has come one, with my own learnings as well. The Harrier’s controls are all enclosed/flush. The CAD servo tray really helps the build time on the model. I’ve been flying the Harrier all summer and I know on those warm sunny days, my club mate who have checked out the wings and moldings seem to have been impressed. When I’ve had the chance I’ve been pushing the conditions when I’ve been flying it to try to see what damage I could cause and find out for myself- the only damage after a summery is a tail crease from Emma pushing the car seat back and fuse damage from a crap landing. The wing can certainly carry the ballast, the large controls mean I’ve been able to really throw it round when I’ve fancied a thrash. I’m really pleased with the model that’s come from the project. I won’t be getting back into the model selling game, having Zhou sell them direct keeps the price nice and low. I’m a happy man with my Harrier Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Martin Church Posted November 2, 2020 Share Posted November 2, 2020 Looks good Ian do you have any specifications for it yet? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ian F3F Posted November 2, 2020 Share Posted November 2, 2020 Sorry Martin should have said, 2.75m span. Dirk Flug section, what info do you need? Ian 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Martin Church Posted November 2, 2020 Share Posted November 2, 2020 Hi Ian thanks for the reply. I wasn’t sure what kind of model the Harrier was Or what audience it was aimed at. I don’t know this Zhou guy or where or how he trades so any info would be good Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ian F3F Posted November 2, 2020 Share Posted November 2, 2020 Hi Martin The Idea behind the Harrier was to produce a high performance model that you can throw around on your local slope but that is also capable of taking to an F3F race. I believe Zhou is selling them at 550USD plus shipping. Zhou started off building the Willows for me but has since made models for different people. As I say, I've known him for 10 years and I've never had a problem. I can only tell you about my dealings with him, when producing a model you have to be very clear about the details and instructions to the builder, we have been able to work together to find a solution to anything that's cropped up. Ian http://willowracing.blogspot.com/p/getting-your-own-willow.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ian F3F Posted November 20, 2020 Share Posted November 20, 2020 A cold NW yesterday so I took the plunge and told myself I was going to do 'EM up turns' as much as I could. A model weight of about 3.8kg seems to feel right when the lift is anything like, that's more than I've flown anything but a Merlin before. The times I got the turns right she went off like a rocket. I'm enjoying the Harrier so much as a model to scream around and have the confidence to turn it towards me and start rolling out of the turn. Even if my thumbs are a bit rubbish its a blast, should have been doing these more often! Ian 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Feefo Posted November 21, 2020 Share Posted November 21, 2020 The Harrier isn't on Zhou's website, any idea when it will be? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ian F3F Posted November 21, 2020 Share Posted November 21, 2020 For more information, e-mail him. He's much more a builder than a website man! Ian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Feefo Posted November 21, 2020 Share Posted November 21, 2020 16 minutes ago, Ian F3F said: For more information, e-mail him. He's much more a builder than a website man! Ian Ok, I'm not looking to buy this side of Xmas anyway TBH, was just looking for more info on what is available. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mizuno52 Posted January 20, 2021 Share Posted January 20, 2021 And here’s the first production Harrier!! Took delivery from Ian in December and it’s now ready to go, although it looks like it will be a few weeks before the latest lockdown is lifted. Note my friend Braid in the foreground Build was pretty straightforward, having built a Baudis Skywalker last year. I managed to shoehorn a 2000mah LiFe from Component Shop into the nose. Servos are KST MS 320s for the tail and X10s in the wings. It may also be of interest that I glued some short lengths of snake inners to guide the aerials to 90 degrees apart. Expect to see me at White Sheet in the Spring with my new toy It just goes to show that there are some good things coming out of Wuhan. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mizuno52 Posted January 20, 2021 Share Posted January 20, 2021 The other thing I meant to mention was my ballast system. i followed Ian's advice and used B & Q shower rail filled with lead in 10 x 35mm slugs. In the past I've been a bit concerned about 1kg of ballast being retained by a bolt or similar in a nose down landing. You can see from the photo that I've put a velcro strap in the ballast tube to avoid this. What does everyone think? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andy_B Posted January 20, 2021 Share Posted January 20, 2021 having seen a few of the usual fuz tube installs I guess you have a captive nut on the bottom of the tube and you put the bolt through it .Either through a blank or the last piece of ballast or alternatively you may have a stopper in the end of the tube .Either way if you give it the beans landing and prang it that 1kg will go straight through the bolt /nut and the stopper and probably most of the way through the servos. you could try doing what Baudis do and create a ramp in the end of the tube so it tries to eject the ballast up through the canopy ,and be carefull when its full when it comes to landing , there is no secret way of holding lots of ballast in place when coming to an abrupt stop ,at least not in somthing that doesnt have alot of room . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ian F3F Posted January 21, 2021 Share Posted January 21, 2021 18 hours ago, Mizuno52 said: And here’s the first production Harrier!! Took delivery from Ian in December and it’s now ready to go, although it looks like it will be a few weeks before the latest lockdown is lifted. Note my friend Braid in the foreground Build was pretty straightforward, having built a Baudis Skywalker last year. I managed to shoehorn a 2000mah LiFe from Component Shop into the nose. Servos are KST MS 320s for the tail and X10s in the wings. It may also be of interest that I glued some short lengths of snake inners to guide the aerials to 90 degrees apart. Expect to see me at White Sheet in the Spring with my new toy It just goes to show that there are some good things coming out of Wuhan. Glad you're happy with the Harrier. I'll be there when you get her going at whitesheet. Ian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Elam Posted January 21, 2021 Share Posted January 21, 2021 There is a Willow Sor on Zhou's website. Is this a Harrier as it looks similar to the models in this thread. http://www.rgmcn.com/h-pd-41.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mizuno52 Posted January 21, 2021 Share Posted January 21, 2021 Hi Dave. My understanding is that the Harrier is a development of the Willow. They were both designed by my club mate, Ian Mason. If you want more information go to his website willowf3f.com - there is a contact box if needed. Hope that helps. I mentioned that I bought a Baudis Skywalker last year, my opinion is that the quality of the Harrier is nearly as good as my Skywalker, but at less than a quarter of the cost! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeE Posted January 22, 2021 Share Posted January 22, 2021 UlI think the most convenient and very successful way to hold the ballast in is a piece of EPP. If it’s shaped to fit tightly into the end of the ballast tube and long enough to give good crush protection it will do a good job. Holding it in place is as simple as making it a shape that not only sits on the tube but also extends high enough to touch the inside of the nose cone. Ideally needing to be compressed slightly as you fit the cone. Any attempt of the ballast trying to move it will compress it up and squeeze it more against the inner edges of the cone. it doesn’t require any fixing other than pushing the nose cone on and taping it in place. Of course it’s a bit trickier with a canopy. But if the canopy is taped down it should work, or you may be able to tape around the block if it’s shaped correctly to not interfere with the push rods before putting the canopy on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ian F3F Posted January 22, 2021 Share Posted January 22, 2021 15 hours ago, Dave Elam said: There is a Willow Sor on Zhou's website. Is this a Harrier as it looks similar to the models in this thread. http://www.rgmcn.com/h-pd-41.html Hi dave Yes the harrier is different to the willow models. Other than the ballast tube and joiner it's a completely new set of molds to the SOR. I've put plenty of detail and history on the willow racing blog- should answer your questions but if not drop me a line. Really glad you like the quality. It's definitely something that has moved on to the next level Ian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mizuno52 Posted March 29, 2021 Share Posted March 29, 2021 Update on my Harrier ...... Due to the Covid lockdown, my new Harrier that was delivered in December has had to wait until today for its maiden flight. Set up was as per Ian's recommendation and I decided to fly with no ballast for the first few flights in a 15mph SW at White Sheet. Flew straight and true away from the launch with 2 clicks of up elevator and no other adjustments. Flight showed no vices, but very responsive. Ist landing was a revelation in that the flaps are so effective and controllable - my initial set up needs no tweeking of elevator compensation. Loops and rolls are very smooth and I experimented with a couple of mm of reflex which seemed to help maintain the speed. 3mm or so of down camber on thermal setting and height gain was immediate. Overall this is a brilliant model at any price, with the added virtue of being great value. ( I'm not being paid for this review, I'm just so stoked!) 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ian F3F Posted March 30, 2021 Share Posted March 30, 2021 Sounds like you had a fantastic day's flying while I was at work! It's fantastic that I'm not the only one who's enjoying the Harrier. (I know that I'm biased!) I've started playing with a little reflex with My set ups, but not very much- less that 1mm- It does push her on. I have been enjoying flying with a good amount of ballast it sounds like we've found different ways to get a similar result. it's certainly handy to have a set up that you can dial in when that thermal comes through. I understand the Neil at Flight tech has an order of Harrier's being made right now and he will be the distributor. Certainly looks a good combination with his servos and frames. Hope to see you on the Slope to compare set up soon. Ian 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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