Getting Started in Slope Flying with a Foamie Warbird
Posted by Chris Costigan on Sep 2, 2002, 17:16
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Getting Started in Slope Flying with a Foamie Warbird
By Chris Costigan
Reprinted and shortened from a Flying Models article, November 2000
Flying Models Magazine: http://www.flying-models.com/
Dave’s Aircraft works: http://www.davesaircraftworks.com/
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| Author Chris Costigan’s first RC airplane, a DAW FoamWulf-190 |
It takes less than the unbridled hand of God to ground one of Dave Sander's World War II nigh invulnerable slope soaring dog fighters. Good thing. To the contrary, the only bellicose phenomenon needed is a breeze that would make the backside of any windsurfer's trunks run slick with panic, a suitable hill, “rubber airplanes,” and some hard core flying buddies. Mixing these three key ingredients serves up a volatile elixir that puts the hysterical laughter and berserker energy in Bedlam;a powder keg of sorts.
Before relating my story of learning to fy RC slope combat, I suppose a briefing of my credentials should be laid out on the table to add fairness and a sense of reassurance to the readers. To put it bluntly, I have no credentials. As a child I hid from all models and could only manage to construct a rectangular box when Legos were introduced into play time. Prior to losing my aeronautical virginity, I ran from models with the same bolting kinetic energy in my post pubescence as well. Consequently, I'm an English major that still runs to dad when the car needs an oil change. However, despite the apparent loss of the section of the brain that controls critical thought in association with spatial arrangement, I built and flew a foamy replica of the Focke Wulf 190 that not only maintains airborne capacity, but has the aesthetic qualities that pushes my prior building faculties past nursery school block building and into the realm of Da Vinci's dreams.
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| Furball ! Chris's FoamWulf-190 and Lou Garwood's Foam-51 escape a boom-and-zoom attack by Joe Chovan's FoamWulf-190. |
EPP Foam Warbirds
Sailplane designer Dave Sanders has developed several W.W.II dog fighters for slope combat that are made to mimic the Timex watch slogan "Takes a lickin', and keeps on tickin'. " The principal component of construction is expanded polypropylene (EPP) foam. Before the gurus of slope soaring incorporated this wonder foam for combat plane construction, EPP was serving the computer world as a packing material. A variety of desirable characteristics clearly underscores why this material is favorable: It's light, which is ideal for gliding in even the most gentle of slopes; it is easily cut with either a hot wire or a hobby knife; the material is resilient, which allows for repeated midair collisions with fellow combat hounds. EPP will even humor the occasional (and of course accidental) kamikaze nose dive, assuring you minimal time spent in the depths of your repair shop.
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| Chris shapes he wing leading edge with sanding block. |
Construction
For the average slope enthusiast construction and covering of a DAW warbird should take between 10 and 12 hours. Mine took longer, but I bring my own spatial reasoning limitations to the project. Briefly, the phases are:
Step 1: Use Goop household silicone adhesive to set in the spars and attach the sub-trailing edges to the foam wing cores.
Step 2: Dig some holes with a soldering gun. This Marvin the Martian device is used to slice up your previously pristine EPP fuselage. The object here is to delicately carve out swaddling wombs for your battery, receiver, and elevator servo. These components should fit snug as a bug in the fuselage and then covered with pieces of EPP from your surplus stash. Next, use Goop to fasten the radio gear into your solder gunned cavities.
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| Chris prepares to launch his DAW Foam Wulf FW-190D from an Atlantic coast dune. |
Step 3: Sand the wing halves. The goals here are to round off the leading edges and make sub-trailing edges flush with the cores.
Step 4: Build the aileron control torque rod assemblies and glue on inboard trailing edges to hold the torque rods in place.
Step 5: Strengthen wings and fuselage with an application of strapping tape. First prepare the foam surface with a light coat of 3M spray adhesive. The instructions contain detailed diagrams for first time tapers.
Step 6: Cover the newly gestated airframe with Ultracote brand heat-shrink covering, using a covering iron. I opted to model my plane after the Focke Wulf FW-190F8. This is a desert paint job which utilizes a beige base and army green camouflage.
The only problems I had with the Foam Wulf were self-induced, in which no instruction manual would have a chance of remedying. However, when mimicking Lou the steps seemed more than appropriate for someone casting aside his/her modeling chastity. However, I’m not sure that I would advocate foam building to any individual who lacks previous experience with model construction. It is the perfect kit for the wetting of feet, but it helps to work with someone that has successfully completed the construction of a foamy.
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| Chris energetically climbs the hill after losing an air battle. With "rubber airplanes," you just pick 'em up and throw 'em again. |
Flying the FoamWulf-190
We went to the beach and my man Lou launched my plane for a trim flight. It appeared to fly like a champ. However, whenever the controls were handed over to yours truly, she became spontaneously intoxicated and plummeted to the sands below. The concept of slope flight echoes my fledgling disposition. I spent the entire weekend climbing up, down and around cliffs, sand dunes and various stretches of beach.
What troubled me most with flight was the concept of control reversal. When rounding a corner with the intention of coaxing my Foam Wulf into another pass, I constantly and never with out fail, slammed it into the slope. I found some success when I flew directly in front of my viewing field, way out over the lip. Although it proved difficult to make out what direction she was actually pointed, I was actually able to keep her in flight for a couple of minutes; I'd get cocky, try a loop or a roll and end up slamming her into the sand. I learned that the airframe can hang with the most abrasive of belly up crashes, but frowns when I smack her down on her back.
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| “Now I’ve got the hang of it.” Chris’s FoamWulf-190 dances in the air with Lou’s Foam-51B. |
The next flying weekend brought us sunshine and moderate winds; perfect for making meaningful headway into the fundamentals of R/C slope soaring. The mistakes I made in the first flying session were quickly corrected. This time around we were able to link passes and navigate ten-minute flights. After we finally cracked the riddle of control reversal (when the plane is pointed toward the pilot) and I got it through my skull that speed and speed alone will grant us altitude, we prayed that the wind would pick-up. Moderate wind will keep the foamies up, but it' s a battle of hugging the slopes to maintain altitude. In addition, their relative instability (these planes are designed for aerobatics and evasive maneuvering) is quite a chore to control in moderate winds. Now that I had the basics down, I looked forward to flying in higher wind speeds.
The higher winds we craved eventully came, I got more practice, and gradually I increased my flight-control skills. The Big Kahuna of slope soaring is SLOPE COMBAT. Knock the other guys out of the air, pull a loop or roll verification maneuver, and laugh so much you can't breathe.
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| Chris launches in medium lift over Cape Cod Bay. |
Conclusions
I am no master, but after just two weekends I was able to experience the wonder and zen of silent flight. It's rewarding to watch your foamy combat plane soar with the gulls and know that it’s up there - without fuel nor engine - by your hand, and by your new-found mastery of the tricks of RC slope flying. Although the DAW foamies are maneuverable, high-performance aircraft, I was able to log several ten minute flights with only two weekends of stick time.
At first I was frustrated by the sensitivity of the controls, because I had to run up and down the slope so many times to retrieve my downed bird. Had the plane been balsa, and had the slope chasing been followed each time by an hour's worth of shop work, I would have been discouraged long before I learned to fly. EPP foam works.
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| Slope combat compadres who can’t wipe the grins off their faces: Chris Costigan, Kyle Saltzman, and Lou Garwood. |
After learning the ropes (and having a plane that still flew) I found the responsive controls allowed quick, nimble maneuvers. I‘m happy with my DAW FoamWulf; it’s well suited to beginners who don't want to fix their planes every five minutes, as well as advanced flyers who are interested in maneuverable, indestructible, tough-looking combat planes.
And slope combat with like-minded flying buddies is a laugh riot. You gotta do it.
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