Hurricane prototype

massive joiner, could be off a 3m! 

Longer nose making radio installation much easier

Same aerodynamics as Jame's famous previous design

Our 'white ghost prototype'

CNC parts

Did I mention the joiner was massive (and so too the wing spar)!

CNC aluminium moulds produced this

The next Sloperacer, James Hammond designed model is nearly ready for testing! Here's what we have done to make what we think is going to be one of the best sports 2m gliders ever produced.

It's heavy!

Ballast is now more and more important to competition gliders and trying to load up to the legal loading permitted has recently created a big demand for extra ballast. Fine if your new competition glider already has provision but many don't and the stock 900g- ish is woefully inadequate now for most gliders out there!

Our new pre-preg carbon standard tubes for 19-20mm diameter ballast, super strong and light (approx 20g for 400mm)

14mm square ballast x 50mm x 5. One in each wing half not enough? 

Tube made in carbon sock (2 layers) and brass slugs beautifully machined.

20x10mm brass rectangular section x 75mm long each one weighs 115g. Ideal for wing location typically in the thinner part behind the joiner. Tube this time is made in pre preg carbon.

Small wing ballast 9.5mm diameter, each weighing approx 85g for 10mm ballast tubes.

We have been increasingly asked for ballast and tubes to accommodate retro-fitting extra weight. We now have a tubes either made in Pre preg carbon or carbon sock. These are immensely strong and light with wall thicknesses typically 0.4mm. Of course we have the ballast to go with them. So if you want to put in ballast tubes in the wings, for instance, where there were none before, it's quite easy. We use expanding epoxy to bond tubes inside wings, which is perfect for the job and very strong and light.

So if you want to go fast start getting heavy!

  

We are committed to producing 6 new models this year. The first, the Schwing is already with us and will shortly be released to our distributors worldwide. 2 will be kept underwraps until we have prototypes but lets just say that the 20 year old Vector design and all it's guises has undergone some serious R+D to update and we are now beginning lay ups!
But one we can leak a sneak teaser is 'The Hurricane'. Same design wings and tails as James's best selling model the Typhoon but with some long overdue improvements:
Stronger joiner and a massive 36x12mm (from the Schwing).
Stronger reinforced boom as standard especially behind the TE where the originals all seem to break.
Longer nose by 60mm to make radio installation much easier.
Optional elevator servo installation in the fin using a 10g servo. This will make very little difference in wt as the bell crank weighs 6g anyway but slop free elevator control, oh yes!

Same wings, same sweet handling and safe characteristics
Only thing is now with bigger spars and huge joiner.

Tails same section too and AMT design

2 prototypes being made for testing, not quite there yet 

Just what this design deserves I'd say and these refinements are sure to make one of the best beginners/ intermeadiate mouldies around even better! Anyway we'll be finding out soon enough...

Willow servo Bundle now available

With the Willow proving itself on the F3F course as well as sports flying we've put together a great deal for a servo package when you buy any version of the Willow F3F. And of course we've flown and tested them and when you look at the perfomance vs cost, you really can't do better- just like the Willow itself!

The package of 4 KST DS125MG servos for the wings and 2 Savox 255 for the fuselage gives you the precise high performance control to get the best from you model and probably the best price you'll see anywhere for these servos.

Its £113.50- less that £19 per servo and if you check out the retail price for the KST DS125MG (£39.95) that's a great saving when you buy a Willow F3F! Stocks are limited for this servo pack so bag yourself a bargain. You really don't need to spend a fortune getting a great 3m racer in the air.

It just gets better!

2nd batch arrived today after an agonising 7 day delay in UK customs!

It just gets better. Wings are about 25 g lighter each panel and tails now all below 25g averaging around 24g. Empty weight before gear is now 1.23kg. The finish wasn't bad on the first batch but these are definitely better!

Even one of the Schwings from the first batch has now been maidened and reports back are outstanding and that's not from a top notch competition flyer!

First batch of Schwings are here!!!

Production has started and here's the first batch! It's been a journey and with fantastic flight reports from the test pilots this day has been eagerly awaited.

Another 5 already on it's way its going that's approx 5 per week. Our distributors will have to wait a bit longer until I can verify the consistency of the quality but these look good.
So how have the Schwings changed from the initial prototypes:

1. Ball raced bell crank fully enclosed and factory fitted. So too are both the elevator and rudder snakes. 
2. Boom now has substantial carbon reinforcement from the rear of the canopy opening all the way back. Also the fin has carbon reinforcement. Some would call it 'full carbon', very nearly anyway!
3. Ballast tube for standard 20mm/3/4'' ballast round slugs included long enough for 8 slugs (approx 700g). Also wing ballast provision for additional 200g.  
4. Revised aileron/flap lengths after extensive testing and big thank you to our test pilots.
5. Lighter tails now around typically 25g each!
6. Revised geometry for metal wing horns enabling a flush cover fit for both the aileron and flap servos.

Of course because of the massive spars and joiner we have retained the glass lay up wing and can't see any reason for a full carbon version. One of the prototypes has been flying in gusts up to 65mph with AUW of 2.9kg!
We are busy writing the build instructions and getting stocked up on the ancillaries like wiring looms, bagsets, ballast etc but were getting there and today has been a very happy day indeed!

After first half year

Well, it's been a little over 6 months since I took over Sloperacer and it's been a ride running along side the Fu-Fix business and retailing models and associated goodies. It was always the plan to grow Sloperacer and key to this was to buy stock so that we have models available for purchase or at least have models on order so that  we reduce the lead time for customers waiting for their dream planes!
We run between 100-200 planes in stock at any one time and fast running out of shelving! The small rack at the back is 3m wide and 2.4m tall but looks like we'll be needing to make another rack immediately- Orders for Vampires, Extremes, Rotmilans, Vultures, Compact Wizards and various Dynamics are all on it's way and of course this little baby the first pre-production Schwing, with all the improvements from the prototypes incorporated!