Super Stratos

thingiverse

A technology refresh of my original Stratos glider, with dihedral hinge, washout wings, load dumping stress risers, an improved KF variant aerofoil, latch-up elevators, and 3D canopy. It all ads up to the glider I wish I could have bought when I was a kid...and a ridiculous amount of fun for 1250mm of ABS plastic. A Full sized variant that can be printed on a 100MM bed can be found at http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:300168 If your printer is dimensionally stable, check out my glueless design at : http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:158421 Also check out our ultralight, high aspect ratio variant, the Cumulus - for longer, slower flights and thermaling capability! see http://threedsy.com in the cloud fliers collection. With the (second - see above link) best glide ratio of any of my gliders, self stabilizing dihedral, and a wing design that opens up the flight envelope to high speeds without sacrificing glide, the Super Stratos has earned its place as my new favorite fun flyer. A little down bend in the elevators (after being latched up) will open up soaring loops, thermal riding, and 540 degree orbital flights. The Super Stratos is very responsive to rudder input. Video 1Video 2 Launcher and tools: For instructions look at my glider instruction thing:1465700. For tips on printing glider wings, drop by my blog at threedsy.com and if you like our models, keep us designing for you instead of flipping burgers by purchasing one of our premium designs from the site! If you like my gliders, check out my other models here on thingiverse and more models and books I wrote on 3D Design and 3D Printing here at threedsy.com If you want to learn how to design amazing, highly functional designs for 3d printing, design and print useful repair parts, and generally print useful stuff faster, more reliably, and with less problems check out my books, Functional design for 3D printing and the Zombie Apocalypse Guide to 3D Printing on Amazon! Instructions Plastic: ABS Layers: .20mm Fill: 25% Perimeters: 2 Solid Layers: 2 filament use / weight (3mm) : Approx 1250mm Orientation: first layer lentghwise (0 degrees to fuselage), altrenate by 90 degrees. A 45 degree (or non right angle) axis will cause asymetrical wing warping under load (bad). Build Notes: Allow to cool before carefully removing from build platform. The wings are easily deformed during removal, and must be absoultely symmetrical for proper flight. Removal with a very thin plastic spatula (print one!) is preferred. Test fit all parts and trim if necesary prior to final assembly with a very small amount of CA Glue. The dihedral joint is assembled by clamping along the top of the fuselage between the wings to establish dihedral angle. Remove any adhesions, test clamp and adust as necescary to achieve a symmetrical dihedral angle prior to fixing in place with CA Glue. Flight Notes: Launching is by hand or with a 1/16" to 1/8" rubber band. Test and adjust by hand launching first. A slight elevator - up reflex is required for non-inverted flight. This is accomplished by latching the elevons up on the relex tabs on the aft end of the fuselage. A tiny drop of glue will prevent the elevons from moving from their latched position. A slight down bend in the latched-up elevators will open up the flight envelope to higher energy flights. A gradual test/adjust cycle is recommended. To correct turning or spiraling, differential elevator control (elevon) is preferred, though some aileron bending may be needed if the wings are warped from improper bed removal. Carefully bend this in with finger pressure, but avoid creasing or excessive strain.