THSS REVIEW
House of Balsa's "OVER THE EDGE"
Specifications:
Wingspan: 67"
Weight: 34 oz.
Wingloading: 10 oz./sq. ft.
Airfoil: Dang slow one
Radio: standard receiver, 2 standard servos
Skill level: Beginner

Why the Over the Edge. That's the name of my second plane. As the name suggests, it's a slope specific glider. According to the writing on the box, it is an aerobatic slope trainer. The reason I picked this glider was because it was one of the two slope gliders available at the hobby shop by my house.

Building the Over the Edge. Like a Gentle Lady, the Over the Edge is a balsa kit that requires full assembly. The fuse was pretty easy to build, but the wings took a while. The first problem I had with building it was the tail section. I followed the plans at first and I ended up with a crooked and weak tail. Using some triangular shaped supports, I reinforced all the joints, and after that it was fine. The second problem I had was the ailerons* included in the kit. They were both warped. I bought some new ones from the hobby shop and used those instead.

Flying the Over the Edge. The first windy day after completing the Edge, I took it to the local slope. Boy, was I excited. I'd finally be able to do all those neat tricks and speed runs that the other guys were doing. After a few quick throws on a flat area to adjust the controls, I tossed my Over the Edge over the edge (heh, get it?). It didn't fall like a rock (which is good), and it actually flew. Even though it is an aileron glider (has ailerons but no rudder*, which is different from the Gentle Lady which has a rudder, but no ailerons), it was pretty darn easy for me to fly. After getting a hang of the controls, I got a good bit of altitude and pointed the nose down for my first real speed run! Wow, lemme tell ya..... it sucked. It was quite a bit faster than the Gentle Lady, but it just wasn't that fast. After realizing I didn't have a speed machine, I decided to try some aerobatics. Loops were easy enough, but snap rolls* were very hard to do. The only thing I could think of was that the dihedral angle* of the wings was too severe, or that the ailerons were just too small for a glider of this size. I stayed out there for a few hours flying this plane. I even added some ballast* to increase its speed. Although it was quite a bit more exciting than the Gentle Lady, it just wasn't advanced enough for me. I would recommend the Over the Edge as a first plane, not as a second. I probably would have been better off learning on the Over the Edge than with the Gentle lady.

* Defined on the Definitions page.
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