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Cougar 2000 Flying Review
My name is Andrew Payne, and I’ve offered to write a flying review of the Weston UK Cougar 2000. I live on the edge of
Wiltshire
and fly with the White Horse Model Club near the Uffington White Horse in Oxfordshire. I have had a Cougar now for about 18
months, and was initially won over by the colour scheme and its fantastic build quality. After flying other models like my
Wot 4 I fancied something that was capable of even more extreme manoeuvres, so I set out to teach myself prop hanging and
torque rolling as well as other 3d manoeuvres. I’m not saying that the way I learnt these tricks is the best, however
in the
interests of spreading some knowledge I feel you ought to try these things out. The best part of this hobby is experimenting,
after all.
Aerobatics
Most club flyers are familiar with the basic aerobatics, such as loops, rolls, stall turns and the like. The Cougar 2000 is
capable of all of them and more. It must be said that users of computer radios can perform these sorts of aeros with a little
more flair, by using flapperons, spoilerons, and airbrakes but the point of this article is not to touch on this aspects of
flying; rather on prop hanging (or hovering) and torque rolling. This is where the torque of the prop turns the aircraft whilst
the model is prop hanging. These manoeuvres are not easy but are for the flyer that has become a little bored with ‘everyday’
aeros.
Prop Hanging
The Cougar 2000 is advertised as one of the easiest models to prop hang – the ideal prop hanging trainer. I don’t
know if
this is the case but I can say that I learned to do it with the Cougar in about 3-4 weeks of good summer weather. In order
to prop hang any model you need an engine capable of holding the models weight under power (preferably around half throttle)
and you need high rates on the elevator, rudder and aileron. Therefore with the recommended Magnum 36XL and throttle pipe
the Cougar 2000 nicely fits the bill. Other engines can be used (I started with a piped Irvine 40) but as power to weight
is a big consideration careful choice of motor is required. I’m now using a Leo 37 with 11 x 4 prop. I have found the
success
to prop hanging in two things – model preparation and practise. Balance the model laterally and ensure you have 2-3 degrees
of side thrust built in. This will help prevent the left wing from dropping all the time while in the hover. Also arrange
the CG as far back as you are comfortable with (but still within design limits). It is best to start learning to prop hang
on a calm wind day and with plenty of spare height. However avoid the temptation to go too high, as you need to see what the
model is doing. The technique is as follows:
From straight and level and into wind fly the model such that it is going away from you. Advance to full throttle and pull
up so that you are in the vertical. Lower your throttle until the model stops. This should be around half throttle on the
above setup. You will now be looking at the top of the model. If it starts coming toward you or leaning backwards, push down
elevator, if it falls forward then pull up elevator. If it rolls to the right use left aileron until it is straight and vice
versa. You will however need some right aileron to offset the torque of the prop and a little right rudder too. It is best
to keep these movements gentle as these keeps things smooth, but also important to make corrections as soon as possible. It
is also important to keep the model pointing vertical and this is achieved with rudder, and height will be maintained with
throttle. Prop hanging therefore involves the smooth co-ordinated use of all four controls. In the early stages you will find
the model ‘falls out’. To recover level the wings and use power to climb away.
Once you've learned the prop hang at height, you can then try it lower to the ground. To do this, start as before and with
the throttle at idle, let it pass you as slow as possible. When you are over the spot where you want to hover, blip the throttle
whilst pulling up elevator, and pull the model into the vertical. Keep the wings level and then add power such that the model
doesn't climb. The technique is as before to maintain the prop hang. With practise you can come down so low that you nudge
the ground with the elevator!
Torque Rolling
The Torque Roll is one of the most impressive manoeuvres to witness and one of the hardest to perform. The model setup for
torque rolling is as above ie model laterally balanced and a rearward CG. The controls used in the Torque Roll are the throttle,
rudder and elevator. The ailerons are really not very effective as the roll is induced by the torque of the prop rather than
with the ailerons. You will find right rudder and up elevator are the most common stick motions along with throttle to keep
the model’s height stable.
As with prop hanging it is best to start off on a calm wind day, with enough height for mistakes but low enough to see how
the model is reacting. Also I found it easier on low rates. From straight and level and into wind fly the model such that
it is going away from you. Advance to full throttle and pull up so that you are in the vertical as before. Lower the throttle
until the model stops. The first thing to do is find the attitude where the plane will torque roll by itself. For the Cougar
2000 this slightly on its back maybe by 5 degrees from the vertical.
With the both sticks centralised, simply watch which way the model goes. Leave the controls as they are and watch how the
model falls out. The model wont stay hanging like this for more than a couple of seconds - mine fell out to the left and flopped
forward. However now you can start to see what sort of entry correction has to be made to enable the model to stay hanging
the longest and what the throttle setting is needed to hold the model from climbing or falling. Enter the manoeuvre again
and add in a little correction as the plane comes to a stop. This is most likely to be a little up elevator and right rudder.
The important thing is that you are not trying to prevent the model falling out, rather you are trying to find where to place
the sticks such that it doesn’t fall out at all. This is called the ‘Neutral’ point. On the Cougar 2000 I found
this to be
slight up elevator, slight right rudder, and just over half throttle, with ailerons centralised.
Once you have mastered the entry, the model should hang for a second before starting to rotate. You will probably find that
it will turn about 90 degrees and fall out. The tricky part now is to watch the model and make small, early corrections around
the neutral stick position that you found before, as it rotates. The torque rolls should now happen all by themselves –
however
now it takes lots and lots of practice to get good at it.
Conclusion
The Cougar 2000 is a fantastic model. It will fly very slowly, it can be docile if required and it can be an out and out hooligan’s
model. It is capable of all the basic (as well as most of the other 3d) aeros as previously mentioned. If you’re happy
with
those and want to try something that’s a bit different, a bit a challenge and above all fun then try some prop hanging
and
torque rolling. Good Luck and thanks go to fellow WHMC clubmate Alan Davidson for the flying shots.
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