FT Simple Soarer Mod "E" style

[trackskid]

I'm sure more than a few of us have opted to use the swappable pod for the SS so we can motor up and glide the day away! I found one thing that got to me- to have correct CG I had to cram an 1500mAh battery in the front. The issue is that then the plane ended up weighing more than it had to. Going back to Jr High science I employed the ol'- weight further from the fulcrum weighs more the further it gets...so a 500mAh battery could weigh as much as a 1500mAh if the power pod were longer!
So here is how I did it.
First- the swappable power pod is clever and I have modified it to make up for my tendency to push these planes way too hard by inserting BBQ sticks in the folds, carbon rods, double thick sides, etc. Josh B- this is an amazing platform to build on!!! Thanks!
For this mod, I didn't mind making one just for the SS.
I mounted the gliding pod and used my motor, esc and 500mAh battery to see how far forward that package would need to be for a fine CG. ~4 inches in front of original motor mount.



I started by cutting out a LONG version of the power pod while omitting the tabs (again- dedicated pod). I cut the front of it to make a fine amount of thrust angle
now that's nice...


I then went ahead and figured out where the bbq stick would be to mount our new pod and trimmed the pod to give plenty of foam for strength...about 17" total length



Next I glued it up and installed the fire wall

Being left with an open pod, I needed to make the "stop" for the bbq sticks that hold the front on and in place...I did this by inserting the bbq stick in back, marking where the front of the fuselage ended on our new pod, and attached foam with mounting holes. This seemed weak so I put another piece on top and added tape as well


now we're cooking!!!

I decided to finish it off with a handy hatch, so I fit a piece of foam from the firewall to the mounting foam for a nice snug fit. Before gluing it, I cut about a 1/2 back from the front so it could open. I then secured the front of the hatch and covered it with tape!


Finish up with all your tape or MinWax or what ever you do...mount your motor, esc, and a small battery
this should bring the weight down quite a bit and give you a chance to have a pod that has a ton of down thrust for that big ol' wing.

Thanks to FliteTest and all the plans, videos, and good energy!
I started out with the Gentle Lady along with many others...this is a wonderful revisiting
hope this helps
eric

 

[DDSFlyer]

Looks good! Might have to do this when I build this plane, except I don't have batteries that small right now...

 

[coldbloodedtx]

FYI I built my SS with this nose (I had the same balance issues) and threw it around at the park tonight. I managed to stall it while I was trying to trim it (had massive up, probably needs downmix elevator to offset the motor) and nosed into some soft grass, and discovered a weakness of this nose. It crumpled up like a Z...not really bad enough to do anything serious, but I think I'll be adding some 1/32" plywood lining inside the extended nose area, behind the firewall, to counter this in the future.
I threw it around without the motor running (prop broke, of course), it actually glided quite nicely! Looking forward to patching it up & trying the motor again this weekend.

 

[rossmort]

Thanks for this - I made a similar nose last night and tried it today. Worked quite well and was fun to fly. I went very light with a blue wonder(ish) motor and 500mah battery. It didn't penetrate with the wind I was flying it, but was fun to stick it in the sky and watch it fly hands off. I also need to mix in some down elevator/add additional down thrust, but it still worked quite well.

 

[Team_Monkey]

Thank you for posting this mod. I have the SS kit but haven't started it yet.

 

[Snardo]

Getting ready to build my soarer speed build kit and will likely use this mod. Thanks for posting it! I was also wondering if anyone has tried adding ailerons to their SS? Would you add them to the inboard part of the wing (which is flatter) or the outboard part (gives better roll rate but will probably have some coupling as the wing tips are angled)?

 

[Good Kebo]

Getting ready to build my soarer speed build kit and will likely use this mod. Thanks for posting it! I was also wondering if anyone has tried adding ailerons to their SS? Would you add them to the inboard part of the wing (which is flatter) or the outboard part (gives better roll rate but will probably have some coupling as the wing tips are angled)?

Just flew my soarer for the first time with a motor tonight. I had to add between 3 and 3.5 oz weight in nose to get it to balance using either a 1000 ma 2s or 3s battery. Flew well with either battery. Motor 2050kv with a 9x5 prop. When I gave it throttle it climbed like crazy even though I put down thrust into the mount. Aslo it turned left any time I had power on. Lots of touque steer with that big prop, wish I had the ailerons here. Next flight I will try it with a 8x4.5 prop, then next with more down thrust. Plane flew straight with no power on and perfect with glider nose on. Good plane so far.

 

[N222NY]

Trackskid,

Thanks so much for sharing your mod! I plan to use it for my build, but had a quick question about the dimensions, specifically the length.

I'm going to be running what sounds like your setup with the blue wonder motor, and 500Mah battery, 10amp esc, but I will have a little additional nose weight, with a 1.18in aluminum prop hub, and a folding propeller.

With that added weight, do you think making the pod 17" long would still be appropriate, or a bit shorter? I guess I'll just have to experiment to find the balance point, but I figured I'd check with the designer first

Thanks and take care!

Shawn