Taboo GT DLG

Taboo GT
coming soon to a flying field near you!..

Welcome and thanks for visiting the home page of Taboo GT - one of the best vacuum bagged hand launch gliders on the market today. Taboo GT has been in constant evolution since it was first introduced in 2005. Since that time we have introduced a lot of small improvements into the design, but we did not feel that there was a need to rename the model since the general look and feel of the model remained the same. Instead of renaming the model we decided to keep the familiar name and continue improving the performance.

In 2009 the planform and airfoils of Taboo GT went through another evolution step. The objective was to preserve the renowned excellent handling qualities of the Taboo line, and create a perfect mix of the ultimate "float" and a reasonable high speed penetration. You will be the final judge of our results, but we think that the changes were very positive.

The tip airfoil is the new Zone-25 developed by Gerald Taylor. The Zone series of airfoils was designed for the ultimate high speed performance and each foil of the series is matched to the appropriate Reynolds number of the corresponding area of the wing. Zone-25 was intended to be used at the tip where the Reynolds numbers are very low due to the low chord. The rest of the wing still uses the proven and familiar airfoils from Mark Drela, AG45/AG46 combination.

The planform and airfoils were changed such that the flaperon chord is slightly increased from the standard 30% on the main panel of the wing, and slightly decreased below the standard 30% at the tip. This allows the flaperons to be driven from near the wing root without the need for any flaperon reinforcements. The increased flaperon chord near the root of the wing gives it additional torsional stiffness that is so needed for preventing the flutter. The slightly reduced flaperon chord near the tip again helps in the flutter prevention by reducing the moment of inertia where it matters the most. The wing servo locations were therefore moved closer to the wing root, reducing the wire length and the overal roll and yaw inertia.

Taboo GT is an extremely easy and honest model to fly. You will be hard pressed to find a hand launch model with better handling. The light wing tips, a judicious amount of washout, well balanced tail areas and moments - all these features allow the model to "dance" in the lightest thermal bubbles, while having a respectable high speed performance. When ballasted, Taboo GT can handle the strongest winds and will come back for a far away thermal with dignity.

Taboo GT remains to be one of the easiest, if not THE easiest, hand launch kits to assemble for the builder (that is you). The pod and boom fuselage provides adequate strength and stiffness for the most demanding launches, while keeping the fuselage weight to a minimum. The ballast chamber is integrated into the tailboom. The open pod design gives you an unmatched access for radio gear installation or for any potential adjustments and repairs later. The pod has enough space for nearly any combination of radio gear, including full size receivers and 9 gram servos. Our latest preference for the fuselage servos are Hitec HS-45, JR-241 or equivalent (JR-285, SM-22) servos. Experience shows that the extra performance and precision of the good quality but heavier 7-9 gram servos is well worth the additional weight. For the wing servos it is nearly impossible to match the performance of Hyperion Atlas DS09 servos.

When it comes to durability and repairing damaged wings, like any foam core wing model Taboo GT allows you to contain the damage to a minimum, and easily restore the model back to a flying condition. The damage is usually non-fatal and with enough diligence almost any wing can be returned back to a good shape. It may not fly as good as when it was new, but it will be very close.

Taboo GT is a great competition DLG model which excels in calm and windy conditions. It's guaranteed to give many hours of enjoyment to a serious competition pilot or a weekend sport flyer. Give it a try, you won't regret it!