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TESTIMONIALS
We would love to hear about your experiences with our gliders, so feel
free to share them with us. We couldn't make this all possible without our
customers' support, so thanks for spreading the word!
Sept.19.07
My friend and I recently decided to build a couple
of your Alula kits. We were impressed with the style, bird-like appearance, and
flight videos on the web! I finished my Alula 2 (Bill and Bunny version) this
week. After 3 consecutive days of flying (and 3 hours of soaring), it's hard to
find the words for how awesome the Alula is!
I have flown several
different RC sailplanes since 1977. None have surprised or impressed me so much
as the Alula! During the last 3 days, I have soared her in evening wind so
light I could barely feel it (gliding at 50' above a small ridge when the hawks
were flapping) and the Alula sometimes climbing in turns. And, in midday desert
thermals, where the Alula climbed from a SAL to almost a speck (my first
thermal ever caught with a hand launch)! And finally, the third day, soaring in
late afternoon ridge lift gusting to 18+ mph with no ballast and doing some
really enjoyable aerobatics. I am especially impressed with how tight she can
turn without any noticeable increase in sink rate or any tip stalling!!
I've included some photos of my Alula and the control setup for "crow" that I
am using, and which has worked very well for getting down in some of the really
strong lift here in the high desert the last couple of days. After flying and
trimming, in the 3 servo aileron/elevator setup...I set up the ailerons as
flaperons (with no differential) and mixed the elevator servo to the flaps
channel, so that the ailerons go only up from neutral, and the elevator down,
when the flaps (now "crow") is used. Amazingly, there were no further
adjustments needed for trim...(pitch! or roll). I've used full "crow" to dive
down through the "elevator" lift without the speed building up too much and
about 1/2 "crow" to land slowly and more controlled in the 18+ mph
winds.
I can definitely appreciate now, why you use the name
dream-flight! And, why Alula's are flying throughout the world!
From
another completely satisfied customer, thank you so much for the Alula design
:-)) Thanks again too, for your EXCELLENT customer service, the highly
professional kits, and taking the time to answer all of my questions!
Rex S. Nevada, USA
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Aug.26,2007 (PIC)
I thought you would like a picture of our Alulas all the way from on
Dartmoor near Plymouth in the SW of England. They fly superbly and are so much
fun.
Many thanksa and best regards,
John Speare, UK
P.S. Mine
is the orange one and the other belongs to Paul Warren
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August 25,
200
"Alula is a blast!"
Today was the maiden flight of our
Alula. Around noon, my brother in law and I went to a big flat field and
practiced the sidearm launch and got used to the controls. Once we had the feel
of it, we went out to Farren Road for our first ever slope soaring
session.
Conditions at Farren were perfect- nice and steady SSW winds
10-12 MPH, and of course, an incredible view. The Alula flew like a dream!
After only a few minutes, we were flying like pros- hovering, high speed
passes, loops, rolls, grazing passes, you name it! Occasionally we would lose
lift in some dead zones, but very easily recovered. The Alula is a very
forgiving plane.
I have been flying powered planes for about a year, and
Ron has been flying powered since the early '70s. We both agree- we had more
fun flying today than ever. We had silly grins on our faces the whole time the
Alula was in the air.
Thanks again for a very well-designed, well-made,
and incredibly fun plane. I can't wait to go back out tomorrow....
-Dan
Wiley, Santa Barbara, CA
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The weasels are now
complete and airworthy. What superb little aircraft they are. On my local slope
they perform excellently and do exactly as described by yourself and the other
1000's of weasel devotees.
Comments recieved by my fellow flyers are
always the same; "what a great little model", and "doesn't she fly well",
"where did you get it", etc. I am surprised at how many people have heard of
the weasel but also how many have never seen one, i'ts reputation certainly
preceeds it.
I've flown her in winds ranging from 5mph to 20mph with no
alteration in ballast and she is rock steady extremely nimble and accelerates
with some gusto. All in all she is a fabulous model and everyone who flies the
slope for fun should without exception own one!!!!
Congratulations,
you've got a winner here without any shadow of doubt. Keep up the good work, I
wish every success for the future.
M.G.Whitehead, Northants U.K.
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1/4/07
Here
are three cell phone shots of my son flying MY Weasel.
It seems to take
him 20-30 minutes to trim out my Weasel. His Weasel is in the hospital
undergoing surgery. I think he was trying too see if it was really
indestructible! We think the Weasels are great and have been flying them nearly
none stop for the last 10 days as weather permits . We have a hill next to a
high school that gives us an adequate slope with a South wind. Assembly of the
kit was a breeze and your instructions are very thorough. We're looking forward
to taking them up to the dunes at Lake Michigan and who knows maybe out your
way for Weasel Fest 07.
Regards,
Terry and Matt Dickey
Zionsville,
IN
  
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1/3/07
I
have flown the little fella 2 or 3 times now and I am very impressed with it's
nimble qualities, a joy to fly in most wind speeds, I am looking forward to
flying it in some stronger winds ( over 18 knts ) it flys quite well in very
light conditions too I think you have really nailed the EPP glider design ! the
weasel out performs all the other Epp gliders I own and fly ! Great
stuff.
Jeff Walton
Wonthaggi, Victoria. Australia
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 12/30/06
I put together one of
the your Alula's last spring and added some paint. I thought you might want to
see pictures on my bird. I really enjoy flying my Alula, the day of Dec. 30,
2006. The wind was measured at around one mile an hour, give or take one. Most
of the day my Alula was the only glider in the air.
Benard
See Benard's glider pictures on
the "Pictures" page
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 12/30/06
Mine differs a little from your design, only because
I didn't pay attention. Although I believe it probably has got a stiffer wing
because of it. I accidentally used the wrong dihedral braces. So the tail has
got round stiffeners rather than flat ones. Only had a few flights with it so
far, but I am very impressed. She flew strait of the board with one click up
trim. CG position is very close of being perfect.
Thank for a great
design.
Knut Neumann
Australia
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12/28/06
I
REALLY like my weasel. I am having to make a whole lot fewer trips to the
bottom of the hill with your design. I fly in southwest Illinois on a hill made
from coal mine tailings. Lift conditions are marginal but the weasel keeps
going and going and going...
Rather than using the coroplast fin, I cut
a fin out of a foam tray that meat is packaged in for sale at the grocery
store. I glued a .007" carbon strip all the way around the fin. It weighed a
third of what the coroplast fin did and has held up very well. I wish I had
known this experiment would be so successful - had I not thoroughly glued in
the AAA batteries, I believe balance would have been very close using
2/3AAAs.
I have also installed a towhook at the rear of the rx box. The
thing hi-starts very politely. It's a really fun airplane.
Thanks!
Frank Groome
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 12/26/06
Got my alula flying.
It's such a cool glider! I've been flying it for 3 days in Poland now but I'm
moving back to Scotland in a few days. I attach some pics so you can put them
on the website if you like them.
Regards, Przemek Marek Poland
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What a great plane, the
Weasel Pro. I'm but a beginner in RC-sloping, but I love this plane
already.
In Holland, where I'm from, we do not have much opportunity to
go sloping due to the flat countryside. But when I took the Weasel-Pro for her
maiden, she even could fly on the updrafts on the edge of a
cornfield!
Now it's autumn, and winds are growing stronger, so soon I
will go to the Northsea coast, and fly her there in the dunes. For more of my
gliders-info see http://www.modelzweven.nl (also in English)
Greetz,
Maarten Engelhardt
Almelo, The Netherlands
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 10/28/06
I had fun building your alula model. I am submitting a
picture of my creation here…
Had my first flight today with the
Alula. She flew wonderful. It didn't take long for me to master the sidearm
launch (So easy!). Thanks for a great model! I've attached a photo of her in
the air!
Thanks,
Rex Cuizon
La Jolla, Califorina
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10/8/06
Just wanted
to put in my little congratulations on your new shop. I'm sure it was well
worth the wait for all of us Weasel and Alula fans. I'll be putting in orders
for both in the near future as my Richter arsenal has sure taken a beating from
burnin' up our slopes!
Again....Congratulations!!! and thanks for
supplying us with the best r/c gliders in the world!
Regards,
Elmer
Bio
Hawaii
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 9/29/06
...here are a couple of pics taken on Skiathos (Greece)
a few weeks back. I packed the model in a suitcase and took it around the
island on and off over the holiday - flew great off the beaches but these were
taken from the tip of the island over very steep cliffs. Stick Elanoras Falcon
and Skiathos into Google and you'll get info on these beautiful and very rare
birds. Flying the Weasel Pro a lot - what a hoot that one is - great little
model (just back from flying it from atop an old Iron Age fort - Dinas Dinlle
(google again for info)
Cheers,
Steve Dorling
United
Kingdom
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 9/23/06
Completed the Alula2.4 build (Alula 2 with 4 servos).
Flies extremely well, and using butterfly for landing it really bleeds off
airspeed quickly. Flew it at Muriwai Beach (Maori Bay) near the Gannet colony -
and attracted some interest from the Gannets yesterday.
I call it Alula
Rosa because I used the colours of the Rosella Lorikeet which is common in
Eastern Autralia (known as Eastern Rosella), and parts of New Zealand,
including Auckland. Attached a couple of photos for you to see (underneath I
cover the servo hole with red tape when flying).
If you want to make use
of the photos, please do. My two elevator servos have fairly central output
shafts on the tap casing, so I had to place them side by side with arms facing
outward. In retrospect, given the success of the aileron servo deployment,
embedded in front of the spar in the wing core, but laid on their sides, it
gave me the idea that deploying the elevator servos on their side would reduce
the profile of the push rods considerably. Maybe next alula I get from you! My
son already wants me to get him one too.
Flew it in a nearby
field today, and then on to Maori Bay again at Muriwai. I am really impressed
with the height that the side-arm launch method achieves. Very light winds at
Muriwai, a guy with a thermal sailplane was struggling, but the alula was
easily keeping up with it, and doing a few loops and such as
well.
Anyway, thanks for a great plane, and your help with the extra
parts.
Regards,
Nick Warburton
New Zealand
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9/18/06
Michael,
here's a photo from our just completed South Dakota Trip. Winds the first two
days in the 35 to 50 mph range. On third day the softened up a bit and Weasels
ruled the day. Weasel races, combat, thermal events. You name it and the
Weasels were in the mix. Your little plane is the most used model in our club.
There were over 30 guys on this trip and I believe all but four members had at
least one Weasel in their cars, trucks or vans.
What a great design. You
really nailed the market with this little wing. Ib Jensen was flying his Alula
in 25 Mph winds! I could hardly believe it if I wasn't there to see it
myself.
All the best,
Ed Berris
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9/16/06
Michael,
I surely have the record for the
slowest Alula assembly, having received mine at Weaselfest and just getting it
into the air today. My only excuse is that it took a while for me to choose
radios, and I'd never built anything at all like this plane before. My control
rod connectors stuck out a little bit below the pod, so I built a little 32inch
plywood fairing, it weighs a couple of grams, but they're right on the
CG.
In any case, let me just say that your company is aptly named. The
plane soars like one of those dreams that you only have a few times in your
life. The side arm launch feels as natural as love. The grace of the plane in
the sky, and its responsiveness to every control whim, is
ethereal.
Thanks, Thad
California
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I have built the
Weasel already, and the Alula is getting built this week. The Weasel flies very
good on the dutch dikes. The next challenge will be the dunes.
Thanks
for the nice planes.
Regards,
Kees Habraken
The Netherlands
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Cordial thanks for
your mail. I look forward to the Alula.
I fly presently with the
Weasel. In Swabian it is called the Wiesele, that's a little Weasel. It makes
infinite fun for me. I fly on the mountain Teck, near Kirchheim/Teck, near
epp-fun Peter Kienzle. Look on the picture.
I wish you further many
success and good ideas. Kindly greetings,
Martin Schaedel
Germany
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5/15/06
I finally got
the time to finish my alula I picked up in March. I like the look, I love how
it flies!!! It's so easy to SAL it! I never bought a kit as elaborate as the
Alula, great compliment.
My friend and I had a really good time in
Hawaii (of course in SB too...), so I decided to paint the Swiss and Hawaiian
flag onto the fin, some sort of souvenir. I would be proud if you put my pix on
your HP. If you can't, it doesn't matter.
Best regards and keep on
engineering and producing great kits!
Joel Stampfli
Switzerland
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Hi Michael,
I've had a couple of test
flights now, one in a small field and yesterday on some sea cliffs.
All
I can say is wow, I've not yet got it totally dialed in but the seagulls must
have been jealous, as they had to flap while I soared the cliff edge.
I
also took the kit to my friends where we spent just 3 hours lazily putting it
together.
Brilliant design!
I've put a few shots my Girlfriend
took yesterday on the build thread, use which ever pics you want for the
gallery. http://www.rcmodelflyers.co.uk/4um/index.php?topic=19525.45
Thanks,
Phil Male. UK
August 9, 2005.
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Michael, I've been flying this for a week now and
loving it. It came in at 3.9 oz and I can walk to the cliff nearbye and fly
while the sun sets. Very nice kit. It launches like a rocket with hardly any
effort too.
-Norm Arndt
August 7, 2005.
|
 Hi Michael,
This is my first plane and I
really love it. I live in an urban area in Philadelphia and I can only find
small fields so it is great to learn on there. (As long as there are no dogs
around!) I used Brazilian colors (there's more green on the bottom) so this is
my little Samba Alula.
Thanks!
Elizabeth
July 20,
2005.
|
 Test flew my Alula yesterday
and I wanted to give a quick report.
I love the way it flies and
launches. So responsive, launches so high and straight with no preset. (I've
DLGd homemade poly Sidewinders for comparison.) My favorite part of the flight
is when it's coming back to you and you make tight turns and it still has
energy and doesn't tip stall. Amazing.
Thank you for releasing this
wonderful design and kit to the soaring community. You instructions are the
best I've ever seen and the engineering in the kit is very clever, too. I have
a new affinity for forward-swept wings and will be scratching out something
myself.
Mine is set up with the Berg Microstamp and Diamond D47's. AUW
is around 4.4 oz.
Thanks again and continued success with your kits
and designs.
--
Byron Seward. February 12, 2005.
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I just wanted
to touch base with you on the Alula.
Once again, you have designed a
winner. This is an amazing plane. I can jerk it around without fear that it
will tip stall. It performs very tight turns and loops well. Although I have
had it out only one day, I can already see that it will allow me to explore
some areas (particularly tight, close-in flying) that I have been waiting to
explore.
In addition, I take back what I said about how it looks...In
the air, it is a beautiful flying machine. And you are right, it does resemble
a bird in flight.
I have always tried to explore the ideal design that
would combine light weight and aerobatic ability. It has been a struggle to
bring this goal into fruition. And now, I'm holding a plane which I believe has
achieved that.
What am I to do now?!
Wonderful kit, Michael.
Congrats!
--
Paige Anderson from Ojai, California. October 24,
2004 |
Finally had
time to put the Alula together. What a nice kit, took only an evening to finish
- instructions are excellent. Though having built a Weasel it all felt quite
familiar.
Had to toss it immediately of course - in most adverse
conditions. 20 mph Wind and mist ... not like SoCal round here. Nevertheless it
flew nicely right away. Had a bit of a problem to penetrate as you might guess
- but hey it's meant to be used in light conditions. Anyway, extremely funny to
loop and turn on a dime.
Congratulations to a great kit !
--
Sam
Grob from Wilen, Switzerland. October 11, 2004.
|
 Michael,
I have been having a great time with my Weasel on my
recent vacation. Some highlights:
4 Weasels DSing at the same time in
South Dakota. This was a hoot! The wind was about 5-10MPH and we were DSing a
ridge that had a good front side and a depression in the back of about 20-30
feet. Many of the passes were plant scraping level. The Weasel worked
great!
Flying the Weasel at Beartooth Pass at 10,947 feet. (pix my wife
Wendy took are attached)
Weasel pylon racing. Again, 4 or 5 Weasels in
the air and using a couple of strategically placed pine trees for
pylons.
A couple of guys who had not flown their Weasels much had a new
appreciation for how fun the plane is after these shenanigans!
I posted
a few stories mentioning the plane recently. I will add a link to your site on
the story pages when I get back home.
http://www.slopeflyer.com/artman/publish/greg_sd_0604.shtml
http://www.slopeflyer.com/artman/publish/rock_creek_vista.shtml
and more to come from the Beartooth Pass flights.
Thanks
for a super plane!
--
Greg Smith
Slope Soaring Resource
http://www.slopeflyer.com
June 29, 2004 |
 I love my miniWeasel!
And your videos are great. Watching all the videos was what really sold
me on getting one.
My husband ordered a miniWeasel of his own as soon
as he saw the kit quality on mine, and we finished them just in time to take
them on our last vacation. We didn't actually find much wind, but we didn't let
that stop us from trying; I made a web page about the trip,
http://shallowsky.com/crazyed04/weasel/index.html
and a more general page about my Weasel,
http://shallowsky.com/planes/weasel/
Finally, a few weeks after we returned from the trip, we finally had a few
windy days and got a chance to learn some real slope soaring (these are our
first slope gliders; we'd previously been flying electric planes). It\'s
everything I'd hoped: small enough to carry easily on a hike (I wish the
transmitter was lighter!) but still agile, aerobatic, and capable of flying at
a wide range of speeds.
I haven't managed to loop it (though no problem
with rolls and split-esses) but I saw your looping video, so I know it's
possible. I either need better technique or more wind.
We did find that
both our miniWeasels were tail-heavy with the balsa and coroplast; we had to
choose between adding nose weights, or making elevons and fins out of depron.
I\'m not sure it makes a lot of difference, but taping coins on an airplane
nose seems wrong somehow so we\'re using the depron.
The only problem
with that is that I already put my "flyweasel.com" sticker on the coroplast
fin, and I think the weasel logo is cute so I miss having it there. Is there
any way I could get a few more of those stickers?
Anyway, thanks for
the cool (and cute) plane!
Akkana Peck from
California May 5, 2004
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Hi Michael,
This weekend I tried my weasel-pro for the first time with good flying
conditions: on a 10 meter high dune at the sea, with the wind right on the
dune. What a plane!!! Although there was only 6 knots on the dune (measured),
it just kept flying! (and my wp isn't the lightest one with at 365 g).
Later, the wind picked up to 13-14 knots, and the weasel flew like a powered
plane! I could fly just above the ground, and in no time the plane was 10
meters above my head. On my first day of real flying I was making loops and
rolls!!! And also a lot of crashes of course, but just walk down the hill,
shake of the sand , walk up the hill and relaunch the plane. In the hands of an
accomplished flyer flying the weasel must be insane.
Later the wind
picked up to 18-20 knots. That became a little too much. I had no ballast with
me. I went down the hill, and threw the plane in front of the dune. Even there
the plane just kept in the air. It just seems like the weasel doesn't neet a
slope! the day after, I flew the plane on a micro slope, not more than 2
meters. There was about 12 knots of very regular wind. I was able to keep it in
the air at a height of 7-8 meters. Another sloper came and asked which plane I
was flying and where I bought it, he could not believe his eyes. I think you'll
sell some other weasels soon... Can't wait to try my mini-weasel.
A very
happy flyer, Yannick
Check out Yannick's Weasel-pro in
action:
Here's a small video from my wp maiden flight last saturday
at a slope. This illustrates how easy it is to fly with a weasel. I Had no
slope experience before, and never seen a RC -slope glider flying in reality.
When this video was taken, I never had spoken to another sloper! Just used the
instructions with the kit, some of your mails, and some tips at the yahoo
weasel group and the internet. I also watched the vid's on your site, and
practiced a bit with SSS (slope soaring simulator). Go
to movie page
Yannick Verheust from
Belgium March 2, 2004
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Hi
Mike,
I finished making a weasel-pro last weekend! This plane is a
pocket rocket and turns on a pin head! Im still a beginner and have built a
couple of wings and a Bandit and just finished a Moth. I took the time and read
the easy instructions and it sure did pay off. Inverted flight is sooo easy
(1st time really). I could do it all day if I didn't get confused sometimes to
pull forward then back ;)
Now one question, any chance you are makin a
bigger one? I find the flyers from my part like to do some combat, though I can
easy recover when accidently knocked, I love this plane so much I don't combat
it.
Well anyway, Mike you did a hell of a job creating this little
weasel. Thumbs Up!
Tyler Marx from San
Francisco, CA. January 6, 2004
|
Hey Michael,
It's been about five weeks since I received the plane and I just wanted
to write and thank you for all of your help in getting me flying R/C so quickly
and easily with the Weasel. I can't imagine a better plane to learn to fly
with. I'm extremely happy with both the plane and your customer
service.
A few things I've come to appreciate about the design over the
last weeks include: The fin and pod really do help with keeping the orientation
correct when the plane is far away or inverted and I love to fly as far away as
possible and back. I've estimated that I've flown from 1/4 to 1/3 of a mile
down the ridge and back at times. Your suggested color scheme (light on top,
dark on the bottom,) really helps in this regard as well. The plane is so light
and well designed that my many crashes in the first few days of flying (and
learning Dynamic Soaring since,) have resulted in minimal damage to the plane,
just cosmetic really. The relatively light build weight also makes the plane
easy to hand-catch, which although still somewhat challenging at this stage is
a terrific rush when I do get it right. I've lost count of the times where I am
the only person flying because the conditions are not strong enough for heavier
(or perhaps less refined,) planes. People are amazed when they come back up the
hill after retrieving their planes and I'm able to not only continue flying but
also pull rolls and loops! And yet, the Weasel still penetrates in strong wind
conditions very well and can fly quite fast relative to other planes I've seen.
I've flown it in wind greater than 35mph a number of times now.
I do
aerobatics with the Weasel that I never thought I'd be doing in my first year
of flying, let alone the first weeks. When the wind is below 15mph,
hand-catches are almost routine, about 50/50 right now but steadily improving.
The landings I "miss" are gentle and generally end up within 10 feet of me. My
current favorite type of maneuver is to gain altitude 200-400 feet above the
ridge where I typically fly, about 100-150 feet out into the lift over the
"bowl" of the slope. From this range I like to dive as deep as I dare and
either pull the largest loop I can or half-loop to multiple rolls. Relatively
simple aerobatics but quite a thrill and excruciatingly fun for me!!! Believe
it or not, I have recently completed my first Dynamic Soaring circuits up at
Parker Mountain with my Weasel as well.
I have written many words about
my experiences learning to fly with the Weasel. For more of my Weasel musings,
you and your potential customers might want to check out this link at the
RCGroups (aka LiftZone) discussion forums:
http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=102915
I'm looking forward to a miniWeasel and the other plane(s) you have on
the drawing board. Thanks for everything!
Jason Ingham from La Crescenta, CA. May 13,
2003
|
 Here's a picture of me with my newly completed Weasel.
My Weasel flew beautifully with no trim adjustments on its maiden
flight and I am very impressed with its performance!! You've got a real winner
here!
This little bugger will loop around a dime! It even howls on
those smooth high speed passes without ballast and it is a little heavy
weighing in at about 400g (14oz). I have covered the entire creature in glass
filament tape because we have a tiny landing spot and most landings turn out to
be spot arrivals :P
So far, I have done loops, rolls, bunts, knife
edge, inverted flying, hand catching and even a flat spin! Totally cool!! I
have managed to fly it comfortably in winds from 3 to about 30 mph. However, as
the winds here sometimes pick up to about 50-60 mph and above, I am looking for
a good way to add ballast to the Weasel... any ideas?
. Best regards and
happy hand catching.
Daniel Soon from
Australia. May 11, 2003
|
I ordered a
MiniWeasel from you on Thursday, got it on Saturday, and the maiden flight will
be tomorrow, Sunday! thanks for the ultra quick service and awesome product.
Excellent instructions and a quality kit! Here's a pic of my new
MiniWeasel.
Cirrus 5.4
Micro Servos
Berg 4DSP Micro Stamp Rx
4-cell 270mah Nimh
battery
Contest Grade balsa fin and elevons
AUW: 4.1 oz.
Scott Drew from San Diego, CA. April 13,
2003
|
Received the
kits last night - wow that was FAST! Now Ken, Pat, and myself all have regular
and mini weasels. Have not had a chance to start on the mini yet, maybe
tonight. I just order another one today, a buddy saw it flying and wanted me to
build him one! Thanks for such an awesome designed plane.
"Fly Weasel or go home"
Update (April 14,
2003):
Oh, by the way if you want
some feedback - the balsa elevons and tail are the way to go for slope - we
have very rough conditions and Pat's and Ken's non balsa are getting thrashed,
and mine are not. 4.4 oz mini - flys awesome!
Joel Powell from Fort Collins,
Colorado. April 3, 2003
|
I built the Weasel and took it out to the slope
this last weekend. Alls I have to say is "This Thing Rocks". I love it! It
flies great in light lift and screams in high lift.
Thanks for a great
plane.
Ken Kinnison from Colorado. March 31,
2003
|
After buying a bunch of weasels a couple of
months ago, I just wanted to give you an update.
We love both of them but spend most the time
with the mini's because we can take them anywhere. We spend a lot of time
hiking in the local mountains and find great flying spots all the time. Being
able to mount them on our camelbacks makes them perfect for really anything;
when you find a spot you can launch it 30 ft or so in the air, which provides a
safety net just in case the lift isn't right.
Thank you so much for making such a great
product. Everything about the kit and the finished product is fantastic. Just
for your info, we found that the new FMA receiver(M5) works great along with
the 115mah pack made by Wattage. Using this combo, my dad has his plane down to
3.8 with all reinforcement tape in place. Mine on the other hand is 4.5 with
the Extreme-5 and a Wattage 4 cell 150mah.
Thanks again.
Mike Harding from Ojai, CA. March 19,
2003
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Just letting
you know I flew my Weasel in 14mph winds earlier today at Ellwood and had an
absolute blast. It's only my fourth day flying, and in these conditions I was
pulling off rolls and loops.
I'm still having trouble in less than 10mph
winds, but I feel like I'm improving. Anway, thanks again for a great product
and all your help. Some of my friends are thinking about getting Weasels now,
and I'm pretty sure I will end up getting a mini eventually.
Brian
Pasley from Goleta, CA. March 12, 2003
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Dear Michael,
Just wanted to
tell you about the smashing success I've been having with my Weasel. Without
doubt, the Weasel is the most enjoyable R/C aircraft I have ever flown. I
simply cannot imagine a better all-conditions glider for pilots of any skill
level, and ESPECIALLY beginners.
The kit was incredibly easy to build,
even for a complete novice to EPP construction like myself. It built in a
casual 5 hours, guided by your incredibly concise and easy to understand
instructions. The EPP itself was very clean--no strings or fuzziness, and
consequently almost no sanding required. I can't imagine it getting much easier
than that!
Of course, flying the Weasel is the best part of all. I've
now had it in a full range of wind conditions, from 4mph to nearly 40mph, and
have just been completely blown away by the flying characterics of your design
in all lift conditions. You can fly it high and slow like a polyhedral floater,
or you can fly low and fast like an aerobatic sloper, even in as little as 4mph
of wind! The performance at both ends of the speed range is also quite
impressive--the Weasel handles better than my aileron plane, and floats better
than my floater. AWESOME!
Most impressive, however, is that the Weasel
remains INCREDIBLY easy to fly at any speed. I really wish it had been my first
R/C glider, rather than my third, because then I wouldn't have needed to buy
the other two! The Weasel makes me, a decidely low-intermediate pilot, look
like an "Ace"...I was doing rolls, loops, split-esses, and inverted flight on
my FIRST DAY with the Weasel, and they were all completely effortless. The
Weasel allows me to fly in a way that I simply couldn't have imagined with my
other planes...a miracle of EPP, yes, but also a miracle of good design.
The Weasel is really tough, too--I took a friend who'd never flown R/C
before out to try his hand at the Weasel. He flew quite well on the balance,
but did get disoriented once and spun my brand-new Weasel straight into the
ground from 75 feet up. The plane was picked up and tossed back into the air
immediately--with absolutely NO DAMAGE WHATSOEVER, aside from a little grass
stain on the nose. I was quite impressed--this plane can really take some
abuse!
All in all, I'd like to repeat that this is the best R/C
aircraft I've ever flown. Its performance in light lift is utterly amazing, but
I'm also quite impressed by its "big wind" performance as well. I initially
thought I'd only fly it when the lift was too light for my aileron plane, but
now I think I'd rather fly the Weasel no matter what the conditions are like!
Thank you so much for creating this wondeful little plane,
Steve Lange from Santa Barbara, CA. March
1, 2003
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I just have to say that I have been having the
greatest fun with the Weasel since Christmas day, when I was officially given
it by my son. It has caused a great sensation on our local site.
I have
to say it took a bit of setting up and trimming but it flies like a dream. It
flew in 28 knots last week and 5 knots today. I was one of the few who actually
flew today. Mind you it did little else but fly the slope and maintain its
meagre height. None the less it added to its reputation.
Brian Lemin
from Cooranbong, Australia. Jan. 3, 2003
Check out Brian's review
of the Weasel on the La Sierra Slope Soarers website:
http://lsss.homestead.com/weasel.html
http://lsss.homestead.com/weasel_review.html
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Well
done!!
Took the Weasel out for it's maiden flight today before the
Bronco game and thoroughly enjoyed the little fella. My bird came out at
11.25oz w/o any ballast. ...The winds were in the 5-10 mph range and after 10
minutes had it just humming up and down the slope. Added a little slug of
weight when the wind picked up and it handled it well. BTW, no tip stall
tendencies could be found. I would bring it in and hard left or right with up
elevator and she would just hang there. Landed it twice in 2 hours. Once to add
a little bit of weight and once when I packed up to go home. I think you have a
winner here.
Best of luck in your endeavour,
Greg from
Colorado. Dec. 16, 2002
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