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My EZ-2 |
June '02
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Before this spring, I haven’t flown
in almost 20 years (stopped right after college). My last major project
then was a canard glider that didn’t fly (it was also my first attempt
at my own design, no wonder). My interest in flying was sparked by the
FMS freeware RC Simulator earlier this year. It was also a coincidence
that my team (dayjob) also had some idling time between projects so we
decided to make the cables for FMS and offer them on ebay and web/mail
order sales. The idea was to make enough money so all the kids would get
their own transmitters and aircraft for the summer. Our experience in
building custom test equipment lend easily into making cables and custom
circuitry (we are very proud of our USB design). Things are working out
nicely and my four nephews are getting their first RCs (ARF electrics). The EZ-2 is presently out of production, and the listing at (Joe) Bridi Aircraft Designs no longer has the EZ-2 as one of the offerings. If you’re lucky, you can find some old stock at your local hobby shop for a very reasonable price (about $35). You can also keep an eye out on eBay for these (getting) harder to find kits. As I was building the EZ-2, I like the Bridi’s glider line so much that I went back to the hobby shop and got one of each every Bridi’s glider that’s still available (Kastaway, EZ-1, another EZ-2, and a WindSurfer) Some of the EZ-2 key features (from the box):
The main reason why I selected this kit was the 2-piece plug-in wings. Supposedly with easier transport. I am now thinking about some sort of box to store and haul the craft around. OK, I have issues with the last feature. The building was not "easy" as it suggests that you could be a "novice" builder. I've built more than half a dozen kits over the years and this one was the most challenging. Biggest reason? There are no pictures in the instruction! All the kits I've built before all came with "easy" to follow pictures (OK, so I am a bit lame). This kit is definitely for an intermediate to advanced builder. The key is to read each section *very* carefully, and then read it again, before proceeding. As for easy flying, that remains to be seen, but if it just flies half as well as it looks, that would be fine by me. My favorite feature of the kit, yet to be known, is the modified 205 airfoil. This is not a beginner's flat bottom airfoil! I decided to do some experimentations (no math, just x-acto and balsa). I am presently fascinated by winglets on aircrafts. Not only that they look cool, there's supposed to be significant improvement in lift/drag and minimize the dreaded tip-stall (if they're done correctly of course). Deviations from plan:
Here's the latest pics, almost
ready to cover:
Covered and flight pack installed. I chose an older Futaba AM set in my collection. A fitting vintage radio system for a vintage craft. I will try to find some flat field with thick grass for the first flight. I am still thinking about some decals and wing marker for ease of orientation spotting at high altitude (these old eyes are not what they used to be).
Maiden flight: went to a small gradual slope on the nearby Fremont hills. After a few toss to trim out the controls at the bottom of the slope, we (my brother David and I) walked up to the top of the slope for a real toss. Virtually no wind on this day, planned so since I didn't want to test with any significant wind yet. She flies with excellent energy retention and surprising speed, true to form of the modified 205 airfoil. The "guestimate" dihedral worked out well since fairly tight turns were still possible (I was concerned there weren't enough dihedral for quick turning). Since the EZ2 has such a large area rudder control surface (more than doubled that of my other gliders), a large dihedral may not be necessary. I have no idea whether the winglet wingtips improved performance any, controls were smooth over large speed range. If anything, the winglets look great! Bring on the winds!
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