[mike the snake]

I fly radio controlled model gliders. We discovered a new type of soaring called "dynamic soaring" that allows us to reach incredible speeds with our UNpowered model gliders/sailplanes.

Albatross use dynamic soaring to cross great expanses of ocean without ever flapping their wings. We fly in a slightly different way, exploiting the differences between two moving bodies of air, to gain energy with each circuit.

Presently, the world speed record for ALL model aircraft is held by an unpowered model glider. Faster than the powered racing planes, faster than the modle jets, over 200mph faster than anything else that exists basically.

The present record is 468mph!!! These are sustained speeds, not dives, dynamic soaring (DS) is totally amazing, WAYYY past toy planes. These planes normally weigh 40-60 ounces and float like birds in thermals. Now, they weigh 40-60 POUNDS, and soon we'll hit over 500mph.

Ihaven't done it in a while, I went 297 when the record was 308 a few years ago.

These planes are all composite carbon fiber, and are locked into 40-60G circles, and experience G-forces close to 100G's when crossing the boundary layer, which you can hear in the videos. Crank up the sound!!!

Here's the record vid, hard to see the planes though.

Here's Joe's big 160" plane (RIP) this baby moves a lot of air, the sound was amazing

[iBoost]

holy moly that sounds awesome!

[mike the snake]

When I play the vids they are notchy, you can log onto youtube and view these vids properly, they really are amazing. The sounds are incredible. Thse planes are literally ripping the air! Soon someone will break 500mph!

Search "dynamic soaring world record" brings up many many vids.

[Elliott@DetailAddict]

So awesome. That sounds it great.

[silvergray545]

I don't understand...if they are unpowered, how to they fly?

[rdub315]

is there a dummies' guide to kinetic planes? would really like to try to understand how this works.

[Seminole]

Originally Posted by silvergray545

I don't understand...if they are unpowered, how to they fly?

Works like this:

[GOLFFRR]

sweeet

[Wakka]

Originally Posted by silvergray545

I don't understand...if they are unpowered, how to they fly?

they are not propelled by anything, i imagine they have flaps and what not for turning though.

[yakev724]

Please secure a video camera inside the cockpit of one. There are HD cameras which weigh only a few oz.

[BMWinNorthdakota]

Wicked

Originally Posted by yakev724

Please secure a video camera inside the cockpit of one. There are HD cameras which weigh only a few oz.

This^

[mike the snake]

I don't know why, but linking these vids makes them play all notchy, the experience is not nearly as good as watching from youtube itself.

[yakev724]

Originally Posted by mike the snake

I don't know why, but linking these vids makes them play all notchy, the experience is not nearly as good as watching from youtube itself.

Awesome, thanks.

Video runs fine for me btw

[silvergray545]

Originally Posted by Seminole

Works like this:

Interesting. Now, how do you control the thing? Can you land it controllably? This blows my mind. Lol

[Seminole]

Originally Posted by silvergray545

Interesting. Now, how do you control the thing? Can you land it controllably? This blows my mind. Lol

It's radio controlled so you can move the flaps and stuff. Basically, once the thing starts picking up speed from the different air layers, all the controller would have to do is pull the controls at the right time to flip it back around. It will start to go faster and faster with each pass.

[Q4P]

Absolutely incredible... are there V speeds associated with this thing? If so; what are they?

[mike the snake]

I'm not sure what V speeds are.

The planes are radio controlled, and use the same movable surfaces that real airplanes use, ailerons, elevator and rudder, with flaps for slowing down and landing. Some very custom mixing of controls is also used to optimize performance.

Basically, you have a ridge with the wind hitting one side, so you have one side with the air deflecting up (front side, with lift, where we launch from) and a lee side of the hill, with basically dead air behind the ridge. The wind continues on past the ridge, and there's a boundary layer between the wind and the dead air behind the hill.

If the plane is heading towards the ridge in 50mph winds, downwind, at 100mph, then the airspeed over the wings is 50mph. The plane is going 100mph groundspeed, but the wings feel only 50mph airspeed because the plane is flying with the tailwind. Once the plane crosses the boundary layer into the dead air behind the hill, the airspeed over the wings jumps to 100mph as now the plane is flying in still air, so the groundspeed and airspeed over the wings is the same. The airspeed jump over the wings is energy gained.
Crank the plane back up through the boundary layer into the 50mph headwind, and now the plane is still going 100mph, but the airspeed over the wings is now 150mph as you're flying into the headwind now. This airspeed jump over the wings is energy, and we use that energy to crank a hard turn and gain speed with that energy. Every time the plane passes through the boundary layer there'a huge jump in airspeed over the wings. Holding the planes in these circuits they wind up almost indefinitely.
You can hear the planes passing through the boundary layer in the videos, it's that "whump" right when the plane crosses the ridge, it's a totally cool sound.

Early calculations were for 10 times the windspeed, and we've surpassed that now. Aside from jet real jet airplanes and some Reno Air Race planes, there's nothing else in existance going this fast basically.

If you rearrange these circuits into big, strung out "S's", you have what albatross do, banging in and out of weather fronts to fly across ocean expanses without ever flapping.

I've radared tiny birds called Swifts at well over 100mph zooming along ridges doing the same thing. Swifts are total hotrod birds. Interesting too, they can't walk, they're latin name Apus means "no foot" and they can only cling to walls, and they fly to super high elevations and sleep while flying at night. If they land, they often cannot take off unless helped.

At our coastal site, I had an aggressive peregrine falcon follow my plane at well over 150 around and around for 6 or 7 laps, it was totally cool.

There's many vids on RCspeeds.com and youtube, check them out and crank up the sound!

[Whathedunks]

Random question: How hard is it to land one of these bad boys, of course without breaking something?

[Q4P]

Originally Posted by mike the snake

I'm not sure what V speeds are.

The planes are radio controlled, and use the same movable surfaces that real airplanes use, ailerons, elevator and rudder, with flaps for slowing down and landing. Some very custom mixing of controls is also used to optimize performance.

Basically, you have a ridge with the wind hitting one side, so you have one side with the air deflecting up (front side, with lift, where we launch from) and a lee side of the hill, with basically dead air behind the ridge. The wind continues on past the ridge, and there's a boundary layer between the wind and the dead air behind the hill.

If the plane is heading towards the ridge in 50mph winds, downwind, at 100mph, then the airspeed over the wings is 50mph. The plane is going 100mph groundspeed, but the wings feel only 50mph airspeed because the plane is flying with the tailwind. Once the plane crosses the boundary layer into the dead air behind the hill, the airspeed over the wings jumps to 100mph as now the plane is flying in still air, so the groundspeed and airspeed over the wings is the same. The airspeed jump over the wings is energy gained.
Crank the plane back up through the boundary layer into the 50mph headwind, and now the plane is still going 100mph, but the airspeed over the wings is now 150mph as you're flying into the headwind now. This airspeed jump over the wings is energy, and we use that energy to crank a hard turn and gain speed with that energy. Every time the plane passes through the boundary layer there'a huge jump in airspeed over the wings. Holding the planes in these circuits they wind up almost indefinitely.
You can hear the planes passing through the boundary layer in the videos, it's that "whump" right when the plane crosses the ridge, it's a totally cool sound.

Early calculations were for 10 times the windspeed, and we've surpassed that now. Aside from jet real jet airplanes and some Reno Air Race planes, there's nothing else in existance going this fast basically.

If you rearrange these circuits into big, strung out "S's", you have what albatross do, banging in and out of weather fronts to fly across ocean expanses without ever flapping.

I've radared tiny birds called Swifts at well over 100mph zooming along ridges doing the same thing. Swifts are total hotrod birds. Interesting too, they can't walk, they're latin name Apus means "no foot" and they can only cling to walls, and they fly to super high elevations and sleep while flying at night. If they land, they often cannot take off unless helped.

At our coastal site, I had an aggressive peregrine falcon follow my plane at well over 150 around and around for 6 or 7 laps, it was totally cool.

There's many vids on RCspeeds.com and youtube, check them out and crank up the sound!

That's very impressive and a great explanation. V-speeds are used mainly for regular aircraft and indicate different speeds; such as takeoff speed; never exceed speed; maneuvering speed and so forth but I guess in an RC plane even one as fast as this that doesn't apply.

[mike the snake]

Landings can be tricky. Controlled crashes is often used to describe landings as you only get one shot usually.

The flaps (inboard ailerons basically) drop down almost vertically and really slow the planes down.

Usually, with a good approach, we can drop the gliders down on top of the hill without issues.

Check out the very end of this video.

[donovan]

How is this managed?!

[mike the snake]

It's MAGIC! LOL.

Just kidding. I posted an explanation earlier in the thread, and if you check out RCspeeds.com there's lots of info.