Great looks and all the great features to make this an instant classic!
This is the sort of plane we dream about at Aloft. We love finding well thought out and well made gliders. We stumbled across these and had to bring them in.
I have been flying slope gliders for many decades and you know a well refined design when you see it. When you look at and hold the Sequoia you know this plane is a labor of love based on many years of experience and refinement. The clean lines, the very handsome wings with a nicely tapered planform and the large surfaces and scream refinement.
The black poplar veneer on the foam core wings is the icing on the cake that really makes a statement. Not only is it beautiful with the furniture grade finish work, but they are fully built and ready to slide onto the fuselage wing joiner. With carbon tow under the skins to carry the load, these wings are an excellent study in minimizing weight for peak performance. With the 7% HN 785 airfoil from Norbert Habe, you will enjoy great all around performance.
The fuselage is is very nice looking shape with a snug fitting canopy that is easy on and off, and the tail boom is nice and wide resulting in a stiffer boom. Using aerospace quality resins and proper layup the fuselages are light, strong and not brittle.
Many people are used to very thick fuselages that have no give, or worse yet a poor resin to fiber ratio. Extra resin is a total waste and only makes a plane weaker, these planes have an excellent ratio. Not many planes, especially for this price can say the same.
The completeness of these airframes is very high. The wings and tail slip on like a fully molded glider. The work to complete is installing the radio gear and securing the pins for the v-tail. The v-tail may need some final sanding for clearance of the elevators. We suggest soft mounting a servo tray in the canopy opening with a rubbery adhesive like Foam Cure. The rubbery glue allows the fuselage to flex a bit on those hard landings.
The Sequoia should be able to build out for light wing loading, this means you will be flying in very light conditions. But with the 7% airfoil and plenty of room for a ballast tube in the fuselage and a nice carbon wing joiner, she will be very happy as the lift grows. A very versatile plane with a wide speed range.
I would not be doing my job if I did not point out the wonderfully large flight surfaces on this plane. The flaps are big enough to slow a freight train to a crawl and are bottom hinged to allow a full 90 degrees of airbrake should you desire. The ailerons are very meaty and hinged nice and tight but will still have plenty of throw for an impressive roll rate.
If it sounds like we are a little excited about these planes, then you're right! These are well refined and expertly built works of slope art! The price is flat out amazing.
Does not come with instructions, but pretty straight forward build if you have ever outfitted a glider. Here is a build log going on our forum here