aeajr
10-29-2005, 05:11 AM
When flying My Spirit 2M in 10 mph winds, it can start to become hard to
handle and won't penetrate very well. Thermal hunting can be tough as I can't
push up wind as well and getting down wind can risk the plane as I can't come
back against the wind as well.
Before I started to play with ballast, I would have to keep the plane on the
ground in that level of wind as it would be hard to handle and hard to land
due to ground turbulence. If I caught some lift, I would have to escape early
or risk getting stuck down wind.
I have found that if I add about 10% ballast, that is 10% of the plane's
normal weight, I can start to get some positive effect. My Spirit is about 32
ounces, so if I add about 3-4 ounces, the plane goes from hard to control and
hard to get wind penetration in 10 mph wind to a much more manageable plane
that I can actually fly and land.
Now, I am talking sport flying, not competition. The most I have ever put in
the Spirit is about 6 ounces. For competition purposes you might want to
put in more to be able to get better penetration.
I have used battery packs, strips of lead or a tube of coins as ballast.
You want to place the ballast directly over the CG so as not to change the CG
of the plane. I put in a Velcro loop that I glued to the bottom of the
plane. This is how I secure the ballast, but you could use some packing tape
or the like.
Be aware that you have just taken that floater and increased the wing loading
so it will fly faster and land faster. Also, since the construction is light
on that plane a somewhat less than perfect landing that might not normally
damage it could break something, since the plane is now heavier. If you
winch launch it, be especially careful on the pedal as the extra weight,
combined with the wind, will place greater stress on the wings, but 10-15%
should be quite safe.
handle and won't penetrate very well. Thermal hunting can be tough as I can't
push up wind as well and getting down wind can risk the plane as I can't come
back against the wind as well.
Before I started to play with ballast, I would have to keep the plane on the
ground in that level of wind as it would be hard to handle and hard to land
due to ground turbulence. If I caught some lift, I would have to escape early
or risk getting stuck down wind.
I have found that if I add about 10% ballast, that is 10% of the plane's
normal weight, I can start to get some positive effect. My Spirit is about 32
ounces, so if I add about 3-4 ounces, the plane goes from hard to control and
hard to get wind penetration in 10 mph wind to a much more manageable plane
that I can actually fly and land.
Now, I am talking sport flying, not competition. The most I have ever put in
the Spirit is about 6 ounces. For competition purposes you might want to
put in more to be able to get better penetration.
I have used battery packs, strips of lead or a tube of coins as ballast.
You want to place the ballast directly over the CG so as not to change the CG
of the plane. I put in a Velcro loop that I glued to the bottom of the
plane. This is how I secure the ballast, but you could use some packing tape
or the like.
Be aware that you have just taken that floater and increased the wing loading
so it will fly faster and land faster. Also, since the construction is light
on that plane a somewhat less than perfect landing that might not normally
damage it could break something, since the plane is now heavier. If you
winch launch it, be especially careful on the pedal as the extra weight,
combined with the wind, will place greater stress on the wings, but 10-15%
should be quite safe.