We head out to the station in the afternoon to test a new plane: the mini Talon. It already did some test flights in Finland and should now show its capabilities in strong winds. It can fly faster (40m/s), allows a larger payload and is more efficient than the SUMO. For a flight at a constant altitude it needs about 50% less power. But it is much harder to fine tune and fly. The main application is to fly at high wind speeds and operate turbulence sensors that give a more accurately signal at higher speeds.

The advantage of the SUMO is that is possible to operate at up to 15m/s wind even with low model aircraft skills. The autopilot keeps the aircraft level in the assisted “Auto1” mode. The mini Talon needs more active flying by the pilot. The approach has to be precisely planned as it glides very well.

In contrast to yesterday there is strong wind with speeds up to 13m/s. The wind speed is lower at higher altitudes. We seek shelter in the lee of the Bandvagn at the beach. The plane can cope with the turbulent gusts in 40m altitude only after we have reduced the control gains of the autopilot. Profiles are flown at different places in the valley entrance.