Spirit Elite (oz12801)
About this Plan
Spirit Elite. Radio control sailplane model. Wingspan 2m.
Discontinued kit from Great Planes, see http://www.greatplanes.com/manuals/discontinued.php
Revised CAD version by Alan Sinclair, 2021.
Direct submission to Outerzone.
Quote: "Thank you for purchasing the Great Planes SPIRIT ELITE sailplane. Soaring offers a freedom that no other type of flying can provide! With a little practice and some help from mother nature, you will be able to defy gravity and enjoy flights that can last for hours.
The SPIRIT ELITE’S wing uses the SA7035 airfoil at the root blending to the SA7036 airfoil at the tip. This combination gives the aircraft a superior Lift to Drag (L/D) ratio with outstanding performance in higher wind conditions. This advanced wing design incorporates flaps and ailerons to provide the ultimate in control when using computer radio mixing functions.
Take your time and follow directions to end up with a well-built model that is straight and true..."
Update 10/3/2022: Added kit revew from RCM, May 2001, thanks to RFJ.
Quote: "RCM Product Review: Spirit Elite from Great Planes, by Dennis Adamisin.
Great Planes originally introduced the Spirit (oz13188) as an entry-level sailplane. Trouble is the designer then went out and promptly won the Nationals with it! Fact was that while it was rugged, easy building, and had the docile handling characteristics of a glider trainer, it also offered great thermaling capability.
Over time Great Planes evolved the original Spirit to include the electric powered Spectra (oz13538) and the enlarged Spirit 100 (oz10312) to help newcomers to the sport of soaring. While still a great bird, the original 2M Spirit was ready for an updating, and that's where the new Spirit Elite comes in.
The Elite takes everything about the original Spirit and makes it thinner, slimmer, and faster. The original's 53010 wing section is replaced with a state of the art transitional SA7035-7036. The fuselage is a little lower and narrower; the tail feathers a bit more rakish. While it can still be built with simple Rudder/Elevator controls, the Spirit Elite is really intended to be a modern Full-house bird with flaps and ailerons. Think of the Spirit Elite as a Spirit raised on health food.
There were nine bundles and packages of material plus a few odd pieces of material lying snugly in the brightly decorated 2.5 x 6.5 x 46 inch box. The 36 x 50 in printed plan sheet was rolled.
The 32-page instruction book is profusely illustrated and contains several other useful features. For example, there is a complete set of die-cut patterns that can be used to identify parts, a list of material needed to complete the kit, a tip sheet on hi-start launching. both thermal and slope soaring, and a flight log. A personal favorite feature was that the 'centerfold' of the manual is a reduced size plan sheet.
Prior to building I went through and read the instructions and crosschecked the installation diagrams with the reduced size plan and the die-cut sheet - all from an easy chair. Certainly it contributed to the quick building of the review kit.
Construction: The builder will need the usual assortment of modeling tools, the structure is 'CA-friendly' and Great Planes thin and medium CA's were used for most construction. I also used Great Planes 6-Minute Epoxy and wood glue. As a veteran of several Great Planes kits it came as no surprise to me that the die-cutting was absolutely flawless. Part of their secret is that they do not die-cut anything thicker than 1/8 in, so the cuts are always clean.
Construction begins with the tail. Except for a few die-cut pieces in the middle of the stab and elevator, the tail is constructed of various 3/16 thick strips cut to fit. Nothing terribly mysterious here. The key thing is to make sure you sand out the finished structure, especially the glue spots where all the joints come together. Make sure to get nice thin trailing edges. I've found this job is easier when I first hinge the surfaces together. It makes it easier to hold everything still while I sand it out..."
Update 18/4/2022: Added kit review from R/C Model World, December 2000, thanks to RFJ.
Update 23/8/2023: Added kit review from Model Flyer, January 2002, thanks to RFJ.
Update 7/10/2023: Added kit review from S&E Modeler, January 2002, thanks to RFJ.
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(oz12801)
Spirit Elite
by Gregory Duitsman
from Great Planes
1999
78in span
Glider R/C
clean :)
all formers complete :)
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Submitted: 05/02/2021
Filesize: 1084KB
Format: • PDFvector • CADfile
Credit*: AlanSinclair
Downloads: 3475





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- Spirit Elite (oz12801)
- Plan File Filesize: 1084KB Filename: Spirit_Elite_oz12801.pdf
- Supplement Filesize: 2499KB Filename: Spirit_Elite_oz12801_instructions.pdf
- Supplement Filesize: 1857KB Filename: Spirit_Elite_oz12801_review_MF.pdf
- Supplement Filesize: 1941KB Filename: Spirit_Elite_oz12801_review_RCM.pdf
- Supplement Filesize: 4240KB Filename: Spirit_Elite_oz12801_review_RCMW.pdf
- Supplement Filesize: 2941KB Filename: Spirit_Elite_oz12801_review_SEM.pdf
- CAD Zip Filesize: 369KB Filename: Spirit_Elite_oz12801_cad.zip
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Notes
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