[[email protected]]
Radio Control Soaring Lee Estingoy
116 MODEL AVIATION
Sailplanes aren’t just for men
I don’t know why women
and girls in general don’t
show the same interest in
flight that boys (little or
big) have. I certainly didn’t
have any interest in flight
when I got into this. I fell
in love with the people,
not the flying.
Also included in this column:
• Amy Pool’s take on Sailplanes
• MKS servos • Lessons learned
HI, MY NAME IS LEE and I have a
Soaring problem.
Welcome to this month’s group session.
We have a few items to discuss and, as
always, a few new members in attendance.
I’d like to begin by introducing Amy
Pool. Amy would appear to be a normal
person, except that she’s one of the few
women who voluntarily spend time at an
RC Soaring field. She even brings her own
gear and competes in our silly little games.
Let’s spend some time with Amy.
LE: How did you get started in RC
Soaring?
AP: I was dating a man who was an RC
Sailplane pilot. We lived in the Pacific
Northwest where the Northwest Soaring
Society runs a summer circuit of weekendlong
Thermal Duration (TD) contests in
Oregon, Washington, Idaho, British
Columbia, and Alberta.
The first time I went to a contest, I found
a spot in the shade to sit down and read, but
a friend said, “No, no. We’re putting you to
work.” He spent the rest of the day teaching
me how to be a timer for TD. The next day,
the CD taught me how to use his scoring
program. By the end of the season I could
set up the launch equipment, run a retriever,
keep score, and time.
I loved the people and became a very
active non-flying member of the
community, but I didn’t have much interest
in flying. Then one day, a few years later, I
had a moment when I suddenly realized: “I
want to do this.” I built a Gentle Lady and a
friend started teaching me to fly. I started
working on LSF tasks my first week, and
flew in my first contest as a novice my
second or third week of flying. I was totally
hooked.
LE: How often do you fly?
AP: My routine has changed over the
years. My first year, I flew every weekend
from July through mid-September in
contests and often two days during the
week, usually with a small group of two to
four pilots. (I’m a teacher and I was on
summer break.) I also flew occasionally in
the winter as weather allowed.
As my life became busier, most of my
flying became contest flying as opposed to
fun-flying or practice. But between my
local club, the Portland Area Sailplane
Society, and the regional contest circuit, I
was probably flying over 50 days a year.
Since I moved to Dallas a year ago, I
haven’t flown quite as much because new
routines haven’t been established. There are
fewer weekend contests within a six-hour
drive than there were in the Northwest, but
the Soaring League of North Texas holds
contests every month in Dallas. There are
also a few events within driving distance
which make up the Lone Star Soaring
Series, so I consider myself lucky as I love
contest flying. I would like to get back to
Amy Pool developed her interest in
TD competition in the active RC
Soaring community in the Pacific
Northwest. Now a resident of Dallas,
she’s thrilled to participate in the
great series of events in that area.
Consider using a small
magnet to move wayward
elevator pushrods into
their windows.
flying at least 50 days a year once again.
When I first starting flying I also learned
to launch my own planes, so it was not
uncommon for me to go out and practice by
myself, though it was more likely that I
would go out with a couple of friends to
practice (for one thing, someone always
needed witnesses for LSF flights).
About five years ago, I lost control of a
plane while tensioning up to launch, so I’ve
stopped throwing my own Open-Class
planes. I developed relationships with
several of my flying buddies, where they
would throw for me. There was pretty much
always a trusted “arm” around for me to
borrow.
LE: Men are from Mars and women are
from Venus, and NASA doesn’t even try to
fly Sailplanes on Venus. Would you care to
share any opinions you may have as to why
so few ladies seem interested in our hobby?
AP: I think it’s similar to loving cars. There
are some girls/women who become
fascinated with cars, but a much, much
smaller percentage than you see with boys
and men. There are three other women,
including one teenager, flying the
Northwest Soaring Society contest circuit.
For all of us, there were men in our lives
involved in the hobby, but we have all made
it our own.
LE: We’ve seen pink transmitters from
Grand Wing Servo-Tech Co. (GWS) and
I’ve seen a pink-molded aircraft in Visalia,
California. Obviously, that’s not much of an
effort to bring ladies into the hobby. If you
were a marketing executive at a company
that served the Soaring community, what
would you do to introduce RC and RC
Soaring, in particular, to the ladies out
there?
AP: I don’t think the best approach is to
single out the women by marketing special
products. I want to be recognized as an
equal on the field, not different somehow. I
would rather finish in the bottom of the
pack at a Discus Launch Glider [DLG]
event than take first place in a women’s
class. But, perhaps that reflects my values
more than women in general.
I want to fly with the same equipment as
everyone else. I’m not sure how to market
to women, other than bringing up the
awareness that there are women out there
flying RC. And maybe pink park flyers or
foamies would increase [the] interest of
young girls. (Of course, really cool
stickers/decals can dress up a plane with the
bonus that you get to make it your own!)
I think the best place to capture the
female market is at the flying field. It’s the
women who come out to the field with their
significant others, their fathers, their
brothers, or their co-workers, who are the
potential market.
Unfortunately, flying fields are not
always the most comfortable places for
women to spend much of the day. Try
getting your wife to come out more than a
few times if she has to be out all day.
Usually it is hot and this is the big one:
there is no porta-potty. Seriously, if there
were a fairy godmother of female RC pilots,
she’d make sure there was a porta-potty on
every field. I think you’d be surprised how
much easier it would be to recruit new lady
pilots.
Also, if you are in a long-term
relationship with a woman who is interested
in the hobby, consider seeing if there is
another person in your club who will take
her under his/her wing for the early part of
learning. It was not my boyfriend who
taught me to be a timer, and not my
boyfriend who taught me to fly. From the
beginning, then, the hobby became my own,
not something that I only did with him. You
might find that your significant other
becomes your favorite timer, and that’s
great, but it’s a bonus for everyone if she
will go out and fly even when you can’t.
LE: Do you have a favorite airplane these
days? If so what? Is there an aircraft, present
or past (RIP) that would be your “rosebud”?
AP: My two primary planes right now are a
Pike Perfect and an Xplorer. I also fly an
Organic two-meter that I love, though there
are no two-meter contests down here in
Dallas. So it’s not getting as much use as it
did up in the Northwest.
I’ve had a lot of planes that I’ve enjoyed,
but an Icon that I bought used in 2007 has a
special place in my heart. From the first
moment I flew that plane I loved it, and my
performance took a major leap up because I
trusted that plane in a way I hadn’t
experienced before. I now know what I am
shooting for in a relationship with a plane. [I
have] complete confidence that if there is lift
I will be able to identify it and work it.
The next item on my agenda is to point you
toward a relatively new source for highquality
servos and a new servo from an old
favorite.
Thomas Cooke is now serving as the US
importer for MKS servos. The range includes
some that are ideal for our applications. MKS
servos offer a fit and finish that is second to
none. They are durable and the gear trains are
slop-free.
MKS products are available at Soaring
USA and Kennedy Composites, so give them
a try. Thomas says, “Wait ’til you install
them and set your trim-step down to 1 and
see what a dead-band of 0.001 milliseconds
can offer. The other thing that I really like
about the servos is their centering. It’s like
nothing I ever have seen.”
Airtronics also has a gem in its relatively
new 94809. It offers a respectable amount of
power, digital precision, and minimal gear
lash in the metal gear train—all in a great
form factor. These servos are just 23.5 x 11.4
x 21.1mm/0.93 x 0.45 x 0.83 inches—perfect
for fitting in tight spaces where similar
traditional servos don’t dare to go.
I’d like to conclude with a few lessons I’ve
learned since my last column. Number one is
one that I’ve learned a few times. (At least I
know when to cringe.)
1) Always measure the height of your
(Satori) fuselage where you intend to place
the rudder and elevator servo before you cut
it open. Cut the factory pushrods, and grind
away the existing servo tray so that you can
move the factory servo mounting to
accommodate the electric power system you
are trying to retrofit into a TD aircraft. If
you don’t measure first, you will learn that
the Airtronics 94809 is the only servo that
will save your bacon by wiggling the things
in back while fitting in the (obviously)
reduced height portion of the fuselage under
the wing saddle. Bravo, Airtronics!
2) Have you ever found yourself waving
your TD airplane’s long fuselage around in
the air while you squinted into the slot in
the vertical stabilizer in an effort to catch
the little elevator pushrod linkage flopping
past the access slot? Although you may well
look like a ship’s captain scanning the
horizon with a long spyglass, you are in the
hobby to fly airplanes, not reenact bygone
eras or add more hangar rash to your
airplane.
Put your fuselage down and go dig a
neodymium magnet out of your toolbox.
Slide the magnet across the vertical
stabilizer until you feel it tugging on the
pushrod inside. Move the magnet and the
pushrod will follow until it is in the middle
of the slot. You can now install your
horizontal stabilizers with ease.
Until our next session, thermals to all! MA
Sources:
MKS Servos
www.mksservosusa.com
Kennedy Composites
(972) 602-3144
www.kennedycomposites.com
Soaring USA
(626) 967-6660
www.soaringusa.com
Soaring League of North Texas
www.slnt.org
Portland Area Sailplane Society
www.passoaring.us
Northwest Soaring Society
www.northwestsoaringsociety.org
Airtronics
(714) 964-0827
www.airtronics.net
League of Silent Flight
www.silentflight.org
Edition: Model Aviation - 2011/11
Page Numbers: 116,118,119
Edition: Model Aviation - 2011/11
Page Numbers: 116,118,119
[[email protected]]
Radio Control Soaring Lee Estingoy
116 MODEL AVIATION
Sailplanes aren’t just for men
I don’t know why women
and girls in general don’t
show the same interest in
flight that boys (little or
big) have. I certainly didn’t
have any interest in flight
when I got into this. I fell
in love with the people,
not the flying.
Also included in this column:
• Amy Pool’s take on Sailplanes
• MKS servos • Lessons learned
HI, MY NAME IS LEE and I have a
Soaring problem.
Welcome to this month’s group session.
We have a few items to discuss and, as
always, a few new members in attendance.
I’d like to begin by introducing Amy
Pool. Amy would appear to be a normal
person, except that she’s one of the few
women who voluntarily spend time at an
RC Soaring field. She even brings her own
gear and competes in our silly little games.
Let’s spend some time with Amy.
LE: How did you get started in RC
Soaring?
AP: I was dating a man who was an RC
Sailplane pilot. We lived in the Pacific
Northwest where the Northwest Soaring
Society runs a summer circuit of weekendlong
Thermal Duration (TD) contests in
Oregon, Washington, Idaho, British
Columbia, and Alberta.
The first time I went to a contest, I found
a spot in the shade to sit down and read, but
a friend said, “No, no. We’re putting you to
work.” He spent the rest of the day teaching
me how to be a timer for TD. The next day,
the CD taught me how to use his scoring
program. By the end of the season I could
set up the launch equipment, run a retriever,
keep score, and time.
I loved the people and became a very
active non-flying member of the
community, but I didn’t have much interest
in flying. Then one day, a few years later, I
had a moment when I suddenly realized: “I
want to do this.” I built a Gentle Lady and a
friend started teaching me to fly. I started
working on LSF tasks my first week, and
flew in my first contest as a novice my
second or third week of flying. I was totally
hooked.
LE: How often do you fly?
AP: My routine has changed over the
years. My first year, I flew every weekend
from July through mid-September in
contests and often two days during the
week, usually with a small group of two to
four pilots. (I’m a teacher and I was on
summer break.) I also flew occasionally in
the winter as weather allowed.
As my life became busier, most of my
flying became contest flying as opposed to
fun-flying or practice. But between my
local club, the Portland Area Sailplane
Society, and the regional contest circuit, I
was probably flying over 50 days a year.
Since I moved to Dallas a year ago, I
haven’t flown quite as much because new
routines haven’t been established. There are
fewer weekend contests within a six-hour
drive than there were in the Northwest, but
the Soaring League of North Texas holds
contests every month in Dallas. There are
also a few events within driving distance
which make up the Lone Star Soaring
Series, so I consider myself lucky as I love
contest flying. I would like to get back to
Amy Pool developed her interest in
TD competition in the active RC
Soaring community in the Pacific
Northwest. Now a resident of Dallas,
she’s thrilled to participate in the
great series of events in that area.
Consider using a small
magnet to move wayward
elevator pushrods into
their windows.
flying at least 50 days a year once again.
When I first starting flying I also learned
to launch my own planes, so it was not
uncommon for me to go out and practice by
myself, though it was more likely that I
would go out with a couple of friends to
practice (for one thing, someone always
needed witnesses for LSF flights).
About five years ago, I lost control of a
plane while tensioning up to launch, so I’ve
stopped throwing my own Open-Class
planes. I developed relationships with
several of my flying buddies, where they
would throw for me. There was pretty much
always a trusted “arm” around for me to
borrow.
LE: Men are from Mars and women are
from Venus, and NASA doesn’t even try to
fly Sailplanes on Venus. Would you care to
share any opinions you may have as to why
so few ladies seem interested in our hobby?
AP: I think it’s similar to loving cars. There
are some girls/women who become
fascinated with cars, but a much, much
smaller percentage than you see with boys
and men. There are three other women,
including one teenager, flying the
Northwest Soaring Society contest circuit.
For all of us, there were men in our lives
involved in the hobby, but we have all made
it our own.
LE: We’ve seen pink transmitters from
Grand Wing Servo-Tech Co. (GWS) and
I’ve seen a pink-molded aircraft in Visalia,
California. Obviously, that’s not much of an
effort to bring ladies into the hobby. If you
were a marketing executive at a company
that served the Soaring community, what
would you do to introduce RC and RC
Soaring, in particular, to the ladies out
there?
AP: I don’t think the best approach is to
single out the women by marketing special
products. I want to be recognized as an
equal on the field, not different somehow. I
would rather finish in the bottom of the
pack at a Discus Launch Glider [DLG]
event than take first place in a women’s
class. But, perhaps that reflects my values
more than women in general.
I want to fly with the same equipment as
everyone else. I’m not sure how to market
to women, other than bringing up the
awareness that there are women out there
flying RC. And maybe pink park flyers or
foamies would increase [the] interest of
young girls. (Of course, really cool
stickers/decals can dress up a plane with the
bonus that you get to make it your own!)
I think the best place to capture the
female market is at the flying field. It’s the
women who come out to the field with their
significant others, their fathers, their
brothers, or their co-workers, who are the
potential market.
Unfortunately, flying fields are not
always the most comfortable places for
women to spend much of the day. Try
getting your wife to come out more than a
few times if she has to be out all day.
Usually it is hot and this is the big one:
there is no porta-potty. Seriously, if there
were a fairy godmother of female RC pilots,
she’d make sure there was a porta-potty on
every field. I think you’d be surprised how
much easier it would be to recruit new lady
pilots.
Also, if you are in a long-term
relationship with a woman who is interested
in the hobby, consider seeing if there is
another person in your club who will take
her under his/her wing for the early part of
learning. It was not my boyfriend who
taught me to be a timer, and not my
boyfriend who taught me to fly. From the
beginning, then, the hobby became my own,
not something that I only did with him. You
might find that your significant other
becomes your favorite timer, and that’s
great, but it’s a bonus for everyone if she
will go out and fly even when you can’t.
LE: Do you have a favorite airplane these
days? If so what? Is there an aircraft, present
or past (RIP) that would be your “rosebud”?
AP: My two primary planes right now are a
Pike Perfect and an Xplorer. I also fly an
Organic two-meter that I love, though there
are no two-meter contests down here in
Dallas. So it’s not getting as much use as it
did up in the Northwest.
I’ve had a lot of planes that I’ve enjoyed,
but an Icon that I bought used in 2007 has a
special place in my heart. From the first
moment I flew that plane I loved it, and my
performance took a major leap up because I
trusted that plane in a way I hadn’t
experienced before. I now know what I am
shooting for in a relationship with a plane. [I
have] complete confidence that if there is lift
I will be able to identify it and work it.
The next item on my agenda is to point you
toward a relatively new source for highquality
servos and a new servo from an old
favorite.
Thomas Cooke is now serving as the US
importer for MKS servos. The range includes
some that are ideal for our applications. MKS
servos offer a fit and finish that is second to
none. They are durable and the gear trains are
slop-free.
MKS products are available at Soaring
USA and Kennedy Composites, so give them
a try. Thomas says, “Wait ’til you install
them and set your trim-step down to 1 and
see what a dead-band of 0.001 milliseconds
can offer. The other thing that I really like
about the servos is their centering. It’s like
nothing I ever have seen.”
Airtronics also has a gem in its relatively
new 94809. It offers a respectable amount of
power, digital precision, and minimal gear
lash in the metal gear train—all in a great
form factor. These servos are just 23.5 x 11.4
x 21.1mm/0.93 x 0.45 x 0.83 inches—perfect
for fitting in tight spaces where similar
traditional servos don’t dare to go.
I’d like to conclude with a few lessons I’ve
learned since my last column. Number one is
one that I’ve learned a few times. (At least I
know when to cringe.)
1) Always measure the height of your
(Satori) fuselage where you intend to place
the rudder and elevator servo before you cut
it open. Cut the factory pushrods, and grind
away the existing servo tray so that you can
move the factory servo mounting to
accommodate the electric power system you
are trying to retrofit into a TD aircraft. If
you don’t measure first, you will learn that
the Airtronics 94809 is the only servo that
will save your bacon by wiggling the things
in back while fitting in the (obviously)
reduced height portion of the fuselage under
the wing saddle. Bravo, Airtronics!
2) Have you ever found yourself waving
your TD airplane’s long fuselage around in
the air while you squinted into the slot in
the vertical stabilizer in an effort to catch
the little elevator pushrod linkage flopping
past the access slot? Although you may well
look like a ship’s captain scanning the
horizon with a long spyglass, you are in the
hobby to fly airplanes, not reenact bygone
eras or add more hangar rash to your
airplane.
Put your fuselage down and go dig a
neodymium magnet out of your toolbox.
Slide the magnet across the vertical
stabilizer until you feel it tugging on the
pushrod inside. Move the magnet and the
pushrod will follow until it is in the middle
of the slot. You can now install your
horizontal stabilizers with ease.
Until our next session, thermals to all! MA
Sources:
MKS Servos
www.mksservosusa.com
Kennedy Composites
(972) 602-3144
www.kennedycomposites.com
Soaring USA
(626) 967-6660
www.soaringusa.com
Soaring League of North Texas
www.slnt.org
Portland Area Sailplane Society
www.passoaring.us
Northwest Soaring Society
www.northwestsoaringsociety.org
Airtronics
(714) 964-0827
www.airtronics.net
League of Silent Flight
www.silentflight.org
Edition: Model Aviation - 2011/11
Page Numbers: 116,118,119
[[email protected]]
Radio Control Soaring Lee Estingoy
116 MODEL AVIATION
Sailplanes aren’t just for men
I don’t know why women
and girls in general don’t
show the same interest in
flight that boys (little or
big) have. I certainly didn’t
have any interest in flight
when I got into this. I fell
in love with the people,
not the flying.
Also included in this column:
• Amy Pool’s take on Sailplanes
• MKS servos • Lessons learned
HI, MY NAME IS LEE and I have a
Soaring problem.
Welcome to this month’s group session.
We have a few items to discuss and, as
always, a few new members in attendance.
I’d like to begin by introducing Amy
Pool. Amy would appear to be a normal
person, except that she’s one of the few
women who voluntarily spend time at an
RC Soaring field. She even brings her own
gear and competes in our silly little games.
Let’s spend some time with Amy.
LE: How did you get started in RC
Soaring?
AP: I was dating a man who was an RC
Sailplane pilot. We lived in the Pacific
Northwest where the Northwest Soaring
Society runs a summer circuit of weekendlong
Thermal Duration (TD) contests in
Oregon, Washington, Idaho, British
Columbia, and Alberta.
The first time I went to a contest, I found
a spot in the shade to sit down and read, but
a friend said, “No, no. We’re putting you to
work.” He spent the rest of the day teaching
me how to be a timer for TD. The next day,
the CD taught me how to use his scoring
program. By the end of the season I could
set up the launch equipment, run a retriever,
keep score, and time.
I loved the people and became a very
active non-flying member of the
community, but I didn’t have much interest
in flying. Then one day, a few years later, I
had a moment when I suddenly realized: “I
want to do this.” I built a Gentle Lady and a
friend started teaching me to fly. I started
working on LSF tasks my first week, and
flew in my first contest as a novice my
second or third week of flying. I was totally
hooked.
LE: How often do you fly?
AP: My routine has changed over the
years. My first year, I flew every weekend
from July through mid-September in
contests and often two days during the
week, usually with a small group of two to
four pilots. (I’m a teacher and I was on
summer break.) I also flew occasionally in
the winter as weather allowed.
As my life became busier, most of my
flying became contest flying as opposed to
fun-flying or practice. But between my
local club, the Portland Area Sailplane
Society, and the regional contest circuit, I
was probably flying over 50 days a year.
Since I moved to Dallas a year ago, I
haven’t flown quite as much because new
routines haven’t been established. There are
fewer weekend contests within a six-hour
drive than there were in the Northwest, but
the Soaring League of North Texas holds
contests every month in Dallas. There are
also a few events within driving distance
which make up the Lone Star Soaring
Series, so I consider myself lucky as I love
contest flying. I would like to get back to
Amy Pool developed her interest in
TD competition in the active RC
Soaring community in the Pacific
Northwest. Now a resident of Dallas,
she’s thrilled to participate in the
great series of events in that area.
Consider using a small
magnet to move wayward
elevator pushrods into
their windows.
flying at least 50 days a year once again.
When I first starting flying I also learned
to launch my own planes, so it was not
uncommon for me to go out and practice by
myself, though it was more likely that I
would go out with a couple of friends to
practice (for one thing, someone always
needed witnesses for LSF flights).
About five years ago, I lost control of a
plane while tensioning up to launch, so I’ve
stopped throwing my own Open-Class
planes. I developed relationships with
several of my flying buddies, where they
would throw for me. There was pretty much
always a trusted “arm” around for me to
borrow.
LE: Men are from Mars and women are
from Venus, and NASA doesn’t even try to
fly Sailplanes on Venus. Would you care to
share any opinions you may have as to why
so few ladies seem interested in our hobby?
AP: I think it’s similar to loving cars. There
are some girls/women who become
fascinated with cars, but a much, much
smaller percentage than you see with boys
and men. There are three other women,
including one teenager, flying the
Northwest Soaring Society contest circuit.
For all of us, there were men in our lives
involved in the hobby, but we have all made
it our own.
LE: We’ve seen pink transmitters from
Grand Wing Servo-Tech Co. (GWS) and
I’ve seen a pink-molded aircraft in Visalia,
California. Obviously, that’s not much of an
effort to bring ladies into the hobby. If you
were a marketing executive at a company
that served the Soaring community, what
would you do to introduce RC and RC
Soaring, in particular, to the ladies out
there?
AP: I don’t think the best approach is to
single out the women by marketing special
products. I want to be recognized as an
equal on the field, not different somehow. I
would rather finish in the bottom of the
pack at a Discus Launch Glider [DLG]
event than take first place in a women’s
class. But, perhaps that reflects my values
more than women in general.
I want to fly with the same equipment as
everyone else. I’m not sure how to market
to women, other than bringing up the
awareness that there are women out there
flying RC. And maybe pink park flyers or
foamies would increase [the] interest of
young girls. (Of course, really cool
stickers/decals can dress up a plane with the
bonus that you get to make it your own!)
I think the best place to capture the
female market is at the flying field. It’s the
women who come out to the field with their
significant others, their fathers, their
brothers, or their co-workers, who are the
potential market.
Unfortunately, flying fields are not
always the most comfortable places for
women to spend much of the day. Try
getting your wife to come out more than a
few times if she has to be out all day.
Usually it is hot and this is the big one:
there is no porta-potty. Seriously, if there
were a fairy godmother of female RC pilots,
she’d make sure there was a porta-potty on
every field. I think you’d be surprised how
much easier it would be to recruit new lady
pilots.
Also, if you are in a long-term
relationship with a woman who is interested
in the hobby, consider seeing if there is
another person in your club who will take
her under his/her wing for the early part of
learning. It was not my boyfriend who
taught me to be a timer, and not my
boyfriend who taught me to fly. From the
beginning, then, the hobby became my own,
not something that I only did with him. You
might find that your significant other
becomes your favorite timer, and that’s
great, but it’s a bonus for everyone if she
will go out and fly even when you can’t.
LE: Do you have a favorite airplane these
days? If so what? Is there an aircraft, present
or past (RIP) that would be your “rosebud”?
AP: My two primary planes right now are a
Pike Perfect and an Xplorer. I also fly an
Organic two-meter that I love, though there
are no two-meter contests down here in
Dallas. So it’s not getting as much use as it
did up in the Northwest.
I’ve had a lot of planes that I’ve enjoyed,
but an Icon that I bought used in 2007 has a
special place in my heart. From the first
moment I flew that plane I loved it, and my
performance took a major leap up because I
trusted that plane in a way I hadn’t
experienced before. I now know what I am
shooting for in a relationship with a plane. [I
have] complete confidence that if there is lift
I will be able to identify it and work it.
The next item on my agenda is to point you
toward a relatively new source for highquality
servos and a new servo from an old
favorite.
Thomas Cooke is now serving as the US
importer for MKS servos. The range includes
some that are ideal for our applications. MKS
servos offer a fit and finish that is second to
none. They are durable and the gear trains are
slop-free.
MKS products are available at Soaring
USA and Kennedy Composites, so give them
a try. Thomas says, “Wait ’til you install
them and set your trim-step down to 1 and
see what a dead-band of 0.001 milliseconds
can offer. The other thing that I really like
about the servos is their centering. It’s like
nothing I ever have seen.”
Airtronics also has a gem in its relatively
new 94809. It offers a respectable amount of
power, digital precision, and minimal gear
lash in the metal gear train—all in a great
form factor. These servos are just 23.5 x 11.4
x 21.1mm/0.93 x 0.45 x 0.83 inches—perfect
for fitting in tight spaces where similar
traditional servos don’t dare to go.
I’d like to conclude with a few lessons I’ve
learned since my last column. Number one is
one that I’ve learned a few times. (At least I
know when to cringe.)
1) Always measure the height of your
(Satori) fuselage where you intend to place
the rudder and elevator servo before you cut
it open. Cut the factory pushrods, and grind
away the existing servo tray so that you can
move the factory servo mounting to
accommodate the electric power system you
are trying to retrofit into a TD aircraft. If
you don’t measure first, you will learn that
the Airtronics 94809 is the only servo that
will save your bacon by wiggling the things
in back while fitting in the (obviously)
reduced height portion of the fuselage under
the wing saddle. Bravo, Airtronics!
2) Have you ever found yourself waving
your TD airplane’s long fuselage around in
the air while you squinted into the slot in
the vertical stabilizer in an effort to catch
the little elevator pushrod linkage flopping
past the access slot? Although you may well
look like a ship’s captain scanning the
horizon with a long spyglass, you are in the
hobby to fly airplanes, not reenact bygone
eras or add more hangar rash to your
airplane.
Put your fuselage down and go dig a
neodymium magnet out of your toolbox.
Slide the magnet across the vertical
stabilizer until you feel it tugging on the
pushrod inside. Move the magnet and the
pushrod will follow until it is in the middle
of the slot. You can now install your
horizontal stabilizers with ease.
Until our next session, thermals to all! MA
Sources:
MKS Servos
www.mksservosusa.com
Kennedy Composites
(972) 602-3144
www.kennedycomposites.com
Soaring USA
(626) 967-6660
www.soaringusa.com
Soaring League of North Texas
www.slnt.org
Portland Area Sailplane Society
www.passoaring.us
Northwest Soaring Society
www.northwestsoaringsociety.org
Airtronics
(714) 964-0827
www.airtronics.net
League of Silent Flight
www.silentflight.org
