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Mini Wanderer
- Thread starter Red
- Start date
I'm a little surprised that the brushless setups have ended up nose heavy. Yes, they are running a bigger ESC and receiver then our brushed setup. Perhaps the spinners may weigh more too. With our brushed setup we have all gear on the hatch I think both brushless builders have gear under the wing to make CG.
Small Bird
User
Thank you for your reply. I have GWS 2A ESC, and was afraid to burn it, that is why I asked first.
Well, will try to get appropriate one. But, first, I will break in the motor, running without load
from 1V, to set brushes.
Yeah, we didn't even set the brushes. Isort of forgot about doing that. Been a while since I messed with a brushed motor.
Had some guys working on an RC car in the shop last week. I was amused to see their mini crawler had the same style motor.
(On a side note, the guy had swamped out the stock motor with a much larger more powerful motor, but his car was now slower. He failed to adjust gearing.)
No - we do not do RC cars at Aloft. These are some local pilots and I gave them shit for bringing in cars to work on at our build night.
Had some guys working on an RC car in the shop last week. I was amused to see their mini crawler had the same style motor.
(On a side note, the guy had swamped out the stock motor with a much larger more powerful motor, but his car was now slower. He failed to adjust gearing.)
No - we do not do RC cars at Aloft. These are some local pilots and I gave them shit for bringing in cars to work on at our build night.
jure
Very Strong User
gave them some religion !
u2builder
Active User
I posted this on the RC Groups Mini Wanderer thread where I have posted a few bits on the bui;d thread but figured I'd copy it here:
The snow finally melted on the small, tall tree lined field in front of the house, and the wind wasn't too bad, so decided to give the Mini Wander maiden a try.
I gave it a bit of throttle and tossed it and it climbed out beautifully. I never like to go too high because if a plane winds up in a tree because it gets caught in the wind or I misjudge the position it is pretty much gone. I was really impressed at how responsive yet smooth the Wanderer was. It was very controllable over a wide speed range, but it could really turn on a dime. The stall was just a gentle nose drop. There wasn't, and usually isn't, thermal activity, but I got some long glides and turns between powered climbouts.
I've flown several mini gliders in my field, including the JH Aero micro BOT 48" 4 oz, and Drifter 36"3.8 oz , the Willy Nillies Gentle Lady 48" 7 oz, and the Mini Olympic 48" 6.2 oz . For my small field I'd say the Mini Wanderer is the best performer. It seems to turn and glide the best, carry energy well, and have the longest total flight time on a 300 mah 2S pack. I think my motor/prop combo turned out to be good. I usually wind up with too much power. This combo seemed just about right.
Second flight, 13.7 minutes, with 26% remaining on 300 mah Nanotech 2S.
My Wanderer is finished has the following gear: Motor Emax RS 1306 4000kV (12g), ESC is the new Skywalker 15A (11g), RX is Frsky Archer Plus GR6, Servos are the Emax ES 9051 (I had them), Prop/Spinner is from JH Aero, 4.5 x 3 (4g), and it is covered with UC Lite transparent.
With the CF tow on both top and bottom of spar and a 300 mah 2S lipo the ready to fly weight is 145g .
The snow finally melted on the small, tall tree lined field in front of the house, and the wind wasn't too bad, so decided to give the Mini Wander maiden a try.
I gave it a bit of throttle and tossed it and it climbed out beautifully. I never like to go too high because if a plane winds up in a tree because it gets caught in the wind or I misjudge the position it is pretty much gone. I was really impressed at how responsive yet smooth the Wanderer was. It was very controllable over a wide speed range, but it could really turn on a dime. The stall was just a gentle nose drop. There wasn't, and usually isn't, thermal activity, but I got some long glides and turns between powered climbouts.
I've flown several mini gliders in my field, including the JH Aero micro BOT 48" 4 oz, and Drifter 36"3.8 oz , the Willy Nillies Gentle Lady 48" 7 oz, and the Mini Olympic 48" 6.2 oz . For my small field I'd say the Mini Wanderer is the best performer. It seems to turn and glide the best, carry energy well, and have the longest total flight time on a 300 mah 2S pack. I think my motor/prop combo turned out to be good. I usually wind up with too much power. This combo seemed just about right.
Second flight, 13.7 minutes, with 26% remaining on 300 mah Nanotech 2S.
My Wanderer is finished has the following gear: Motor Emax RS 1306 4000kV (12g), ESC is the new Skywalker 15A (11g), RX is Frsky Archer Plus GR6, Servos are the Emax ES 9051 (I had them), Prop/Spinner is from JH Aero, 4.5 x 3 (4g), and it is covered with UC Lite transparent.
With the CF tow on both top and bottom of spar and a 300 mah 2S lipo the ready to fly weight is 145g .
u2builder
Active User
Thanks. The fuselage is very pretty. I just finished another 14 minute flight with 25% left on the 300 mah 2S battery.
This little glider is wicked smooth and fun to fly in a smallish area. It is stable yet very agile when you ask it to be. I tried to estimate the turn radius close to the ground where I could see it over a spot on the field and I'd guess maybe 15', if not close, and very tight.
Tip: To keep track of battery voltage and know when to land, I connect (only ) the red + wire on the battery balance port (using the female end of a 2S balance connector extension with the black and middle wires removed) to the ain2 (green) wire on the Archer G6R+ receiver to read and report the ADC2 telemetry battery voltage which is calibrated (range = about 144) to match the voltage I get with my lipo checker. It is very accurate with a glider because it is (usually) measured with the motor off .
This little glider is wicked smooth and fun to fly in a smallish area. It is stable yet very agile when you ask it to be. I tried to estimate the turn radius close to the ground where I could see it over a spot on the field and I'd guess maybe 15', if not close, and very tight.
Tip: To keep track of battery voltage and know when to land, I connect (only ) the red + wire on the battery balance port (using the female end of a 2S balance connector extension with the black and middle wires removed) to the ain2 (green) wire on the Archer G6R+ receiver to read and report the ADC2 telemetry battery voltage which is calibrated (range = about 144) to match the voltage I get with my lipo checker. It is very accurate with a glider because it is (usually) measured with the motor off .
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Rafael at the office glued some of our 0.2mm x 2mm carbon strips to the top and bottom of the spar on our next wing build as we would like to do some histart testing. The results are very good, and think it is easier than messing with the carbon tow. We may include some carbon in each kit in the future.
Small Bird
User
Small Bird
User
Unfortunately, balsa is painted with not so good marker, which shows. The perfect ones I found already after covering was done.
JOT permanent markers. In $Tree store.
Will use them in future projects.
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Small Bird
User
Nobody built two right nor two left wings so far?!
G-man
Very Strong User
JOINED THE WING HALVES
Decided to join them with Gorilla Glue (PU - polyurethane).
- Lighter than epoxy.
- Stronger than wood glue or CA.
- Soaks into grain, and foam-expands to fill the gap.
- Easier cleanup (with a blade) than epoxy or CA.
'Tho next time might use regular (tan) Gorilla Glue because it sands better than White Gorilla Glue.
White Gorilla Glue dries quicker than tan, but ends up a little rubbery. Good for foamies, less good for woodies.
Wing join seam strengthener: 1/2 inch wide strip of 3/4 ounce fiberglass cloth top and bottom.
Laid down "on the bias" as the quilters call it - 45 degree angle, gives twice the number of fibers crossing the seam.
Applied with CA.
Black electrical tape helps to limit the final width of the fiberglass strip.
The model really looks the part of a 1970s WANDERER.
Yay-o-yay.
Decided to join them with Gorilla Glue (PU - polyurethane).
- Lighter than epoxy.
- Stronger than wood glue or CA.
- Soaks into grain, and foam-expands to fill the gap.
- Easier cleanup (with a blade) than epoxy or CA.
'Tho next time might use regular (tan) Gorilla Glue because it sands better than White Gorilla Glue.
White Gorilla Glue dries quicker than tan, but ends up a little rubbery. Good for foamies, less good for woodies.
Wing join seam strengthener: 1/2 inch wide strip of 3/4 ounce fiberglass cloth top and bottom.
Laid down "on the bias" as the quilters call it - 45 degree angle, gives twice the number of fibers crossing the seam.
Applied with CA.
Black electrical tape helps to limit the final width of the fiberglass strip.
The model really looks the part of a 1970s WANDERER.
Yay-o-yay.
Attachments
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Looks really good.
If you wing spar is on the weak side, now is a great time to ad a little carbon to the bottom of the spar. The thinnest carbon you can find will do the trick. We have some super thin stuff coming we will include in the kits in the future.
We have used CA on the center joints and no fiberglass on the builds here at Aloft without any issues.
Easy and quick.
If you wing spar is on the weak side, now is a great time to ad a little carbon to the bottom of the spar. The thinnest carbon you can find will do the trick. We have some super thin stuff coming we will include in the kits in the future.
We have used CA on the center joints and no fiberglass on the builds here at Aloft without any issues.
Easy and quick.
G-man
Very Strong User
Alien-Aloft MINI WANDERER
What a great kit. Here's what I like about it:
1. QUALITY WOOD. Really high quality wood selected.
2. SUPER ACCURATE CUTTING. I have not seen parts cut more precisely and accurately than these.
3. GOOD INSTRUCTION MANUAL. Plenty of detail. Logical build order.
4. FULL SIZE DRAWINGS. I love working over full size drawings. Feels like old times.
5. CALL-OUTS on the DRAWINGS. Useful call-outs, again, like the good old days.
6. 3-D ANGLE GAUGES. What a good improvement over earlier versions. Accurate.
p.24: “If you have any issues or suggestions to improve, please let us know.”
1. Adding page numbers to the manual will help in online communications.
2. Add a date and version number to the instructions. This kit could have a long life.
Wouldn’t you like to have the month and year the original WANDERER was published?
Doncha want to know if you have the current version? (Carbon Tow added to the kit yet?)
3. Add a link to the manual on the Aloft website sales page for the kit. Ease of access
4. Have you a washout recommendation?
5. Put the specs for the CG, control throws, and washout on the first and last page of the manual.
6. Cram as many FLYING PHOTOS in the manual as you can. That's what gets the juices flowing.
What a great kit. Here's what I like about it:
1. QUALITY WOOD. Really high quality wood selected.
2. SUPER ACCURATE CUTTING. I have not seen parts cut more precisely and accurately than these.
3. GOOD INSTRUCTION MANUAL. Plenty of detail. Logical build order.
4. FULL SIZE DRAWINGS. I love working over full size drawings. Feels like old times.
5. CALL-OUTS on the DRAWINGS. Useful call-outs, again, like the good old days.
6. 3-D ANGLE GAUGES. What a good improvement over earlier versions. Accurate.
p.24: “If you have any issues or suggestions to improve, please let us know.”
1. Adding page numbers to the manual will help in online communications.
2. Add a date and version number to the instructions. This kit could have a long life.
Wouldn’t you like to have the month and year the original WANDERER was published?
Doncha want to know if you have the current version? (Carbon Tow added to the kit yet?)
3. Add a link to the manual on the Aloft website sales page for the kit. Ease of access
4. Have you a washout recommendation?
5. Put the specs for the CG, control throws, and washout on the first and last page of the manual.
6. Cram as many FLYING PHOTOS in the manual as you can. That's what gets the juices flowing.
