When a differential thrust control foam glider has the motor props spinning in the wrong direction / you mess up the LEFT & RIGHT connection / improper transmitter left and right adjustment, it will stall to spin right after you throw it.
Different foam gliders and different propellation mechanisms (push VS pull) may produce entirely different results.
Lesson learned: DIY hand thrown glider to RC conversion is never easy! You better buy a complete set of frame and parts from the same supplier as a package so the supplier has to guarantee that the whole thing will become flyable.
Other common issues:
- Transmitter left and right adjustment – the simple joystick style transmitter does not indicate well the exact position, therefore it is often the unnoticed mis-adjustment that makes the glider difficult to control. Try to press the adjustment button hard and listen to the beep sound, without any beep sound no adjustment is actually made.
- Left and right connection mixed up – the plane will not be flyable at all.
- Improper circuit board orientation – this will confuse the gyro and make the plane non-flyable too.
- Some hand thrown planes are simply not designed to fly straight due to a special fixed tail wing – if you throw it out it will kinda fly a circle and return.
- Plane that is too small simply cannot generate the needed lift no matter what.
- The so called DIY electronics are of bad quality, or the two motors somehow spin at significantly different speed. And the remote does not allow left/right trimming.
- CG setting can be tricky on these planes.
- If the plane flies straight for a little while and then drops, it may be nose heavy.
- If the plane flies like a vertical takeoff before dropping, it may be a little tail heavy.
Proper Throwing Angle & Technique
Launch with a firm, level throw (not too steep upward). A 10–15° upward throw with full or near-full throttle is usually best. If the plane dips, try a slight nose-up launch. If it stalls, throw slightly more level.
And one must realize that NOT ALL planes are suitable to be modified to fly with differential thrust. See this one … it just won’t fly no matter what…
