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Do not throw it up at a steep angle. Let the airplane fly
straight and level to pick up airspeed, then climb up to
your desired altitude. Be careful not to climb too steeply
after hand-launching or the airplane could stall.
In the air, the Omega 636 flies very gently. It thermals
very well and also does some aerobatics. Loops, rolls,
Cuban Eights, and Split-S's are all possible. It is also a
good flyer on the slope, especially in high lift.
Landings should be done with power off. Put the
Omega 636 in a gentle descent and glide it onto the field.
You will probably find you will have to set up your de-
scent pretty far out because the Omega 636 glides so well.
If you are using a computer radio, we recommend using
flaperons to aid in landing. Remember not to turn too
steeply during power-off descents at low airspeed. If you
need to turn, apply sufficient power, then reduce power
after the turn.
The following is intended for those pilots who have
mastered flying the Omega 636. Thermal flying is by far
the most difficult aspect of glider flying; however, it can
be the most rewarding. The beautiful thing about the
Omega 636 is that because it is electric powered, you have
a much better chance of being able to seek out and locate
thermals. For more information on thermals, check your
local library or the Internet. There are many books and
articles available that detail what thermals are and how
they work.
Thermal flying is truly an art but there is also a good
amount of luck involved in finding the perfect thermal.
There are ways to hone your skills so that you can be-
come an artist in flying thermals rather than remain a
hopeful novice who blunders into them by accident. The
following are some keys to begin the process of becom-
ing a better thermal pilot.
The first key is to become very familiar with the way
the Omega 636 flies. Knowing the way it responds when
entering and exiting thermal lift is essential. There are
things you will notice as you fly the Omega 636 more and
more. You need to be familiar with the airplane so that
you can recognize when it is flying normally and when it
is responding to up or down air. It is very hard for the
novice to tell what is happening to a new airplane in re-
gards to the air. He or she is uncertain if the movement is
due to something that the pilot did or due to air move-
ment. You want the airplane to be properly trimmed out
so that it flies smooth and stable and so you know how it
responds when you turn.
You will seldom hit a thermal straight on in flight.
More often you will hit the side of the thermal and it will
lift one wing more and literally throw your airplane away
BASICS OF THERMAL FLYING
from the lift. When your airplane should otherwise be
flying level, watch for a sudden lift of a wing tip and turn
the airplane into that area. There is a good chance that
you hit the side of a thermal and it pushed you away—
into the air next to the thermal. If you power up to fly into
the thermal, be careful. You might fly right through it.
Having located a thermal, turn into it and start circling to
locate the area of strongest lift. Tighten up the circle to
get the maximum rate of climb.
Think of the air as water. No wind is a calm lake. A
breeze is a slow moving stream and a heavy wind is a
raging river. Often, a pilot hits some lift, starts circling,
then goes up and up and stays right in the same spot cir-
cling. Then he starts coming down and doesn’t understand
why. On a calm day, once you hit lift you can circle right
there as it isn’t going anywhere but up. It may die after a
short time, but that happens. With wind, picture your lift
as an escalator going downwind at the same rate as the
wind is blowing. You hit it and start to circle and you go
up, but you must have your circling go downwind at the
same speed as the wind to stay on the escalator. The lift is
moving and if you don’t go with it you lose it.
Watch the tail of the airplane bounce up to see if you
are hitting lift. When you fly into a thermal it kicks the
tail up and thus points the nose down. Despite this “dive”
position your airplane may actually be going up in the
lift. It depends on the strength of the thermal. That "up
tail" is a sign to watch for in thermal spotting.
Use your visual keys and work on your skills so you
can become accustomed to thermal flying. Don't forget
to watch the birds, too. If you see birds with their wings
stretched out, circling high above, you can be sure they
are in a thermal. Launch your airplane and head in that
direction. They won't mind you joining them in the fun!
C/A Glue: An acronym for Cyanoacrylate. It dries very
fast like "Super Glue." It comes in many different formu-
las for different uses.
Center of Gravity: Most commonly referred to as the
C.G. or balance point, it is the point at which the airplane
is in complete balance in all three axes.
Clevis: Part of the control system, either made out of
nylon or metal. It connects the pushrod wire to the con-
trol horn mounted on the control surface.
Control Horn: Part of the control system, the control
horn is mounted to the control surface. It allows the push-
rod to be connected to the control surface. Almost all
control horns are adjustable to allow for more or less con-
trol surface movement.
GLOSSARY OF TERMS
Summary of Contents for omega 636
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