alula trek glider

Menu   

• DLG F3K Hand Launch Gliders
• F3-RES Thermal Gliders
• Thermal Soarers & Gliders
• Slope Soarers
• Electric F5J Gliders
• Pylon Racers
• Blue Bird Servos
• Other Servos
• High Voltage Servos
• KST Accessories
• MKS Accessories
• Servo Covers
• Control Horns & Pushrods
• Plastic Mounting Frames with Bearing
• Wood Mounting Frames
• Servo Extension Cables & Wire
• Altimeters, AMRT & Altitude Switches
• LiPo Regs & Switches
• Other Electronics
• Direct Drive
• Firewalls / Motor Mounts
• Speed Controls / ESC
• Prop Blades
• Speed Props F3S
• GM Spinners
• GM CL Spinners & Blades
• 25mm - 28mm Spinners
• 30mm Spinners
• 32mm Spinners
• 34mm+ Spinners
• GM Spinner Accessories
• CN Spinner Accessories
• VM Spinner Accessories
• NiMH Batteries
• LiPo Batteries
• Transport Bags
• Component Bags
• Model Stands
• Carbon Strip
• Carbon Tube
• Carbon Booms
• Aluminium Tube
• Carbon Parts
• Spread Carbon Fabric
• Carbon & Glass Fibre Sheet
• Covering Material & Tapes
• Piano and SS Wire
• Wing Mounting Screws
• DLG Accessories
• Other Accessories
• Pushrods / Bowden Cables
• Ballast Sets and Weights
• Promotional Items
• AVA Pro Parts
• Blaster 2 and 2e Parts
• Blaster 3 and 3.5 Parts
• Dream-Flight Parts
• Snipe Parts
• Sprite Parts
• Supra Parts
• OA Composites Parts
• Armsoar Parts
• Other Manufacturers' Parts
• Customer Info
• Privacy Policy

Dream-Flight Alula-Trek 90cm

Price: руб 10,676.57

Description.

• "ARG" Almost Ready to Glide - NO GLUE interlocking design uses rare earth magnets.
• Wide flight envelope navigates thermals with ease and can be ballasted to handle the gusts.
• Precision-molded EPO foam and composite parts ensure a lightweight and durable airframe.
• Wing retention system allows for quick break down and assembly at any location.
• Integrally molded control surfaces for minimum weight and building ease.
• All pushrods and clevises, for connecting the servos to the control surfaces are included
• Complete hardware package includes light linkages, carbon-fibre pushrods, decals and more.
• Detailed construction manual for easy assembly in approximately one hour.
• Easy wingtip launching for both left and right-handed pilots.
• Designed to go where your spirit for adventure leads you!

Reviews  37   

We're pleased you would like to review Dream-Flight Alula-Trek 90cm .

Please fill in the details below and press the submit button.

Your review will appear here immediately.

Write a review --> Write a review

  Review by: Bill

I’ve had the Alula Trek for only a couple of weeks and flown twice. Assembly was easy plus it seems quite durable. The plane balanced perfectly with battery placement, no weights required. I’m using the (tiny) Radiomaster ER4 ELRS receiver and the recommended 300 mAh NiMH battery. I recently took this out on a sunny November day and had one of the best thermal flights of my life. The Alula seems somewhat challenging to thermal, but when you find good lift it is absolutely amazing and on this day I could easily have flown it out of sight. As others have mentioned control can be a bit twitchy, but proper CG and a decent amount of expo works wonders. This plane is pushing me toward DLGs like nothing else I’ve flown. The Alula is a remarkable design and an extremely fun glider.

  Review by: Stein Erik Aase

I have not received the plane. Hyper flight tells me that they sent the plane 06.12.22. Exactly 1 month afterwards to day, I have yeat to receive the plane.

  Review by: David

Alula was delivered to Australia approximately one week after the purchase and in excellent condition as it was well-packaged. Easy to assemble and have had lots of fun looking for thermals.

  Review by: Anonymous

Delivery was great , carbon wing sleeves came out of the epo very disappointing so had to glue , feels very cheap and the decals fall off . Flyers great but the huge lack of spare parts make this a no go for me again . Will not purchase again

  Review by: Pete

Years ago I had a foam moulded Gyr Falcon. I spent quite some time colouring it to look like the real thing. It flew OK but was rather limited as the control was just R/E. I thought I would now try the Alula Trek to keep the Buzzards on the local slope company.

Hyperflight dispatched the model quickly but Parcel Force made a complete hash of the delivery. It was only on the fourth time that it had been out on the van for delivery that I actually received it, a week late. During this time the single box had become somewhat battered. Fortunately the contents had remained intact but this means that I cannot not use the box for storage or transportation! Upon inspection the mouldings were fairly good except for an area on the underside of each wing where the foam was distorted. This was obviously a result of the moulding process but highlights that quality control is not up to a suitable standard. I will not be trying to correct this finish problem as it will not be obvious when I have completed the feather effect and colouring but it should not have been passed as suitable for sale in this condition. I have seen others fly this model and do not anticipate any problems in this respect when I have it ready for flight.

  Review by: Paco Raap (NL)

The shop is nice and quick in response on questions. The Alula is ready to fly in less then 15 minutes if servos are prepared. Flys on rails with CG set correctly at the marks in the wings. Slopes with low wind. Slingshot launching needs some training but after a while is fun to do when there is no slope. Getting the most out of one launch and keep it floating is addicting. Used with Emax ES9051 servos and ELRS Happy model 2 gram receiver. Using original 4 cell nimh battery with 15 gram nose weight. For EU customers remind you due to the Brexit you have to pay custom and import duties.

  Review by: Anthony Debono

No servos and horns un assembled

  Review by: Rob

This is great to fly and fitting inside a backpack makes it very versatile. However the structural design could be better. The only load path between the fuselage carbon tube to the wing spars is through the foam which soon starts to disintegrate. The magnets that stop the wings rotating are not strong enough: another screw point is needed here. The manual mentions using tape to strengthen the joint and secure the tail, but unless you are careful this will just redistribute the load to some other foam that can't take the load either. With some carbon rods, glue and packing tape I am getting to a more robust state but this could have easily have been designed in by the manufacturer.

  Review by: Michael

Service from Hyperflight very good. Dream-Flight Alula-Trek: canopy magnet dropped out and had to be re-glued. The Dreamflight battery pack didn't fit on my plane without removal of some polystyrene from the fuselage and the canopy. A small piece of lead was required in front of the battery to achieve recommended C of G. However, initial flights quite promising and I think the model could be deceptively robust.

  Review by: Jim Newberry

Usual excellent service from Hyperflight, within minutes of asking for a recommended glider and all necessary parts to take away for a last minute trip away, Neil had put together a bundle including the Alula Trek, servos and battery. The glider went together very easily - the instructions are the clearest and simplest I have ever seen and the glider was ready in no time. Trimming takes a little time as, being a small flying wing, it is sensitive to even the tiniest change, but once sorted the performance is excellent. I have now flown it in a range of wind strengths and it never disappoints. Highly recommended.

  Review by: Jonny

Very happy andre Good plane😊👍

  Review by: Gerasimos

I have followed the manual and all worked fine! 3mm for the elevator and 10mm for the ailerons with 70% exponential. High Rates are too high for me. CG was easy to set. added around 15gr on the nose. Servos require glue cause the provided stickers are not safe enough. Both elevons arrived a bit bended but with some hand pressure I put them back to position Tail requires tape as after the first flight I found it loose and shifted back by 5mm

I had first flight on a 10m height sand dune with 18knots wind without a test flight and I prayed not to crash it! But surprisingly it just needed some up elevator and all went smooth

Delivered super fast by Hyperflight, so great service!

Very happy with this plane looking forward to try side-arm launch and catch a thermal

  Review by: Nick

The model arrived very quickly, regardless of potential delivery difficulties owing to the COVID19 situation.

It's a very well made and thought-out product and the instruction manual is maybe the best I've ever seen.

I wouldn't recommend it for a beginner because, although the model is very easy to assemble, it is quite tricky to fly. Difficult to get the CoG and elevator trim right. It needs very little elevator but quite a lot of aileron input - so you need to program that in to radio.

  Review by: Wally

The service from HyperFlight was slick. I ordered the Alula-Trek on a Wednesday from the UK. My Alula arrived on Friday in South Africa and was delivered to me on Monday. It was well packaged and in good order and reasonably priced. I have since assembled it and found the instructions to be very easy to understand. All that remains is to be done is , the CG balance, trim and applying the decals. The bird is already looking like an eagle. I was slightly disappointed as I could not order the decals that look so good on other Alula's and had to design my own. Can't wait to fly!

  Review by: Gurra

Lots of fun for the money. Only used one day so far. Slope soaring in crazy winds and crazy turbulente. Can take a lot of beating. Now with taped leading edge and reinforced front part of canopy it will take even more beating. This already one of my favourites.

Really good manual.

  Review by: Brian Rivas

Fun fun fun, but until you get it sorted, twitchy twitchy twitchy - however, this is what you would expect from what is basically a flying plank with no sweepback.

The go-anywhere performance from this little bundle of fun is evident from the videos, but in spite of its cheapness, ease of build and being virtually indestructible, the Alula is not perhaps the best model for a beginner. For a start, although it is a DLG in the sense that this is the only way to get it into the air, you cannot expect to achieve the launch heights or ease of handling of, say, an Elf. I am amazed that one reviewer claims to get 30-40 metres launch height. I'm more in line with another who said 10 metres, but it's early days yet.

As the Alula is tailless, the relationship between CG and elevon angle is obviously extremely sensitive and some experimentation is necessary to find the ideal settings, which to some extent will be down to personal preferences - but get it slightly wrong and you will have your hands full of self-induced oscillations. However, when it's right, and provided you have dialled in shedloads of elevator expo, the Alula handles just fine. May still need to fine-tune mine.

On one moderately hard launch I was alarmed when the starboard wing detached, but no damage was done and she was ready to fly again in a few minutes - a testament to the model's toughness, if not its integrity. Although each wing is secured by a tiny screw, the addition of tape on the fueslage-wing join gives considerably more security.

Although I haven't yet had the chance to explore its thermalling capabilities, I have no doubt these will be impressive, thanks to its very light wing loading.

I bought the Alula as a bit of light relief from the more serious business of Snipes and, with a few reservations, early flights indicate it should give me what I want - but because of limited launch height, I suspect that most fun will be had as a light wind sloper.

I jumped on the hype wagon and purchased the Alula.. In my opinion it is over priced and really not as nicely moulded as you would expect for the price. Yes it goes together easily but joins are not smooth/level the tiny clamps that hold the wings in place are a terrible idea. My kit was missing one of the small nuts for the wing clamps and one of the wings had damage to the leading edge. I was a bit disappointed and not really too excited with the kit. Ive made good and now glued the wings together.. Would just like to add that Hyperflight delivered quickly and the packaging was excellent as usual..

  Review by: Paul raven

Great little glider I have 2 now one old and one new from a flat field to a cliff face you should see the smile upon my face

  Review by: M H

Neil organised a very quick delivery. The model was well packaged and arrived undamaged. However there were no clevises in the kit. An email to Neil brought a quick response and two clevises were soon with me. The kit assembles quickly and the fit and finish of the parts is excellent. The instruction manual is comprehensive, very clear and very easy to follow. I bought a Hyperflight 300mAh battery and it fits just fine. It too is well assembled and the lead is heavy duty, a quality product. The Alula is fully assembled and the control movements set as per the manual. I've not flown it yet as I've still to decide on the decoration. I'll probably go for a representation of hawk plumage top and bottom. I'm very pleased with the kit and the service provided by Hyperflight.

  Review by: I.M

Another superb model from Hyperflight, very well packaged,& super quick delivery. the Alula is very simple to assemble ,& I was out test flying within the hour, I found a tiny amount of forward balance the best all round setting allowing the bird shape glider to be flown in a considerable breeze. out with the acrilic paint and soon had her looking hawk like! a very pleasing easy to assemble & fly model .a small piece of velcro claw on the wing tip aids launching grip.

  Review by: Adrian

Five hours airtime accumulated in just the first couple of outings says it all. I am happy to say the Alula is certainly on my recommended list! I am amazed how good this model is at inverted flight and outside loop manoeuvres - great fun to fly, and it makes a very refreshing change from more serious conventional gliders I am used to. Mine weighs in at 174g with Futaba R2106GF, 2x Dreamflight 4.3g servos, and Dreamflight 300mAh NiMh with an e-flite connector lead. I got a spare battery too. I have flown from the slope so far in winds 8 - 18 mph, using 28g ballast at the windier end.

It is well worth paying very close attention to control throws and rates. I have set 3 rates, independently switched, for elevons/ailerons, and so that the "feel" is nice, easy, and uniform for all of them around "neutral", whichever rate I am using there is no drastic change to smoothness - expo works wonders e.g. I use -100% expo on max throws to ensure similar feel to -50% expo when on minimum. Recommended: use minimum throws for launching and thermalling. 75% of my flying has been on minimum throws. Prior to flying, I was initially concerned regarding range and battery life. No worries so far, the 300mAh gives me at least 2 hours flying and is probably good for nearly 3 with my set-up. R2106GF range is fine too, I have had the model a "speck" in a thermal off the slope.

Great well made and desgined glider, i am very pleased with this kit although i have not flown it yet as it came with a faulty servo.(dreamflght 4.3) after reading hyperflight recomended them after alot of testing one was faulty, no big deal. After a quick call to inform hyperflight i was accused of stripping the gears on installation! REALLY??? I bought from hyperflight because they have a good reputation for customer service! I was also informed that this servo has had many complaints because it is so fragile! even so I bought new kit and expect it to work. hyperflight did offer and exchange in the end but felt they had to accuse me of damaging it first within hours of receiving my order. my advice would be buy from elsewhere!!!

  Review by: Martin Strom

An extremely well thought out design, with excellent instructions to complete the short and enjoyable assembly process. After assembly, the balance was pretty spot on; to get it perfect, all I needed was a British 5p between the battery and receiver. And the flying? I am a new RC pilot, so please take my comments in perspective: the Alula is very very sensitive in pitch, but once you have mastered the hands on pitch adjustment required whilst flying, it is awesome. Sidearm method of launching is natural, and my 4th launch in the U.K. in March hit a bubble of warm air and I got a minute out of it! Be careful on cliff flying, as I was getting confident and flying it in close enough to catch by hand, but as it weighs nothing, it is susceptible to any turbulence, resulting in a nose first high speed accident. No damage! Go buy, go fly, go high!

  Review by: Adam C

Over 1 years use of mine now flying flat field and slope. Ideal for calm winds and gentle flying. Gets pushed around in anything over 8 mph. Ive ended up gluing the wings in place as the fixings were poor as were the hatch magnets. CG is uber critical and the trim very sensitive. Needs very little movement and 70% expo. Very good entry into gliding and slope flying though. Less input the better! I can easily get 30-40 m launch.

On the pro side: Very good in-flight characteristics: predictable without any bad habits, nice glide (a bit on the fast side), signals lift clearly and will fly on the smallest of slopes. Packs up very nicely and compact. Good build and foam quality.

On the con side: not possible to get a decent DLG/SAL launch! I have been able to get it to about 10 meters, but the construction cannot withstand the presure and stress from the swing. I have had to resecure the spar (it came loose from the plastic that should keep it in place), re-glue the horn on the elevons and the wings keep fluttering (going loose from the magnets - and, yes, this is with tape on the wing). All these damages have happened during the throw/launch-phase. The problem seems to be the detachable wings - a construction that is very weak and puts pressure on the bars, horns and spars during launch. But as this is a major plus (compact) I do not want to permanently fix the wings in order to mend the launch problem. In conclusion: performance from flat field is weak (at best) due to the launch problem. Still this is a better glider than the Libelle (which is absolutely awful), but none of them offers the flat field performance that you get from even an over-weighted DLG.

  Review by: Jez Mac

Had the mk1 and thought it was time to replace it, and I was not disappointed. Built in a few hours at the most and out to the slope for a perfect maiden!!

My second Alula (the first is probably still floating in the sea after I accidentally launched inverted!). The new version is even more delightful to build, taking about 45 minutes from start to finish. The only problem was the supplied 4.3g servos jittered like crazy with various FrSky X-series receivers I tried. In the end I reverted to an MPX RX-5 Light which is in any case a much easier install than the FrSky X4R. I have yet to fly it but if it's anything like my first, I don't anticipate any issues.

  Review by: Andy Ankers

First i would like to thank Hyperflight for fast delivery my alula arrived within 2 days of ordering in perfect condition... What a fantastic plane never flown a wing type before thought it was going to be harder than it was for some reason fly's like a dream in light to moderate winds build is very straight forward took me about 2 hours that's including applying my decals might buy another as a spare :)

  Review by: Mr m wright

The dreamflite alula is a fantastic little plane so responsive and very good at thermaling find lift and away you go fantastic plane very fast delivery no complaints with my purchase

  Review by: electricgeoff

Thought I'd give this very attractive 'bird' a try and have not been disappointed. Build couldn't be simpler, but as it was my first attempt at something like this I found getting the flight trim slightly more difficult than the instructions would have you believe, but I've finally got it about right; I think. Need some better weather and a chance to put the trimming flights to the test in earnest. Very pleased so far.

  Review by: Grendel

I went through a number of dlg planes (hk mini, dreamflight libelle) but Alula Trek (after few hours of getting used to) proven to be the most reliable, the most roughbust plane I ever had. Can take a lot of beating, can survive adding more and more pennies to the nose as a balast (i noticed that the CoG is actually a bit further to the nose than recommended -takes 3 pennies to balance right with HiTec Minima receiver on board :)).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ke69sH_gnJo

  Review by: A Dream

To start with a great service form Hyperflight and speedy delivery. What a brilliant little glider, easy to put together and very portable with the wings and tail simply disconnecting. But the best thing is how unbelievably tough it is. Had a couple of very hard nose first landings and it shakes them off without any damage. That plastic skid/reinforcement was an inspired piece of design. Gives you great confidence and means you can fly virtually anywhere. Flying is a joy, on a flat field with a slight breeze it just floats, with a bit of ballast on a slope it can handle a decent breeze and stays up forever. Has completely sold me on DLG.

  Review by: Richard

This really is a great little plane to take with you just about anywhere, it's easy to fly and very relaxing in light winds on the slope. It does go fine in harder conditions but as the excellent instructions point out you will need to add a bit of ballast. The service from Hyperflight is second to none and I highly recommend them.

  Review by: Sebastian

2nd Review following Summer Holiday

Packing so wonderfully small and securely, I packed this along with my Elf for a road trip to the pyrenees. And just as well. It was too windy for the elf, and the Alula allowed me two blissful slope soaring sessions. The assembly on site is blisteringly quick and simple (the aileron push rods can fall off when assembling so keep an eye out there) and the plane took some very dramatic crashes with only the slightest of marks.

I am very glad I purchased one and would urge you to too.

  Review by: James Olpin

What can I say; the new Alula Trek is amazing! This is my third Alula, and it has definitely improved in several ways. Great fun even on a flat field, but on a slope , in light wind , it comes into its own. The build is super easy too. I'm going to order a spare soon, just to keep on the shelf. I've passed my previous versions onto friends, now a little beaten up but still flying. LOVE THIS PLANE :)

  Review by: G Bayles

This my second Alula and if it is as good as the first one I will be well pleased. The kit is well presented and everything fits so build is easy and quick. Not sure how robust the magnet connectors on the wing will work out but will probably reinforce with tape. Like the colourful decal set an improvement on the original.

After 18months into the hobby via the Elf and a Vagabond, I was drawn to this for hiking trips in the mountains due to its collapsability. I have not been disappointed.

The kit goes together seamlessly and the manual deserves every bit of praise it gets. Of course the kit isn't as perfectly aligned as the Elf, but for what it is, and its price, it is great.

Maiden had the rates far too high (refer to the manual), and the dunes were a bit turbulent to properly enjoy this bird, but I am reassured that it was the purchase to make for the summer. Time shall tell how it fares.

She isn't nearly as efficient as the Elf, but so much more portable.

Related Categories

Related products  0.

Shop Securely

Dream-Flight Alula-TREK

You all may have noticed that I am again flying slope. Maybe not as rabidly as in the past but I do have plans to make flying a part of my life again.

While I do have a BUNCH of slope planes that I still own from the past, my current need for a sloper is to have a plane that is easily transportable when I go for bike rides. The portability of Dream-flight’s Alula-TREK looked like just what I needed to get back into flying more regularly. I’ve owned a bunch of Michael Richter’s planes in the past, and still own 4 Weasels, so the choice of an Alula-TREK seemed pretty easy!

There are several good build threads out there on the Alula-TREK and, truth be told, there is a lot of prefabrication on this plane along with the excellent instructions we’ve come to expect from Michael so I’ll dispense with the steps except to say that this plane goes together very easily and took me 3 hours or so to complete including the purple and orange paint!

For the flight pack I went the easy route and ordered the Alula-Trek flight pack along with the plane and used a Spektrum AR610 receiver to go with my fancy DX9 Black Edition that I picked up when my favorite local hobby shop was heading out of business.

Obviously, the flight pack works great with the plane. I’d go for a receiver with end plugs if I need to build one of these again. To that end I picked up a couple of Lemon RX’s small receivers and I’m inclined to add a dream-flight Libelle to my new fleet where I’ll use one of those.

Not withstanding that it is 9-degrees outside this week, I did get a bit of flinging and test flying in. Seems to be a good plane and I’ m now just waiting for an easterly breeze!

If you own an Alula-TREK, would you leave a comment below if you’ve covered the leading edge with anything and, if so, what did you use! Thanks!

About slopeflyer

6 thoughts on “ dream-flight alula-trek ”.

I have one of these and it is a great little airplane. I got the flight pack and ballast weights from Dream Flight when I got the plane, I also have a Libelle. The plane is easy to build, very durable and flies well off a hand launch or slope lift. Once completed it can be disassembled and put back in the original box in a few minutes for transport if desired. I added some color to the plane with some Monokote self adhesive trim sheets and used some scotch clear tape on the leading edges.

If there is any weak point that I can find it is the unusual, fold-over clevises that tend to slip but they can be glued in place once the plane is trimmed. I would prefer threaded rod with screw on clevises but these work. Great instructions as well as a molded slot in the radio compartment for some ballast right on the CG. really well engineered.

The Libelle is fun too. It can be hand launched to a decent altitude and has lower wind loading than the Alula which allows it to fly off tiny slopes with almost no wind. I don’t know what the upper wind limit of the Libelle is but for higher winds the Alula is probably better.

Dream Flight is selling a Weasel Trek Slope plane that is supposed to be nice. Just got em in….

I have one. I have not covered it. I’m a novice to soaring here in SE wisconsin. I have flown at the Theresa Marsh a few times thanks to your site.

I absolutely love the Alula-Trek. Super-versatile. I have two at the ready with receivers mounted.

Often the first plane launched at the slope, it handles high and low lift, and gusty conditions. Very agile, quite aerobatic, especially outside loops.

Follow the setup instructions carefully, as the Alula is no fun to fly when out of balance or when over-controlled by too much elevator throw.

There is noticeably a bundle to know about this. I assume you made certain nice points in features also.

An interesting discussion is worth comment. I think that you should write more on this topic, it might not be a taboo subject but generally people are not enough to speak on such topics. To the next. Cheers

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

Notify me of follow-up comments by email.

Notify me of new posts by email.

• WordPress.org
• Documentation
• Learn WordPress

DRONES & HELICOPTERS

Cars & boats, rc elektronics, supplies & misc.

• Show MODELS
• Electric Gliders
• Sport & Scale Airplanes
• Aerobatic Airplanes
• Micro & Indoor Airplanes
• Paragliders & Gyrocopters
• Hand Gliders, Rockets, Static
• FPV Airplanes

DREAM-FLIGHT ALULA TREK ARG DLG LINDINGER SUPERSET MI VOS AND RECEIVER BATTERY DISCUS LAUNCH GLIDER

Prices incl. VAT plus shipping costs

In stock. Usually ships within 1 business day.

• Description DESIGNED TO GO WHEREVER INSPIRATION TAKES YOUThe alula-TREK is the latest version of the the world's most popular bird-inspi… More
• Bewertungen
• H ... Elevator
• S ... Rudder
• Q ... Ailerons
• M ... Motor controlled
• V ... Vector controlled
• SK ... Airbrakes
• WK ... Flaps
• WZFW ... Retractable Landing Gear
• SKU ... Glider Tow
• ( ) ... optional - control functions written in brackets are optionally available for the described model

• Dream-Flight Manuals
• Flight and assembly manual

Dream-Flight alula TREK Flight And Assembly Manual

• page of 32 Go / 32

Table of Contents

• 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
• Important Guidelines to Follow When Flying the Alula-TREK
• Slope Soaring
• Flatland Soaring

Advertisement

Quick Links

• 1 Items Required for Completion (Not Included)
• 2 Radio Gear Setup
• 3 Wing and Tail Installation
• 4 Balancing the Alula-Trek
• 5 Control Surface Deflections
• 6 Fine-Tuning Balance Position
• Download this manual

Related Manuals for Dream-Flight alula TREK

Summary of Contents for Dream-Flight alula TREK

• 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.

Page 7: Table Of Contents

Page 8: kit contents, page 9: items required for completion (not included), page 10: radio gear setup.

• 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.

Page 12: Fuselage Preparation

• 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.

Page 14: Wing And Tail Installation

• 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.

Page 18: Balancing The Alula-Trek

• 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).

Page 20: Control Surface Deflections

Page 21: ballast option, page 22: pre-flight check, page 23: test flights: trimming for straight and level flight, page 24: side-arm launch technique.

• 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.

Page 26: Fine-Tuning Balance Position

• 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.

Page 28: Urban Soaring" Technique

Page 29: slope soaring.

• 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.
• Page 32 Thank you for your support of our products! Join us on facebook for the latest Dream-Flight news, pictures, and videos from around the world. www.facebook.com/dream.flight.rc Dream-Flight, LLC www.dream-flight.com PO Box 1448 E-mail: [email protected] Goleta, CA 93116 ©2015 Dream-Flight, LLC. All Rights Reserved.

Rename the bookmark

Delete bookmark, delete from my manuals, upload manual.

• Classifieds
• Remember Me Forgot Password?
•   Aircraft - Sailplanes Slope Soaring Review Dream Flight's Alula-Trek Sailplane Review

Dream Flight's Alula-Trek Sailplane Review

Introduction

I had the privilege of reviewing the earlier Alula-Evo here in RC Groups. I found it a delightful plane and fun as a hand toss at thermal sites and even more fun at the slope in light wind. I still have, fly and enjoy my Alula-Evo so I was delighted when I got a chance to review the new Alula-Trek. Some of the changes between the Evo and the Trek were obvious even to me. I noticed it was made of a different, denser foam with no molding marks to sand off and greater strength. The new nose is longer and the wing is a different shape in several ways including being thinner and with less up-turn at the wing tip. I also found the Alula-Trek easy to assemble. As I was finishing up this review I received an E-mail from George at Dream-Flight with the design goals and improvements for the Trek from the Evo. I thought sharing that information made for a good start to this review and so here they are.

"1) New airfoil: It's a secret recipe! ;) We took what learned from the Evo series and applied this to the new Trek series. We wanted to achieve trimmed flight with the elevons close to neutral position, at best glide. Both the Evo designs always required a little trim to get it right. Basically, we took the best characteristics of the Evo airfoils and attempted to merge them, and at the same time thickness was reduced for the Alula-Trek and camber is adjusted lightly as you get closer to the wingtip.

2) We finessed the shapes and the thicknesses of the parts to reduce the volume so that we could use a little more dense foam for added durability. But this was a balance, since we did not want to affect the flight performance and style much. In the end these changes, in my opinion made the design better in flight too.

3) Design: In addition to the airfoils, we made some slight changes to overall wing planform. Forward sweep angle was reduced slightly to reduce amount of nose weight, and nose length was increased slightly for the same reason. The chord lengths are also a little different from root to tip than the Evo... a little less area at the tips, and with less wingtip up-turn. Elevon area has been increased slightly, and the modified hinge affects the flight and control slightly too."

The now discontinued Alula-Evo was a might nice sailplane, especially for the slope. I remember my friends acting like kids the first chance they got to fly her and she has always been a joy for me to fly. I had to go out and fly her before flying the new Trek to be sure I found the Trek to be a better plane and the Trek definitely is better! However, overall they are small differences in flight. I found at my local thermal field the Trek like's to fly faster, penetrates the wind better had a better glide path than my Evo. She turns a little more smoothly with her elevons performing more smoothly. More on my flight impressions later in this review.

Kit Contents

Alula-Trek Kit Contents

• Fuselage and foam canopy
• Left and Right wing panels
• Vertical Stabilizer/Tail Fin
• Two elevon pushrods
• Two wing clamp screws
• Two clevises with screws
• Thin Velcro for battery and receiver
• Two servo mount decals
• Logos and wing decals
• Flight and Assembly manual

Flight Pack (Sold Separately)

Flight Pack for the Alula-Trek

• 2 x 4.3 gram digital servos
• 1 x 300mAh NiMH battery
• 1 Battery extension wire
• Cost for Flight Pack $45.00

Author's Note on the Flight Pack

Unless you have this size and weight of servos and battery pack I STRONGLY encourage people to purchase this optional flight pack with the kit. The plane was designed to use these components and they fit the molded spaces for them and they allow for the plane to be easily balanced. I have dozens of servos available to me but I would always buy this flight pack for the Alula-Trek if I didn't have these in a matching size and weight. It just makes proper assembly and balance so easy to get right.

Author Supplied

• Spektrum DX9 Transmitter using Elevon Wing
• Spektrum AR6110e Receiver
• Small Phillip's screwdriver
• Metric ruler
• Hobby knife #11 blade
• 3M Blenderm tape
• Small piece of white tape
• Black magic marker fine tip
• Battery Charger

Promoted Kit Features

Promoted Features

• "ARG" Almost Ready to Glide: NO GLUE, Interlocking design uses rare earth magnets
• Wide flight envelope navigates thermals with ease and can be ballasted to handle the gusts
• Precision-molded EPO foam and composite parts ensure a lightweight and durable airframe
• Wing retention system allows for quick break down and assembly at any location
• Easy wingtip launching for both right and left-handed pilots
• Designed to go where your spirit for adventure leads you!

This kit is very well designed and much of the work for assembly was completed by the manufacturer. It comes with carbon fiber already installed behind the leading edge of the wing. The tubes that receive the wing rod came installed in the wings along with the securing clamps at the root of the wings. Magnets came installed in the wing, the fuselage and the canopy. The wing rod came installed in the fuselage and the elevon control horns came installed in the elevons. The plane is molded to fit the optional flight pack servos and battery so installing them is easy. Assembly time is quick!

The wing came nicely molded in left and right halves. There was carbon fiber already installed in the wing and the wing rod tube came already in the wing ready to receive the wing rod that came installed in the fuselage. My work on the wing required a metric ruler and a hobby knife with a new # 11 blade. Per the instructions I made 20mm cuts every 15 mm along the aileron foam hinge line with 20mm of intact foam hinge on each end. This was quick and easy to do. Next I bent the hinges 45 degrees up and down to loosen them up. The cuts had reduced the friction of moving the aileron.

Next per the instructions I installed the wing tip decals top and bottom for hand launching the Alula-Trek. Two wing tip decals were included and they were to be installed on the wing tip I would be holding in launching the Alula-Trek. Since I am right handed that means that they went on the left wing tip. The wing halves were now ready to attach to the fuselage.

Attaching the Wing to The Fuselage

This was fast and easy! I slide one wing side onto the wing rod on the appropriate side of the fuselage. I had the wings leading edge angled downward and then rotated it to fit against the fuselage. A magnet in the wing locked onto a magnet in the fuselage. With the wing fitting nice and snug against the fuselage I installed the wing joiner screw into the black wing clamp at the root of the wing. By screwing in the screw the clamp was tightened around the wing rod locking the wing in place. For added security they recommend wrapping a strip of 3M Blenderm tap around the wing/fuselage joint at the leading edge of the wing. I then repeated the process on the other wing half. I didn't initially install the tape as I didn't have any handy but as I will explain later I strongly recommend installing the tape!

Radio Installation

I am using two Dream-Flight servos from the optional Flight Pack. Per the instructions I trimmed one of the arms off of each recommended connector and installed them as near to center as I could and pointing out to opposite sides. I installed them in their molded servo spots on the bottom of the center section. I next pushed the servo wire into the battery/receiver compartment via the provided cutouts for the wires and then pushed the servo wires into the slots molded for them while pulling excess wire into the battery/receiver compartment. I secured the servos in place with the supplied servo mounting decals. I trimmed these decals to not be on the balance bar points on the bottom of the wing The servos were installed.

Next I installed the battery pack from the optional flight pack. It is 4.8 volts at 300mAh and fits perfectly in the front of the molded battery/receiver compartment. I secured it in place with the Velcro supplied in the kit after trimming off a small section of the Velcro for the receiver. This Velcro is very thin and I recommend using the supplied material. With battery installed I bound my receiver to the transmitter. I then installed the short battery extension wire from the option flight pack into the battery channel on the receiver. I programmed the transmitter next before securing the receiver in place as having it loose made plugging and unplugging wires easier.

I am using my Spektrum DX9 transmitter and a little Spektrum AR6110e receiver with my Alula-Trek. The two servos plug into the aileron and elevator channels on the receiver and I am using the first Elevon option from the wing programming on my DX9. This gives me the elevator throw in the proper direction. On mine the aileron throw was initially the reverse of what was needed so I reversed the way the servos were plugged into the two channels on the receiver and the problem was solved. With the aileron movement now correct I went into the Sub Trim for those two channels and centered the servo arms individually for both servos.

With the receiver able to control the servos in the proper direction for Elevon control I applied the small pieces of Velcro I had cut off from the supplied strips to the receiver and to the molded space in the battery/radio compartment.

Installing the Control Rods

The instruction manual has the assembly of the control rods earlier than this but I did them my way, The clevises are made by folding them together. The control rod will fit between the two clevis sides. At the back end there is a pin that will fit through the elevon control horn and a hole on the other side of the clevis. The front of the clevis is held together by a supplied screw. I bent the clevis to the shape it was supposed to be and started the screw into one side of the clevis. I took the control rod and put it through the servo control arm and had it lined up with the aileron control horn. I fit the clevis pin through the top hole in the elevon control horn and the hole in the other side of the clevis and I had the open half of the clevis facing down. I moved the control rod up into the clevis and above the screw area and pinched the clevis together with one hand with the control rod in the proper position. Using a small screwdriver I screwed the clevis screw into the other side of the clevis. Making sure the elevon was in the proper centered position and having previous made sure the servo arm was properly centered I tightened the screw and the clevis and control rod were properly installed. I repeated the process on the other side. Trust me when I say I found these clevises fun to install and they have worked great!

The vertical stabilizer has molded bars top and bottom that slide into a slot on the back of the wing. There are molded spaces on each side of this slot into which molded bumps on the vertical stabilizer fit to give a good tight fit, locking the stabilizer into position with friction with no need for glue or tape. If it is removed frequently and becomes loose over time it can be secured in place with tape.

For Completion I added a few of the included decals to the top of the wing and protruding center section. I went to page 13 of the manual and programmed in the high and low dual rates. I followed their instructions and marked a piece of tape at 3mm, 5mm, 10mm and 13mm up and down. This let me program the elevator low rates at 3mm and high rates at 5mm. This required a large reduction of the travel for elevator that was there initially. For ailerons it was 10mm of movement for low rates and 13mm of movement for high rates. With the DX9 this programming was easy to do and I selected two switches to control the dual rates. You may question the low throw for the elevator but that proved to be all the movement that was needed in the flight testing portion of this review.

The plane is suppose to balance on the two balance bars near the front of the servos. Mine was initially a little tail heavy. Possibly because my receiver is so lite. I added a dime next to the battery and she balanced perfectly on the balance bars.

Dream-Flight includes some decals that can be used on the Alula-Trek if so desired. Since I used only one decal on my Alula-Evo I decided to use three on my new Alula-Trek.

Ballast Option

For breezy conditions on the slope they have a small ballast box in the back of the battery/receiver compartment just behind the carbon spar wing rod. Dream-Flight sells some optional steel weights (part DFAA002) and the compartment fits exactly four pieces of this steel ballast per the manual. Each piece weighs 5 grams. They recommend a small tape tab on the ballast to be able to easily remove the ballast.

The plane has elevon controls. This means the control surfaces on the back of the wing serve as both ailerons and elevator. I found it extremely helpful to limit the travel of the elevator to the recommended throws in the dual rate setups given above. This meant greatly reducing the movement for the elevator. Adjusting the aileron throw was also helpful but not nearly as important as limiting the elevator movement to the recommended amount.

There are two ways to fly the Alula-Trek: Thermal or slope. At a thermal site the Alula is launched with the pilot turning and flinging the Alula-Trek forward and slightly up in what is called a discus launch. I hold the outer left wing tip between my thumb and index finger with the bottom of the thumb and the side of the index finger clamped onto the Alula-Trek as I spin and throw the plane hard and high into the air. When the energy from the hand launch has been lost I level off the Alula-Trek and go in search of a thermal to lift the Alula-Trek up higher. Her flying speed is higher then I initially expected and definitely higher than my Evo. This gives her a better glide ratio as well as better penetration. DON'T try to slow down her natural glide rate as it negatively impacts how she performs including increasing her sink rate. With no motor, if lift is not found the Alula-Trek glides back down to earth where I launch again and search for lift. The good news is the Alula-Trek is pretty responsive to lift and goes a bit nose down yet climbing when in lift. Spotting this thermal tell is critical to flying any sailplane. The Alula gives a recognizable tell to help me spot when she is in lift. Hitting the side of a thermal she does get pushed away so I have to turn her about 270 degrees and head into the thermal.

Once in the thermal I start circling and try to center the Alula-Trek in the thermal and ride the thermal up. The thermals are usually drifting with a breeze so it is important to allow for that drift to stay in the thermal. When I am successful I usually have to leave the thermal before the Alula-Trek goes too high for me to see her. Often after climbing for awhile I simply loose the thermal and the Alula-Trek starts gliding down. Then the search for the next thermal begins or I enjoy doing some aerobatics.

Slope flying also requires a hand launch but here it is forward off of the hill and into the wind. It is usually a softer launch by me as I am depending on the breeze keeping the Alula-Trek aloft. Flying in the wind lift I stay in front of the slope and can use the wind to climb or I can dive down through the wind to get speed for aerobatics. I can fly right in front of my face for as long as I want or as long as the battery lasts. With small stick movements I can fly the Alula-Trek very smoothly and she looks very much like a bird taking advantage of the wind to soar and hunt along the ridge of the hill. She flies very nicely in just a five mile per hour breeze or even a little less so long as it is steady. If the breeze picks up I have to hold in more down elevator or I can land and add ballast in the ballast box discussed above. The added weight should allow her to better penetrate the wind and flight to remain more level as long as the wind doesn't get too strong. I say "should" as the wind has been marginal so far on my trips to the slope for this review. The Trek flies better than the Evo in a light breeze and with her ballast box I think she will fly better in stronger wind as well but I haven't gotten a chance to test that assumption yet.

Whether flying at a thermal or slope site all flight is controlled by the right stick alone as I use mode 2 on my transmitter. I can go between low rate with reduced elevon movement and high rates by the flick of two switches. High rates are used by me for the more aerobatic flying discussed below.

Testing and Comparing the Trek with my Evo

My Alulas Side by Side

I found hand flying in the early morning at the local park before work to be the most accurate way to test the handling and flight characteristics. I have found that I can best tell how my sailplanes are handling when there is no wind or breeze nor any lift as the sun has not started to heat things up. So while I have flow the Trek and the Evo in various conditions it was in these early morning conditions that I confirmed to myself that the Trek flies faster, has a better glide ratio and from the same altitude I could generally get a slightly longer flight with the Trek over the Evo. It was in these conditions that the turns were easily observed and that the handling was improved with the Trek. The improved glide ratio with the Trek was easily the most noticeable difference to me and again it is not a huge difference but I saw it as did an old friend who joined me early one morning. Since the Evo has been discontinued this testing by me is really moot especially since the Alulas are really more for fun flying then competition. However, I did enjoy comparing them and was happy to see enough difference to conclude that the Trek really is the better plane.

Taking Off and Landing

As discussed above all flights require a hand toss to start. A hard toss while I am slightly turning is used at thermal sites and normally a softer toss is used by me at at slope sites. Launches are easy to perform when she is in proper balance and trim. Flights can end by catching the Alula-Trek or by sliding her to a stop on grass.

Aerobatics/Special Flight Performance

In thermal flight the improved glide path and her slightly smoother handling seemed to let me get more climb from a thermal and longer duration out of the thermal. I have an average throwing arm now so I don't get the hand launches I got ten years ago but I was able to get some nice launches and caught multiple thermals on a couple of different days while doing this review. Good launches with visible tells when encountering thermals and climbing in thermals is Special Flight Performance for me. At altitude she can perform loops and rolls and that is a very fun and nice quick way to bring her down.

Aerobatics are perhaps best enjoyed at the slope where despite performing loops and rolls the wind supplies the lift to stay aloft and keep doing those aerobatics over and over. Mixing aerobatics with flight that generally looks very much like a bird riding the wind and hunting the ridge for food gives me a lot of enjoyment. Her ability to fly in light lift allows for a lot of pleasure even on days where flying aerobatic lead sleds is the desired goal at the slope and we end up waiting for stronger lift.

I went to Los Banos the weekend of South Bay Soaring Societies Aerotow. It was great to see some old friends and meet some people that are RC Group members. Several of them own the Evo and they were interested in seeing the Trek up close and while flying. Unfortunately, the wind was very weak and kept stopping while I was there and we had to land several times after very short flights by my friends Brian and Charles. However, Brian was able to get in enough air time for me to shoot the stills and Charles flew while I shot the video clips during three relatively short bursts of flight. There was even a crowd of interested pilots watching. Brian had a hard landing after I asked him to come closer and the wind died. A wing came loose on that landing but was easily placed back in place and re-secured with the use of a screwdriver. At that time I wrapped some tape around the wing joint line in front top and bottom. A picture of the temporary damage is shown below. I recommend pilots install the tape per the instructions while doing the initial assembly. I wish I had. DOOH! Oh well, no harm, no foul!

On a different afternoon I had a chance to go to a hill closer to Stockton and got in an uninterrupted hour plus of flying time on the slope. The wind was not strong but at least it wasn't dieing. Here I was able by diving to get up the speed needed to do loops and rolls. She does a nice loop that can be done large or small. The Evo is much harder to loop properly. In light wind the rolls were done best heading straight into the wind. In stronger wind Both the Trek and the Evo can do rolls flying across the slope but again the Trek does then sharper in 8 mph wind. The Trek made better rolls straight into the wind of about 4-5 mph. The Trek's smoother foam definitely made her the prettier one to watch. I would have liked it if the wind had built so I could test out the ballast box but when I landed to add some ballast the wind actually started to lessen from the approximate 8 mph back down to about 4.

Is This For a Beginner?

In my previous review of the Alula-Evo I gave the recommendation below and I stand by that recommendation for the Alula-Trek as there are easier/better planes for beginners to fly.

"Some of my students in the past found elevons a difficult way to start. The Alula can be flown by a beginner who understands small movements with elevons are all that is needed for control. I think she will be enjoyed more by the pilot who knows how to fly and is looking for a fun plane to hand toss on a nice day at the thermal field or when flying at the slope. But a beginner with a good instructor or good flight simulator could start with the Alula, but it would not be my first choice for a beginner."

Flight Video/Photo Gallery

The Alula-Trek was flown at the Los Banos slope in very light wind conditions as described above.

May 23, 2015, Sunset State Beach near Watsonville, CA: winds 14-18 mph while flying and overcast. Ballast added was 3/4s of an ounce but it was all that was needed.

The wings attached with the built in magnets and one screw per side. Her new design is very well thought out and executed. The optional Flight Pack servos and battery pack fit perfectly. No glue or sanding was required for the Alula-Trek. The clevises and control rods are different and I found them fun to assemble and install. Total assembly time with radio installation and programming took me about an hour. After she was assembled than the real fun began. Flying!

I really enjoyed assembling my new Alula-Trek! It was obvious that she was much prettier close up with the denser foam and no foam molding marks. But her true beauty is how she flies and in my test flying at my local park she proved to fly faster, have less drag and turns were actually and these combined to give the Trek a better glide ratio. The improvements were significant in my opinion but a really skilled hand toss pilot could still probably beat me with him flying my Evo and me my Trek but I would pick the Trek for any competition with Alulas or for fun flying.

Dream-Flight set out to improve what I though was already a very good plane that was fun to fly and I believe they succeeded wonderfully! They hit their target goals stated at the start of this review and the Alula-Trek is both a better performing and prettier sailplane. As stated previously, I noticed a naturally faster flying speed with less drag. I noticed an improved glide path as well as smoother turning ability which further reduced drag. With sailplanes small improvements can pay big dividends in handling and flying time. These were more than just small improvements in my opinion.

Despite what appears to be a very close resemblance between the Evo and the Trek they are really very different in design, assembly and flight characteristics. The Trek's new secret airfoil is superior to the Evo's. Despite using a heavier denser foam the Trek uses less foam, is stronger, lighter and flies faster. She is better balanced and easier to launch at the thermal field or at the slope. The radio/battery compartment is now easy to access so the battery can quickly be changed for extended flying time. I compliment Dream-Flight on their excellent new plane the Alula-Trek.

Pluses & Minuses

• Assembles in about an hour including transmitter programming
• No glue was required
• I think she looks beautiful
• Can be stored and transported ready to fly
• Can be quickly assembled/disassembled with a Phillip's screwdriver if necessary
• She is both a hand toss thermal sailplane or light wind at the slope sailplane
• Birdlike appearance in flight makes me feel even more one with nature when flying her
• No Blem tape included in the kit or the optional flight pack
• Electric Flight
• Advertising
• Our Sponsors
• Review Policies
• Terms of Service
• Privacy Policy
• Site History
• Mark Forums Read
• Member Search
• Upcoming Articles
• Do Not Sell My Data
• Manage Consent
• Back to Top

Just added to your cart

Alula-TREK kit, ARG w/servos and Rx Batt by Dreamflight

Adding product to your cart

DESIGNED TO GO WHEREVER INSPIRATION TAKES YOU

The alula-TREK is the latest version of the the world's most popular bird-inspired RC glider. The ultra lightweight and packable airframe is perfect for travel and exploration, assembling in minutes without glue! Whether at a a coastal dune, mountain ridge, or your local park- the only limit is your soaring imagination. Spend less time building and more time outside flying, with the Dream-Flight alula-TREK.

NZ Kits Include Metal Gear Flight Pack for  alula-TREK.

(2) 4.8g DMG Servos (1) Rx Battery 4.8V NiMH 300mAh (1) Battery Extension Wire  (Simple and lightweight alternative to a switch)

Note: Battery, servos, and extensions feature universal style connectors (Hitec/JR)

4.8g DMG (Digital Metal Gear) Servo Specifications:

Weight: 4.8g (includes wire, plug, arm, and screw) Maximum Torque (4.8V): 0.8 Kg cm Size: 18.8 x 7.8 x 21.5mm Speed: (4.8V): 0.08s for 60° Motor: Coreless with digital driver Drive Train: Metal gears

Rx Battery Specifications:

Voltage: 4.8V (4 cell 1/3AA) Capacity: 300mAh Weight: 31g Size: 57 x 29 x 15mm Charge: 100-250mA (automatic charger with NiMH mode recommended)

KIT FEATURES

The Alula-TREK was developed from the ground up to provide pilots of all skill levels a unique RC soaring experience with minimal building skills required. Getting into the air has never been easier. The most refined Alula yet is ready to get out and glide, when you are.

• "ARG" Almost Ready to Glide  - NO GLUE interlocking design uses rare earth magnets
• Wide flight envelope  navigates thermals with ease and can be ballasted to handle the gusts
• Precision-molded  EPO foam and composite parts ensure a lightweight and durable airframe
• Wing retention system  allows for quick break down and assembly at any location
• Easy wingtip launching  for both left and right-handed pilots
• Designed to go  where your spirit for adventure leads you!

Check out the Flight and Assembly Manual

Download Promotional PDF Flyer for alula-TREK

• Share Share on Facebook
• Tweet Tweet on Twitter
• Pin it Pin on Pinterest
• Choosing a selection results in a full page refresh.
• Press the space key then arrow keys to make a selection.

Already a member? Log-In  or Register Now

Dream-Flight Alula

The Flite Test crew take a look at the Dream-Flight Alula  "fly anywhere" R/C glider . 

The Alula is made from molded EPO hybrid foam which provides a stiff and lightweight RC glider design. 

 The forward-swept wing of the Alula make this glider a very stable. 

You can launch these gliders using a side-arm-launch method or with a sid-arm 'spin' launch (as David prefers).

The Alula comes as a kit and includes the ultra-light linkages, carbon-fiber pushrods and  more .

These gliders were 'blinged out' using the Flite Test Decal kit,  available in our web store!

They call this the "urban glider", due to its ability to soar in the most unconventional of locations.

We'd like to thank George Rodriguez from Dream-Flight for sending out these great gliders. You can learn more about the Alula on thier website:  www.dream-flight.com

Recommend This Article

You need to log-in to rate articles.

• "> Log In to Bookmark Un-Bookmark

- Find this article & others like it at www.FliteTest.com -

Related Articles

Slope Soaring

by FliteTest

FPV Tow Glider

Leave a comment, you need to log-in to comment on articles..

Get access to additional features and goodies.

Looking for your store account?

Forgot Your Password?

St. Philaret of Moscow: Daily Prayer and Prayer of the Prisoner

St. Philaret of Moscow

St. Philaret left a voluminous inheritance of what can be truly called patristic works. He also composed prayers, 1 one of which has become a part of many people’s morning prayers . It is a prayer not for what we want, but for what God wills—that He would always be before us, working in us His Holy will. 2

Morning Prayer of Metropolitan Philaret of Moscow

O Lord, I do not know what to ask of Thee. Thou alone knowest what I need. Thou lovest me more than I know how to love myself. O Father, grant Thy servant what I myself do not know how to ask. I do not dare to ask a cross of Thee, nor consolation; I only stand before Thee with my heart open; Thou seest the needs that I myself do not know. Look, and work in me according to Thy mercy; smite and heal me, cast me down and raise me up! I am reverent and silent before Thy holy will and ways that are unfathomable to me. I offer myself as a sacrifice to Thee; teach me to pray. Do Thou Thyself pray in me. Amen.

Another prayer attributed to the illustrious hierarch was written for prisoners , who although they have been incarcerated for crimes committed, especially need help from the Lord to bear the difficulty of their penitentiary life. But aren’t we are all seemingly prisoners of circumstances that surround us—family troubles, job loss or difficulty, rocky relationships, poverty, and any other thing that makes us feel like there is no way out? But we can pray to God with these words, that He would give us comfort and the strength to endure everything for the sake of cleansing our own sins, which have most likely brought us to these situations.

Prayer of the Prisoner

O my Lord God and Savior, blessed be Thy holy name!

Thanksgiving and praise be to Thee O Lord, for all the blessings I have received from Thee in this life. Sorrow and sickness have overtaken me, and I call upon Thy name. Reproach has fallen upon me. Thou hast laid me in the pit of hades, in the darkness and house of the dead. I sorrow for this, and I understand that I have this sorrow because I have sinned before Thee, and for my sins have these afflictions come upon me. For Thy righteous ones were not downcast, and even in prisons called out to Thee, and rejoiced in sufferings.

For if Thous shouldst mark iniquities, O Lord, O Lord, who shall stand? For there is no man that hath not sinned. But Thou, O Lord, dost bear the sins of the world and cleansest through repentance. I believe, for thou hast not turned even me, a sinner, away from Thy Face. Thy Only Begotten Son didst pour out His blood for the whole world. I believe that He can cleanse even me from my sins, and desires this.

Therefore with David I say: I will confess mine iniquities before the Lord against myself. And Thou forgavest the ungodliness of my heart. I fear the judge and judgment of man, but even more do I fear Thy irrevocable judgment and eternal condemnation. For unrighteousness has risen up against me; I make bold to pray to Thee with David’s words: Hearken O Lord unto my righteousness, and hear my judgment, and deliver me by Thy righteousness.

For although I have committed unrighteousness, heal my unrighteousness by Thy mercy. Do not allow my heart to incline to deceitful words, to hiding the truth, and false justification. Help me to understand and to hate my unrighteousness, to love righteousness, and in truth surround my soul with comfort. Ease the burden of my afflictions. Endure also me, the condemned, that I may endure with patience for the sake of cleansing my sins and for the sake of Thy merciful, righteous judgment.

For if shame has covered me before certain people, may I endure it with humility; may I receive They mercy, O Lord, and may I not be put to shame before the face of the world at Thy Dread [Last] Judgment.

I come to Thee woeful and sorrowful; deprive me not of Thy spiritual consolation. I come to Thee darkened; show me the light of hope for salvation. I fall down before Thee in exhaustion; raise me up and confirm me in Thy grace.

And above all grant me the desire and help me, O Lord, in everything to do Thy will; that in peace I may glorify Thy holy name, of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

1   The translations of these prayers given in this post are our own (not official).

2   When searching in Google for the “Prayer of St. Philaret of Moscow”, one seems always to find not this prayer, but the prayer of the Optina Elders: “O Lord, grant me to greet the coming day in peace, help me in all things to rely upon Your holy will. In every hour of the day reveal Your will to me. Bless my dealings with all who surround me. Teach me to treat all that comes to me throughout the day with peace of soul and with firm conviction that Your will governs all. In all my words and deeds, guide my thoughts and feelings. In unforeseen events, let me not forget that all are sent by You. Teach me to act firmly and wisely, without embittering and embarrasssing others. Give me strength to bear the fatigue of the coming day with all that it shall bring. Direct my will, teach me to pray. And, Yourself, pray in me. Amen.” These prayers are very similar.

Characters remaining: 4000

Subscribe to our mailing list

• Orthodoxy Today
• Homilies and Spiritual Instruction
• Saints. Asceties of Piety. Church Holy Days
• Churches and Monasteries
• Church History
• Coming to Orthodoxy
• Sretensky Monastery
• Orthodoxy Around the World
• Suffering Church
• Church and State
• Marriage and Family
• Photogalleries

Moskva-Class Cruisers

Separate design teams often attempt to meet a set of ship specifications with completely different, although equally valid, strategies. To fulfill the requirements issued in April 2169 for the successor (NX-223) to the Daedalus class, which was introduced at the end of the Romulan War, Prosser & Ankopitch proposed a ship with an extremely large, spherical command hull attached to a nearly vestigial engineering hull. The proposal from the Mikoyan-Tupolev-Dassault Bureau used a long narrow command hull with a minimal frontal silhouette counterbalanced by an equally long engineering hull.

The engineers at Tezuka-Republic decided that the division of ship's functions between a command/crew hull and an engineering hull was arbitrary and unnecessarily restricted design options. Therefore, rather than gathering all the specified facilities in a single hull, their design TR-223A spread them across two hulls, as in Daedalus , and segregated the SSWR-IV-C warp core to a "bustle" at the extreme aft end of the secondary hull. This bustle could be separated easily and quickly from the rest of the engineering hull in the event of a warp core breach. The now-unpowered warp nacelles would then be shed. In this way, the demands of safety would be met without warp dynamics being degraded either by an excessively large frontal silhouette or by longitudinal warp field imbalance.

Although the Ship Specifications Review Board praised Tezuka-Republic for its creative solution to the problem of admittedly contradictory requirements for extreme safety and improved warp performance, they were forced to disqualify design TR-223A for not precisely meeting contract specifications. Therefore, in October 2171, construction contract NX-223 for Starfleet's new cruiser was awarded to Prosser & Ankopitch for what would become the Wasp class .

However, almost no one was happy with the new Wasp ships. Even before the contract was awarded, voices within Starfleet and within industry had strongly criticized the specifications of April 2169. These critics charged that they would lead to a mediocre, albeit safe, fighting ship. Two separate classes were needed, not a single class that was neither a proper explorer nor a proper warship. When Wasp was finally launched in 2173, her performance during precommisioning trials clearly showed that the critics had been correct. Although the performance problems were related in part to the continuing unavailability of the more powerful Tezuka-Republic Hiryu ("Flying Dragon") mark III warp nacelles, Wasp was obviously not the ship Starfleet had hoped for.

In a second attempt to obtain a reliable and capable warship, new specifications (NX-374) were issued in September 2175, little more than a year after USS  Wasp had entered service. Adding to this sense of urgency were intelligence reports suggesting that the Romulans had either developed or otherwise acquired matter/antimatter (M/AM) reactors. This time the specifications put less emphasis upon safety. The original requirement for completely separate command and engineering hulls was eliminated; instead, any hull configuration was allowed as long as the warp core could be quickly separated from the rest of the ship. Furthermore, requirements for speed, acceleration, and maneuverability both under impulse power and under warp power were increased, as were performance levels for target acquisition, tracking, and servicing.

These new specifications were a clear, albeit belated, admission that the critics had been correct all along: one class could not be expected to serve as both an explorer and a main battleship. In fact, starship technology was not considered sufficiently mature for a single ship to adequately fulfill both mission profiles until 2245, when the Constitution -class heavy cruiser was launched. (The controversy continues even today in the wake of the problems of the Galaxy -class explorer.)

Luckily, the designers and engineers at Tezuka-Republic had not been idle since their disappointing loss of the Wasp contract in 2171. Instead, they had spent their time refining design TR-223A so that their new entry (TR-374A) was markedly superior to what had been submitted 5 years earlier. In particular, the new SSWR-V warp reactor allowed the bustle to be made smaller, lighter, and even more easily separable. Therefore, it was hardly surprising when in November 2176 Tezuka-Republic was awarded the production contract over designs from Shimata-Dominquez, Prosser & Ankopitch, Mikoyan-Tupolev Dassault, Monarch R&U, and Thornycroft/Ebisu for what was to become the Moskva class.

However, engineering prowess may not have been the only factor in Tezuka-Republic's winning of the contract. There were accusations that the delay in delivery of the Hiryu warp engines was an attempt by Tezuka-Republic to prevent Wasp from reaching her designed performance levels. While no conclusive incriminating evidence has come to light, the delivery of the long-awaited engines shortly before the scheduled launch of Moskva in December 2177 is certainly suspicious. Tezuka-Republic maintains that if their submission of 2169 had been selected, its performance would also have not have met design specifications without the Hiryu engines. However, critics charge that TR-223A was not as reliant as Wasp on the type of engine used. Furthermore, once the Wasp contract was awarded, and even after Wasp was launched, Tezuka-Republic certainly made no efforts to accelerate delivery of Hiryu.

These controversies were soon rendered moot as the new Moskva class was recognized as a significant advance in starship design. The most important new feature was Moskva's discoid primary hull. Earlier designs had chosen a spherical primary hull for reasons of economy. Simple geometric relationships dictate that a spherical hull has the smallest surface area for a given volume. Therefore, construction costs are lower and shields are more efficient. Furthermore, institutional inertia had led nearly all exploratory cruisers originating until that time from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, the United States Astronautics Agency, the United Earth Space Probe Agency, and its successor organizations to have spherical hulls.

The designers of USS  Moskva employed a biconvex disc for several reasons. Their initial motive was to increase hull volume while minimizing both frontal and lateral silhouettes. A warship with large frontal and lateral silhouettes would be at a greater disadvantage in most tactical situations than would be a ship with an increased superior silhouette. However, the discoid hull allowed the traditional radial layout of command hulls to be retained.

More important than these tactical advantages were functional advantages. As was shown with the Wasp class, warp field geometry would have been awkward if a spherical hull with its relatively large frontal area had been used. The discoid hull was also found to channel warp field flow across its upper surface towards the bussard ram scoops of the warp nacelles. This channeling effect improved field efficiency at all power levels and speeds. As the understanding of warp field mechanics was refined, the trend towards saucer-shaped primary hulls would be intensified in later Starfleet vessels.

In most respects, the Moskva class continued design and engineering trends established in the Comet and Daedalus classes introduced at the end of the Romulan War. As in these classes, ship functions were clearly divided between a command/crew hull and an engineering/propulsion hull. The bridge was returned to its customary position atop the command hull and the shuttlecraft bay was again placed in the secondary hull. The fusion reactor was centered along the longitudinal axis of the ship, and impulse thrust ports exited immediately in front of the warp bustle detachment seam.

Weaponry was the then-standard mix of fusion-warhead missiles and lasers. New to this class was an early type of ultraphased pulse laser cannon, two of which were mounted in the chin of the primary hull. Although the on-target energy output of this new weapon approached that of early phasers, its power requirement was higher and its range was substantially less. However, subsequent refinements lead to steady improvement and, ultimately, to the development of true phasers in 2202. Although Moskva -class ships were the first to be fitted with phasers in 2204, lasers were still carried by the Moskva class and later classes until the 2220s. Finally, warp capability was supplied by the long-awaited Hiryu mark III drive units.

The first ship of the new class, USS  Moskva (NCC-374), entered service with Starfleet in April 2179. An additional 30 ships (NCC-375 to NCC-404) joined the fleet through 2183. Moskva -class ships gained immediate popularity with officers and crews. First, total laser firepower was increased some 75% over that in the preceding Wasp class. Second, because the ship's mass was more equally distributed along the longitudinal axis than in the Wasp class, Moskva was significantly more maneuverable at both sublight and warp speeds. Finally, the more warp-dynamic design allowed greater cruising and maximum speeds.

The Moskva class had an outstanding safety record. No ships were lost because of mechanical failures. However, an incident occurred aboard USS  Johannesburg in 2186 when a faulty nacelle flow monitor falsely indicated a runaway positive feedback power loop within the plasma flow governor. Believing that a catastrophic warp core explosion was imminent, Chief Engineer Roberta Bocharnikov ordered the warp nacelles and warp bustle to be separated. Although unnecessary, these maneuvers were successful in causing the separated warp core to initiate its automatic shut-down routine. The warp core, nacelles, and the rest of the ship were towed to Starbase 13, where they were successfully re-mated. Despite her supreme embarrassment, Bocharnikov oversaw the reassembly and relaunching of Johannesburg and retained her position as chief engineer.

Although most ships of the Moskva class had left front-line service by 2215, some continued to serve as auxiliaries and training vessels until the 2240s. After retirement from active duty, Moskva -class ships were used as testbeds for many emerging technologies owing to the similarities of their layouts to those of succeeding classes. USS  Moskva was the site of the first successful ship-to-surface transport of a Human being in 2206, and USS  Gato was the first ship to fire photon torpedoes in 2214. In addition, Taurus -class tugs, which entered service in 2182, and Sanford -class repair tenders, which entered service in 2185, were derived from the Moskva class and used the same primary hull and warp drive assembly.

The Moskva -class cruiser USS  Aurora (NCC-377), a participant of the Battle of Eohippus IV, is on display at the Starfleet Museum.

Standard displacement: 67,750 t

Crew complement: 160 (27 officers + 133 crew) Weapons: 8 Type VI laser turrets (8 × 1 mounts), 2 Type VII laser cannons (fixed mounts), 2 missile launchers with 36 Spartak missiles Embarked craft: 4 medium cargo/personnel shuttlecraft, 2 light personnel shuttlecraft, 5 fighter/scouts Warp drive: SSWR-V-A spherical cavity M/AM reactor with 2 Hiryu III nacelles Velocity: wf 4.0, cruise; wf 5.0, supercruise; wf 5.2, maximum Units commissioned: 31

• Libelle DLG
• Weasel-TREK
• Which Glider?

Brand Dream-Flight

UNLEASH YOUR SLOPESTYLE

Inspired by years of “in your face” flying with our Weasel and Alula gliders, the Ahi takes your slope expression to the next level of performance. The Ahi reinvents freestyle aerobatics with a totally fresh design. Pump it, roll it, spin it, snap it, tumble it, embrace the potential. The canvas has never been bigger- let your creative paint fly!

Download Promotional PDF Flyer for the Ahi

KIT FEATURES

The Ahi's purposeful layout and shape make for a fully capable aerobatic sloper with a groovy pattern-like feel and precision, allowing you to efficiently connect maneuvers in less lift. Carefully proportioned and balanced control surfaces provide predictable, yet aggressive control authority.

• "ARG" Almost Ready to Glide - Interlocking design ensures quick assembly
• Wide flight envelope  for smooth and predictable gliding or highly inspired freestyle aerobatics
• Precision-molded EPO foam and composite parts ensure a lightweight, durable airframe
• Highly efficient and nimble design makes the most out of light wind conditions
• Carbon fiber canopy is held magnetically for easy access to radio compartment
• Ballast compartment - quickly adapt to varying wind conditions
• Laser-cut plywood servo tray and battery hold-down
• Integrated landing skid for those rougher touch downs
• Designed to inspire!

Home of the buy one get one free