smirkracing2024
Strong User
I wasn't familiar with the race format - so there's another reason to have a camber mix. Perfect!
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SlingShot Build Thread
- Thread starter RafaelAvila
- Start date
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- Tags
- 60" slope racer build kit slingshot
I wasn't familiar with the race format - so there's another reason to have a camber mix. Perfect!
Sorry, here is the rough outline of the racing:
All of the pilots in a heat toss out at roughly the same time. There will be 2, 3 or 4 pilots in a heat depending on attendance. As soon as the last plane launches the timer starts for the race. Typically this will be 30 seconds for pilots to get altitude and lined up for the start of the race. You can not enter the course early. So timing your dive into the first turn is a big part of the game, you want to enter that course just at the buzzer or a bit later. Too early and you have a problem. The rest of the race is going past the 2 turns as many times as we pick for the racing. 5 laps? 10 laps? We can work that out on the day. After the race you leave the course so not to cause issues for other pilots still racing and start working on your landing.
Once landed, secure your radio gear and plane and check to see if you are needed to help in the next heat of pilots.
Typically each racing pilot will require 2 other pilots to assist. One is a spotter that stands right behind the pilot. The spotter serves a few important jobs. They can help the pilot with vision tasks like warning for safety concerns, they let them know when they have cleared the far gate, and generally just help however the pilot may have requested. The other person needed is located at the far pylon and their only job is to watch for their plane and throw a "flag" when they have crossed the line. This is how the pilots spotter will confirm that the race plane has crossed the far pylon.
There are a few other jobs, but that is the key bits the pilot will be working with. So when you are not flying, chances are very good you will be doing one of these spotter jobs, or adjusting/fixing your model.
It's a good time, and goes by pretty fast.
All of the pilots in a heat toss out at roughly the same time. There will be 2, 3 or 4 pilots in a heat depending on attendance. As soon as the last plane launches the timer starts for the race. Typically this will be 30 seconds for pilots to get altitude and lined up for the start of the race. You can not enter the course early. So timing your dive into the first turn is a big part of the game, you want to enter that course just at the buzzer or a bit later. Too early and you have a problem. The rest of the race is going past the 2 turns as many times as we pick for the racing. 5 laps? 10 laps? We can work that out on the day. After the race you leave the course so not to cause issues for other pilots still racing and start working on your landing.
Once landed, secure your radio gear and plane and check to see if you are needed to help in the next heat of pilots.
Typically each racing pilot will require 2 other pilots to assist. One is a spotter that stands right behind the pilot. The spotter serves a few important jobs. They can help the pilot with vision tasks like warning for safety concerns, they let them know when they have cleared the far gate, and generally just help however the pilot may have requested. The other person needed is located at the far pylon and their only job is to watch for their plane and throw a "flag" when they have crossed the line. This is how the pilots spotter will confirm that the race plane has crossed the far pylon.
There are a few other jobs, but that is the key bits the pilot will be working with. So when you are not flying, chances are very good you will be doing one of these spotter jobs, or adjusting/fixing your model.
It's a good time, and goes by pretty fast.
Yotaman1985
Very Strong User
What is everybody running for cg?
zeo0nie1
Strong User
55mm from LE according to first post
Yotaman1985
Very Strong User
Ah, yes. I am in fact blind.
Thank youAlong those lines, one of my buddies said he we just going to tape in the servos. I thought that was a great idea, so I decided on blue painters tape. That way if I break a gear I am ready for a quick swap.
OldElectric
New User
Hi All,
New to this forum. Used to Slope in the 80's in Bay Area, just returning to sloping now.
Information sharing:
A friend bought a couple of SlingShots and gave me one and said I should come to the competition. I got the build done and went to Sunset Beach (California) to maidan. The wind was good…probably 15 mph (forgot my wind meter). I launched and it immediately went up…I didn’t even touch the sticks for about 10 secs or so. I was facing straight out and went to turn back in, which resulted in an immediate stall and crash. After further investigation, I forgot to set expo…I typically fly with 70% on all surfaces. I was so concerned on setting flaps and crow I completely spaced out on setting up expo. Dumb. So I believe I turned too sharply causing the stall.
My CG balanced weight was 572 grams at that time was 572g.
The crash separated the forward wing mount from the fuse and some hairline fractures in the fuse. I repaired by adding a block into the fuse for the wing screw to mount into. Here’s a picture of the wreckage and repair. Oddly the "all up" weight stayed the same. Note I did not add any of the extra carbon fiber rods like in the build thread. The wing hand sand marks but no damage from what I can see. I printed the nose cone from translucent blue PCTG...I did spend sometime trying to create the center wing panel so I could print it in blue as well....but it was taking too much time. I may just glue a thin blue skin on top.
I will be testing at Sunset this Wed.
New to this forum. Used to Slope in the 80's in Bay Area, just returning to sloping now.
Information sharing:
A friend bought a couple of SlingShots and gave me one and said I should come to the competition. I got the build done and went to Sunset Beach (California) to maidan. The wind was good…probably 15 mph (forgot my wind meter). I launched and it immediately went up…I didn’t even touch the sticks for about 10 secs or so. I was facing straight out and went to turn back in, which resulted in an immediate stall and crash. After further investigation, I forgot to set expo…I typically fly with 70% on all surfaces. I was so concerned on setting flaps and crow I completely spaced out on setting up expo. Dumb. So I believe I turned too sharply causing the stall.
My CG balanced weight was 572 grams at that time was 572g.
The crash separated the forward wing mount from the fuse and some hairline fractures in the fuse. I repaired by adding a block into the fuse for the wing screw to mount into. Here’s a picture of the wreckage and repair. Oddly the "all up" weight stayed the same. Note I did not add any of the extra carbon fiber rods like in the build thread. The wing hand sand marks but no damage from what I can see. I printed the nose cone from translucent blue PCTG...I did spend sometime trying to create the center wing panel so I could print it in blue as well....but it was taking too much time. I may just glue a thin blue skin on top.
I will be testing at Sunset this Wed.
Attachments
Welcome aboard!
70% expo? That is a ton. I only do that on crazy planes that are designed for massive throws. This is not that plane.
This model and many higher performance models do not like large elevator throws. The 70% expo suggests you have a lot of throw on your models and are using expo to make the model more docile. If you do have too much elevator, it will do exactly what you saw, put you into a deep stall, you probably would have recovered instantly if you had removed the elevator input if you had the CG around the sweet spot, but chances are you held the elevator and went to the ground.
For racing it is a good idea to fly with much lower rates than you would for fun sport flying. Seriously start at 50% of the throw and practice with those reduced throws.
I will be adding a mix on mine for my next outing where I get more elevator throw when my butterfly is deployed. Just need to figure out how that logic will work. This model does like extra elevator throw when the flaps are deployed. At this point it is safe to have the extra elevator input as deploying the flaps makes the wing very stall resistant.
Hope this helps.
70% expo? That is a ton. I only do that on crazy planes that are designed for massive throws. This is not that plane.
This model and many higher performance models do not like large elevator throws. The 70% expo suggests you have a lot of throw on your models and are using expo to make the model more docile. If you do have too much elevator, it will do exactly what you saw, put you into a deep stall, you probably would have recovered instantly if you had removed the elevator input if you had the CG around the sweet spot, but chances are you held the elevator and went to the ground.
For racing it is a good idea to fly with much lower rates than you would for fun sport flying. Seriously start at 50% of the throw and practice with those reduced throws.
I will be adding a mix on mine for my next outing where I get more elevator throw when my butterfly is deployed. Just need to figure out how that logic will work. This model does like extra elevator throw when the flaps are deployed. At this point it is safe to have the extra elevator input as deploying the flaps makes the wing very stall resistant.
Hope this helps.
OldElectric
New User
Hi,
Okay I made my initial settings as per your recommendations. You are correct that my last few years have been very 3d oriented.
RE: I will be adding a mix on mine for my next outing where I get more elevator throw when my butterfly is deployed.
Currently I have flaps set on 3 postion switch. I have variable crow tied to the throttle. I believe I could add an elevator mix with an offset to "appear" to have move throw as I apply crow...is this what you mean?
Don't worry too much about increasing elevator throw with the flaps just yet. Get your plane flying reliably first and see if you need any more.
As a rough estimate, for racing just 4mm of up elevator should be plenty. (measured at the trailing edge) anyone have this measurement handy?
As a rough estimate, for racing just 4mm of up elevator should be plenty. (measured at the trailing edge) anyone have this measurement handy?
OldElectric
New User
Hi,
I got lots of flights today at Sunset. While my landings weren't hard, they weren't super soft either. I seemed to pancake into the sand from 1~3 feet. That said, I have lots of cracks in the fuse. I think PETG is too brittle for my kind of landings, I would love to print one using PCTG, it would be perfect. I gather that the STLs are not for sale(?). Here is a pic the cracks and a link to a youtube vid of me flying it at Sunset. I did get trim pretty well setup for both flaps and crow.
The camera was on my hat, and sadly it is too wide angle.
I got lots of flights today at Sunset. While my landings weren't hard, they weren't super soft either. I seemed to pancake into the sand from 1~3 feet. That said, I have lots of cracks in the fuse. I think PETG is too brittle for my kind of landings, I would love to print one using PCTG, it would be perfect. I gather that the STLs are not for sale(?). Here is a pic the cracks and a link to a youtube vid of me flying it at Sunset. I did get trim pretty well setup for both flaps and crow.
The camera was on my hat, and sadly it is too wide angle.
Attachments
I can provide the requested parts in pctg
OldElectric
New User
Can I buy a whole new plane in PCTG? And if yes and you don't have Translucent Blue I would be happy to send a roll to you. I was thinking it would be cool to have the mid wing panels translucent Blue. (I suppose I should tke this private) Anyway, the reason for a whole new plane....I went to Davenport today and when playing with the flaps it went right into the sun and I lost it. It came down hard destroying the fuse and wing. Sad, because Kyle was giving me racing lessons. I got over 2 hours on the Sling Shot, very fun flyer.
