New to the forum and scale sailplanes...and towing

[ARUP]

Oh yeah... make sure the tube is epoxied well in the fuselage or it and the loop will get yanked out until they clear the pin!

[ARUP]

Here are a couple of cartoons to show what to do.



You can see how the pin has lateral travel as it moves reward in the first picture. This flexing shouldn't be a problem at all if you retrofit your Ka. If a 'U' and retracting pin won't fit in the tube without making the radius of the 'U' too tight then maybe you could bend the loop into a lollipop shape like in the second picture. Mark's design is a good one!

[SteveNeill]

Mark this is outstanding. Should adapt well to my K8. Thanks so much. I think I have everything I need on the shelf here at my studio to do this. Makes perfect sense! Thank you so much!

[Mark9]

Steve, ARUP is correct. The simple pull pin does work well with the lighter gliders, but access to hook up with ease makes it more fun. Fiddling to get the tow loop hooked up can be frustrating. Take a look at my thread of what I built for my Kate. It's a simple design using K&S tubing, flat stock, piano wire and wood dowel. The wood dowel was purchased at Lowes and is a slip fit into the brass tube. If the pictures aren't enough let me know, I can probably talk you through what I did. It's in the Kate so additional piece part pictures aren't possible now.

http://forum.scalesoaring.com/forum/aerotowing-slope-scale-soaring/scale-sailplanes/21231-tow-release-help-please

[SteveNeill]

Is it possible to see pictures or drawings of your recommended setup? And thank you so much fro your help on this.

[ARUP]

The release you have will work but requires access inside fuselage. If possible you might get music wire bent into a l-o-n-g 'U' shape so that the curved portion of the 'U' protrudes through your aluminum guide tube about 1/2" out of the nose. Anchor the other ends of the 'U' to the end of the tube by bending them so the 'U' can't pull through. You will have to do a little 'surgery' on that wood 'box' inside. Next, run a long music wire from inside to the nose and connect it to the servo. Relocate your servo to where your 'cross pin' release is presently. This 'retracting pin on the U' is what I use on mine. I like it because you can see what position your release is, the loop has no way of snagging so always releases and relatively little effort from the servo is required as compared to the release you have at present. I always position the servo arm so that it is pointing toward the nose of the glider and it is slightly 'over center'. When the release switch is activated the servo has time to 'ramp up' torque before the pin moves.

You will see on some of my releases I have an articulated joint on the release pin along with a guide tube at the nose. Most servo outputs are not linear so a deflection of the pin would occur. Your pin should be long and thin and your sailplane lightweight enough that this shouldn't be of concern.

[SteveNeill]

Added the simple tow release today. Got the tail feathers all working.I have never seen the actual size of the nylon line used fro towing and didn't have any but I did have this rather heavy duty fishing line I use for my RC sailboats. Tested well.

[SteveNeill]

Len thanks for the warm welcome. I sure hope to get there next year. This is a great site and I've learned so much already and met some nice people.

[lenb]

Hi Steve,
Welcome aboard the forums and website. I'm sure I speak for all the guys when I say we're happy to have you with us.
The community here is a positive group always willing to help and offer advice, as well as take advice.
Sorry for the slow responses, but many of us are in Cumberland for the fall Aerotow.
Hope to see you at an event soon, the Horizon event in June will be held at the AMA headquarters in Muncie Indiana.

Len

[Mark9]

I understand about being "incognito"...still feel many things should not be told on the internet too.

[SteveNeill]

Thanks John. I worked on it more today and when I got home from my studio found my vinyl transfer decals had arrived for the sinbad. I also worked on the Ka8 and installed a took hook release. I'll order the kit around Christmas. Still working on the Sinbad which is nearly ready to fly. Also the Ka8 and a 30 inch span mini Singsbly that's stick and tissue build. Thanks again to all of you here. Did get a name ARUP but thank you.

[Newman12]

Steve,

I've been following your Sinbad build posts over on FB, Nice Work! Glad you made your way over here. I'll be starting my build on Peters Slingsby Skylark soon soon you should definitely get yourself a kit and build one along with me too!

John

[ARUP]

+1... welcome to the website! That Ka is a great sailplane! You will enjoy building Peter's kits. Like you... I enjoy the peace and serenity of sailplanes over powered models and it is a bonus when a scale version catches a thermal! I just love it!!!

[SteveNeill]

Mark thanks so much for the warm welcome and words of wisdom. I already am enjoying it. Today I'm at my studio playing hooky and working on some gliders for flying this weekend. I'm also scoping out Peter Goldsmith's Slingsby kit for my Christmas present to myself. Enjoy your build and do post pictures!

[Mark9]

Hi Steve,

Welcome to the addiction. I've been flying RC gliders since the 70's. Dabble with some foamy warbirds but boring holes in the sky gets boring, oops bad pun. Anyhow, you will like the Ka8. One of my aerotow flying buddies in San Antonio has that same model. I have it's 3.5 meter bigger brother from Phoenix Model and I'm assembling a 4.8 meter Ventus 2CX for aerotow as well right now. About three years ago is when I caught the aerotow bug and love it. Hope you enjoy it too.