Semroc Orbital Transport

[ga1ba2]

Anyone have any pointers on adjusting the glide on the OT. I built it very light and when I try to test glide it all the glider does is turn left and falls to the ground not even nose first just flat.

[barone]

Did you glue the nose cone on?

[ga1ba2]

Did you glue the nose cone on?

Unfortunately yes, :( all painted, finished and decals applied

[dwmzmm]

Sounds to me your glider portion of the OT needs a little more weight.

[foose4string]

Sounds like it's stalling and needs a little nose ballast. I don't glue the nose on my orbiters just in case I need to add trim weight. I think Don(barone) is on the same track. Concealing the weight inside the nose or body tube looks a whole lot better than adding bits of clay to the outside. Clay might be the easiest solution at this point if the nose is glued on and the model is painted. Once you find out how much weight you need, you could drill a small hole on the bottom side of the nose, insert the weight, close it up with wood filler, then touch up the paint. BB's, or lead shot work well. It probably won't need much, maybe as little as one tiny shot..maybe 2 or 3 at the most.

Add the weight in very small increments. If you have it trimmed correctly it will keep forward momentum the entire time. Arching over is bad. Losing speed and falling flat is also bad(that's a stall). You want a level, forward moving flight from the the time it leaves your hand until the time it hits the ground. A little bit of turn right or left is ok, but not too much.
Gripping the glider just ahead of the wings with thumb and forefinger, I like to give it a gentle push at eye level to get it going. If you are outside, face into the breeze.

That's about all I can think of right now. Let us know how it goes. :)

[barone]

Ok....let's see if I can help you out.....

The flat fall is indicative of not enough nose weight. You have to have some forward fall for the wings to generate lift. Now, since you already have the nose cone installed, you just can't add the weights to the nose cone. So, do you think you can GENTLY remove the aft cap and shroud without disfiguring the model so bad that a little touch-up paint can cover any disfigurement? If you can, then you can add clay weight to the back of the nose cone through the aft end of the glider. Then add enough clay to the aft end of the glider to compensate for the cap and shroud and then toss the model several times to get an idea of the glide (see the instructions). Add more weight to the nose as needed until you get a decent glide. Put the aft cap and shroud back on after getting the glide right.

If you can't go through the aft end, use the ugly method and add clay to the outside of the nose cone until you get a good glide. Then, take the clay off for display. Try to keep track of the amount of clay needed. But, as with all gliders, you need to trim the glide before each flight or launch session.

Now, the left banking......is it tight or gently? A gently turn is what you want so the glider doesn't flat out glide away from you. But if it's turning tight, you can adjust it several ways. The first way is to heat up the glued joint for the elevators on the LEFT wing and adjust them down slightly. You should be able to do this without damaging the paint/finish unless you used CA....then this method won't help..... :(

Another method is the ugly method, add clay to the RIGHT wing tip until you get the turn you want and then take the clay off for display. Again, as with all gliders, you need to trim the glide before each flight or launch session.

[barone]

Just thought of something......The glider has a hook for attaching to the OT booster.....Have you ever did those Flics kits from Quest? Rubber band on a stick, hook the glider hook on the rubber band, Pull the glider back as you hold the stick pointing straight up, release the glider, the rubber band propels the glider upward. Should transition to a glide similar to how it would when boosted on the OT......Don't put too much energy into it though....you want to be able to watch the glide......see how it glides and trim accordingly......Don't have to worry that you're gripping the glider right when throwing it straight out in front of you

[dwmzmm]

If he can't trim the already built glider, he can just get the parts to build another one and
make sure to remember NOT to glue the nose cone until that all important trim test is
done.

[marslndr]

You can also drill a small hole in the tip of the nosecone, add a small nail or brad. Then fill/sand/ and repaint the tip.

I like the idea of rubber band launching! That should work well with and parasite glider.


Mark

[foose4string]

I like the nail/brad idea too. I don't know if I'm too keen on the rubber band idea though. This glider design doesn't need a ton of speed or altitude to determine how it's going to perform. I like a more controlled glide right out in front of me where I can see it the whole time without straining. And, suppose it's too nose heavy when you launch it 20-30 ft in the air? I'd rather it crash from a lower altitude so as not to bang up the balsa nose too much. And, if it stalls and can't recover in time, that can bang up the nose too. Just my two cents.

[LeeR]

You can also drill a small hole in the tip of the nosecone, add a small nail or brad. Then fill/sand/ and repaint the tip.

I like the idea of rubber band launching! That should work well with and parasite glider.


Mark

I did this on my Estes version. I ran a screw into it, and adjusted the size of screw until it glided well. Then I ran the screw all the way in, and puttied over the hole and did a paint touch-up. I'd leave the nose cone loose on future builds, but this works well if you cannot remove the nose cone.

[ga1ba2]

Thanks for all the suggestions. I have used the drill a hole and add some shot or BBs method and it worked well I also like the screw method. I may even try the rubber band launch but not too much power. I have a Shuttle SST in the build pile and I will not glue the nc on that one :rolleyes:
Thanks again.