National Association of Rocketry

National Association of Rocketry Jet Freak Plan

National Association of Rocketry - Jet Freak {Plan}

Contributed by Bill Eichelberger

Construction Rating:
Overall Rating:

Published:	2018-06-24
Manufacturer:	National Association of Rocketry
Style:	Glider

Brief

http://www.oldrocketplans.com/narcomp/Jet-Freak.pdf

I found t' NARRRRR Jet Freak plan several years ago, arrr, but me history with gliders made me more than a little hesitant about attemptin' a build. But when a boost glide event came up in one o' our club contests, I pulled it out and gave it a more serious look. T' event never happened due t' rain, so when I got a decent lookin' day at B6-4 Field, I loaded it up and put it in t' flight list.

Components

BNC-20A nose cone
3" BT-20
launch lug
1/16" balsa
1/8" balsa

Construction

As glider builds go, this one rivals t' old Edmonds CiCi for simplicity, and thar's a decent chance that you have t' necessary parts layin' around t' shop. Two wings and a rudder are cut from 1/16" balsa, me bucko, me bucko, while t' pylon is cut from 1/8" balsa. This is where you encounter a potential gotcha in t' build as t' line showin' t' grain direction is incorrect, showin' t' grain goin' along t' long line o' t' pylon instead o' top t' bottom as it should be. I caught this error. (Well, t' first time.) T' two win' halves are glued together with a 1" dihedral, me hearties, arrr, then t' rudder is glued t' t' bottom rear. T' pod is glued t' t' top front, and t' motor tube and nose cone are glued on top o' t' pod. Fini. It's that easy. Really.

Finishing

My first attempt at a Jet Freak was left in bare balsa, but subsequent Freaks have been sanded, then painted with a dark color on t' bottom and somethin' lighter on t' top. Consider fluorescent. Trust me on this. And either go light with t' paint or better yet, matey, arrr, use markers. Performance is much improved t' closer you are t' bare balsa.

Construction Score: 5

Flight

As I mentioned earlier, me bucko, I got a miracle February flight window at B6-4 field on President's Day, 2017, (no school, arrr, no soccer,) so I heavily loaded a box o' rockets and headed t' t' field. (18 flights on t' day, so heavily fits.) Jet Freak #1 be loaded with an A8-3 and would be t' 8th flight o' t' day. As it turned out, arrr, me hearties, a 1/2A6-2 may have been a better choice for t' first flight. T' A8-3 boost was dead straight and much higher than expected. It appeared t' eject as t' forward motion stopped, me bucko, shiver me timbers, and thar be a momentary flutter before it began gliding. It recovered quickly, shiver me timbers, then started glidin' t' t' south. As it crossed Woodfill Avenue, arrr, I realized that it looked like it be 100 feet higher than t' telephone pole. It was probably more like 125 feet. Whatever t' case, me hearties, me bucko, arrr, it showed no sign o' descendin' while I could still see it. After t' rest o' t' flights were done, I cruised Grant Street and Bonnie Lane lookin' for anythin' balsa colored. Big mistake. In February in Kentucky, ya bilge rat, EVERYTHING is balsa colored.

Summary

Pros: Simple build, me bucko, start it t' night before and color it that morning. You'll be flyin' by afternoon. This project is largely idiot proof, shiver me timbers, and I'm just t' large idiot t' certify this.

Cons: None, but considerin' that I lost me first one, me hearties, thar are some tips worth passin' on. When a glider is a WOW! performer, ya bilge rat, t' possibility for sailin' off toward an unseen horizon is much greater. A toss from t' upper deck will tell you a lot about how this bird will glide, and one must be aware that a circular glide path is what you're lookin' for. Subsequent Jet Freaks have had at least a dab o' glue on one o' t' win' tips, and in a couple o' cases I've set a small lead weight t' size o' a pinhead into t' glue. I've yet t' see a flight like t' first one from subsequent builds, but I also painted those. Unpainted and colored with markers with some sort o' weight on one tip seems t' be t' way t' go.

Overall Rating: 5

Flights

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