Good evening chaps!

[Tim Kearsley]

Hi,

I've just joined and wanted to say "Hello".

I've recently become very interested, and keen, in the field of thermal soaring. I've been in the R/C aircraft hobby since 2006 and am a fairly competent pilot. However, my experience in sailplanes and thermalling is almost nil. What really started me out in this fascinating branch of the hobby was catching a real boomer of a thermal some while ago while flying a foamie Phoenix 2000, and rapidly going from about 400 ft to 1100 ft, when I got scared and bailed out! I had a vario in the model, hence knowing the altitude.

So, I'm really looking for some advice from the experts as to a good model to invest in, to develop my interest. I should say that I've no ambition regarding contests - I'm fly purely for my own enjoyment, nothing more. I'm looking for a good electric soarer that will thermal well. I've no interest in sloping. I don't mind spending a bit of cash, but don't want to make a bad choice.

Many thanks for any advice.

Tim.

 

[SilentPilot]

Hi Tim  

Are you willing to consider a Rudder/Elevator(/Spoiler?) model?
They make a good first electric thermal glider because you don't need to worry so much about orientation.

Fly along, catch a thermal, stay in it as long as you like, if you are only needing to know which way it is going you can get them pretty high (for that read pretty small!!!)

If you have Ailerons that need to be used to keep it level then you need to keep it lower so you can orientate it properly  

 

Have fun. I find model thermal flying much harder than full size gliding  

Tony

 

[Tim Kearsley]

Thanks guys, for the replies.

As a newbie to this, am I better then to go for a RES model, rather than full house? As a power model pilot I'm used to having ailerons available.

I have to admit that I'm no great builder, so ARTF would be my preferred option. What sort of span would you suggest?

There's so much to learn (which I'm looking forward to) but I guess you only do so by flying. I just want to give myself the best start by choosing a suitable model.

Cheers,

Tim.

 

[SilentPilot]

I know what you mean regarding Ailerons. 

I too had a hard time adapting to R/E only control. Sometimes I mix the rudder to both sticks so I can use either to turn!

I wanted a Full House Mystique. It looked gorgeous and I thought I could really get to like one but after a couple of seasons with my Radian XL I soon realised that RES was the way forward and eventually got a Mystique RES (cheers Pete!).

The freedom RES gives you to be able to scan the sky for a Kite or a Buzzard signalling a thermal cannot be over emphasized. 

Laying down on the ground with one hand on (or just near) the transmitter giving the odd nudge of a stick to guide the glider as it does its thing is not something I dare do with a full house setup! 

[Tim Kearsley]

Ah, OK Tony, comments noted.  I think I have a steep learning curve ahead of me!

What I find fascinating is that it's such a world apart from flying power models, and so peaceful and relaxing.  I must admit though that, as a complete beginner in this, finding thermal lift is at the moment entirely by accident!  I'm sure that experience will come eventually.

Looks like I'd better start researching what RES models are out there.

Cheers,

Tim.

 

[Tim Kearsley]

Thanks Pete.  I look forward to a long, enjoyable learning period ahead!

As to my local club, I'm not sure that we have any active thermal soaring enthusiasts.  We have a few who dabble with gliders (as I've done until now) but nothing more serious.

I'll start looking around the pre-owned market then and see what transpires....

Many thanks,

Tim.

 

[Tim Kearsley]

Thanks very much for the advice Pete, it's appreciated.

Yes, I've been a member of the BMFA since I started RC flying around 2005/6. I'm actually in Rushden, which is in the east of the county, near the borders with Beds and Cambs. I'm quite lucky in that I live just five minutes from our club flying field.

I'll let you know how I get on!

Tim.

 

[paulj]

If I'm saying something you already know, then feel free to tell me! If you fly an RES model, the rudder is controlled by the stick axis you would normally use for the aileron. You don't need to fly with the rudder on the axis it would normally be found with used in a full house model. An RES model will respond more in roll than you would expect (but less than a full house model), due to the dihedral in the wings, so "learning" to fly an RES should be very straight forward. Probably the only catch is when you are rolling out of a bank it can put the nose high because of the yaw. Not a big problem, but be careful low down - once you have flown around for a bit, you will understand the flight envelope. For thermal soaring it is a good option because of the inherent stability of the model, allowing you to concentrate on finding lift and staying up. Having said that, I have a couple of thermal soarers with ailerons which are also straight forward to fly and stable!

 

[CTR]

Hi Tim,

I’m not too far from you, just south of Northampton.  Maybe we can get together for some ‘air’ time. Which club are you a member of? More to the point, whereabouts is the field you fly?

I mainly fly DLGs (F3K) but also dabble with 2m and F5J. I am far from an expert but maybe we can share some thoughts and pointers.

Regards

Neil P

[Tim Kearsley]

Hi Neil,

My club is the Northampton Model Aero Club, and we fly at a field in the east of the county, near Higham Ferrers.

At the moment I haven't anything reasonable to fly, but once I get equipped would be interested to meet up. As you've gathered, I'm at the bottom of the learning curve as far as thermal soaring goes!

Cheers,

Tim.