Malibu Pro

The Malibu Pro is an improved version of the Malibu, a lovely 1m DLG that launches high and has great handling. Due to the large wing area and big flapperons the model thermals very easily. The well coordinated controls give it nimble handling, and the model holds its own, even when compared with considerably more expensive DLGs.

The standard version of Malibu Pro DLG model is supplied with a strong and brightly coloured glass layup wing, which weighs approx 64 g. The carbon version (illustrated in most of the photos) is supplied with a lighter Carboline spread carbon wing weighing approx 59 g. These are good weights for an economic 1 meter discus launched glider, especially considering the generous wing area of design.

The Malibu Pro's fuselage is a pod and boom design with the front part made from 2.4GHz friendly glass, and the rear from spread carbon. There is an large access hatch on the top giving access to the RC installation. The aileron and elevator servos are installed in the pod to minimise nose weight and yaw inertia. A rudderless RC set-up is suggested as the fin is not cut for rudder, but this could easily be changed if full three axis control is preferred, though this is often thought unnecessary for small models. Due to the large canopy hatch and only three servos the RC installation is not quite as cramped as most DLGs, making it suitable for an intermediate level modeller.

The Malibu Pro's wing is solid molded with a glass or spread carbon skin over a CNC cut foam core. The wing has a nice surface finish for low drag. The ailerons are fabricated with a living hinge. The only work required to finish the wings is installing the throwing blade and control horns. The supplied throwing blade is of an innovative split tang design, with the tangs being glued to the top and bottom surfaces of the wing, which is much easier than on most DLGs, which require the tip to be hollowed out. The throwing blade can be fitted to either tip, so the model is suitable for left and right handed throwers.

The tailplane (horizontal stabiliser) is mounted on a very nice mini articulated "V mount" on the top of the boom, and the fin (vertical stabiliser) has a perfectly matching hole molded into it, enabling easy mounting onto the end of the tailboom. The tailplane and fin are plain black spread carbon on the SC layup wing model (as illustrated). On the glass wing version the tailplane and fin are glass layups also, with attractive colouring to match the wing colour.

The model is supplied with a accessory pack including the control horns, V mount, launch blade, elevator pushrod, aileron pushrods, and wing mounting screws.

There is no manual available but there are excellent build photos here. Also see this useful RCGroups thread about an earlier version.

Malibu Pro DLG Specifications
Wing span	1.0 m	39 in
Wing area	13.2 dm2	205 sq in
Length	85 cm	33.5 in
Flying weight from	140 g	4.9 oz
Wing loading	10.6 g/dm	3.5 oz/sq ft
Aspect ratio	7.6
Wing airfoil	Propriety
Dihedral angle	5.0º
Centre of Gravity	70-75 mm from wing leading edge
Controls	Ailerons, elevator

Malibu Pro DLG Typical Weights
Fuselage	32.0 g	1.1 oz
Wing (glass)	64.0 g	2.3 oz
Wing (carbon)	59.0 g	2.1 oz
Fin	4.1 g	0.1 oz
Tailplane	5.1 g	0.2 oz
Accessories	3.5 g	0.1 oz
Total structure (carbon wing)	103.7 g	3.7 oz
Glue, mounts etc	2.0 g	0.1 oz
Receiver	5.0 g	0.2 oz
Elevator servo	4.5 g	0.2 oz
Aileron servos	9.0 g	0.3 oz
Battery	10.0 g	0.4 oz
Noseweight	5.8 g	0.2 oz
Flying weight	140.0 g	4.9 oz

Recommended R/C-nano gear only
Elevator servo	Blue Bird BMS-101AMG, Blue Bird BMS-101DMG, Blue Bird BMS-101HV, Ripmax SD100
Aileron servos	Blue Bird BMS-101AMG, Blue Bird BMS-101DMG, Blue Bird BMS-101HV, Ripmax SD100
Receiver *case removed	Spektrum AR6260*, AR6100e, AR400, Futaba R6004FF*, FrSky X4R, Orange DSM2 compatible, Jeti Duplex R5, Multiplex Mlink RX-6-DR Light*
Battery	HyperLipo 2S 175 mAh LiPo, 150 mAh 4.8V NiMH, Radient 1S 500 mAh LiPo, Radient 1S 600 mAh LiPo, Cellevia 1S 250 mAh LiPo

Malibu Pro Control Throws
Elevator	8 mm up / 8 mm down
Ailerons	7 mm up / 6 mm down
Camber Settings
Launch	0.5mm up
Cruise	0 mm
Thermal 1	2 mm down
Max thermal	4 mm down