Flying Outdoors

Video Clip of AMA Cub Flying Outdoors - mpeg 1.9 MB

Flying your Delta Dart outdoors presents many new opportunities and challenges from indoor flying.  With unlimited ceiling height and the possibility of riding thermal air currents, the possibility of Out-Of-Sight flights is a reality.  Along with the possibilities for long high altitude flights, is the very real possibility of losing your model.  Safety is a big concern while chasing and retrieving  your model.

Wind

Possibly the biggest enemy of outdoor flying, is the wind.  You will want to fly your Delta Dart when the wind is very light.  Attempting to fly in too much wind would not be fun, and your plane could easily be lost. The model will could be blown into the ground, use all the energy of the rubber motor trying to penetrate the wind, or be blown quickly downwind into a tree.  You will want to select days and time of day when the wind is lightest.  Normally, early morning and evenings will have the lightest wind. Trouble is this the humidity is high at these times, resulting in heavy, sagging covering material and warping.

With any amount of wind, your model will drift with the wind.  Observe the direction of the wind before launching and visualize the path your plane will follow while drifting with the wind in that direction.  You should move to the most upwind area in the boundary of your flying site  to launch as this will give the model more room to drift downwind.

The Dangers of Flying Outside

No model plane is worth putting yourself in danger while attempting to retrieve the model. 

From Aaron Peterson's Starbird kit:

When flying a model, please do so in a safe manner. Give the model plenty of room, indoors and out. Don't fly in a crowd, near airports or busy roadways. Never aim a model at anyone. If a model lands in a tree or on a roof or in gym girders or the like, do not endanger yourself or others trying to get it back. Find expert help with proper equipment. If that's not possible, just let the plane go and build another. Running after a model is not always a good idea either. You can loose track of where you are. Stay put and observe the flight. Never EVER try to retrieve a model (or kite or anything else) from an electric power line by any means whatsoever. Call the utility company and explain you problem.

  Tips on Not Losing Your Model

• Know the exact direction of the wind just before you launch your model.

• Start with short flights and watch carefully the direction your model is drifting and how far.

• Watch the flight of the model until it touches down, making sure you see exactly where it lands. Line-up the touch-down spot with a fixed obstacle that you will easily spot. Walk in a straight line to the touch-down spot. This is very important, it is so easy to walk right passed the model.

Thermals

It is possible to have very long flights with your Delta Dart outdoors because of "thermals".  When sections of ground heat the air more than other areas, a warm air bubble may rise forming a thermal.  When your model flies into these areas, if the lift is fairly strong it may go up rather quickly, even if the rubber motor is completely unwound.  Many times the Delta Dart will fly out of the thermal lift, but if it remains in the thermal lift, it may easily fly out of sight.  

Diagram of a thermal bubble forming.	Strong thermals on a windy day were lifting leaves higher than my house. Leaves would swirl near the ground before lifting off.

What kind of Performance Can be Expected Outside

Without thermal help flights close to one minute are routine with altitude more than double the tallest trees.  For fast climbs with planes covered with the heavier covering with the kit, wider 1/8" rubber can be used.  If you had previously been flying with 3/32" rubber indoors, most likely your plane will have to be re-adjusted for outdoor flight.  Besides climbing much steeper because of the increased lift because of higher speeds, the effects of warps will be more pronounced also. The wider 1/8" rubber will also have more of a tendency to bunch up on the motor stick. If the plane is light enough, 3/32" rubber can provide a fast climb and more turns can be put in the rubber.

The Glide

The free wheeling prop on the Delta Dart, as with other small planes creates a large amount of drag.  Don't expect a long floating glide.  Even more detrimental to the glide is a long rubber motor that is shifting the center of gravity causing the plane stall in the glide. Braiding the rubber motor helps as the rubber does not hang with as much slack, changing the Center of Gravity. 

Outdoor Flying Gallery

Bright colors on tissue covered Delta Dart make for better visibility outdoors.	Coming in for another landing.	Tissue covered plane looks great from below on a sunny day as light passes through the colored tissue.

AMA Cub flies close overhead.

From Kevin Moseley in Yorkshire England

Bill

Was looking at the site for the Delta dart and I have to congratulate you on this - its perfect for those who are starting to fly as well as those already doing so with plenty of photos and well presented. I was fascinated to see the section on flying them outdoors and thought that this may interest you.

Some years ago, I was working in my mums garden when I stood on a nail and it went through the middle of my foot and out the other side. A week of hospital and surgery left me flattened, however, I went to Barkston a couple of weeks later on crutches to watch but took the dart for a laugh on the off chance that I could do something with it. I hobbled round on crutches all day talking as it was generally too windy to fly and no one was flying. The max was at 2.30 I think for O/R and they would just land on the field. 

The sun came out and I wound my dart and waited and finally got a lull. For a bit of fun, I launched it and it did one huge loop as the torque took it over and then it climbed in full view of everyone straight up on its prop. There were glider fliers, the rubber lads and even the F1C fliers just stood behind cars in the wind as the tiny little thing just went up. Then the thermal moved and it went off down the runway. I was off as fast as I could - two crutches forward - swing legs, start again and off I hobbled down the runway. Thankfully, I was given a lift to where it was last seen and was lost OOS at 4.5 minutes. It was found late in the evening a couple fields out and it took me three weeks to get it back. I still have her upstairs sat waiting but figure she has had her moment of glory and let her be.

Shame that the postal event that originated from South Africa ceased, the guy was a gent - Lionel from Turfontien I believe - so how's about one for your web site huh?

Five flights, best and worst to be dropped and total of the other 3 to count??

Amazing performance from a little thing.

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