Estes Tercel Questions

[n3tjm]

Wanted to start my Tercel but right off the bat I have a problem. Step 3 you supposed to cut out a template which is traced on the front of the wing to guide shaping the front airfoil. The instructions simply state "Cut from insert." What insert. I do not see this template anywhere in the kit. Am I missing something?

 

[JumpJet]

One of the pages should have contained a line drawing that looks like a thin long banana, "for lack of a better description". If not, you can easily look at the images in the instruction manual and draw a similar shaped line on each side of the wing that looks something like the image.


John Boren

 

[Astronut]

No insert here either... were you successful "winging it" and making your own template?

 

[be69ar]

...OK, our bad. The sanding template that was suppose to be included was omitted during production and our QC missed it as well. Its one of the few things that have gotten by our staff and we appolgize.
For a quick fix, you can go the website and download it or I've provided a file below which you can print full size on an 8.5x11" sheet.
We will be reworking the kits we have in inventory and have advised the vendor about the omission, so future productions runs should be fine...but for now, all I can do is offer our apologies and a way to get the template.
Regards,
Mike

View attachment 3222 Tercel instruction insert.pdf

 

[JPVegh]

...OK, our bad. The sanding template that was suppose to be included was omitted during production and our QC missed it as well. Its one of the few things that have gotten by our staff and we appolgize.
For a quick fix, you can go the website and download it or I've provided a file below which you can print full size on an 8.5x11" sheet.
We will be reworking the kits we have in inventory and have advised the vendor about the omission, so future productions runs should be fine...but for now, all I can do is offer our apologies and a way to get the template.
Regards,
Mike

My Tercel should be here any day now. Thanks for posting this template:clap:.

 

[Fuzzmaster]

This thread's been quite for a long time, but I was hoping to get some help with my Tercel. I've only flown it twice and both times were pretty bad. for some reason it doesn't fly straight once it leaves the lunch pad but rather zooms around erratically. Like it's not balanced or something? Not sure what I'm doing wrong. I figured it was just a bad design, but apparently others have had better luck with it than me.

Any ideas???

Thanks.

 

[n3tjm]

This thread's been quite for a long time, but I was hoping to get some help with my Tercel. I've only flown it twice and both times were pretty bad. for some reason it doesn't fly straight once it leaves the lunch pad but rather zooms around erratically. Like it's not balanced or something? Not sure what I'm doing wrong. I figured it was just a bad design, but apparently others have had better luck with it than me.

Any ideas???

Thanks.

Can you take a picture of your Tercel? How loose is the pod?

 

[BEC]

Not a bad design - I won a boost glider contest with mine last year.

How does the glider fly from a hand launch - is it in trim?

 

[Fuzzmaster]

"pod"? I assume you mean the booster? It's actually a little tight. I was worried it might not release properly. So far it hasn't really got the chance. Both times I flew it, the flight path was so erratic it had landed by the time it burned through the delay.

It seems to fly fine when thrown by hand.

I'll post pictures tonight.

 

[Fuzzmaster]

Here's some pics:

 

[JAL3]

Is this an Estes version of the old Centuri "Swift BG"?

 

[n3tjm]

To me your vertical stab seems to be off by a couple degrees. Not sure if that is enough to cause an irractic boost? Other than that, it looks fine. I know some gliders are very finicky.

 

[JumpJet]

This model has always been a very consistant flier for me. What motor are you using? I would use a A3-4T or better yet the A10-3T motor. If the model is built light, meaning you sand an airfoil into the wing and round off all the edges of the body, stab and vertical fin a 1/2A motor would work fine. The pod needs to fit loose, almost to the point it will slide off with the motor in place while holding the model by the glider pointing straight up.

John Boren

 

[Fuzzmaster]

I'm not sure what engine I used. Probably an A3-4T, but I'll have to check. I did some sanding last night to make the spot where it grabs the booster a little narrower and it's a much looser connection now. That's the only thing I can think of that might have been the problem. As soon as the weather warms up a little I'll give it another shot. Also plan on painting it this weekend.

Fingers crossed...

 

[mrichhcirm]

Reviving this thread! I just got one of these and have been studying the instructions and boost gliders in general. I have a question:
The instructions explain how to trim for best glide angle. They do not explain how to trim for a gentle turn during glide...and frankly I don't see how I'd ever get the glider back unless it flies in circles.

So having read up on the subject, I learned that obvious fixes for gliders like wingtip weight and rudder trim can be disastrous on boost. My plan, then, is to induce a turn during glide by tilting the entire horizontal and vertical stab assembly 10 degrees, which I presume will cause a turn toward the up-tilted end of the horizontal stab.

Has anyone tried this on the Tercel? What other method would you recommend?

 

[kjohnson]

10 degrees is a lot, I'd probably go with something more like 2-3. You want the turn, but not something that will force you into a spiral. Remember that as speed increases, the effect of an aerodynamic force increases.

Here on page 6 is an older article about trimming gliders that's pretty helpful.

https://narhams.org/zog-43/v27/zog43_v27n01_200501.pdf

kj

 

[mrichhcirm]

10 degrees is a lot, I'd probably go with something more like 2-3. You want the turn, but not something that will force you into a spiral. Remember that as speed increases, the effect of an aerodynamic force increases.

Here on page 6 is an older article about trimming gliders that's pretty helpful.

https://narhams.org/zog-43/v27/zog43_v27n01_200501.pdf

kj

Don't overdo the stabilizer tilt...got it. Should I mount the stabilizer assembly on a couple of bits of copper wire so I can adjust the tilt? (Estes' instructions don't offer any guidance on this point)

Thanks

 

[kjohnson]

No I don't think that's needed. To do the tilt just sand the boom a bit, then glue it on. If you want to test glide via hand tosses, use a single drop of CA to attach the fin and stab, then you can pop it off to sand more to adjust before finally gluing it in place permanently.

I haven't used the wire bits as described in the article, that seems overkill to me.

kj