Page 2
Designed to go wherever inspiration takes you... Sometimes where we get to fly is as magical as the flying itself. The Alula-TREK is ready to make the journey wherever the lift takes you. The world’s most popular bird-like RC flying wing is back and more refined than ever.
Page 3
“Alula”- Why the Name? We love birds! A few years back we stumbled onto the word “alula” while looking for inspiration through a book on bird anatomy. Officially pronounced “al-you-la” in the bird world, we like the sound of “ah-loo-la” when referring to our glider.
Page 4
Designer's Notes "Originally, I wanted to design a glider with which I could join the Red-tailed Hawks in flight above my parents' home in the Santa Barbara foothills. The design needed to be easily flung to soaring altitude above the oak- studded hillside, and had to be able to negotiate the often light and inconsistent canyon updrafts.
Page 6
CAUTION! READ BEFORE PROCEEDING: ►The Alula-TREK RC glider is not a toy; a certain amount of experience and practice is required to safely fly this model. We recommend consulting an experienced RC pilot before attempting to fly this glider. With proper instruction, learning to fly RC gliders can be a safe and extremely rewarding activity.
TABLE OF CONTENTS Topic Kit Contents Items Required for Completion (not included) Radio Gear Setup Fuselage Preparation Wing and Tail Installation Balancing the Alula-TREK Control Surface Deflections Ballast Option Pre-Flight Check Test Flights: Trimming for Straight and Level Flight Side-Arm Launch Technique Fine-Tuning Balance Position “Urban Soaring”...
Flight and Assembly Manual Spare Parts Vertical Tail Fin available at Small Hardware Bag Contents: dream-flight.com (2) Elevon pushrods (2) Wing clamp screws (2) Clevises with screws Velcro for battery and receiver installation Not shown: Logos, wing decals, and servo decals set...
ITEMS REQUIRED FOR COMPLETION (not included) Radio Gear: Programmable 6 channel radio system with Elevon Mixing and Dual Rates (see suggestion below) Micro receiver, 4-6 gram weight (see chart below for receiver suggestion) (2) Sub-micro servos (Part DFFA005 recommended, or purchase our Alula-TREK flight pack, Part DFFA008) ...
RADIO GEAR SETUP ►The following setup is based on the use of our 4.3g Digital servos (Part DFFA004). We have included the exact measurements needed to recreate our setup if you choose another type of servo; however, don't skimp on servos for your Alula-TREK! A good quality digital servo with excellent centering will ensure that your Alula-TREK is a smooth, predictable flyer.
Page 11
8. Arrange servos on table and attach a servo arm to each servo. IMPORTANT: Servo arms must be installed in the orientations shown to ensure proper control function. 9. Referring to graphic to the right, check for correct servo rotation direction. If needed, reverse servo directions using transmitter.
FUSELAGE PREPARATION Gather items below: Fuselage with canopy (2) Elevon servos Receiver with Battery Extension Wire (Part DFFA013) attached 4.8V, 300mAh receiver battery (2) Servo mounting decals (Clear, 37mm square) Velcro strips 1. Remove canopy by gripping it near wing and raising the right side as shown.
Page 13
4. Apply 50mm-long x 13mm-wide Velcro strips to battery and inside fuselage battery compartment. Note that each large piece of Velcro is split down the middle to make the 13mm-wide strips. The Velcro allows the battery to be adjusted fore and aft during final balancing. Use the remaining Velcro for mounting receiver or a spare battery.
WING AND TAIL INSTALLATION Gather items below: Wing Panels (Right/Left) Wingtip Reinforcement Decals (apply to launching wingtip only) Completed Fuselage (with servos, battery, and receiver installed) (2) Elevon pushrods (2) Adjustable clevises with black clamping screws ...
Page 15
3. Prepare two clevises by folding sides together, creating a slot where pushrod will be clamped. With clevis folded, install small clamping screw through each clevis. Do not tighten screw at this point. 4. Slide a clevis onto end of each elevon pushrod. You may have to loosen clamping screw slightly to allow clevis to slide onto pushrod end.
Page 16
6. Locate and install two wing clamp screws into wing clamps as shown below. Firmly tighten the wing clamp screw in each panel. The wing clamp screws can be loosened at any point to remove wing panels for travel and storage. 7.
Page 17
8. Insert wire "U-Bend" side of each pushrod into outermost (second) hole of servo arms. 9. Ensure that both clevises slide freely on each pushrod for the next adjustments. Loosen clevis screw if necessary. 10. Turn on transmitter and plug battery into the Extension Wire to power up servos.
BALANCING THE ALULA-TREK ► IMPORTANT: The Alula-TREK must be assembled, balanced, and trimmed properly to ensure smooth, efficient flight. Poor balance and trim WILL lead to poor flight characteristics. This is especially true for small flying wings like the Alula-TREK which almost always require a bit of fine-tuning to achieve best flight characteristics. Don’t be discouraged if it takes you a few flights to get the balance and trim just right.
Page 19
Center your fingertips on the Locators to balance the glider and see how it reacts. If the nose drops quickly, move battery rearward until glider balances level on fingertips. If the tail drops quickly, slide battery forward if possible, or add a small amount of balance weight in the provided recesses alongside battery (you may only need a small paperclip or two).
CONTROL SURFACE DEFLECTIONS The control surface deflections in the table below provide the Alula-TREK with active response to control inputs. You can set separate Low and High rates using the "Dual Rate" menu and toggle switches on your programmable transmitter. Before proceeding, make sure all End Points and/or Adjustable Throw Volumes (ATV) are set to the default of 100%.
BALLAST OPTION For breezy conditions on the slope, you may want to add some ballast weight for better penetration. The Alula-TREK features a new compartment for easy ballast addition. This compartment is located just behind the carbon spar, beneath the canopy. It fits exactly four pieces of our steel balance weights (Part DFAA002).
PRE-FLIGHT CHECK 1. Ensure transmitter and receiver batteries are fully charged. 2. Check balance of glider and control surface deflections one last time. Make adjustments if necessary. It is always important to do this check before each flight session if possible. 3.
TEST FLIGHTS: TRIMMING FOR STRAIGHT AND LEVEL FLIGHT 1. Locate a flat, open, grassy field for initial test flights. Choose a nice day with a light breeze (no more than 5 mph). 2. Turn on transmitter, then glider. Check controls and flight surfaces for proper operation.
SIDE-ARM LAUNCH TECHNIQUE ►You will be surprised by how little force is required to sidearm launch your Alula-TREK to good flying altitude. Always release your glider into the wind; your launches will be higher and less effort will be required. Like all techniques... practice makes perfect. Take it easy in the beginning and work on your form. For frequent, aggressive side-arm launching, make sure to secure the launching wing with tape as shown in Step 7 on Page 9.
Page 25
Side-arm Launch Sequence One complete side-arm rotation shown in intervals, from start to release. The launching rotation is about 180 degrees from start to release. This is about half the amount of rotation as a standard Discus-style launch, which involves a full rotation and usually several steps into the wind.
FINE-TUNING BALANCE POSITION (i.e. Center of Gravity) ►It is well worth spending a little time verifying the proper balance and trim of your glider. Doing so will ensure the Alula-TREK is a pure joy to fly and reacts predictably to the varying air currents experienced while soaring.
Page 27
CONFIRMING CG LOCATION You can confirm the CG location via the inverted flight test below: Inverted Flight Test: A well balanced Alula-TREK should fly inverted with a little forward stick (down elevator), assuming good lift and moderate airspeed. If it takes NO forward stick, then the glider is slightly tail-heavy, and if it takes more than 1/3 forward stick the glider is a bit nose-heavy.
“URBAN SOARING” TECHNIQUE Background: RC soaring is quiet, clean, challenging, and fun! Through mastering the soaring techniques listed on the following pages, one develops a unique appreciation and understanding of the environment and weather patterns. Fortunately, successfully flying an RC sailplane no longer requires a far journey in search of large open spaces.
Slope Soaring: Also known as ridge soaring, slope soaring may be one of the easiest and most rewarding ways to experience the thrills of RC soaring flight. The glider sustains flight by utilizing updrafts created when wind is deflected upward by any sizeable land feature (hill, mountain, cliff, large building, row of trees, etc). Below is a graphic which illustrates basic slope soaring technique.
Page 30
►A thermal generally tries to push a soaring aircraft or bird away from its core where the lift is best. Thus, the pilot has to work constantly to keep the glider centered within the thermal for the best chance of gaining altitude.
Page 31
Our goal is to create unique aircraft that are pure fun to fly. Beginners through experts will appreciate the simplicity and versatility of our designs. Our passion is designing quality, affordable RC aircraft that get more people outdoors to enjoy the wind and sun.
Need help?
Do you have a question about the alula TREK and is the answer not in the manual?
Questions and answers
manual traduction
Hello ! fantastic but may we have a french traduction of the manual? thank you; regards. Philippe from France