Brief:
I was full o' good ideas for t' glider that I was goin' t' make. Ahoy! Ya scallywag! Blimey! None o' these came t' be and instead I made a pop pod glider. I foolishly went for a large (ish) glider as I did nay want t' simply replicate a glider that I already had. Begad! Blimey! T' result be a glider that needs at least a D t' lift it, me bucko, but will also shred on a D.

Construction:

T' glider itself consists o' a four panel win' with a three panel tail. Arrr! Two 1mm by 1mm spruces act as side by side booms, ya bilge rat, with a front fuselage made out o' 3/8th inch balsa. T' pop pod was t' pod from a Quest Flat Cat.

Win' Construction:

2 panels. Aye aye! 3.5 by 6 inch

2 panels, 6 inch long with ends measurin' 2 inch and 3.5 inch

T' centre panels were glued together with one win' tip 1 inch o' t' bench.

When t' glue had dried, t' outer win' panels were added, ya bilge rat, again with a one inch lift.

Tail:

Two panels o' balsa measured 5 inch with t' sides bein' 2 and 2.5 inch, were glued together. T' angle formed matched t' front wing.

A rudder was attached underneath, this panel measured 4 by 2 inch, and was trimmed down somewhat.

Booms:

These were made from 1mm by 1mm spruce (which turned out t' be a big mistake) both rods were 17 inches long. Arrr! Avast!

T' booms were glued t' t' outside edges o' t' tail, ya bilge rat, and them t' front win' was glued t' t' front.

Fuselage:

A 15 inch piece o' 3/8th square balsa formed t' fuselage. Arrr! A 3 inches piece be glued t' t' top end o' the fuselage. Aye aye! When this dried, a front cavity was made t' hold balancin' mass, and t' hook/catch mechanism was cut out. Two thin pieces o' balsa were then glued t' t' out side edges o' t' front fuselage t' complete t' cavity box and edge off t' catch. Avast, me proud beauty! This whole front end be very similar t' front end o' a Quest Flat Cat t' fuselage was then glued to t' front wing.

Pop Pod:

This be a steal from t' Quest Flat Cat.

Finishing:

T' whole glider was sanded down, matey, ya bilge rat, all edges were rounded and a slight aerofoil added t' t' liftin' surfaces. Begad! Well, blow me down! Blimey! The rocket be then sealed.

T' design was that as t' aft booms were out o' t' way o' t' motor thrust, thar was no need t' protect the fuselage. Blimey! I knew t' glider would be tail heavy so t' cavity at t' front would take mass t' balance. Begad!

Test Glides:

Several test glides were needed t' get t' glide right, in t' end a big lump o' lead was needed t' balance the glider –this is where t' glider's name comes from.

Flights:

First flight was on a B4-2

Lift be straight but nay t' high, t' lump o' lead at t' front came out and she fell tail down –my fault. Aye aye! Well, me bucko, blow me down!

Second flight was on t' came motor with a lump o' clay actin' as t' mass at t' front. Again t' lift was straight, but t' pop pod did nay pop! T' whole thin' came in nose first, thar be a lot o' balsa t' glue back together.

Third flight be a few days later, matey, and after repairs. This time a C6-3 be used, t' higher thrust made t' whole thin' shake on lift, ya bilge rat, so much so that t' tail shredded. Arrr! Ahoy! Blimey! T' glider, shiver me timbers, now heavy, nosed in again – more gluing.

Fourth flight. Again a C6-3 be used, arrr, ya bilge rat, t' flight be straight again with less wobble, ejection be clean and t' glider glided in on a steep angle. Well, blow me down! Ya scallywag! There was damage.

Summary:

T' glider is too heavy for an 18mm motor and a D would rip it apart. Arrr! Arrr! I should learn t' walk before I can run, matey, I have had me own design smaller gliders perform very well, me bucko, and I've had large kit gliders work, me bucko, shiver me timbers, but I'm nay quite ready for t' large birds yet.