RCRCM Strega - F3F slope racer

[Ghostfit]

...Very happy, I managed to see the pink Strega maiden !


...No wheres the Orange one ???

[joe yap]

Yearterday, I made provisions for the ballast.

I bought a 3/4" OD aluminium tube from hardware shop and cut them into 36mm long slug shells. Some of these will be filled with lead later on, but I leave them empty for the moment. I also cut a 1" long piece from the tube and made it into the end stopper. I attached a small piece of rubber foam to its end and dill a small hole at the bottom. A small machine screw and a servo rubber grommet are used to attach it to the end of the ballast tube in the fuselage.

The 10 empty slug shells now weighs about 50 grammes.

[Pang]

overseas results

Strega looking very competitive, some recent results from overseas.

Strega wins first UK competition http://sloperacer.blogspot.com/2010/...tition_10.html

In hongkong, Stanley came in 2nd ,but with fastest time 34.17 http://www.rcsail.com/forum/viewtopi...ad05e8e9c56dfa

next day he took 1st - http://www.rcsail.com/forum/viewtopi...ad05e8e9c56dfa

[joe yap]

An updated design and fully competitive model that costs a fraction of its competitors, this is by far the best value-for-the-money charcoal to date. What else can you complaint about it?

[ZnarF Miller]

Hello Joe,

It seems that your are familiar with scale/classic gliders.

Actually I'm on the way to order an Alpina 4001E, but the Strega has a similar price. So I'm asking how does the Strega compare to the Alpina (or something close) in thermal task (-not slope-). What do you think?

ZnarF

[joe yap]

Hi ZnarF,

While I never own or flown an Alpina before, I can only give you my 2 cents worth of comment, which is mainly based on the given technical data.

The Strega is a thoroughbred for F3F, which has all the best features incorporated with the intention to be the fastest design on the slopes. However, I do undertstand that the manufacturer is churning out an electrified version of the Strega. Since you are compariing it with the Alpina 4001E, I'll assume that you are talking about the electrified version of the Strega.

If so, I can't really give any further comparison between the 2 models with respect to the flight characteristics, as the I cannot assume that the electrified Strega will perform the same as the F3F version. However, there is one selling point on the Strega, with respect to aerodynamics, that the Alpina doesn't have. The Alpina, being an older design, utilised Rg-15 airfoil throughout the entire wing span, that does not take the differences of the Reynold's number throughout the span into considerations. The Strega, uses transitioning airfoils that gradually thin down towards the tip to compensate the reduction of Reynold's number, which at least in theory, makes the wing design ,more efficient throughout the entire practical flying speed range, with minimum laminar seperation. Even if the Alpina might have the same feature, designs in those day often simply use thinned down version of the same airfoil at the tips, which can only mitigate some of the inefficiencies.

There again, for the bang for the bucks, both models are equally good, assuming that the Alpina's price is near to the Strega's. Although the Alpina is an older design, it is a bigger model. It may not have the best or latest aerodynamic features, but the size can easily accomodate the shortcomings. If you are not restricted to the size or weight limitations, you can always open up your choices for bigger models. On the other hand, the Strega's fully moulded composite finishing is far superior than the Alpina's film coverings. It has the same kind of worksmanship and materials as the European high-end composite gliders, at fraction of thier costs. If you do not take damages inflicted during operation and abuses into considerations, full composite models should outlast the older designs.