Learning, but not about Flying

...a notable omission

The lingering trauma following the major disaster with the Phoenix 2000 lead me to reconsider taking it to the air again in the short term. While comments I'd read suggested a larger aircraft was easier to learn with, other comments backed by my experience with the Phoenix, indicating it wasn't really a beginners' glider. Having a nylon fuselage made it a bit heavier and thus slower to respond. I therefore began a review of alternative "beginners" gliders for something more suitable.

Two candidates made themselves conspicuous, both sporting an over-wing motor configuration. The one I chose was purported to be a "floater", the Clouds Flyer or Floater Jet as it's also known. This was a smaller span of 1.3m with a broad wing chord and light all-foam construction. Apparently just what the doctor ordered...

However the first flight was, as you may now imagine, a bit of a fiasco.

Now let me explain that the wings of the Floater join through the top of the fuselage with a novel jigsaw joint, made possible by the tough and flexible characteristics of EPO foam (an expanded plastic). However, due to delays in assembly from to waiting for servos and a receiver to arrive, a key item ended up being omitted from the construction...

The launch went OK. On about one-third power and with a slightly upward trajectory, and the Floater flew surprising quickly across the field. Heading now towards the pavilion I pulled back on the elevator to get a bit more height and hit the ailerons to the left. Going into the turn, the wings suddenly bent upwards surprisingly. I hadn't expected them to be that flexible, a bit like an ASW-20 on a cable launch.

When the wings reached about an 80 degrees angle I was fairly sure that something was wrong. Quickly cutting power, the Floater fluttered earthwards following a gentle arc before clattering into the boundary fence. The crumpled heap looked like devastation, however, closer inspection showed very little damage apart from a few minor dents in the wing where it had contacted the fence, a testament to the robust nature of the EPO construction.

So my flying capability seems to have changed little, all too brief followed by violence...

In this particular case, the omission of the carbon fibre reinforcing rod between the Floater's wings appeared to have contributed to the failure of the flight...