Dear Friends,

Our first chuck glider Millenium is a disaster . Falls like a stone. I will post the pictures later.
List problems faced:

1. How to stick two wings to get the dihedral?? The question seems simple. But when one tries to stick an expanded "V" The surface area is contact is very less. Also with an open triangle below the center, it could not be stuck to fuselage properly. What is the solution? sand the contact surface of wings with an angle??

2. Due to bad surface one wing was thicker than the other after sanding.

3. Is an airfoil a mandatory requirement for gliders this small??

4. Do I have to sand horizontal stabilizer in the shape of airfoil?? It is difficult with this glider as the parts are just 1-2 mm thick.




Vishwas

i suggest you to consult some seniors nearby your place.......

OR contact VC sir on the forum....... he is a master is chuck gliders

1. How to stick two wings to get the dihedral??

You are not gonna put a Parrot on the wing rite ? Sanding the Wing roots at an angle so that when you join them at dihedral angle, the entire cross section of both wing has full/max contact area. Use any normal synthetic adhesive like QuickFix or even FeviQuick (Slower, the better, some LHS also sell "Balsa Cement'). once you get this dry, use a ribbon and stick it on the top of the joint with adhesive. You further increase the joint area but sanding 2 'spars' and fix between the wing and fuse, parallel to chord.


2. Due to bad surface one wing was thicker than the other after sanding.
This is a classic complain I had from Cheap 'Japanica' based kits. You have to be Extra Careful while sanding. Best way is to put both wings side by side and sand with emery paper stuck on a wooded block, instead of holding the emery paper with hands.

3. Is an airfoil a mandatory requirement for gliders this small??
Yes and No. Is alwasy good to atleast sand the leading and Trainling edges toe calssic Eppler E197 aerofoil shape. If you can sand the rest close to shape, better.


4. Do I have to sand horizontal stabilizer in the shape of airfoil??
No. just sand the Leading / Trailing edges. Even 60-90 sizes planes fly with flat profile tail/fins.


Do blance  the CG at 1/3 from the leading edge of the wing by putting some 'Putty' /model clay on the front of the nose. Launch the plane by holding it right under that CG. If you miss any of this, you plane is a brick.

BTW where you bought Glider Kit from ?
Happy Flying.

And, finally, aeromodeling is an art and you get better with time. Your first glider is most likely better off as a show piece on the wall or desk, make a few and you will get better. My first one needed a block of clay on its nose and was made from a "poor" kit from IHC in Bangalore. It flew always straight ..... into the ground. But later ones were much better. Keep making and flying. Search around for free flight glider build on the internet and in this forum. Will get a lot of hits.

Thanx Ujjwaana and tg.

Thank you for your encouraging words. I will keep these things in mind while making the magpie.

Vishwas

1. You need to angle the surfaces to be joined. The bottom of this joint is to be sanded flat so that it can rest against the fuse. Use quickfix - the tiny Rs.10 tube. It holds very well without use of ribbon.

2. Almost all the kits  used came with wing sections with unequal thickness. Your first job is to sand them to same thickness - this is very fast and easy with use of a sanding block with 80 grade sand.

3. Airfoil may not be mandatory but its good to have. I would say sand all wing surfaces to have airfoil. First 80 grade sanding block, then 100 grade then 120 grade emry paper.

4. Only profile here. Make sure there are no sharp edges anywhere - except those surfaces those have to be glued together eg. - top of fuse where the tail is to be attached.

Please read this for furthur info and how to make a sanding block:
http://www.rcindia.org/beginners-zone/chuck-glider-build-log/

Not interfering or commenting on this thread as Vishwas seems to be well looked after!

Quote from: VC on March 17, 2011, 10:37:04 PM
Not interfering or commenting on this thread as Vishwas seems to be well looked after!

Dear VC,
Thats not fair with me. Although the forum is dazzling with experts, I am eagerly waiting for your comments because of whom I am able to start in to RC. I am not yet able to upload the photos and the video. Please comment and advise.

Regards
Vishwas

Quote from: VC on March 17, 2011, 10:37:04 PM
Not interfering or commenting on this thread as Vishwas seems to be well looked after!

Here comes the Hotstepper!! We have been time-filling the show in your wait VC!

Dear All,

Following are the photos of Millenium glider. When made fresh, it was crashing like a stone. My son painted it with water colors(!) for reasons known only to him. After adding  some weight to one of the wings, there was some light at the end of tunnel. It flew horizontol for a few meters(see video). I dont know whether I can rejoice. I could not sand the stabilizers, as I felt them very delicate.

I hope I have not severely let down VC in my first attempt.

Vishwas

There is a lot of potential for sanding from the looks in the pic.
Should the stabilizer be above or below the fuse?
The dihedral is not even - one side is higher than the other.
Painting with water colours causes the wood to "bump up" causing drag. All surfaces should be smooth as possible.

Fix these issues and you should be flying far

Millenium Glider (Video)



Vishwas

Quote from: rajathv8 on March 19, 2011, 08:50:36 PM
There is a lot of potential for sanding from the looks in the pic.
Should the stabilizer be above or below the fuse?
The dihedral is not even - one side is higher than the other.
Painting with water colours causes the wood to "bump up" causing drag. All surfaces should be smooth as possible.

Fix these issues and you should be flying far

Thanx rajat,

I am going to remove the parts as carefully as possible and redo the job.

Vishwas

Vishwas Sir,

Your enthusiasm is infectious (I hope)! You have taken so much of effort over a tiny glider, I salute you.

Rajath - I've made my own Millenniums with the Horizontal Stab above the fuse, but maybe you have a point there.  Yes, the dihedral is uneven and could be rectified.

Vishwas Sir,

If this Millennium is not upto your standards, I will send you another one, free. Don't worry - go ahead and experiment. Your Magpie Dihedrals have already been despatched by Speedpost yesterday.

Please let Akshaj (I think I have the name right) do WHATEVER he wants with the model, it is his baby. Let him paint the planes as much as he wants. Please buy him some more water colours / poster paints, these will not add too much of weight to the models.

After all, his Father built that plane for HIM - that is the way I stepped into this hobby and today is my Dad's birthday. He is not around, but he left behind this passion in me. I am just trying to pass it on.

Regards,

VC

Dear VC,

Please do not call me "Sir". I gives an impression to me that I am getting older(if not a dinosaur).

"If this Millennium is not upto your standards, I will send you another one, free".-This is a very gracious gesture . Thank you!! But there doesnt seem to be any problem with glider. I think the resultant glider is a result of my  poor workmanship . Please (Repeat please) do not send another glider. Rather, I would take your free guidance. I am a scientist and know some electronics also. I repair almost anything(remember the movie??) right from Car to Cooker. but I have never attempted anything like this. With all your help I hope to improve.

I will try to implement the suggestions from the forum. I will do some more work on the same glider and post the results of the same. My son is extremely happy at the plane. While I was in officer, he painted it with whatever at his hands.

My  to your Dad that he was instrumental in shaping you. This is how a father brings up his children. With all the guidance from you all, hopefully, my son will remember me as you do your father.

Thanx again.

Vishwas

Dear Vishwas,

If you are a dinosaur then I am fossil! I am not sending you another glider, I am allowed to send it to Akshaj, I guess.

Have fun!

VC

Quote from: VC on March 19, 2011, 11:47:51 PM
I am not sending you another glider, I am allowed to send it to Akshaj, I guess.

Dear VC,

I am not left with much choice when you say so. Akshaj would prefer the hand delivery of the glider when we come to Guwahati on NE tour this winter.

Regards
Vishwas

I removed all the parts and redone the job... Glider performing much better.... Please see the photos and comment.

Vishwas

More photos. Attached the horizontal stab to bottom of fuse. M-seal in place of Plasticine

Vishwas

Its looking nice
You can try sanding it with a 400 grade sand paper to give it the smoothest finish (also reducing the air friction)

Hey nice job

Better. Much better! If you have put M Seal in place of plasticene, it will be difficult for you to adjust / trim it later. Also plasticene being soft, has shock absorber value. Rock hard M Seal will transmit nose landing shocks right into the fuselage.

Quote from: VC on March 21, 2011, 11:11:26 AM
Better. Much better! If you have put M Seal in place of plasticene, it will be difficult for you to adjust / trim it later. Also plasticene being soft, has shock absorber value. Rock hard M Seal will transmit nose landing shocks right into the fuselage.

Dear VC, Ujjawaana, Rajat, speedracer,

I tried to make airfoil and made everything as smooth as possible. The glider is a GRAND(for us) success. AFter launching with the catapult(3 rubber bands in series), It is flying almost like a bird. I will post the video in the evening. We are escastic. During one of the flight, horizontal stab hit Akshaj's finer and broke. A cardbord stabilizer is doing the job perfectly.
Thanx to you all for your suggestions and guidance.

Vishwas

Dear VC,

I was finding plasticine a bit uncomfortable as it was getting dirty (and increasing in weight) everytime glider hit the ground. M-seal is quite easy to remove by a beetle nut cracker. You may be right about the shock absorber.

Regards
Vishwas

Video Link:

Quote from: vishwasvm on March 21, 2011, 12:00:19 PM
M-seal is quite easy to remove by a beetle nut cracker. You may be right about the shock absorber.

Beetle Nut Cracker!! Wow another new home tool put to use!!
No seriously, use plasticine, after drying it overnight in open, spread over a plastic sheet. It should be dry as dough for Roti and not dough for 'Jelibi'. I couldn't agree more with VC for all he said for plasticine.

<Edit>
Nice video. ensure that you launch it directly into 'Head Wind' (facing the wind, as it comes from front of you). I have got flights as long as 30-40 seconds with meticulously sand gliders.