Tips

Please let us know of any questions or discoveries you come up with. And remember that the only "failed" experiment is the one that does not inspire you to keep trying. If an idea comes to you, try it and see what happens. This is what makes learning fun.

I have had a ball experimenting and developing the Sling Wing. It is my hope that you will enjoy the "learning curve" as much as I have.

In the meantime, I am here only to be truly helpful.

Yours in The Joy of Flight,

Steve "Crash" Corbin
Sling Wing Inventor
Email: info@slingwing.com

A SELF-INTERVIEW WITH THE DESIGNER:

Sling Wing is a "flying wing" or "tail-less monoplane". This glider can be "tuned" or "trimmed" to produce the best possible flight characteristics for the weather conditions you fly in. When flying in windy conditions, you may find that Sling Wing performs better when it is adjusted, or "tuned" to fly a bit faster than when flying in calm or near-calm air.

The Sling Wing's flying speed is controlled by raising or lowering the elevons (an "elevon" is a control surface on the trailing edge of the wing. It functions as both "elevator" and "aileron").

Bending both elevons "up" or "down" the same amount has an "elevator" effect. This is used to make Sling Wing fly slow (more "up" bend) or fast (less "up" bend).

Bending one elevon so that it is deflected at a greater or lesser angle than the other elevon will have an "aileron" effect. This is used to make Sling Wing fly in circles.

The Sling Wing is the most fun to fly in little or no wind, unless of course, you have an energetic child to chase it for you. This brings up an important safety reminder: Do NOT chase the Sling Wing while it is flying! Always wait until Sling Wing lands before setting off to retrieve it! Don't try to get a Sling Wing out of the street or a tree or off a rooftop. Find a coordinated, responsible adult to help you. These simple rules will help ensure that you are still "Sling Winging" when you're an old guy like me.

BACK TO "TUNING TIPS":

Sling Wing is a very stable glider. It is not excessively sensitive to elevon adjustment unless it is tail heavy, which can happen if repairs are made in the outboard area of the wings. Adding weight in the form of glue and/or tape aft of the center of gravity (C.G.) line may require that weight be added to the nose to compensate. An aft C.G. may also result in a "reversed" response to aileron adjustment ­ the glider may turn towards the "level" or "flat" elevon instead of towards the "up" elevon.

When this occurs, a small amount of weight, in the form of tape or staples from a desk stapler can be added to the "nose" area of the wing.

A SIMPLE WAY TO GET MORE "HANG TIME":

Experienced flyers will want to experiment with wing shaping to get longer duration flights. In performing these experiments, some of the limitations of the "flying wing" design will be found out.

The foam wings of the Sling Wing are easily "molded" with the fingertips. You can try all manner of aerodynamic ideas very easily and quickly, a lot of fun awaits those who are willing to indulge their curiosity.

I don't want to spoil the fun of learning; however, I will save you some time by telling you some things I have learned:

Adding camber in the forward area of the wing chord will probably require that the C.G. be moved forward. The question is: will the improved efficiency of the wing make up for the added weight? Try it and let me know what you've discovered.

The easiest way to improve flight duration that I have found is to camber the trailing edge of the wing between the elevon area. Simply bend approximately one half inch (12 mm) of the trailing edge down about one eighth inch (3-4 mm). You may find after doing this that you won't need quite so much up bend in the elevon area of the wing.