This film shows part of the first trim session with the 36" Schweizer SGU 222 towline freeflight glider, designed by Tom Hallman. For a few days after seeing a tempting forecast, I had convinced myself not to go to Wawayanda, NY. Even though it would be 12 mph and sunny all day, the 16º temps at sunrise, and a high of only 33º, didn’t bode well for FF fun. Still, at 9PM the previous night, realizing I’d be dropping my son off at a train station in NJ or his return to Brooklyn, it also put me a 1/3 of the way to Wawayanda. Crazy ‘gotta fly’ mode took over, so I loaded the van with 34 rubber jobs, along with the Schweizer.

The glider was to be my focus, but at least I had a few other friends along for the ride, just in case.
But I never got to them after my 11:30 arrival. I was not expecting to drive thru snow in the higher elevations, so I was glad to see only spotty snowy areas on the sod.

I started flying around 12:15, then was spooked by the floaty glide…so I needed to make sure the DT was active. That took about 30 mins to resolve in the cold temps, but as least I had something to keep her close and avoid a flyaway. I was very surprised to see lift in such cold air.

18 flights later, I left for home after the 4:30 sunset. The shortest day of the year, winter solstice,
but I was very pleased to have been there for the afternoon. Well worth the trip.
Temps 28º, 12 mph all day.

Here's a summation of the flight log:

Flights 1 thru 3: The model pulled to the right during the tow, so I added increasing amounts of left rudder & nose weight.
Flight 4, I added a 2" x 1/16" sq. balsa stick, a Gurney flap, to the underside of the right side TE, which lifted the right wing panel and gave it a straighter tow. It still faded a bit to the right and released early, but it also caught some air, giving her the longest flight of the day at 73 seconds.
Flight 5, pulled a bit to the left, came off early. The wind direction was shifting left or right all day, so I wasn't always able to launch directly in the mild breeze.
Flight 6, I added another Gurney flap, this time on the top of the left side TE, midway toward the tip. This was the first tow to go directly overtop of me, so I was pleased! Came down in 40 seconds.
Flight 7 was also straight, releasing nearly overtop for a 44 second flight.
Flight 8 released perfectly overhead, giving me a floaty gentle circle to the right and her 2nd best flight of 62 seconds. Temps 30º.
Flights 9 thru 11 were solid with mostly straight tows, and flights under 40 seconds. The air felt suddenly heavy, with the tissue wrinkling even more, taking on moisture. I was tempted to try histart, but there was only an hour or so left in the day, so I kept it safe & simple, going with towline.
Flight 12 pulled directly overhead for a clean release, then started to circle higher than ever before, appearing to be in lift. But my DT tripped early, bringing her down for only 30 seconds, though at least I was able to see her successfully go thru the dethermalizer process.
Flights 13 thru 17 were clean but duration was beginning to lessen with the cold & damp air.
Flight 18, the final flight near the 4:30 sunset, was straight with a high release, as the geese started to cross over the field from numerous directions. She headed toward the sunset, floating in for a 35 second flight. With that, I called it a day.
For the entire session, I left the tow hook at the original location, about 30º in front of the CG, but I might consider a slight adjustment next time out. Before I try the histart, I want to make sure she can track straight each time, even with the slight shifts in wind direction.

This model will be the FAC onedesign for 2024. A short kit of the model will be available from Volare Products in September 2023. Stay tuned for the announcement. Filmed with an iPhone 11Pro & 14Pro, and a Canon SX20IS. Music via MotionArray.com.

Here's a design by Peter Kaiteris for a simple towline winch using available objects. Cheap and adaptable. http://hallmanstudio.com/Simple_Winch...

Here’s the reel attachment for a Rees 10:1 winder. Anyone with a 3D printer can make one. Instructions: http://www.facflyer.com/NRE/index.html
Download the STL file at: https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:488...

Badge Classic DT source, used on this model: http://www.starlinkflitetech.com/bad...
Article on various DTs (dethermalizers): http://www.hallmanstudio.com/DT.pdf

Flying Aces Club merchandise: https://www.cafepress.com/flyingacesclub
Center of Gravity merchandise: https://www.cafepress.com/centergravity

For more info on freeflight rubberpowered models, check these websites:
https://brooklynbalsa.square.site
http://www.easybuiltmodels.com/
http://www.volareproducts.com/BUY/
http://www.flyingacesclub.com
National Free Flight Society https://freeflight.org/
Mike Stuart's Flying Scale Models http://www.ffscale.co.uk/
https://www.freeflightsupplies.co.uk