I really like the Russia. We did have to work through some
new design problems initially with the engine and prop but
once we got the bugs worked out, its a great little ship
that thermals nearly like a 1-26 but glides at ~34-35/1.
Its very responsive in pitch and roll and a delight to fly.
It has a relatively high wing loading so it moves out when
you put the nose down. We have just just less than 40 hours
on it and had hoped to fly off our experimental phase 1
restrictions this weekend but the weather stinks.

Ground handling is easy because the thing is so light..ours
is about 420 lbs empty and I can easily push it out to the
runway myself.

When the engine has been stowed for a while, it takes quit a
bit of priming to get fuel into the carb and with our model,
the prop must be spinning quickly to get the necessary
updraft to draw the fuel into the cylinder. (This has been
changed with the new models.) Its no longer a problem but
initially it drove us a bit nuts. Now that we understand the
procedure, starting is easy. (Sometimes, something is lost
in the translation in the manual from Russian to English.)
Air starts after the engine has been running are easy.

The airfoil profile is very accurate and the glider is very
stout and well made. (Dick Our major complaint has been
with the tires that leak. We threw out the tail wheel and
replaced it with a plastic hub and Tost tail wheel from
Wings and Wheels and solved the tail wheel problem. Our main
wheel just has to be filled more often than we like. This
winter we will take it off and through some bead sealant
around the rim and see if it solves that problem.

One word to potential owners...motorgliders require a lot
more maintenance than you ever thought about on a regular
sailplane. Cables and drive belts stretch and require
adjustment, prop hubs require retorqueing, the vibration of
a single cylinder engine shakes things loose, etc, etc. Its
endemic to the species regardless of the model and you need
to be committed to keep them maintained. They are not fly
and forget.

Also, the appeal of self launching is self evident but it
can lead to a trap. Just like with 4 wheel drive on a car,
you can be tempted to go places you wouldn't go in a regular
vehicle, but when you get a 4X4 stuck off the road, you
really have a problem. The accident rate in self launchers
is pretty high, in part because guys wait too long to
restart and once the engine is out, handling and performance
can change radically. Discretion is the better part of valor.

Pete Brown


Steve B wrote:
The AC 5M... is that the Russia self launch ship? How do you like it
regarding permormance, starting sequence, handling? Do you have many
hours in it? I have seen the design in pictures but not heard about it
or been able to see one.

Peter D. Brown
http://home.gci.net/~pdb/
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/akmtnsoaring/