SoaringDigest

Radi

December 2012

C ntr lled

Vol. 29, No. 12

CONTENTS

December 2012
Vol. 29, No. 12
Front cover: Benjamin Clamaron's 5 meter Nimbus 4D
doing a fly-by at Le Col du Glandon in the French Alps.
Photo by Pierre Rondel.
Canon EOS 10D, ISO 400, 1/1500 sec., f8.0, 135 mm

Walk-around Niedrauer NG-1 N6312 48

RC Soaring Digest Editorial

A restoration project Zgling 436

13

40

The restoration of this primary glider is now complete.

Commentary by Vincenzo Pedrielli, walk-around photos
by Roberto Martignoni.

Piper Cub Sailplane Conversion

From crashed e-Cub to cute aerotow glider. A project

by Chris "Nodd" Evans, compiled and edited from an
rcaerotowing.com thread.

This sailplane was built by Jerome Niedrauer in 1971

with the goal of reducing drag and increasing the
performance of a stock BG-12. Description and photos
by current owner Tony Condon.

Oculus, 122.5" span RES 66

The latest from Merrill Brady and MMGlider Tech.

Soon to be available in an electric version.

Wiring RC Sailplane Wings

Pete Carr explains voltage loss and describes various

methods for making wiring harnesses and plug
connections having minimum resistance.

69

Genoma2 sections

Coordinate tables and links to DAT files for the four

airfoils used on Marc Pujol's latest F5J machine.
(RCSD November 2012)

Back cover: Mass launch of the Competitor Class at the

Seattle Area Soaring Society Radian One Design Contest held

at Camp Korey, Carnation Washington, June 2, 2012.
Photo by Jeremy Fursman.
Canon Powershot SD4000 IS, ISO 125, 1/1000 sec., f2.8

R/C Soaring Digest

R/C Soaring Digest

December 2012

Volume 29 Number 12
Managing Editors, Publishers
Contact

B2 Kuhlman

[email protected]
http://www.rcsoaringdigest.com
Yahoo! group: RCSoaringDigest

R/C Soaring Digest (RCSD) is a reader-written monthly

publication for the R/C sailplane enthusiast and has been
published since January 1984. It is dedicated to sharing
technical and educational information. All material contributed
must be original and not infringe upon the copyrights of others.
It is the policy of RCSD to provide accurate information. Please
let us know of any error that significantly affects the meaning
of a story. Because we encourage new ideas, the content of
each article is the opinion of the author and may not necessarily
reflect those of RCSD. We encourage anyone who wishes to
obtain additional information to contact the author.

Copyright 2012 R/C Soaring Digest

Published by B2Streamlines <http://www.b2streamlines.com>
P.O. Box 975, Olalla WA 98359
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RC Soaring Digest is published using Adobe InDesign CS6

December 2012

In the Air
Vincenzo Pedrielli introduced Zgling 436 to RCSD readers in
February 2010; included were a 3-view drawing and archive
photos which provided a point of reference for the original. At
that time the restoration of this full size primary glider was at
the mid-point of a multi-year process. In early November of this
year, Vincenzo wrote to let us know that the restoration process
was complete, and we were able to entice him into taking "walkaround" photos for those enticed to create a scaled replica.
Speaking of walk-arounds, this issue features a number of
photos of the Niedrauer NG-1, a one-of-a-kind sailplane based
on the Briegleb BG-12. Tony Condon, the current owner, just
completed a declared 300 km triangle in it <http://soaringcafe.
com/2011/06/diamond-goal/> and seems to be fairly ecstatic
over its performance. The NG-1 should make a good large scale
aerotow project.
Marc Pujol received quite a bit of positive feedback about his
Genoma2 F5J machine and we've made coordinates for the
four airfoils available as digital files on the RCSD web site. The
coordinates can also be easily copied as text files from this PDF
using the usual "copy and paste" routines.
An article by Pete Carr in a late-1992 edition of the National
Soaring Society's Sailplane and a recent column in Flying Models
magazine had us asking Pete to write an update based on
contemporary technologies. See page 69 for the result.
And Chris "Nodd" Evans' original thread on the rcaerotowing.com
web site has got us thinking about converting a Great Planes
ElectriCub in similar fashion.
Time to build another sailplane!

A restoration project

Zgling 436
Vincenzo Pedrielli, [email protected]
Photos by Roberto Martignoni

The Zgling number 435, with mark

I-TRAM was built in 1951 by a group
of model builders of Rovereto (GAR:
Gruppo Aeromodellistico di Rovereto)
and flew in Trento in the gliding school
at the airfield of Gardolo, where the
GAR was carrying out its flying activities

The wrecked wings and...

together with the other Zgling 428

I-GVTA and 433 I-GRILL.
From Trento it moved to Padova and
in 1970 it was sold to AVAL in Varese,
today renamed .ACAO. We do not know
exactly when and why it ended up to the
Museo della Scienza e della Tecnologia

in Milano, where it was stored for over

30 years in dreadful conditions under a
porch outdoors. For space reasons the
Museum was going to get rid of it, when
a consultant suggested to find some
volunteers who could have restored it at
no cost. Said and done!

... the wrecked fuselage.

R/C Soaring Digest

Roberto, Lino and Vincenzo, the restoration team.

A group of five person was formed with Lino Del Pio as restoration project
leader and in January 2008 we started working at the Centro StudiI di
Volo a Vela Alpino in Calcinate del Pesce, Varese.
No one single rib was saved and the wings were completely destroyed.
The skid of the central support was heavily damaged. Only the tail-plane
was in relatively good condition. The project lasted four years for about a
thousand working hours. Last October finally the Zgling I-TRA was taken
out of the workshop to take pictures.
Now that the restoration is over we hope to see the Zgling I-TRAM
displayed at an important museum in Milano.
For additional information on Zgling 435, including a 3-view, archive
images, and details of the restoration process, see RCSD February 2010.

December 2012

Ready to be covered.

R/C Soaring Digest

December 2012

R/C Soaring Digest

December 2012

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R/C Soaring Digest

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R/C Soaring Digest

Piper Cub Sailplane Conversion

Chris Nodd Evans, <http://www.scipie.com>
Compiled and edited from the thread at
<http://www.rcaerotowing.com/forum/showthread.
php?1781-Piper-Cub-Sailplane>
I wrecked my foamy Cub the other day... So I got to
thinking what can I do with these? Then it hit me,
what would it look like if the Piper Cub was a glider...
So although not an entirely serious project, I thought
it might be fun to build a little glider out of my poor
old Cub.
Note this is not a Piper TG-8 (a glider loosely based
on the Cub used mostly as a trainer). Instead my
project is a fantasy-scale, kinda what-if sorta thing.
Again this is not by any means a serious project, just
having a little fun.
Im thinking a tow hook for high-start/winching. An
aerotow release for towing. Possibly add a center

December 2012

13

section to the wing to increase her span.

Maybe add flaps. Primary construction
will be foam which is new to me (usually
work with balsa-wood).
Construction Begins
(1) I printed up some paper templates,
cut a few holes here and there so I could
tape them to some Home Depot foam
board...

(2) Cut the fuselage sides out using my

scroll saw...

(3) I then cut another two fuselage

pieces, these with interior space for the
radio gear. These I only rough cut, will
sand them smooth once the fuselage is
assembled...

(4) Cut slots for the rudder and elevator

push-rods...
(5) I also cut a slot for a carbon fiber bar
thatll run the length of the tail...
(6) Test fitting the carbon fiber bar...
(7) Glued the two interior halves together
with the carbon fiber sandwiched inside...

(8) Added some weight, time to take a

break and let the glue dry...

8
14

R/C Soaring Digest

Aerotow Release

9
10

Thisll be my third aerotow sailplane. My

first has the release mounted way up
under the nose, the other centered in the
nose. I like the way the glider rides nice
and high above the tow-plane using the
under nose option but you have to flip
the glider over on its back to insert the
tow-loop. Whereas my other glider, with
the release mounted in the nose, has
much easier access.

13
14

(9) For that reason alone I prefer a nose

mounted release...
(10) Im used to mounting these in
fiberglass or balsa, this is the first foam
instillation Ive attempted. Given the
softness of the material I opted to place
a washer in front of the release to help
distribute the load some...
(11) I should probably have installed
this before gluing the foam together.
That would have reduced the amount of
surgery required. No biggy though, once
I add the fuselage sides all this ugliness
will be buried inside...

11

Ill likely add reinforcing either side of the

release before I add the fuselage sides.
Fingers crossed I never need to service
the release as itll be a nightmare to get
at later on.
Tundra Tires

12
December 2012

As any fan of the Piper Cub knows,

big fat tires for off field operation are
where its at. Id like to include a wheel,

especially if Im going to aerotow this

puppy. (Thanks for the idea there Josh
and Gunny). Ideally Id like a BIG honking
wheel in there but Ive run into a problem.
The carbon fiber bar I ran down the
inside of the fuselage is in the way.
(12) Heres a big three inch wheel where
Id like to put it...
(13) Thats not going to work though,
the CF bar is in the way. This dinky two
inch wheel fits though... I have a couple
of ideas how to get a big wheel in there
without compromising my carbon fiber
keel.
(14) While were on the subject of wheels,
I suppose theres no reason why I
shouldnt reuse the nifty scale tailwheel.
Ive never had a glider with steerable
gear, fun fun...

15

The Wheel
Okay well after sleeping on it I believe I
have a solution for mounting a tundrasized wheel in there. Best of all it
doesnt involve me cutting into my
carbon fiber reinforcing.

15

(15) First thing was to carve out a wheelwell...

(16) So heres what I came up with...

19
20

(17) I made a wheel cradle from 1/4"

plywood...

16

(18) The blind-nut on the left will be

where the tow-hook for winching will be
screwed into (itll be on the other side of
the wood for final assembly)...
(19) Test fitting everything... Well that
looks plenty strong to me. Itll be even
more so once the fuselage sides are
glued in place. The winch tow-hook
position is a tad forwards of ideal but I
figure she should tow well enough.
Guts-n-stuff

17

18
16

(20) I figured now was a good time to get

the aerotow mechanism hooked up while
I still have easy access. I made some
mounting hardware for the servo...
(21) The aerotow servo is mounted
slightly off center so that the control
arm is somewhat centered. The butt of
the servo will protrude out into the right
side a tad but it should be plenty thick
enough to accommodate it...

21
R/C Soaring Digest

(22) Hooked up, adjusted and working

like a charm...
(23) I plan to place the battery up in
the nose but I dont want it interfering
with the aerotow release pushrod. The
solution was to add a battery tray.

22

As Im not sure where the CG will end up

I added several notches for the battery
tie-down Velcro...

26

Time to add the sides

(24) The rest of the radio instillation will
be attached to the fuselage sides. So
before I can proceed the sides need to
go on...
(25) On goes the other side...

23

(26) Added some weight, will let the

Gorilla Glue do its thing for a while...

27

Lightening Holes
Ive been asked how Im cutting such
nice neat lightening holes.
(34) I use a set of forstner bits, they dont
chew up the wood like a large diameter
drill bit...

24

(38) Used with a drill-press they produce

a nice clean hole (a hand drill will work
too).
Be sure to place a piece of scrap wood
underneath what youre cutting. That
greatly reduces splintering when the bit
exits the other side of the wood...

25
December 2012

28
17

Sanding
(29) Okay time to make this ugly pink box
pretty. First I sanded the top and bottom
even...

29
30

(30) I printed up another set of templates,

this time for the top-down profile...
(31) Sanded to the lines...
(32) Then the magic starts, time to round
things off...

33

(33) Remove just a little material at a

time, eyeball, then repeat...
(34) Test fitting the tail feathers...
Tail Wheel
(35) I needed a solid area to mount the
tail wheel so I notched out a spot for a
piece of scrap hardwood...

34

(36) Glued the block in place, shaped the

block, then test fit the wheel assembly...

31

35

32
18

36
R/C Soaring Digest

Paint
This being my first attempt at foam
construction Im not sure exactly how
best to finish her. I could glass the whole
thing.

37
38

39

Ive heard about gluing strips of brown

paper on there. Ive also heard that its
possible to use spray paint directly on
the foam but theres always that worry
the paint will turn all my hard work into a
pile of goo.
(37) I said screw it, lets go with paint so I
masked off certain areas and prepared to
take the plunge...

41

(38) After testing a can of Rustoleum

primer on some scrap foam I was
confident enough to lay down a first
coat...

42

From what Ive read, you can get away

with spray painting foam as long as you
apply just a dusting at a time. Everything
was going great until I ran out of primer.
So thats a wrap for today. Pretty pleased
with how shes looking.
Are we forgetting something?
I was so eager to get her painted I plum
forgot about the battery hatch. Its just as
well I ran out of paint yesterday. My plan
is to make the front canopy removable
giving access to the battery tray.

40
December 2012

(39) Using masking tape I outlined the

hatch...

(40) A buddy loaned me a hot-wire foam

cutter. Using the tape as a guide I cut the
hatch free...
(41) That looks like plenty of access to
the battery area...
(42) Now I can get back to painting her...
Thats enough primer, Ill let that dry
overnight.

19

43

44
46
The Wing
Plan A

Plan B

Well after my success carving out the

fuselage battery hatch I was looking
forward to trying the hot-wire gizmo
again. I pinned balsa template ribs to
both ends of a block of foam...

(44) Starting with a new block of foam I

broke out the router and cut a slot for the
wing-rod... Now /thats/ a nice clean slot,
MUCH better...

(43) This was the unfortunate result...

45
20

Apparently this isnt as easy as it looks.

Id love to play with this more, definitely
want to master this process but in
the interest of getting this bird done I
switched to...

(45) Then it was back to my trusty beltsander to shape the airfoil...

(46) So here we are test fitting the
sanded center section. Looks pretty
good to me...

R/C Soaring Digest

47

Yellow and Black

(47) Meanwhile back in my wood-shop/
paint-booth more progress was made...
(48) While the finish is far from perfect
its about what I expected having painted
directly on foam. Its certainly plenty good
for this silly project...

48

Im going to let this paint dry overnight

then Ill mask out the rest of the windows
and the lightning-bolt graphic and lay
down a couple of coats of black.

51
52

Graphics
(49) The funny thing about spray painting
is you spending hours on end masking
and then about 30 seconds spraying...
(50) Yet another template, arent
computers great?..
(51) The idea here is to carefully cut
through both the template and the
masking tape below...
(52) Peal away the excess tape...
(53) Add the window lines...

49

(54) Then wrap her up like a last minute

birthday present...

53
54

50
December 2012

21

55
56

59
(55) 20 seconds of spraying...

57

(56) And we have windows!..

(57) Were not done yet though. Next
is the signature Cub, Flash Gordon
lightning bolt...
(58) There we have it (the yellow doesnt
quite match but what can ya do?)...
(59) Looking pretty snazzy in a Cub sorta
way...

58
22

R/C Soaring Digest

The Tail

60

61

(60) After a little head-scratching I came

up with an effective way of squaring up
the fuselage to my workbench before
attaching the tail... This should result
in a nice level tail that should align with
the wing once thats done (waiting on a
longer CF wing-rod to

(62) A fat bulbous nose section, a shortcoupled tail-moment and an extended

wing are all conspiring to make this
puppy a little lacking in yaw authority.
More rudder area can only help. So I
think thats what Im going to do, make a
slightly larger rudder...

arrive)...

(63) Heres the new enlarged rudder...

BIG Rudder

Now that the tails on I can move ahead

and get the rudder and elevator servos
mounted and functional.

(61) The rudder hinge was damaged in a

nose-over a while back. I removed it so
I could make a proper repair but having
it off of there got me to thinking, maybe
I should take this opportunity to enlarge
the rudder a little...

62

63

December 2012

23

(64) Figuring a larger surface area will

translate into more stress Im reinforcing
the control-horn/tail-wheel area...
(65) Reinforcing glued in place...
(66) Test fit...

64

(67) I think that should help her track

nicely while maintaining the scale tails
looks...

68

Ill put a few coats of paint on her. Wont

bore you folks with that process.
(68) Got the tail-wheel installed...
Wing Bolts

65

I used rubber bands to hold the wings

on for my last scratch build. Im still
getting grief from my subscribers for that
decision. So youll be happy to hear Im
going with nylon wing bolts this time.

69

(69) Heres a mounting block I came up

with for the rear mount...
(70) The two dowels will be inserted into
holes drilled deep into the fuselage. Its
my hope thisll securely affix the block to
the fuselage...

66

(71) Heres the cutouts in the fuselage,

ready to receive the block...

70

67

71
24

R/C Soaring Digest

72

(72) Secured with ample amounts of

Gorilla Glue...
(73) I considered using the peg method
for the front but decided instead to just
go with a second nylon blot. Theres not
enough meat around the front location
to use the same dowel setup as the
rear so I came up with this interlocking
design...

76

(74) As you can see the two pointy pieces

of ply hold the block in place...
(75) I made some cutouts in the
fuselage...
(76) And in she goes...

73

74

The Wing

77

(77) My new, longer wing-rod has arrived

from rcfoam.com.
<http://www.rcfoam.com/product_info.
php?cPath=94&products_id=812&osCsid
=3ea29ac113bdf6acc9e68df8b246623d>
Once again I raided the kitchen cabinets,
used these glasses to support the wing,
plates on top to weight it down...
(78) I used Gorilla Glue once again. Not
only is it seriously strong glue, it has the
added bonus of expanding as it cures.
That takes care of what to do about the
wing-rod slot...

78

Once thats dry Ill sand the foaming glue

flush with the wing.

75
December 2012

(79) So Im going to let this sit overnight

and let the glue do its thing...

79
25

Shes starting to look like an airplane

(80) Well the Gorilla Glue filled the wingrod slot alright, but geesh does that ever
look ugly...
Well address that shortly.

80

Flaps?
Well, this glider already has everything
but the kitchen sink, so why not flaps,
too?

84

(81) I marked out where I figured they

might go...

81

(82) I picked up this nifty tool for cutting

strips of balsa but discovered its also
pretty handy for making nice 90 degree
cuts in foam...
(83) So heres our flaps. They should
come in handy for making precision
landings and because this puppy is going
to be so incredibly good at thermalling,
theyll be essential for getting down out
of boomers.

85

(84) Test fitting the two flap servos...

82

That brings us up to seven servos in this

dinky plane. Shes a lean mean full-house
machine!

86

Wing meet fuselage, fuselage meet wing

Time to get this wing mounted up. I
needed something more than just Home
Depot foam to keep the nylon wing-bolts
from ripping through the wing.

83
26

(86) While I had the Dremel tool out I also

cleaned out some of that yucky looking
Gorilla Glue from the wing-rod slot...

(85) I cut some scrap carbon fiber into

short lengths and cut recessed slots in
the wing...

R/C Soaring Digest

(87) Glued the carbon fiber into their

slots... Next I needed to drill holes for
the nylon wing-bolts but where exactly
should the holes go? Heres a neat trick I
learned.

87

(88) Tape some Mylar or something

similar to the fuselage and mark the
wing-bolt location with a marker...
(89) Do the same for the forward
location...

91

(90) Flip the Mylar back and install the

wing. Measure everything so the wing
is exactly centered and square to the
fuselage...

88

(91) X marks the spot. Drill away... Carbon

fiber dust is nasty stuff. I use a mask
and clean up the work area with a damp
paper towel immediately afterwards.

92

(92) I wanted a way to locate the wing on the fuselage so that lining up the wing-bolts
would be a snap. The solution was to add a small block thatd index the fuselage...
(93) I glued that to the
wing, then gave her a
test fit...

89

90
December 2012

93
27

Slots, slots and more slots.

(94) Time to do something about those
rather un-aerodynamic slots in the top of
my wing...

97

(95) Glued scrap foam into the slots...

94

(96) A little sanding and were looking

good...

(97 and 98) Oh yeah, shes starting to look like an airplane alright... A cute goofy
airplane that is. Now Im started to get excited, theres light at the end of the tunnel.
Shell be tearing up the sky soon enough!

95

96

98
28

R/C Soaring Digest

(99) Painting the wing center section...

This is no way to start an aerotow

102

(100) With the wheel more or less at the

CG I expect shell flop forward like this
during landings and tows. Not good...

72
99

(101) So naturally the solution is an

aluminum bar, a coat-hanger and a piece
of old rubber piping...
(102) If youve not guessed yet, yeah Im
making a nose skid...

100

103
104

(103) The coat-hanger I bent into a U

shape, thatll be inserted into the nose
and act as an anchor for the front of the
skid. The other hardware will attach the
skid to the anchor...

105

(104) On the rear of the skid Im bolting

this L shaped piece of scrap aluminum...

101
75
December 2012

(105) Heres the skid partially

assembled...

29

(106) The coat-hanger wires are glued

deep into the nose...
(107) The rear is bolted to a piece of
rubber hose...

106
107

(108) The L-shaped piece of aluminum is

to allow a winch line to be slipped over
the end of the skid without getting stuck
under the rubber pipe...
(109) Well that should help with ground
handling, no sticking her nose in the
dirt... I think it looks pretty cool too,
something you dont see every day...

Tempting to say I had planned the nose

skid, but the truth is it was kinda an after
thought. The wheel is back further than
Id have preferred. The location of the
winch hook kinda dictated its location. It
also didnt help that the carbon fiber bar
inside the fuselage forced me to mount
the wheel sticking out so far. Still Im
actually quite happy with the way things
turned out. As much as I try to think
five moves ahead when building, theres
always that design-as-you-go element.
Thats part of the fun though, solving
problems.

108

109
30

R/C Soaring Digest

Whats with the $3 servos?

(110) If I could afford good servos, I
probably wouldnt be working with an
old wrecked Cub...

110

(111) These are kinda oddball

mismatched servos that I had laying
around...
(112) Cool, the tail is functional and
working nicely...
Flaps

111

114

Ive always wanted inboard flaperons

(the flaps also move with the ailerons).
So basically I have full-span ailerons
with the inboard section pulling double
duty as flaps.

115

(113) To achieve this I needed to bevel

the flaps a tad so that they could move
upwards as well as down...
(114) With the hinges on the bottom of the wing the flaps have unlimited downward
travel. And due to the slight bevel they can also move upwards a few degrees...
(115) Hooked up the
two flap servos...

112

(116) I still need

to mess with the
mixing but the
wings four control
surfaces are all
working...

116

113
December 2012

31

This should be a fun wing, lots of

opportunity to mess with flight modes,
flaps, crow and other unnecessarily
complicated stuff...
(117) Were getting close now, not much
more to do.
The last 10% takes 90% of the time
While thats generally true, wrapping up
the last odds and ends went smoothly
today.
(118) The first order of business was to
install the radio spaghetti...
http://www.scipie.com/rc/
cublider/20121009_0007.jpg
(119) I hate disturbing the receiver
by plugging/un-plugging wires when
removing the wing, so I made a bunch of
servo extensions.
(120) This allows me to plug the wing
into those instead of messing with the
receiver each time...

117
118

With all these wires I color coded

everything so I dont have to think at
the field. We should all avoid thinking
whenever possible...
(121) A couple of rare-earth magnets hold
the battery hatch in place...

32

119
120

121

R/C Soaring Digest

122

(122) She was tail heavy when I first stuck

her up on the balance stand, needing 6oz
to level her out at 10% static margin...

(126) Maiden flight coming soon!

Woohoo! Wish me luck.

To better help balance her I removed

the (123) nifty steerable tail wheel. It was
useless anyway as the plane rests on the
nose skid, with the tail up in the air...

I know you folks probably want a few

stats...

(124) That translated into a few less

ounces needed in the nose. I also moved
the CG back to 5% static margin and
she balanced with just 3 ounces. Much
better...
(125) Added a custom Cub logo to the
tail...

Almost forgot

Wingspan: 60.25 in / 1530 mm

Weight: 40.9 oz / 1159 g
Wing Area: 465 sq.in
Wing Loading: 11.9 oz/sq.ft / 36 g/sq.dm
Cubic Loading: 5.93 oz/cubic.ft
Stall Speed: 17.1 mph / 27.5 km/h
Shes about what I expected, not exactly
a floater but not a lead-brick either.
Somewhere in the middle for a sailplane.

123

124
125

126
December 2012

33

Struts
(126) It wouldnt be a Cub without the
wing struts. I figured the wheel support
was a good strong spot to start with...

127

(127) For the wing mount location I

created these hard-points...
(128) Cut a slot...
(129) Glued and mounted. The struts are
lightweight aluminum struts available
at most hobby stores. The blue tape is
there temporary to keep the glue from
getting all over...
(131) Now thats looking more Cub-like...
Maiden flight video

128

YouTube video, click to watch...

<http://youtu.be/b2zyT40GP7A>
Flight Report (spoiler alert - watch video
first)
Well as you can see that didnt go as
well as Id hoped although not a big

surprise either, given the deliberately

compromised design. Heres my
thoughts...
Issue 1
The placement of my ridiculously big
wheel sticking way too far out below
the fuselage and positioned right at the
CG doomed the aerotow. The nose-skid
helped but not enough to keep the plane
level and stable while towing. A lower
profile wheel positioned properly would
let her roll smoothly without generating
gobs of drag for the poor tow-plane.
Issue 2
Everyone who picks her up is surprised
at the weight. Shes a heavy bugger, that
combined with the short-coupled tail
moment makes for some interesting
flying. I think shell be manageable if only
I can get her in the air and moving along
at a good clip.

129

130
34

131
R/C Soaring Digest

Issue 3
Watching the alarming angle of attack during the
high-start launch, Im wondering if maybe moving
the two-hook location further forward would help.
Other factors such as CG and elevator trim may
have contributed to the problem too.
The Next Step
After I make the repairs I think Im going to remove
the wheel and nose-skid and just let her slide
along on her belly. Ill see if that helps with the
ground handling. I may also remove the wingstruts at least until I have a few more test flights
under my belt. With the nose-skid gone I can also
try moving the tow-hook location forward a little.
Seriously this isnt Serious
While this may come across as a poor excuse for
blatantly bad design, my main drive behind this
build was to learn about working with foam. This
project has in that sense been a success. Im now
confident enough to proceed with some more
serious designs. That said Im not done with this
Cub though, at least not yet. Im pretty sure I can
get her flying.

132

After Further Analysis...

Well I goofed up. Ive no clue why I chose to
just eye-ball the location for the high-start hook,
especially as Im well aware of the 30 ahead of
the CG rule for tow-hooks.
(132) Look how far back I had my tow-hook
positioned!..
(133) Its no wonder she behaved like she did, I had
the tow-hook WAY TOO FAR BACK...

133
December 2012

35

134

Aerotowing
So lets simplify things. I lobbed off the
nose-skid and tundra sized wheel and
now we have a nice smooth fuselage to
work with.
(134) The wing struts are history, too...

135

(135) After re-balancing heres how she

sits...
Unfortunately, due to the Guppy shaped
fuselage the tail is still up in the air and
it looks like shell probably rock forward
on her nose again during aerotow. Still,
though, I think its an improvement.
(136) At the very least she looks cleaner...
Im going to concentrate on aerotowing
for now. Ill worry about adding a new
high-start hook later on.
Cub Sailplane, Part 2
YouTube Video, click to watch...
<http://youtu.be/tMqszLGZ4-4>
Well give the dolly idea a try for sure.
Either that or we drag her kicking-nscreaming into the air with Lens monster
tow-plane.

36

136
R/C Soaring Digest

tow-plane is up shell be pulling up on the

Cubs nose. That should in theory help
get her un-glued from the ground. Thats
assuming the tow-plane doesnt stall
out first. Im hoping the dolly will fix all
this, though. It should keep her at a nice
neutral AOA and also reduce the rolling
friction. I hate to rely on a dolly, though.
(137) If I was to build a new fuselage
(which I may consider, but were not
at that point yet) heres what Id do
different...

Yeah, I bailed on the tow once I saw

Rogers plane hanging on its prop
groaning away, looked like a stall was
immanent. The brick on the other
hand was still firmly planted on the
ground. Check out Rogers plane once
I do release, she shoots up like a rocket
singing Im free, Im free!
WE NEED MORE POWER, SCOTTY!

The guppy shape of the fuselage is a

problem. Shes rocking forward while
under tow. The wing is at a negative
AOA, which may be okay once she gets
moving enough for the elevator to kick in.
When we towed her, I noticed the FunCub was getting airborne first. Ive
seen this happen before and I assume
ordinarily its not ideal but that maybe
exactly whats needed here. Once the

A more forward position for the wheel

should keep her from nosing over and
help reduce friction. It looks like wed
also need a small tail-skid to keep the
AOA from getting too extreme.
Additionally, placing the tow-release
up under the nose would reduce the
tendency for her to rock forward. I have
the release setup this way on one of my
other aerotow gliders and it works well.
Anyway thatd require major surgery,
probably a whole new fuselage. Im not

138
December 2012

37

giving up on the current setup just yet.

A guy over at RC Groups said theyve
been hand launching their gliders while
aerotowing. My flying buddy Bernd
suggested we try that but everyone at
the field shot down the idea.
Not just one flight but, multiple
successful flights!
(138) Of course we may have set
aerotowing back centuries!
Piper Cub Sailplane Part 3
YouTube Video, click to watch...
<http://youtu.be/Tk5eE0ONl2Q>
Yeah, no doubt I put poor Conio and
Roger through their paces and then
some these last couple of weeks.
Couldnt have done it without my trusty
tow-pilots in tow (pun intended). Thanks,
guys, and thanks also to everyone here
for their support.
Id be grounded without rcaerotowing.com
and the great folks on it.
Flight Report
Well the video <http://youtu.be/
Tk5eE0ONl2Q> pretty much tells the
story, but heres a few thoughts...
The ground handling isnt good. The
guppy-shaped fuselage with a big bulge
right at the CG makes her rock back-nforth causing a lot of friction. Although
the shape looks good it does cause
issues for sure. A wheel placed at the
leading edge of the wing would have
helped.

38

I may fashion a custom dolly for her.

Tow speed
With the moderate wing-loading I
expected her to fly pretty fast and she
does get up and go when she wants to.
I was afraid she might tend to overtake
the tow plane like many slick modern
scale sailplanes will do. The flaps were
effective air-brakes though, pretty easy
to control the speed on tow.
Handling
She flies like shes on rails,. This is
one of the most stable sailplanes Ive
flown. Thats surprising considering

the absurdly dinky fuselage and shortcoupled tail. I expected her to be really
pitch sensitive but shes not at all.
The 40% expo on the elevator should
be helping but it seems theres sufficient
horizontal stabilizer back there to make
her natively stable.
Turns are nice too. I have a fair amount
of aileron differential programed and also
mixed in some rudder (except when the
aerotow release is closed) so she stays
nice and coordinated. With the flaps also

R/C Soaring Digest

acting as ailerons the roll rate is pretty

snappy for a sailplane.
Again, with the moderate wing-loading
she carries a fair amount of energy which
is great for aerobatics. Makes for some
serious fun tossing her about the sky.
Landing
The big barn-door flaps were very
effective. Although Ive not tried a full
flap, 45 nose down landing yet, Im
thinking shell do that without picking up
much speed.
I have 1/4" of crow programmed into the
outboard ailerons to further slow things

itd probably need medium to strong lift,

but if I keep the airspeed up, the sinkrate isnt actually all that terrible. I know
from flying some of my other heavier
sailplanes, a high wing-loading doesnt
necessarily mean she drops like a brick.
Those do have nice long, high aspect
wings with fancy airfoils, though. Well
have to see.
Slope Soaring
Were talking an hour or two road trip
at least if I want to hit the slopes. I think
itd be worth it though as theres little
doubt where this silly Cub belongs. Fairly
aerobatic, tough foam construction, big

I wish she wasnt quite as beat up

looking, but at least I dont have to worry
about scratching the paint.
I could see myself building another one,
perhaps a lot bigger, probably a lot
lighter construction. Id love to develop
this concept further built-up balsa
construction, Kevlar wrapped carbon
fiber main-spar, formers and stringers
fuselage but dont have the cash right
now the joys of being an out of work
graphic artist. On the upside, I do have
lots of time on my hands, though.
I think thatd be something fun to take to
the various scale aerotow events I attend.

http://www.rcaerotowing.com
down, but mainly to keep the wing-tips
flying at low speeds. After all it was a tipstall-o-doom that destroyed the original
stock fuselage and I dont want a repeat
performance.
The inboard ailerons remain functional
even when acting as flaps, so roll control
remains crisp all the way down to stall
speed. One of the easiest planes to land
Ive flown.
Thermalling
Before you laugh, if I can resist the urge
to point the nose towards the ground
and fly aerobatics, I think this daft little
glider might actually thermal. Granted

December 2012

flaps for small landing areas, good wind

penetration. She belongs on the slope.

Thats assuming theyre okay with a

fantasy scale glider in their midst.

Conclusion

A big thanks to the New Canaan Remote

Control Society <http://www.ncrcs.org/>
for putting up with my silliness. You guys
are the best. And also for those that
contributed advice/support here at RC
Aerotowing <http://www.rcaerotowing.
com/>.

So what I believe I have here is a flatland slope soarer.

Shes docile enough for some lazy
thermaling (assuming theres enough lift)
yet aerobatic enough to tear up the sky
when she wants to.
The aerotow capability means I dont
have to shelf her until we hit the slope.
I love the attention she gets, too
definitely something you dont see every
day.

Well, time to move on to the next project.

Stay tuned for more adventures in radio
control.

39

Genoma sections

Marc Pujol, [email protected]

Marcs articles detailing the design and construction of his Genoma2

(RCSD October 2012 and November 2012) have proven to be very popular.
Coordinates for the four airfoils used remain available on the RCSD web
site at <http://www.rcsoaringdigest.com/Airfoils/Genoma2/Genoma2_
Airfoil_Series.zip>, but we thought it might be helpful to publish those
coordinates in text format for copying from the PDF, provide links for
the DAT files once again, and present plots of the sections for those
interested in more conveniently seeing what these profiles look like.

40

R/C Soaring Digest

December 2012

<http://www.rcsoaringdigest.com/Airfoils/Genoma2/GENOMAF5J1.dat>
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F5J 1: thickness = 7.82%, camber = 2.87%

F5J 1
JPP E8C2.7 2012 VH emplanture
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0.98250 0.00398
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0.00004 0.00166
0.28216 0.06605
0.00000 0.00000
0.26658 0.06563

41

42

R/C Soaring Digest

December 2012

<http://www.rcsoaringdigest.com/Airfoils/Genoma2/GENOMAF5J2.dat>
0.24959
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F5J 2: thickness = 7.5%, camber = 2.72%

F5J 2
JPP E7C2.7 2012 S2
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0.26575 0.06255

43

44

R/C Soaring Digest

December 2012

<http://www.rcsoaringdigest.com/Airfoils/Genoma2/GENOMAF5J3.dat>
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0.00592
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0.00479
0.00399
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0.00053
-0.00100

F5J 2: thickness = 7.32%, camber = 2.57%

F5J 3
JPP E7C2.7 2012 S3
1.00000 0.00100
0.98343 0.00339
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0.94669 0.00849
0.92669 0.01116
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0.35717 0.05999
0.33678 0.06038
0.31699 0.06062
0.29782 0.06071
0.27933 0.06064
0.26152 0.06042
0.24442 0.06004

45

F5J Saumon
JPP E7C2.4 2012 S4
1.00000 0.00099
0.99984 0.00101
0.99935 0.00106
0.99854 0.00115
0.99741 0.00127
0.99596 0.00143
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0.99212 0.00184
0.98973 0.00209
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0.94934 0.00627
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0.93783 0.00743
0.93166 0.00805
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0.91854 0.00936
0.91160 0.01004
0.90440 0.01075
0.89696 0.01148
0.88928 0.01222
0.88136 0.01299
0.87320 0.01378
0.86483 0.01458
0.85623 0.01541
0.84742 0.01624
0.83840 0.01710
0.82917 0.01797

46

<http://www.rcsoaringdigest.com/Airfoils/Genoma2/GENOMAF5JSAUMON.dat>
0.81975
0.81014
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0.67094
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0.51660
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0.48072
0.46882
0.45698
0.44519
0.43346

0.01885
0.01975
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0.02347
0.02443
0.02539
0.02637
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0.02834
0.02934
0.03035
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0.03236
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0.03439
0.03541
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0.03744
0.03845
0.03945
0.04045
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0.04340
0.04435
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0.04622
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0.04800
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0.42180
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0.10516
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0.05194
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0.00855
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-0.00922
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-0.01351
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-0.01274
-0.01233

R/C Soaring Digest

-0.01191
-0.01148
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0.00434

December 2012

0.67875
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0.70267
0.71446
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0.00472
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0.98000
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1.00000

0.00086
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0.00001
-0.00022
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-0.00075
-0.00086
-0.00094
-0.00099
-0.00101

F5J 2: thickness = 7.32%, camber = 2.57%

0.24913
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0.62975
0.64213
0.65443
0.66663

47

Walk-around

Niedrauer NG-1, N6312

48

R/C Soaring Digest

Text by Tony Condon

Photos by Tony Condon & Matt Gonitzke
Additional photos by Harry Clayton, Lee Cowie
and Matt Michael
The NG-1 is one of the Condon family
glider fleet and is an interesting collection
of Briegleb BG-12 and custom made
glider parts. Most people cant quite
figure out what it is at first glance and the
best short answer Ive heard to describe
it is simply Experimental.
The glider was built by Jerome Niedrauer
in California in 1971 with the goal of
reducing drag and increasing the
performance of a stock BG-12. Niedrauer
had previously built a BG-12B. The

on its skid vs. on its tail is only

a few degrees. This extends the
takeoff distance and with no
flaps on my first takeoff I nearly
took as much runway as the
towplane, while bouncing between the
skid and the tailwheel. Later I discovered
that using the first notch of flaps on
takeoff and just holding the attitude
steady made the takeoff a lot more
enjoyable. Getting the right pitch attitude
on landing is equally tricky and Im proud
that most of my landings have touched

down on the wheel first, but a few have

touched skid or tailwheel first.
The glider has been extensively sealed
in the interest of aerodynamics. The
wing roots are closed off and the aileron
connections are surrounded by fabric
seals. The canopy is equally well sealed
and the nose is actually quite well
insulated to keep cold air from leaking
onto the pilots feet during high altitude
flight. The well-sealed, large canopy
is somewhat of a detriment in the hot

fuselage is modified in an attempt to

lower the wetted area, reducing the
height of the cockpit to 34 inches from
43 inches. Because of this the cockpit
is necessarily lengthened in order to
accommodate a reclined seating
position. This has a few interesting side
effects. One is that being so reclined
means that the pilot cannot reach the
instrument panel in flight. Set your
altimeter before getting in!
In the interest of reduced drag the
fixed main wheel is recessed as far as
possible into the fuselage. This creates
an interesting dynamic on takeoff as the
pitch change between the glider being

December 2012

49

Kansas summers however. The flight

controls are all very well sealed too with
foam seals or fabric tape between the
fixed and moving surfaces and then a
mylar-type external seal. The flaps have a
fabric tape on the lower surface.
The original radio was mounted in the
right wing root since that area is much
more accessible in flight. That has been
removed, along with the huge steel
oxygen bottle and A8 regulator system. I
do use the wing roots for in flight storage
of flight recorders, handheld radio, and
snacks. Visibility does suffer somewhat

because the seating arrangement puts

the pilots head (especially tall pilots like
me) right between the wings. Another
result of the shorter fuselage is that the
shoulder mounted wings are 9 inches
closer to the ground. Wingtip clearance
is pretty minimal and wing runners
have to be briefed to not lift the wing to
normal height. If they do the other wing
will nearly be on the ground.
Speaking of the wing it is almost but not
exactly a stock BG-12 wing. The main
structure and carry-through is the same,
including the 1/8 plywood skin, and

the NG-1 features the larger span flaps

which extend from the root of the wing
to the aileron, following the taper of the
wing. However, Niedrauer decided to go
with a NACA 4400 series airfoil on this
design. The flaps provide incredible glide
path control. I dont think Ive ever flown
an airbraked glider that can approach
as steep as the NG-1. As you can see
from the pictures, the flaps add a LOT of
frontal area. A full flap approach is not
only impressive but a lot of FUN. As far
as Leah and I can tell, the wings are just
as heavy as you would expect from any
other BG-12.
A few modifications have been made
since the glider was built. Most

noticeable among them as that the

previous owner, Stan McGrew, changed
the orientation of the stick to a sidestick. Originally the stick was vertical like
you would expect in most planes but for
Stan this resulted in an uncomfortable
arm position and also affected forward
visibility in flight. He cut the end of the
stick off and welded it back on to the
side in a comfortable position for him,
so his arm lay nicely on his right leg. It
works pretty well for me too. Stan also
added a wheel brake to the glider, which
previously relied on its skid for stopping
power. He added a Matco disk brake,
actuated by a T handle on the left side of
the cockpit, below the tow release (red

50

R/C Soaring Digest

handle) and air vent control (yellow knob).

When the glider is empty there is very
little weight on the tail, so almost all of
the pilot weight is on the skid. Between
lots of weight on the skid and the wheel
brake it can stop very quickly with effort.
The towhook on the NG-1 is unlike any
I have ever seen. It has on over-center
mechanism inside the glider and can only
be locked from the outside. Another thing
on which to brief the launch crew.The
flying qualities of the glider are generally
good, with no bad manners discovered
so far. It is somewhat neutrally stable.

The wing has no noticeable dihedral

and it seems that it is happy to fly along
in any attitude until input is made to
change it. This characteristic makes for
very enjoyable thermalling, as you just
put it in the turn you want, return the
controls to neutral, and watch the glider
climb. It seems like it is on rails and with
one notch of flaps, it climbs pretty well.
The finish on the glider is in pretty good
shape and a common question is if the
glider is fiberglass, quite a compliment. In
the 1990s it was refinished by an owner
in Minnesota. The wood was covered

with a lightweight fiberglass layer and

then painted with DuPont Imron. There
are a few places where the finish is
starting to crack after 20 years of service,
but in general it is in great shape. The
great finish did come at a price though,
it increased the empty weight by over
20 lbs.In the performance department it
seems that the modifications definitely
helped. I have not been able to do any
real glide testing but a few late afternoon
glides in smooth air have shown that the
max L/D seems to be in low to mid 30s.
Paul Bikle measured a BG-12 at 31:1 in
the Polars of Eight testing. Niedrauer
claimed 35:1 at 55 mph based on
comparison testing. I had 3 cross country

flights in the NG-1 in 2011. Distances

flown were 190, 216, and 210 miles. The
190 mile flight was an FAI triangle for
Diamond Goal and a few Kansas State
Records. The 216 mile flight was for our
Kowbell Klassic which was reported in
the Spring 2012 Bungee Cord and won
me the KSA Wooden Wings trophy for
2011. In 2012 my glider priorities were a
bit different and I didnt get the NG-1 out
on as many good soaring days. However
on the one good day that we did fly I
flew over 100 miles in just over 2 hours.
The glider definitely has legs though;
Niedrauer earned all of his Diamonds in
the glider, climbing to 30,000 feet in the
Sierra Wave.

December 2012

51

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R/C Soaring Digest

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54

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60

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December 2012

63

Harry Clayton

Lee Cowie

64

R/C Soaring Digest

Matt Michael

December 2012

65

Oculus

122.5" span RES

66

R/C Soaring Digest

Merrill Brady, [email protected]

MM Glider Tech is proud to introduce
the Oculus RES competition sailplane
kit. Oculus is the result of many years
of model sailplane design experience
and many competition wins. Oculus
gives the RES competitor a world class
American sailplane with equal or better
performance than exotic and costly
European contest aircraft.
Oculus uses traditional balsa and
plywood construction, strengthened in
critical areas with carbon fiber. Veteran
RES designer and contest-winning
pilot Merrill Brady worked very hard
during the design and development to
capture the ideal balance between the
sailplane having the strength to withstand
competition launches, and a glider that
delivers unequaled thermal indication/
response/handling.
This sailplane delivers the highest flight
performance, yet still gives the RES
competition pilot instant fingertip
control that only a light balsa structure
can achieve. The result is a nearly
magical ability to turn and perform in
light air, making usable lift out of what
would otherwise only be a gust.

December 2012

67

The magnificent Oculus kit is a joy to build, with

beautiful precisely laser cut ribs, hand-selected
contest quality strip and spar woods, top quality
carbon structural reinforcement materials, and
exquisitely drawn plans. Drag reduction and world
class styling are provided by a gorgeous handlaid epoxy fiberglass fuselage. An electric version
for limited motor run type events will soon be
available, as well as the original RES competition
sailplane version. The MM Glider Tech Oculus is
proudly designed and manufactured in the USA.
Specifications
Wing Span:
Wing Area:
Length:
Airfoil:
Typical Flying Weight:
Construction:

122.5 in.
1285.25 sq. in.
63 in.
SD3021
62 - 68 oz.
2.4 friendly composite
lay-up, laser cut ribs,
carbon tubular, Kevlar
wrapped spar

The Oculus kit will come with:

Painted in the mold white 2.4 friendly fuselage.
Pre-wrapped carbon fiber tubular spars.
Compression molded joiner rods.
Laser cut ribs for the wing and tail.
0.007 carbon for the rib caps.
CAD blueprints.
Detailed instructions.
Oculus kit price: $425 + S&H
California residents add 9.75% sales tax
<http://www.mmglidertech.com>
<[email protected]>

68

R/C Soaring Digest

Wiring RC Sailplane Wings

Pete Carr WW3O, [email protected]

Bill Kuhlman, Editor of RCSD, has sent

me a copy of an article that appeared
in Flying Models magazine. It was the
January issue and the R/C Aerobatics
column by Dave Lockhart.
The material covered the radio/servo
wiring of aerobatic aircraft with special
attention to expected servo loads and
wire sizes. There are several tables
included that deal with voltage drops
and measurements for typical size
3-conductor cables as well as universal
type connectors. There is also a
discussion about using a single pair
of red/black wires in each wing panel
or the fuselage for battery power and
connecting to that at each servo location.
Its an interesting article and well worth
reading.
Id done a similar article for RCSD about
20 years ago when PCM radios were just
becoming popular. At that time the best
feature of PCM was that it didnt need
filters and noise traps to keep transmitter

December 2012

signals from being picked up by the

servo wiring and jamming the receiver.
Bill thought maybe it was time to redo
the material in light of the advent of 2.4
GHz radios and the increasing number of
servos in sailplanes.
Power (Watts) is the product of
multiplying voltage by current. In the
case of RC sailplanes that power
source is the battery. Power is passed
to the RC receiver where it is tapped
to run the electronics and also to a tie
point where it is divided at each servo
connector. From there power is fed
through wiring in the fuselage to a set
of connectors where the sailplane wing
panels plug in. Then power continues out
the wing wiring to each servo. The total
resistance of the wiring from the battery
to each servo is the power loss which
degrades the ability of the servo to do its
job.
A German physicist, George Ohm,
authored a book in 1827 detailing three

basic formulas that came to be known

as Ohms Law. They describe the
relationship of voltage, resistance and
current in a conductor.
They are:
E = I R,
R = E / I, and
I = E / R,
where E = potential difference across the
conductor in Volts, I = the current in Amperes, and R = the resistance in Ohms.
The formula for Power P in Watts is
P = E I.
If you use a good quality digital
multimeter along with these formulas,
you can determine the loss of the wiring
at any part of the circuit for the radio
system of your sailplane.
There are, of course, some problems
with that! For example, the typical flap
servo may be held at neutral while the
sailplane cruises. This requires a small

69

amount of power from the battery. Then,

because your coming down out of a
thermal or the clock is running down,
you need to safely get down to a lower
altitude in a hurry. This means dropping
the flaps to 90 degrees deflection
and pointing the nose straight down.
Suddenly the power needed by the flap
servos goes up dramatically!

Any set of circumstances that drag the

battery voltage below the threshold of
the receiver operating parameters will
cause a radio link failure. Thats like
rebooting your lap top computer. It takes
time for the program to reload after
power is restored. It means that a high
power load on the flap servos can cause
the whole system to shut down.

battery operates the servos, there is less

possibility of a receiver lockout.
The Flying Models article indicates a
loss of about 0.12V per standard servo
connector with a 2A load, and a 0.04V
loss at 1A. These are the 3-conductor
types found on servos and battery/switch
assembles.

I use two types of connectors on my larger ships. One is

the Deans 4-pin connector which is red colored. The other
is the Deans 3-pin connector which is black.
As the servo fights the wind stream its
components heat up and so do the high
resistance points in the wiring back to
the battery. If it takes you several minutes
to get down to landing pattern altitude
that can mean significant heating of the
parts and an increase in the resistance
as well.

Some sailplane people have resorted

to using LiPo batteries with a voltage
regulator to keep the receiver voltage
high enough to prevent a lockout. This
has the added benefit of making the
servos less prone to sag under heavy
loads. Ohms Laws still apply but we
have raised one of the factors.

I normally solder the cables in the wing

directly to the servo leads since access
to connectors is very difficult if there
is trouble. I twist the bare conductors
together for direct metal-to-metal contact
and then add solder. The joints are then
covered with good quality shrink tubing.
That makes the connection the same
power loss value as a continuous wire.

The load factor, the duration factor,

and the amount of wiring in each servo
circuit all add variables to the Ohms Law
equations.

Another solution is to separate the

receiver battery from the servos. Newer
servos can tolerate the full voltage from
a 2S LiPo where the receiver wants <5
Volts. If a voltage regulator is used with
just the receiver, and the full power of the

The Flying Models article also discusses

the two common sizes of cables used
in sailplanes. They are 22AWG and
26AWG wires. The 26AWG is considered
standard size while the 22 AWG is
considered heavy duty.

This set of variables has been a

significant cause in the reliability
problems of 2.4 GHz radio systems.

70

R/C Soaring Digest

This is the lower

surface of the
starboard wing panel
of the Apache. It has
inner and out flaps
and also ailerons. The
means that there are
three servos in each
panel. 3-conductor
cables are spliced into
the wires from each
servo and insulated
with shrink tubing.

Dave Lockhart also discusses the use

of a single pair of conductors for red
and black power run down the length
of a very large fuselage with each servo
taking power from that. There is a weight
savings associated with that and some
sailplanes use that type of circuit. In
that case the total current drawn by the
servos is centered on one pair of wires.
These wires and the connectors in the
circuit would have to be sized to handle
the worst load situation expected in
flight.
Back at the dawn of radio control, radios
were amplitude modulated and were
prone to electrical noise interference.

Standard practice
with Deans
connectors is to
use the male part in
the wing. When not
connected it has no
power applied so
cant short to other
stuff.

FM and now packet data signal

transmission have done away with that
problem. The venerable Deans connector
came to be the early standard for
connectors since it was very reliable and
generated no noise at all.
The Futaba type connector was the
next major change in connectors and
had crimped terminals. This removed the
need to solder wires and also to insulate
them with shrink. This change made the
junction of the wire and connector pin
low power loss as well.
Unfortunately, we are still using the same
connectors today that were used in much
lower power applications just a few years
ago.

December 2012

71

The female Deans

connectors are used
in the fuselage wiring.
The hole in the side is
just large enough to
pass the connectors.
This means I have
to use hemostats to
feed the wiring and
connectors through
the holes.

The wiring in the

fuselage is brought
out from holes just aft
of the main wing rod.
Since the rudder is
controlled using pullpull cables this wiring
was positioned and
tied in place to avoid
resting on the rudder
cables.

72

It makes no sense to use the same

connector in a discus hand launched
sailplane that is used in an F3J or F3B
ship.
For this reason I use two types of
connectors on my larger ships. One is
the Deans 4-pin connector which is red
colored. The other is the Deans 3-pin
connector which is black. Both requires
soldering of the wires to the pins and
shrink tubing for insulation. Both have
larger pins and sockets than the Futaba
type so have lower power loss. They are
also very repairable.
There is one aspect of these installations
that is easily overlooked. Every time the
aircraft is assembled or taken apart there
is wear on the connectors and wiring
where the wing panels join the fuselage.
Of the problems Ive had with sailplanes
this location causes the most trouble.
Some people use 8-pin connectors and
have a really hard time pulling them
apart. That leads to pulling on the wiring
instead of the connector body and that is
followed by broken wires.
I prefer to use two connectors per wing
panel, a Deans 3-pin and also a Deans
4-pin. That way I split the required force
needed to separate the two halves of
each one. The photos of the Apache
wing are a good illustration of that. It also
makes it somewhat easier to feed the
wiring back inside the fuselage as the
panel slides onto the wing rod.

R/C Soaring Digest

Those pilots who fly 2-meter ships with a one-piece wing can
use the diagram labeled Wing Wiring 1. That also works well for
ships like the Olympic II that has a two piece wing joined in the
center. If the Oly uses only spoilers then the second connector
would not be necessary.
For ships with just a single set of flaps and ailerons the
diagram labeled Wing Wiring 2 is a good example of using two
connectors per panel.
Earlier I mentioned stuffing the wiring back inside the fuselage
when assembling the sailplane. I use dental floss to tie these
wires into a bundle. This makes it easier to fed the bundle
through the hole in the fuselage side and also strengthens the
wiring considerably. Nylon lacing cord, as used in telephone
central office cabling, also is great but not easy to obtain. The
key is to form a bundle of wires for mutual support and also to
reduce flex at the back of the connector.
The power requirements and mechanical reliability of wiring
of sailplane wings is a key part of the overall reliability of the
aircraft. Rather than using the available parts you have on hand,
take a moment to look at the circuit components from the
battery to the furthest servo and decide if they are really up to
the task.
Resources
Flying Models magazine, January 2012 issue, R/C Aerobatics
column.
<http://www.nndb/people/649/0000873881/>. Georg Simon
Ohm. Physicist who discovered the relationship of current,
voltage and resistance in electronic circuits.
<http://www.arrl.org>. The Radio Amateurs Handbook, Chapter
3, Electricity, Components & Circuits. A clear description of the
Ohms Laws, the wheel, and how they apply in circuits.

December 2012

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