17
YOUR FIRST HI-START LAUNCH
A hi-start is the most popular way to launch your Sophisticated
Lady ARF. It consists of 25'–100' [7.6 – 30.5m] of rubber
tubing and 200'– 400' [61–121.9 m] of string with a parachute
or streamer at the end. One end of the rubber is staked down
directly upwind of the launch point. One end of the string is
attached to the other end of the rubber tubing and the end
of the string with the parachute has a loop or ring and is
attached to the tow hook on the sailplane.
Follow the directions that came with the hi-start and lay it
out directly into the wind. Place the stake at the far
upwind
edge of the flying field so the parachute will blow back onto
the flying field.
Switch on your transmitter and then the receiver and hook
the parachute onto the plane’s tow hook. Pull the sailplane
back approximately twice as far as the rubber tubing is long
(i.e., 100' [30.5m] of rubber tubing = 200' [61m] of pull back)
or whatever the hi-start instructions state. A “fish scale” is
handy for determining the correct amount of pull. For your
first flights pull the plane back until there is approximatly
8 lbs. of tension. More tension can be used after you get
acquainted with the launching procedure.
Hold the plane above your head with the wings level and
the nose pointed slightly up and directly into the wind. Give
the plane a healthy push forward to get it flying and it will
climb up like a kite. You should not have to touch the elevator
during the launch but use the rudder to keep it going straight
up. As the rubber tubing relaxes the plane will fly off the hi-
start and the parachute will bring the end of the string back
towards you. If it does not come off the high start, apply
down elevator to dip the nose of the sailplane down. The ring
should then come off the tow hook.
FIRST FLIGHTS
Find a BIG, OPEN field for your first flights - the bigger the
better as you won’t have to worry about where you need
to land. Ground based objects (trees, poles, buildings, etc.)
seem to attract model airplanes like a magnet.
Again, we
would like to recommend that you find an experienced
pilot to help you with these first flights.
Note: You need to remember that your radio control
responds as if you are sitting in the cockpit of the
sailplane. When you push the transmitter stick to the
right, the rudder moves to the plane’s right! This means
that when the plane is flying towards you it may seem
like the rudder controls are reversed (when you give
“right” rudder the plane turns to your left – which is the
plane’s “right”). It is sometimes easier to learn to fly the
plane if you always face your body in the direction the plane
is flying and look over your shoulder to watch the model.
Don’t worry about accomplishing very much on your first
flights. Use these flights to get the “feel” of the controls and
the Sophisticated Lady ARF’s flying characteristics. Try to
keep the plane upwind and just perform some gentle “S-turns”
(always turning into the wind) until it is time to set up for
landing. Have a helper adjust the trims on your transmitter, a
little at a time, until the plane will fly straight and level with the
transmitter sticks in their neutral positions. When it is time to
land, just continue performing the gentle “S-turns” upwind
and let the plane glide onto the ground. Don’t worry about
where the plane lands – just avoid hitting anything.
Practice flying directly into the wind, without letting the
plane get off course. Then, turn and come downwind until
the plane is even with you and try it again. When you are
comfortable with flying directly into the wind, let the plane
go past you before you start back upwind. Continue this
until you can fly directly towards you from downwind without
getting disoriented. At this point you can start to establish a
landing pattern and bring the sailplane in for a landing from
downwind. This enables the plane to be flown as slowly as
possible for accurate landings.
THERMAL FLYING
Thermal soaring is one of the most intriguing of all aspects
of flying and the Sophisticated Lady ARF was designed to
excel at thermal soaring even in the hands of a novice. It can
be hard for the average person to understand how a plane
can fly for hours and gain altitude without a motor.
FACTS ABOUT THERMALS
Thermals are a natural phenomenon that happens outside,
by the millions, every single day of the year. Thermals are
responsible for many things including forming several types
of clouds, creating breezes and the distributing plant seeds
and pollen. If you have ever seen a dust devil, you have seen
a thermal in action. Their swirling action is very similar to that
of a tornado but of course much gentler. Most thermals have
updrafts rising in the 200'–700' [61– 213.4m] per minute
range but they have been known to produce updrafts of
over 5,000’ per minute. The strong updrafts can tear apart a
sailplane or carry the sailplane out of sight before the pilot
can get out of the updraft.
Thermals are formed by the uneven heating of the earth
and buildings, etc. by the sun. The darker colored surfaces
absorb heat faster than the lighter colored surfaces which
reflect a great deal of the sun’s energy back into space.
These darker areas (plowed fields, asphalt parking lots, tar
roofs, etc.) get warmer than the lighter areas (lakes, grassy
fields, forests, etc.). This causes the air above the darker
areas to be warmer than the air over the lighter areas and
the more buoyant warm air rises as the cooler, denser air
forces its way underneath the warmer air. As this warm air is
forced upward it contacts the cooler air of the higher altitudes
and this large temperature difference makes the thermal rise
quicker. The thermal is gradually cooled by the surrounding
cooler air and its strength diminishes. Eventually the thermal
stops rising and any moisture contained in the once warm
air condenses, forming puffy cumulus clouds. These clouds,
which mark the tops of thermals, are usually between 2000'
and 5000' high.
