The EGIDA is the latest design from Jaro Muller. He designed the EGIDA to incorporate the successes of his past designs, while developing a model to take advantage of the latest material enhancements. Jaro successfully made the EGIDA 63 ounces full strength with better handling than the RL, a better hang rate than the competition, and legs and L/D like the Satori. In our opinion the EGIDA is Jaro's greatest design to date.
Handling and flight Characteristics:
The EGIDA handling is much improved over the RL. The EGIDA is very easy to fly. While in a turn it required very little rudder, and can completely be flown with the right stick. This is because of the extra dihedral built into the tips. This creates a very user friendly model, and allows you to focus on the air more than flying the plane. The aileron area is also increased and they are extended all to the tip allowing for a less drag in a turn and increased roll rate.
The most surprising part of the design was the effectiveness of the V-tail. Jaro put a very large V-tail on the EGIDA. In the past V-tails where undersized and had some nasty characteristics like snapping and bad landing control. We were pleased to find that the EGIDA did not have any of the bad habits. The V-tail actually had more landing control at slow speeds than the X-tail Espada RL with big stabs. Also during tests we tried to snap the model and giving the model full up in a turn did not snap it, and also full up and full rudder did not snap the model. The EGIDA is a very stable platform, it grooves and locks into a thermal turn very well.
The aileron and flap servos are mounted in the root of the wing. Jaro believes that the center of mass needs to be brought as close to the center of the plane as possible. Taking the servos out of the wings decreased drag while rolling because the plane does not need to lift the mass of the servos. Bringing the weight inboard makes the wing tips signal lift better. It is really amazing how the EGIDA signals lift in light air.
The flap size was also increased compared to the RL. This allows for very slow landings and steep approaches. The big difference that we saw with the larger flaps was when a thermal came through on landing. In that condition the pilot needs to dive to stay at the same altitude, but with other models this greatly increases the approach speed. With the EGIDA you are able to maintain a slow speed while diving through the thermal.
New Technology:
Jaro has always been a leader in composite molding technology in the model sailplane industry. The EGIDA is his largest leap forward.
The servos drive system is called fully integrated servo design. Both the flap servo and the aileron servo mounts are located at the root of the wing. The aileron servo goes in front of the spar and the flap servo goes behind the spar in separate pockets. The linkage is already installed, so all you have to do is slide in your servo. If it is not 12 mm you have to shim it, and screw in one set screw that holds the servo head to the torque rod. The torque rod goes from the servo head to the linkage where it hooks up to a ball bearing supported pushrod system that is internally hooked up to the flap or aileron. The pockets fit servos that are 12mm or thinner, so they will easily fit a 761 or 809. The entire linkage is internal and tighter than any linkage we have felt. The only slop in the surface is the slop from the servo.
Jaro also found a way to mold the surfaces outside of the wing mold and still have a live hinge. This creates an extremely stiff surface, and a hinge that will not wear out like taped hinges.
He also found a new way of attaching the leading edge of the wings. In other models the leading edge of the wings are attached using epoxy with filler and foam. This adds weight with very little strength gain. Jaro made the leading edge of the wing skin overlap and bond to each other which is stronger and lighter than the old way.
The EGIDA also features a spread tow carbon d-box with carbon reinforcement in the wing where necessary. He uses the lightest layup and the lightest layup techniques possible to create this extremely light 63 ounces (809, and 761 servo) EGIDA.
Jaro also used the successful composite layup of the Espada on the fuse using a honey comb skin with a spar down the center of the fuse.
The Kit:
The EGIDA requires very little building. It come prewired, the linkages in the wing and fuse already completed, and the servo tray in the fuse already made and installed. All you have to do it set up your radio shim the servos slide them into the wing and screw in the set screw to complete the wings. For the fuse you need to mount the servo on the premade servo tray, install the RX and battery, and balance. The build time for an EGIDA is around 3 hours, and it is one of the easiest builds around.
Performance:
On top of the awesome handling, and amazing technology the EGIDA is one of the best performers. According to Cody R. it is the best performing model he has flown, and he has tested most F3J models. The EGIDA at 63 ounces RTF has an amazing hang rate when tested against other top F3J models in light air conditions. It also has great ability to cover distance because of the very thin airfoils and ultra clean design. Other light air models are what we call a one design model, meaning they are super light but don’t cover distance. This is a problem because you can only fly those models in light air. The EGIDA however is the opposite, it hangs as good as the other models but it still can move around the sky like the heavier models. This allows the EGIDA to be a true one plane fits all conditions. This is a significant advantage because you don’t have to be concerned about switching models between rounds.
Results:
During testing we knew the EGIDA was special. The handling was excellent, the sink rate was excellent, the launch was fast and high, the ability to cover sky was excellent, and the L/D was amazing. The model has beaten every top F3J model in death match testing. When Cody took it to the Nationals it was like a deadly weapon. It did very high and fast short tows and excelled in every condition. He was able to win both F3J and Open at the 2011 nationals flying the EGIDA. The plane is a winner!
Mike Verzuh on the Egida 7/29/2012
Now that I have owned and flown an Egida for about 9 months
I thought I would report on my experiences and observations.
First overall this is one of the most interesting planes to
come along in some time. The design is away from the current 4m, large surface
area, and very low wing loading design trend. I know Jaro Muller set out to
achieve some major new objectives such as, light weight, thin wing design with
all the weight centered, ease of assembly, v-tail design that was not only
functional but user friendly and more. I believe this plane meets and exceeds
his objectives. The assembly of this plane is done in 3-4 hours. The
repeatability of setup from plane to plane is amazing because of the cam drive
system for the flaps and ailerons. All the variability of servo placement and
arm length are gone. My summary covers contest results, overall performance
observed, Launch, Wind performance, and Landing. This is my direct experience
with the plane having flown it over 100 hours, and of course my opinion.
Contest results: From last November (2011) to now I have
competed in 5 events, all F3J with winches format for a total of 42 rounds. All
of those were flown with an Egida and I got my full time in 40 of the 42. The
two rounds where I came up short we caused by a bad pilot decision – my bad for
sure.
Overall performance:
The slipperiness of this plane combined with an outstanding
climb rate and yet an ability to hang and turn flat in the light air is superb.
Several times in events the Egida would out climb other great planes in the
same thermal. I attribute this to the overall light weight 62-63oz oz. I have
directly compared the climb against other top new design planes (in this case
the 4.0 Maxa) and observed equivalent climb. However there is a difference when
you need to move between air or cover ground. The Egida has an overall higher
wing loading which combined with the airfoil, and high aspect ratio plan-form
allows the plane to really cover ground. Once you get to where you are going
camber up, slow down and climb fast.
One thing that really amazed me is the plane’s stability.
V-Tails can carry a bit of a reputation for tip-stall, but not the Egida. The
v-tail volume, length and overall position seem to be perfect for stability.
The plane will turn very flat or put it on a wing tip, hold the rudder and
carve an aggressive turn if needed.
Lift detection is amazing with the Egida. The extremely
light wings with all the weight centered lets this plane signal everything
going on. You do have to spend a little time with this in flight practice
compared to other planes because you are getting a whole new level of
information as the plane signals the smallest lift and wind shift.
Launch performance:
Launch setup is important on this plane. I will post the
current “best case” Egida setup I have been using in a follow-up post. The plane is extremely fast launcher and
still yields very high launches. How high? Here is some data collected. I have
sorted on wind condition for these two different test days. Not captured in
this data are launches measured on windy days (5-10mph) which were over 800 ft.
Of particular interest is the launch height with a short tow, less than 1 sec.,
over 400ft – not bad for F3J to be at 400 ft. with a 62oz plane having given up
less than a second on the line. These launches were all done with a legal F3B
winch, braided ground line and legal F3J length mono (1.28mm) air leg.
Wind Performance:
I think this is a strength area for this plane. Its thin
section and high aspect ratio allow great penetration. I don’t consider adding
ballast to the basic 62 oz plane until the wind gets over 10mph. Then, when
between 10-15mph, I have been using ~7 oz. From 15-20mph I use about 10 oz.
During last year’s F3J team selection both Cody and Skip flew Egidas, Cody all
the time Skip ¾ of the time. When the wind came (most of the event) the ground
speeds were measured by Phil R. averaging 16mph. They flew their planes with a
max of 10 oz of ballast. They covered ground just as well as any other plane in
the competition (and there were a couple of B planes flown). What is important
is the AUW in this condition was a max of 72-73oz. I didn’t fly an Egida in the
TS event, and I needed to ballast to an AUW close to 90oz for the conditions. This
meant the Egida was still able to climb in the light lift plus wind when the
heavier plane just maintains. For me when the lift gets weak but the wind is
still up this is huge.
Landing Performance:
The Egida scores very well in the landing zone. There is
plenty of down elevator for a fast push and with the long nose the plane sticks
well. I will say you have to practice your technique more with this plane.
There are a couple of factors. First is overall weight. The light weight coupled
with added tip dihedral can push this plane off line if you get slow and flat
during the final approach. Also as with any light plane getting slow in the
wind (particularly in sink) on approach and you will land short. The best
approach is to make sure you are headed in with “authority” nose down in the
last 7-8 seconds. Any clock adjustments are best done prior to that last piece
of the final approach. You can get away with a nose up float approach to burn
time at the last few seconds, but you must read the conditions first. Mid-day
active conditions can easily get you off-line if you aren’t careful. My best results are to work hard in practice
on judging the correct time at 10, then 7 seconds, then nose down drive the
plane to you with a final pull of flaps at 2-3 seconds, roll the nose over and
stick the plane in. Overall I would say landing is a strength, but there are
conditions that can get you in more trouble than other designs that should be
watched out for.
In summary this is a great plane, particularly for F3J and
in fact I believe is setting the direction of future winning F3J designs.
Mario S Post on RCGroups 12/9/12
Today I flew the Egida in TPG's last contest of the year. This is after
not flying anything since the Arizona F3J contest so, rusty fingers is
an understatement.
Rick Shelby built the glider the way nobody can, that is flawlessly. Thanks Rick.
He balanced it to 95mm and up it went on tow.
I have been flying RC's since I was 18 years old, I am 43 now (ouch).
Have flown three F3B world championships and MANY MANY planes just for
fun.
My comments on the glider are only after having it flown exactly five times. So I AM SURE IT WILL GET BETTER.
My previous glider was an Xplorer 3.8 that I thought was the best thing in the world.
WELL, THE WORLD EVOLVES AND SO DO RC TOYS.
My god, the level of engineering on this thing is unreal.
Flying wise, it launches fast. Way faster than my 3.8 xplorer and
definitely faster than the 4 meter. I can't comment on the new xplorer
because I have not seen much of it. It launches extremely easily and
builds energy fast. I remember the zooms on my xplorer were always weak
regardless of set up.
Once in the air, it does everything well. It suits my flying style
because it is easy to fly but a huge performance envelope. Specially
when you consider it weights 62oz!! It thermals incredibly well. The
only thing I noticed is that it does not give you much warning when
stalling. Once a stall happens, it drops the nose (not the wing) about
6-10 feet and keeps on flying.
Landing this thing was sooooo easy. The first flight I got a 76 pt
landing, the second 97, then 96 then two 95's and that was without the
skeg.
This glider is amazing, amazing, amazing!
I DIDNT THINK I WAS GOING TO BE THANKING JARO AGAIN FOR FLYING ONE OF
HIS DESIGNS BUT I AM. THANK YOU MASTER JARO YOU ARE THE MAN AND THANK
YOU SKIP AND CODY FOR BRINGING THE EGIDA TO THE USA.
