Models: Panda
Box shaped, maneuverable, almost unbreakable, easy to build - these are the main characteristics of the RC HLG Panda.
It's produced (was produced?) by Multiplex and I won the kit at a competition at Rana sometime in 1994 (+/-).
Designed by:
Kit
Construction:
This easy to build model can be ready to fly in approx. two weeks. All you need to do is pre-cut all the necessary parts and then just easily glue these together.
The wing is interesting - it use the Jedelsky's airfoil. Generally speaking it is a 10mm balsa board planed down to a airfoil and glued to a 2mm balsa board and then fixed with ribbing. The wing is attached to the fuselage with binding rubber.
The fuselage isn't that much more difficult. First you cut out the sides glue these together with the barriers and you close the fuselage form top and bottom with balsa sheets. The drive for the elevator and rudder is a bowden. It is not necessary to invest in to special micro RC equipment since the fuselage also enables you to use standard size servos, receiver and batteries.
The rudder and elevator is made out of 3mm balsa sheets.
I also very well know its weak points since I built a lot of these (6 as far as I remember). The wings are tough enough if you use a pine wood entering edge. The fuselage, however, is more liable to break near the elvator area. For this reason my last Panda is reinforced. The sides are fitted with 2x2mm pine wood girders and at the elevator area I substituted balsa with plywood - the fuselage didn't break since then.
Parameters:
| Wingspan: | 1340 mm |
| Length: | 740 mm |
| Weight: | 500 g |
| Airfoil: | Jedelsky |
| Controlled elements: | rudder, elevator |
| Drive: | bowden |
| Servos: | 1x rudder, 1x elevator, both HITEC HS-80 (Standard size also fits) |
Characteristics:
After Panda showed up on the slopes in Liberec we were surprised to find out that it is a quite interesting plane. You can enjoy regular flying as well as do crazy things. Even at low altitude right above the ground Panda has great maneuverability. No problem to do a loop immediately after launch. The Panda is relatively fast but also sensitive for thermal up-currents thanks to the airfoil. Invulnerability is almost guaranteed thanks to the wing construction and you don't have to worry about landing on a tree or in to bushes. The Panda found a lot of admirers among the pilots in Liberec and many of them started production immediately. At one time it was the most spread model on our slopes (see picture bellow). The new flying category was born at this time- "panding". Flying in this category starts when there is no wind. You simply launch the plane make a turn, approach and land or catch it (or catch somebody else's model). If five or six of us got together a gentle hit or accident here and there was very common. Well, we have EPP models for that now...
