Parkzone Radian Aerotow?

[sam94]

Hi, i have a parkzone radian in the build at the moment and waiting for the rest of my parts to be deleivered, but i thought i should make any mods i want to do now, and i have been tempted to make a tow line, so the glider can be towed up in the sky and i was thinking it could brake free by a servo, i was thinking about mounting a servo into the canopy area, just behind the motor and when i switch the gear switch the servo arm would move which would release the string, i was thinking about just attaching the string with a loop on the end onto the servo arm and when the servo arm moves it lets go, will this work?, has anyone done it before?

Thanks

[Frede2]

Originally Posted by sam94

Hi, has anyone done it before?

Thanks

Why would they want to. The radian's motor can get you aloft 10 to 20 times faster than a tow and do it almost forever before you lose power.
For the same weight gain, you could use a larger battery.
Come on, get with the plan. Enjoy the radian as is.

[sam94]

Yeah i know the radian flies beautifully already, but i'd like to try aerotow on it, and also have an extremely long flight with the plane dragging me up thousands of feet, the letting me go, it'll save a hell of alot of power that it takes to get that high up originally, then when im really high i can start soaring, when i get lower to the ground thats when i start using the prop.

[IFlyTailies]

sure you can aerotow the Radian. The only thing I would be concerned with is the fact that it does not have ailerons. If you have never towed before this might be an issue to keep your glider level during tow.

http://iflytailies.jimdo.com/

[sam94]

Originally Posted by joedoe

sure you can aerotow the Radian. The only thing I would be concerned with is the fact that it does not have ailerons. If you have never towed before this might be an issue to keep your glider level during tow.

http://iflytailies.jimdo.com/

Thanks for the info, im still thinking whether or not i want to risk it, and the other person plane

[IFlyTailies]

Risk it! Towing is soooo much fun! And it is a lot easier than it looks. If something goes wrong you or the tow pilot can always hit the release. Feel free to read over my aerotow recommendations here:

http://iflytailies.jimdo.com/aerotowing.php

[sam94]

Originally Posted by joedoe

Risk it! Towing is soooo much fun! And it is a lot easier than it looks. If something goes wrong you or the tow pilot can always hit the release. Feel free to read over my aerotow recommendations here:

http://iflytailies.jimdo.com/aerotowing.php

So if i do do it, do you know of anyway i can make a aerotow, only i want it to be as light as possible, (ever seen or heard of the prakzone radian).

[IFlyTailies]

are you asking about the setup?

[sam94]

Originally Posted by joedoe

are you asking about the setup?

Well im completely new to aerotow and never ever done it before, but what i was thinking was maybe , that tough string stuff, make a loop on the end of the string and attach that around a servo arm, the servo will be just behind the motor, and when i switch the switch on the TX the servo arm would swing down and release the string letting go of the glider.

What do you think about this?

[IFlyTailies]

I have never heard of this setup, so I don't know if it would work. You need to have a release that is reliable. It would be best if you could remove the motor/nose and add a release up front like this one: http://www.hobby-lobby.com/2_glider-...QueryId=120260

If that is not possible see if you can install a setup featured in the first post here http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=267466 on the bottom of the fuselage right behind the motor.

We have also used Velcro: attached a 1" long piece right under the nose and Velcro to the end of the tow line. You release by slowing down the tow plane, putting the glider in a slight dive, and pulling hard up elevator

[sam94]

Originally Posted by joedoe

I have never heard of this setup, so I don't know if it would work. You need to have a release that is reliable. It would be best if you could remove the motor/nose and add a release up front like this one: http://www.hobby-lobby.com/2_glider-...QueryId=120260

If that is not possible see if you can install a setup featured in the first post here http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=267466 on the bottom of the fuselage right behind the motor.

We have also used Velcro: attached a 1" long piece right under the nose and Velcro to the end of the tow line. You release by slowing down the tow plane, putting the glider in a slight dive, and pulling hard up elevator

Cool, the third option sounds good as i dont really understand the one on rc groups, how relible is the velcro one, and wheres the string attached to on the tow plane

[IFlyTailies]

The release on the tow plane should be right behind the trailing edge on the fuselage. You have to play with the Velcro since there are different types. That means some bond stronger than others. Start with a smaller piece that you attach to the glider. When you start towing it might rip off because of the ground friction. If that is the case, attach a little bit more Velcro area, and so on until you have just enough bond to get airborne

[sam94]

Originally Posted by joedoe

The release on the tow plane should be right behind the trailing edge on the fuselage. You have to play with the Velcro since there are different types. That means some bond stronger than others. Start with a smaller piece that you attach to the glider. When you start towing it might rip off because of the ground friction. If that is the case, attach a little bit more Velcro area, and so on until you have just enough bond to get airborne

Thankyou very much for your advise and im sure i will use one of your ideas soon, thanks alot..

Im giving you a point-lol

[raften]

The guys around here use velcro. Don't know any details, I just watch them.

[TM4197]

I have used velcro before on the Radian. I use a 3/4 long 1/4 wide strip about 2 inches on the bottom from the tip of the nose. On the line itself, we cut a dime size piece of wood, drill a hole in it and tie the line, then superglue velcro to one side of the wood. We used 50lb test fishing line and a fishing line swivel spliced in the line 12 inches from the end (where it attaches to the plane) Tie a streamer to the swivel as well so you can see the towline. The Radian will track very very nice, using moderate speed. I usually can stear with rudder and not bother elevator too much, let the tow plane set the pace as far as elevation. When you reach the release height, have the towplane on command break left, and the radian breaks up and right....the velcro will separate (this why you need to use as small of velcro as possible). be prepared for a pretty good upward lift after release....but mine recovers on its own! DO iT!!!!! have fun! By the way, we did this with the motor in place, and prop was rubber banded to the fuse!!