|
Great Planes Spirit Elite
by Klaus
Weiss..........reviewed 12/99 Heathcote
Soaring League
FLYING
This is always the most important part of a review, and for
some reason, always the shortest. I used the throws suggested in
the booklet for ailerons, elevator and rudder, as well as
programming a couple of functions to aid in flight optimisation.
I coupled the rudder with ailerons, to a value of 50% and 25%
down elevator at full flap deflection in the butterfly/crow
mode. The starting points for launch camber, elevator/camber
coupling and trailing edge camber are all good for initial
flights. Fine tuning is a task undertaken over many launches, so
don't be afraid to experiment.
For the initial launch, I left everything at neutral and gave
the Elite a gentle toss on the high start. It climbed rock
steady, needing only rudder control to keep it heading straight.
A little dive at the apogee of the launch and a pull of up
elevator, saw the model zoom upwards for a respectable height
gain, before leveling out. A click of aileron trim and some down
elevator trim was all that was required to get it flying
straight and level.
A couple of figure eight turns and some thermal turns, showed
that it benefited from rudder/aileron coupling, which was
enabled with the flick of a switch. Loops were easy, and
inverted flight required only a little down trim on the
elevator. This model is not designed for aerobatics, but should
be able to do most of the simple ones which sailplanes can do,
with ease. Coming in for a landing, I utilised flaps only, and
the Spirit ballooned up, requiring a healthy bit of down
elevator. This function can be programmed in for a progressive
amount of down elevator, corresponding to the amount of down
flap used. Further testing will get a smooth transition for
landing, when using flap only.
Next launch was carried out with the use of the launch camber
switch. The model went up slower, but a lot steeper. Rudder
control was positive all the way up. A flick of the switch just
prior to zoom, gets the surfaces back to neutral and an
impressive height gain was again achieved. Hey this is fun!!
More flying around, and some exploring of bubbles of lift, had
the Elite way up high. A slight dive to gain airspeed, and a
barrel roll was performed. No problems. Back to level flight and
flick the switch for speed in the trailing edge camber mode. The
airspeed picks up noticeably without much detectable loss in
height. At slow speed, the turns tighten up with each circle, so
pay attention that you don't stall and snap into a spin. Further
trimming will help. Landing approach coming up, so on finals, a
flick of the switch enables crow mode. With flaps down and
ailerons up, the Spirit Elite slows down to walking pace, yet
control is still there, albeit a lot slower.
Wonderful things, these computer radios. When landing in the
crow mode, be aware that several things happen to the model's
behaviour. This combination creates a lot of washout in the
wings and makes tip stalling almost an impossibility. Sixty
degrees of down flap creates a large increase in lift, thus
pitching the nose down. The up ailerons, (or reflexed) decrease
the pitching moment and adds loads of drag, but it is best to
also program in some down elevator correction, to aid in setting
the model up in a shallow dive. I set crow braking up on the
throttle stick, so that I can control the amount of deflection.
If brought in automatically by the use of a switch only, it will
cause the model to pitch up dramatically and lose airspeed.
Elevator control prior to switching will alleviate this, but it
takes practice. It is also good practice to cancel crow braking,
or down flap, immediately before touchdown. This saves servo
gears from becoming stripped, due to the flaps dragging in long
grass or hitting some object on the ground. The scope for
experimentation with settings is a long process. Doing so, will
ensure that you get the best possible performance from this
sailplane.
The Spirit Elite enables the buyer to gain an introduction
into the high performance capabilities of modern gliders,
without having to go to the enormous expense of buying a
fibreglass/carbon/kevlar moulded model, to do so. It is only new
on the market, so I can't comment on its contest winning
potential, but from indications it appears that it will give an
excellent account in its class. I will be trailing it in open
class competition, as well as 2 metre competition and look
forward to some good times with it. The Great Planes Spirit
Elite is distributed by Dawn Trading and available from a hobby
shop near you. Enjoy. Quality at an affordable price.
|
HOME
