Raptor Glider in the Cool

...beautiful tranquil morning

Hot air balloons suspended in the sky bode well for a good morning's flying, their presence indicating millpond conditions. The cloud cover was also breaking up, bringing with it the possibility of a lovely sunrise.

It was overcast at the field but, after a few minutes flying, the sun broke through the clouds and flooded the paddocks with gorgeous morning light. Bringing the Raptor in, I got the Mobius running and sent the Raptor off again, capturing the gorgeous sunrise on video.

It was an opportunity to fly the Raptor glider, now on its third outing with its new Turnigy powerplant, and get a feeling for its capabilities in calm conditions. Launching the Raptor is very easy, especially into cool morning air, as it gets up to flying speed almost as soon as it leaves your hand and, if you launch it with a little extra power, it will start climbing steeply.

This can be a little off-putting and could be countered by moving the battery forward a little, however I'm quite happy with the way it's flying so I'm going to leave it as-is. The Raptor is, as you'd expect, very stable and capable of being flown and turned at very low speeds without even a hint of stall.

This is, of course, handy as landing gliders without air brakes can be a protracted exercise, and more often than not the Raptor comfortably overshoots the designated spot and I'm turning it around for final approach part two...

Raptor Glider Thermalling. A Bit.

...trying it out

The dull grey and rain cleared early this afternoon and I was down at the field with the Raptor glider, keen to get it in the air for a more expansive run now that its new Turnigy motor had been tested.

There were a few fluffy cumulus drifting across the field in the westerly breeze so, after a few runs across the field to double check the trims, I had the Raptor climbing. Initially I had it at three-quarter cruise but, becoming impatient at the pedestrian rate of climb, I soon flipped up to full power.

The 2217 brushless motor, as I've mentioned before, is an impressive little unit, comfortably swinging the fairly large 11x6 props and with the capability to have the Raptor soaring almost straight up. With the glider diminishing rapidly, I eased off the power and, with flaps down, headed under an approaching cloud.

Now, similar to my previous experiences, I have to say that trying to thermal without a telemetry radio is rather hit and miss, with the glider that high that accurately determining its behaviour is unlikely. I did, however, manage to get the Raptor in lift for some minutes before slipping down.

I climbed the Raptor up several times before eventually calling it a day as the lift clouds passed on and the breeze stiffened. Not a spectacular success, but a pleasant afternoon's flying nonetheless...

Raptor Glider First Flight with Turnigy 1050kv

...all goes well

Today I eventually got the Raptor glider into the air again after a protracted delay while waiting for the replacement motor to arrive.

Not having flown it for a while I was a little nervous and, to add to that, flying in warm conditions contributes to a significant loss of lift, affecting even something with as much wing area as the Raptor.

Nevertheless the flight went well, with the Turnigy 2217 performing well, and providing generous power to the 11x6 prop, sufficient to keep the Raptor climbing almost vertically.

The motor is both smooth and quiet and, although I had concerns regarding the tight packaging of it in the slim fuselage, it has performed fautlessly...

Installing Turnigy 2217 1050kv Motor into Raptor Glider

...a tight fit

The replacement motor for the Raptor glider, a Turnigy 2217 1050kv unit, arrived a few days ago and I've just finished installing it into the Raptor glider.

Replacing a Phoenix motor, which has a bell mount, the Turnigy was an unexpectedly tight fit due to the motor installing straight onto the firewall, with the result that the motor cables are squeezed between the motor and the fuselage.

To move the motor back a little, and to strengthen the mount which is just 3mm ply, I glued in a second firewall which is provided as a spare with the Raptor. The motor is turning freely so I think there's just enough room for the outrunner to clear the cables. 

The downside to pushing the motor back , as I discovered when I installed the motor, is that the shaft stickout is marginal. However the spinner has tightened up and the prop is turning fine, so it might be OK...

Gliding in Autumn

...and the beautiful cool sunrises

Summer has gone, almost, the mornings are darker and the sunrises are returning to their spectacular best of the colder seasons.

I am already having to don my jacket against the chill, and have resorted to the mits as well although just precautionary at this stage; in a few months it will be a matter of maintaining the feeling in my fingers for a few minutes more flying!

I have been flying the Phoenix 1600 regularly and find it a remarkably versatile plane to fly. It is more of a sport glider than anything, yet the agility it exhibits is quite remarkable for a relatively large plane (1.6m span). I must admit that I fly it at 100% travel, something I'd never even contemplated with the Walrus.

Yet the  Phoenix seems to relish the opportunity to exercise it's capabilities at every opportunity, although it can be flown super-slow, especially with flaps down and will virtually land itself in this mode. The only difficulty, in common with most gliders, is trying to guess when it will actually touch down, with the combination of increasing ground effect and reducing headwind as it approaches the deck!

The Turnigy 2217 1050kv motor is doing well, although it does have a little buzz when flipped straight up to full power. Nevertheless it is performing well with the 11x6 carbon prop, which also looks nice as well...