Brief:
I be full o' good ideas for t' glider that I was goin' t' make. Avast, me proud beauty! 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. Avast, me proud beauty! T' result be a glider that needs at least a D t' lift it, but will also shred on a D.

Construction:

T' glider itself consists o' a four panel win' with a three panel tail. Begad! 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. Ya scallywag! T' pop pod was t' pod from a Quest Flat Cat.

Win' Construction:

2 panels. Ya scallywag! 3.5 by 6 inch

2 panels, matey, arrr, 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, matey, t' outer win' panels were added, again with a one inch lift.

Tail:

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

A rudder was attached underneath, this panel measured 4 by 2 inch, and be 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. Avast!

T' booms were glued t' t' outside edges o' t' tail, me hearties, and them t' front win' be glued t' t' front.

Fuselage:

A 15 inch piece o' 3/8th square balsa formed t' fuselage. Begad! Aye aye! A 3 inches piece be glued t' t' top end o' the fuselage. When this dried, a front cavity was made t' hold balancin' mass, and t' hook/catch mechanism be 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! Arrr! This whole front end was very similar t' front end o' a Quest Flat Cat t' fuselage was then glued to t' front wing.

Pop Pod:

This was a plunder from t' Quest Flat Cat.

Finishing:

T' whole glider was sanded down, shiver me timbers, all edges were rounded and a slight aerofoil added t' t' liftin' surfaces. Blimey! Ahoy! The rocket was then sealed.

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

Test Glides:

Several test glides were needed t' get t' glide right, shiver me timbers, 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 was straight but nay t' high, t' lump o' lead at t' front came out and she fell tail down –my fault. Avast! Blimey!

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

Third flight be a few days later, me hearties, and after repairs. Avast, me proud beauty! This time a C6-3 be used, arrr, t' higher thrust made t' whole thin' shake on lift, so much so that t' tail shredded. T' glider, me bucko, me bucko, now heavy, nosed in again – more gluing.

Fourth flight. Blimey! Begad! Again a C6-3 was used, t' flight was straight again with less wobble, arrr, ya bilge rat, ejection be clean and t' glider glided in on a steep angle. Arrr! There be damage.

Summary:

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