🚀 go-pugleaf

In article <42995@sdcc12.ucsd.edu>, dlou@sdcc3.ucsd.edu (Dennis Lou) writes:
|> 
|> 
|> Anyone have any experience with the Estes Astro Blaster?


Yes, I built one scratch from a friend's plans.

|> 
|> I was thinking about getting either this one or the Sig Ninja.
|> 
|> The Astro Blaster sounds really intriguing because it is a canard and
|> can fly rocket boost, slope, or you can use a dummy rocket motor and 
|> plug in a .049.  This would work out great for me since I can fly it on
|> the slope when I'm at school (Torrey Pines site), fly it under power
|> at a schoolyard when I'm home for the holidays, and fly it rocket boost 
|> when I want to show off to my friends.

I built mine without the rocket motor.  My firend had a "blast" with his
under rocket power.  (Sorry for the pun.)

|> 
|> My concerns are that 
|> 1> I don't know how well it will fly on the slope.  For that matter, I don't
|> know how well it will fly period.  (I already read the Dec `92 MAN review,
|> but they never mentioned anything about slope performance or much about glide 
|> characteristics)

I thought I could improve the glide by changing the airfoil to an Epler 374.  
I was wrong.  The canard seemed to be too small.  I changed the incidence in 
order to increase the lift.  This resulted in very poor glide.   I was 
generally disappointed in the glide.  Even at Torrey Pines.  I could keep it
up.  It would roll nice.  but..  

|> 
|> 2> The elevator/aileron canard configuration prevents stall maneuvers (i.e.
|> snap rolls and tumbles)
|> 

I could barely do a loop.    Too much pitch stability. 

The fuse was big and boxy. Too much drag to retain energy. 

|> 3> the .049 pusher configuration means you can't use a clunk tank (the
|> clunk will be facing the wrong way) and the QRC/Texaco/Black Widow
|> engines won't go inverted which, combined with #2, means you can't do many
|> good stunts under power.

The glide was alot worse inverted.  Too much drag from the canard.

I still might add an .049.  That should make up for the poor glide.

|> 
|> Anyone have any comments on this plane or how to solve #3?
|> 
|> -- 
|> Dennis Lou             || "But Yossarian, what if everyone thought that way?"
|> dlou@ucsd.edu          || "Then I'd be crazy to think any other way!"
|> [backbone]!ucsd!dlou   |+====================================================
|> dlou@ucsd.BITNET       |Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak went to my high school.


				Thanks,

				Mike

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