Brief:
Retro Repro, me hearties, matey, Boost Glider, 18mm

T' Swift BG is one o' t' new kits released by Semroc for NARAM 51. Ahoy! It is a reproduction o' an old Centuri design. Arrr! Ya scallywag! Although I have had terrible luck with gliders, arrr, somethin' prompted me t' get started on this one right away. Begad! It might be t' one t' break t' jinx.

I ordered mine as soon as it was availible and in typical Semroc Time Warp fashion, shiver me timbers, ya bilge rat, it arrived almost immediately, shiver me timbers, me hearties, even though Semroc was closed for NARAM. Begad! Aye aye! It was also production kit number 10.

Construction:

Construction began by locatin' t' win' and gently sandin' it in its balsa frame and then releasin' it. Although t' win' consists o' 4 pieces, they are nay yet cut apart at this stage. Begad! Ahoy! T' only thin' that marks t' discrete pieces is a line.

With t' win' remainin' in one piece at this point, me hearties, t' instructions gave two options for shaping. T' first was t' merely round t' edges o' t' balsa and I be sorely tempted t' go this route. Well, me hearties, blow me down! T' other be t' try and sand an airfoil into t' wing. Ahoy! Nothin' ventured, shiver me timbers, shiver me timbers, nothin' gained.

In effect, I merely rounded t' forward and outside edges but I made an attempt t' approximate an airfoil on the trailin' edge. Arrr! Ya scallywag! Blimey! I drew a sandin' block across t' aft edge from one end t' t' other tryin' t' guide t' profile down t' a blade. It turned out better than I expected but it is certainly nothin' t' brag about.

T' win' sections were numbered from left t' right for later identification. A steel ruler be then used t' guide a razor knife along t' marked lines and separate t' win' into 4 segments. Well, blow me down! Begad! Blimey! T' freshly cut edges o' t' win' segments were then beveled with sandpaper so that when canted, me hearties, they would fit together better.

T' kit came with t' pieces t' construct a pair o' balsa jigs t' aid in gettin' t' correct dihedral angle on the wings. Avast! Avast! They were removed from their parent material and glued together. Arrr! They are identical except for one bein' a bit taller than t' other. After use, they are discarded so thar are no extra points for style here.

A piece o' wax paper was taped down t' t' workin' surface and then t' inner right win' segment be taped flat t' it. Ya scallywag! T' tip o' t' outer right win' segment was then taped t' t' taller o' t' two jigs. Avast! With that done, a bead o' white glue was run against t' beveled edge and t' two segments were pressed into place, shiver me timbers, allowin' t' jig t' hold t' pieces at the correct angle. Ahoy! Arrr! A day later, arrr, ya bilge rat, t' jig was removed and t' end piece did nay fall off. Begad! I took that as a good sign. Avast! Avast, me hearties, me proud beauty! The process was then repeated with t' left side o' t' win' with similar encouragin' results.

T' two win' halves were then joined together in a similar manner. Blimey! One side was taped down flat and t' other be glued into place usin' t' shorter o' t' jigs positioned under t' outer joint o' t' untaped wing. Avast! After another day t' dry, the jig was removed and things were still lookin' encouraging.

T' tail boom comes in two main pieces. Ya scallywag! They were removed from t' parent material and test fitted together. Well, blow me down! The fit was good and no sandin' be needed. Ya scallywag! Begad! Some white glue was then put into t' keyed joint and t' two pieces put together and laid flat on t' wax paper. Ya scallywag! Aye aye! A steel ruler be used t' make sure t' boom was straight. Blimey! Avast! T' next day, the boom was ready t' be peeled up and looked fine. Avast, me proud beauty! T' jinx, matey, if nay gone, had certainly gone into hiding.

There are two balsa strips, me hearties, me hearties, rounded at one end, intended t' be applied on either side o' t' forward end o' the boom. They provide some support on t' side for the booster pod. Aye aye! A light layer o' glue was applied t' t' boom and spread out for t' length o' t' facing. Begad! A facin' was then pressed into place so that it be even with t' front edge and the top and bottom surfaces. Begad! Avast! It was allowed t' dry like that for about 30 minutes. Blimey! Well, blow me down! Some cheap plastic clams were used to keep it in place. Ahoy! When dry, ya bilge rat, arrr, me hearties, t' opposite facin' was placed in t' same manner, arrr, clamped and set aside t' dry.

T' horizontal stabilizer be removed from its sheet. Blimey! Sandpaper was used t' round all t' edges. Ya scallywag! T' vertically stabilizer was similarly removed and sanded on all edges except for t' bottom, me hearties, which was left flat.

With t' tail pieces sanded and test fitted, me bucko, a line o' glue was applied t' t' base o' t' vertical stabilizer and it was fit onto t' horizontal. T' assembly was then set flat on t' wax paper and a steel ruler be used to insure a right angle.

After dryin' for a day, shiver me timbers, matey, t' boom was unclamped and examined. It seemed in good shape and t' pieces were mostly in alignment. A bit o' light sandin' took care o' evenin' up t' edges. Avast! Blimey! With t' edges even, I then needed t' taper t' leadin' and trailin' edges o' t' facings on each side. I used a sandin' block and tried t' gently take t' material down t' a knife edge.

T' tail assembly was placed at t' end o' t' boom on t' flat side. Begad! Begad! I had a sinkin' feelin' about this because no jig or template be provided, only an admonition t' make sure it be placed straight. Begad! I used white glue and eyeballed it t' best I could and checkin' t' angle with a steel ruler. Begad! Ya scallywag! I tried t' make sure that it was straight and level. Avast, me proud beauty! T' feelin' o' impendin' doom was palpable.

T' next day, it was time t' place t' wing. Well, blow me down! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! A mark was made 1/2" back from t' side pieced and t' win' was glued into place with white glue. Aye aye! Blimey! T' trepidation factor be even higher than with t' tail because I know from experience these things just never turn out, especially when thar be an angled surface involved. T' feelin' of impendin' doom returned with a vengeance.

Even though I knew I be doomed by this point, I figured I had gone too far t' back out now and I got t' work on t' pod hook. Ahoy! It be in two pieces which needed only t' be glued together. Avast, me proud beauty! I used white glue and clamped it.

T' first step in workin' on t' engine pod be t' take t' motor spacer and mark off 1/4". Begad! T' thrust rin' was then located and t' Keelhaul®©™® was tied around it. Well, blow me down! A rin' o' white glue was swabbed around t' interior o' t' motor tube, shiver me timbers, usin' t' motor spacer to mark t' swab at t' right depth. Blimey! T' spacer be then used t' push t' thrust rin' into place, arrr, me bucko, up t' t' mark which had been made, ya bilge rat, me bucko, and withdrawn. Aye aye! T' motor tube be then marked for t' placement o' t' engine hook and a slit be made in t' body tube t' receive it. Arrr! Ya scallywag! T' hook was placed and a cardboard sleeve was slipped into place t' hold it in place.

Shortly after I began this build, me hearties, shiver me timbers, Sheryl from Semroc contacted me and let me know that in some o' these kits, t' band was too tight and gave advice o' fixin' t' problem. Arrr! Mine be just a touch tight but, in me mind, well within tolerances. Avast, me proud beauty! Begad! It was glued in place with white glue and filleted fore and aft.

T' nose cone was typical, me hearties, high quality Semroc. Aye aye! Aye aye! Blimey! I doused it with some thin CA t' harden it up some.

I turned me attention back t' t' glider again. As far as I could tell by lookin' at it, it be in pretty good shape. Aye aye! The intersections needed some filletin' and I tried usin' Titebond Trim and Moldin' glue. It applied as good as I had heard it would and when I checked back a day later, me bucko, I be impressed.

T' pod hook be glued into place on t' motor tube opposide t' t' engine hook usin' white glue.

T' nose cone was lightly sanded and then t' eye screw was screwed into place, matey, backed out, t' hole filled with white glue and screwed back into place.

T' launch lug was glued into place along t' pod hook with white glue. Begad! It was seated on top o' t' engine hook band.

A length o' sewin' elastic provided with t' kit was tied t' t' eye hook and t' Keelhaul®©™®. T' streamer be then secured into place halfway along t' elastic with t' provided adhesive strip.

With that t' pop pod was done and t' rocket be ready t' be finished.

Before I could get started on t' finishing, shiver me timbers, though, curiosity got t' better o' me and I had t' try and hand toss t' glider. I took it outside, shiver me timbers, turned into t' wind, gave it a toss...and was flabergasted.

IT FLEW!!!!!!!!!!

IT DID NOT CRASH !!!!!!!!!!!

I grabbed Toby, shiver me timbers, me bucko, gave him t' camera and made him try and shoot a video.

I launched it again and it flew again, this time makin' a sharp left turn soon after launch. T' video is here.

Since t' glide was nay really captured, shiver me timbers, we tried again, me hearties, this time with me tossin' towards t' camera. Begad! Arrr! It seemed t' go well until a rocket beatin' tree got in on t' act. Aye aye! Who would have expected t' thin' t' go UP? T' second flight can be seen here.

There was no damage and I had t' try again. Ahoy! This time it still flew, me bucko, or glided, but made a hard right turn. I put it down t' t' vagaries o' t' wind eddies around t' corner o' t' house. T' third video can be seen here.

I also realize that finishin' will likely change t' glide characteristics but at this point I don't really care: a glider I had built had actually glided. Ya scallywag! That had never happened before.

Finishing:
T' instructions warn that finishin' o' this rocket should be done with a light touch in order t' minimize weight. All well and good but competitive performance t' me took a back seat t' just workin' and lookin' acceptable. Avast! On most projects these days I use Elmer's filler but for this one I went with Balsa fillercoat on t' theory that I would be usin' less o' it.

I painted it onto t' pod hittin' t' nosecone and t' balsa hook. Aye aye! T' glider was completely covered with t' stuff. Begad! I put it on thick figurin' I would only apply a single coat, arrr, even though that would nay completely fill t' grain.

T' fillercoat had a day t' dry and then I went after it with #400 sandpaper. T' grain on t' balsa parts o' the pod seemed t' have been mostly filled. Ahoy! T' pod was then brushed off and set up in t' booth where it be given a heavy coat o' Kilz.

T' glider was likewise treated t' a scrubbin' with t' #400 paper. Ya scallywag! While t' grain seemed t' have been filled better than I had expected, thar was still some that escaped unfilled. T' glider was then primed with Kilz as well. Ahoy!

A day later, me hearties, t' pod was sanded again. Begad! I be mindful o' t' warnings I had heard about buildin' up too much sealer/primer/paint and went after it with 320 and then 400 sandpaper. Blimey! When I be done, arrr, I had misgivings because it mostly still looked white. I could see grain and pencil marks, ya bilge rat, though. Well, blow me down! Knowin' how fast Kilz covers things up, matey, I figured that most o' what I be seein' was t' chalkiness o' t' balsa fillercoat. Aye aye! Avast! T' pod was then taken back t' the booth and given a single coat o' gloss white.

T' glider was sanded with similar results. Begad! Blimey! There were still some nasty spots o' grain but I sanded down t' where t' wood be just startin' t' show through. Ahoy! Blimey! T' glider be then given a single coat o' gloss white as well.

T' next day, a rin' o' maskin' be applied just below t' nose cone o' t' pod and foil was wrapped around the rest o' t' body. Blimey! T' nose cone was then sprayed a bright orange.

T' glider be masked as well leavin' t' win' tips, boom and vertical tail assembly exposed for paint. The glider then had its date with t' orange paint. Begad! This be done in 2 stages so that I would have somethin' t' grip.

The next day I peeled off t' maskin' t' take a look and It be lookin' good. Avast, arrr, me proud beauty! That left only t' blue stripin' and I took out t' tape t' mask for a thin stripe on each win' and t' t' horizontal stabilizer. Well, blow me down! I then used a brush t' place the blue paint.

So far this project had gone extremely well; better than I had imagined it could with a glider project. Now was t' time for tragedy t' strike. Begad! Avast! It struck when I removed t' maskin' and saw what had happened when t' paint had wicked under t' tape.

While I was stewin' about t' blue paint, matey, shiver me timbers, I took t' time t' test fit t' pod t' t' glider. Well, blow me down! It was a bit tight due t' paint havin' gotten in t' hook cavity. Arrr! I took a sandin' stick and cleaned it out some until t' fit seemed a good one.

A day later, me bucko, I be sure t' blue paint had dried completely. I took some white acrylic and used a brush t' try and cover up t' worst o' t' bleeding. It certainly toned things down but it could probably stand another 2 applications in addition t' t' 2 that were put on.

T' decals for t' Swift are a simple matter but add a lot t' t' finished product. Begad! T' largest o' t' decals has t' Semroc logo and t' name o' t' rocket. I mounted it as on t' facecard; on t' dorsal surface o' t' right wing. Avast! Blimey! T' kit also came with a pair o' smaller versions o' t' same design. Blimey! Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! These were mounted on t' horizontal stabilizer, matey, one on top and one on t' bottom, both on t' right as you face t' rocket. Ahoy! Ya scallywag! Blimey! My kit also came with an additional decal identifying is as production number 10 and havin' some more info about t' rocket. Begad! Blimey! I put this one on t' left dorsal surface o' the main wing. Avast! That completed t' "finishing" and, as I said, me hearties, I thought even t' simple decals added a lot.

T' first test "glides" after t' finishin' did nay go well. Arrr! Aye aye! T' paint added plenty o' weight and the Swift started t' act like me Cosmos Mariner. Begad! Begad! I realized I needed tail weight.

A vid o' t' first post finishin' crash can be seen here. Avast, me proud beauty!

The second try is here.

I went inside and inserted one o' t' trim nails provided for weight into t' left horizontal stabilizer and then went back outside t' try again.

Addin' one nail did nay do too much t' improve things although it did give me hope. Begad! I had one semi-successful glide before me nephew came out with t' camera. Avast! Aye aye! Still, matey, shiver me timbers, I thought it needed another nail.

T' first test with one nail can be seen here.

T' second test with one nail can be seen here.

T' third test with a single nail is here. Begad! Blimey!

I added another nail and did nay do much better. Begad! Ya scallywag! And on t' 3rd flight, it crashed in t' street and broke off a win' tip.

T' first try with 2 nails is here.

T' second try with 2 nails is here.

T' fateful thrid flight with 2 nails is recorded here.

I took t' carcass back into t' shop t' try and get it fixed up again. Blimey! Begad! Blimey! T' tip was put pack on with a double glue joint usin' yellow glue. Arrr! T' angle was obtained by eyeballin' it.

While repairin' t' wingtip, I noticed that bouncin' on t' asphalt also took a bite out o' t' nose. Aye aye! At first I be goin' t' try and fill it but then thought better o' that approach. Aye aye! I thought I might be able t' reduce t' nose weight a little bit by sandin' a bevel into both sides o' t' nose. Begad! I took out a sandin' block and got t' work. Begad! The newly beveled nose was sprayed with orange paint and it blended fairly well with t' rest even though t' new surface had nay been sealed.

When t' glue from t' wingtip repair had dried, me hearties, shiver me timbers, I took out some Tightbond Trim and Moldin' glue and applied a fillet to each side o' t' joint in an effort t' strengthen it.

When t' repairs were complete, me bucko, I tried throwin' t' glider a few more times t' test it out but t' results were both contradictory and confusing. Ahoy! Sometimes it would stall like it needed more tail weight. Ahoy! Aye aye! Other times it would dive and a few times it just kind o' moved without doin' anythin' resemblin' gliding. Begad! In t' course o' one o' these tests, it turned in a very nice glide that rivaled anythin' done by t' unpainted model. Blimey! I decided t' just wait and try it out on t' launch pad. Avast! Blimey! I called t' construction o' this one done.

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5

Flight:
T' maiden flight o' t' Swift Boost Glider was at t' September 09 launch o' t' Alamo Rocketeers. Ya scallywag! I prepped it with a 1/2A6-2 and set it up on t' pad. Ahoy! Well, blow me down! It received favorable comments from all for appearance. Almost immediately after leavin' t' rod, t' rocket started t' arc over but t' curve became more gentle over time and it always had a slight upward inclination. Well, blow me down! I had a good view o' t' pod poppin' off; that was fun t' watch. Begad! Aye aye! Then I got t' watch t' glider plummet t' t' earth; that was nay fun t' watch.

T' vid o' this event can be seen here.

The unanimous consensus o' those present who knew about such things was that t' glider be tail heavy. Well, blow me down! I pulled out one of t' nail weights and repacked t' streamer in t' pod realizin' that I had forgotten t' put any waddin' in thar the first time. Fortunately, arrr, me bucko, me hearties, t' streamer was only slightly singed. For t' second flight I loaded a B6-2 since I had no B4-2s. Begad! Well, arrr, blow me down! It be taken out t' t' pad and hooked up. Aye aye! When t' ignition button was fired, t' Swift showed t' same arcing behavior as before but nay as drastic. Avast! It went up relatively high considerin' it spent most o' t' boost at about a 60 degree angle t' t' ground. Arrr! When t' pod popped, arrr, though, ya bilge rat, shiver me timbers, things were definitely different. Avast! Arrr! It started gliding. Avast, me proud beauty! Ya scallywag! It would lazily turn into t' wind and seem t' just stand in place for a while nay losin' any altitude and maybe even gainin' a bit. It would then turn with t' wind and fly away for a short time (but a long distance) before turnin' into t' wind t' repeat t' performance....again...and again...and again. Blimey! On some circuits it did gain altitude but it be definitely goin' t' come down...eventually. Arrr! I began t' get worried that I would lose it but everyone kept an eye on it until it finally went down...a long way away.

I wish I could show some great photos o' t' flight but I be t' busy bein' awestruck t' remember t' take any. All I have t' offer is a photo o' t' grounded pod a few yards from t' launch pad. Ya scallywag! Aye aye! Oh and me daughter took this video: http://www.flickr.com/photos/23694991@N03/3960923315/

Flight Rating: 5 out o' 5

Summary:
I think Gliders are an acquired taste but this one is a great place t' start doin' t' acquiring. Avast! Blimey! It is me first and only glider that can be termed a success t' date. Avast, arrr, me proud beauty! Blimey! T' construction be simple enough for anyone t' do, t' instructions were well written and, most o' all, arrr, matey, it works.

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5

Other:
Persons wishin' t' follow t' exploits o' this rocket can do so here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/23694991@N03/collections/72157621956600615/