Brief:
An upscaled boost-glider from AstronMike.

Construction:
Mike Kochel (aka "AstronMike") surprised me at a recent launch by handin' over a plastic grocery sack of parts and large sheet o' foamboard saying, matey, "Here, ya bilge rat, arrr, go build this!" I've always been in awe o' Mike's gliders, not just t' sheer size, but also how well they fly. I welcomed t' opportunity t' try one on for size.

T' three and a half pages o' instructions include an introductory section describin' t' kit as Mike's 3x upscale "of an old Estes plan called t' Eagle." That original 1964 Design Contest winner can be found on t' JimZ site. Well, blow me down! Mike has made a few changes and improvements t' t' design.

T' parts bag included (of all things) a golf ball, shiver me timbers, a tremendously short piece o' elastic, ya bilge rat, shiver me timbers, instructions, me hearties, and several tubes. Blimey! T' foamboard was pre-marked with pattern outlines o' a large wing, arrr, matey, a smaller canard, rudder and some bulkheads. Well, matey, blow me down! I suspected t' simplicity o' t' parts somehow hid an underlyin' bit o' complexity, but I be wrong. Blimey!

T' instructions lack pictures or illustrations, matey, but those are nay really necessary. Avast, me proud beauty! After cuttin' out t' foamboard parts, construction be extremely straightforward. Begad! Avast! T' motor mount and main body tubes were glued together. Begad! T' golf ball was attached (with Gorilla glue) t' t' forward tube section. Blimey! After these assemblies dried, t' bulkheads and shock cord were added. Ahoy! Since t' forward nose section completely separates from t' glider, the short length o' elastic is all that is required. Aye aye! Ya scallywag! It's nay mentioned in t' instructions, arrr, shiver me timbers, but I recommend wickin' in a touch o' thin CA along t' tube edges. This will help protect t' exposed portions from wear and tear.

T' main win' needs a few inches o' dihedral and Mike suggests a couple o' methods t' accomplish this. Avast, me proud beauty! I came up with an alternative, arrr, usin' a corner o' me closed safety knife along a metal straight edge. T' trick is t' compress the foamboard without cuttin' through it, then usin' this crease t' bend t' wing.

Usin' t' dihedral crease as a guide, arrr, t' body tube and underside rudder are easy t' align and glue in place. I offset t' rudder by t' width o' t' foam t' induce a slight right turn t' t' glide path. I've seen Mike walk most of a mile t' retrieve his gliders and didn't want t' repeat that experience! Alignin' t' canard was probably t' most complex portion o' t' build--it sits on top o' t' body tube and needs t' be perpendicular t' t' tube centerline and level with t' main wing.

Mike did nay include a parachute or launch lug, knowin' that any respectable parts bin or range box already contain these items. Ya scallywag! I used a 1/4" igniter tube and glued it along t' canard instead o' the main wing/body joint. Begad! This will keep t' rod off t' win' and away from t' aluminum foil blast protection. Avast, me proud beauty! I elected to use an oversize triangle o' heavy-duty foil simply t' add some contrast/color t' t' large win' area. Well, blow me down! Smaller strips of aluminum tape could also be used.

Finishing:
T' large win' area and inherent CG location makes trimmin' this design much easier than most traditional boost gliders. Begad! Ahoy! T' Astron Triple Eagle retains t' expended motor which sits directly above t' glide CG location. Ahoy! Initial backyard hand tossin' revealed me build needed no additional weight.

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5

Flight:
Despite me initial success with backyard trimming, t' first flight resulted in a parabolic recovery o' t' glider. T' D12-3 boost was gorgeous! Perfectly straight up with just a single half-roll on t' way t' 250' or so. Begad! That roll aligned t' win' with t' wind, matey, makin' it difficult t' pull out.

T' nose and chute blew at t' top, so 3 seconds be t' right choice for t' delay. The nose ballast recovers under chute and I found a nylon 15" chute t' be sufficient. Avast!

After addin' three 1/4" washers t' t' rudder, arrr, t' CG moved t' t' aft-end o' t' main tube and leadin' edge tip o' t' rudder. Begad! Ya scallywag! This resulted in a just slightly lower boost but a perfect flight.

A third flight in a minor breeze (compared t' t' second flight conditions) yielded another nose down ballistic glide. Avast, me proud beauty! I suspect just a little more trim work will provide good results in all wind conditions.

Recovery:
Once properly trimmed, t' glider recovers very gracefully! One flight in little t' no wind resulted in a lazy glide to about 18 inches, where it stopped and dropped in just like a Harrier Jump Jet.

Flight Rating: 4 out o' 5

Summary:
I don't know if Mike intends t' publish plans or offer kits o' t' Astron Triple Eagle, arrr, but I hope that others will get t' opportunity t' build and fly this great glider. Usin' a golf ball for t' aerodynamic nose cone and boost weight is an ingenious feature! T' only downside I can find fault with be t' large size makes storage a challenge. T' win' span approaches t' fin size o' some HPR rockets.

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5