Descon Mini-Jen

Scratch - Mini-Jen {Scratch}

Contributed by Chris Taylor Jr.

Manufacturer: Scratch
Mini Jen
(Contributed - by Chris Taylor)

I wanted a Rocket Glider that did NOT need t' get rid o' a power pod. Begad! I wanted it SMALL light and launched with mini engines and makin' a rather nice hand launched glider as well.

For t' body I used a Mosquito minus fins (perfect fit :-) and Balsa for everythin' else. Blimey! Narrow deep swept back wings, two vertical tails, and two (biplane) straight wings spannin' t' top and bottom o' t' two vertical stabilizers. Ya scallywag! This way it will be symmetrically stable and yet thar be a place for t' engine exhaust t' go t' :-)

Kind o' like a Box Kite it is a Quasi Biplane Delta Win' Canard Win' plane all in one. Well, blow me down! Glides are WONDERFUL very light a floater and nay t' slow either, moves pretty good, HARD t' make it do more than gentle turns though (this is because thar be almost NO dihedral)

I will be flyin' this rocket Sunday July 12 with me club PARA, me bucko, and I will report on it success or failure.

About t' name
When I got done this rocket it looked vaguely familiar, me hearties, so I went huntin' and eventually found a VERY similar design usin' standard engines and a bit bigger :-) It was an ESTES plan from 1962 and it was called t' Flyin' Jenny. Aye aye! Blimey! So in honor o' this similarity I called mine t' mini Jen and I actually modified my design t' incorporate somethin' different. Arrr! Blimey! Begad! Blimey! My design has a stabilizer bar from bottom o' engine mount t' leadin' edge o' win' t' control vibration and wing shear

I have high hopes for it success. Avast! How it works is neat to. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! I trim it to Glide THAT'S IT. Ya scallywag! Since t' engine is up FRONT it makes it seriously NOSE heavy which is how a rocket needs t' be, matey, so it should go good as a rocket and when ejection charge fires, me bucko, it pops t' engine out o' t' plane and now it is balanced for GLIDE.

Pretty neat. Avast, me proud beauty! . Begad! . Avast, ya bilge rat, me proud beauty! I thought at least. Begad!

[Rocket Pic]

Update
I found out where I got this design so similar t' old Estes plans even though I never saw t' Estes plans before. Ahoy! Blimey! Ya scallywag! Blimey! SDI makes a similar design called the X-Static which is nearly identical in basic geometry. I likely saw this before while browsin' thar site. Ya scallywag! Blimey!

Flight Report
I flew this plane ONCE and lost it t' t' corn. Ahoy! PARA, me club, flies at a corn field and it landed in 7 foot high cornstalks 20 minutes o' searchin' left me empty handed even though it landed less than 50 feet away :-( so I will make another :-)

T' Flight was very nice actually. Aye aye! It went vertical t' about a guess o' 100 feet and performed a power loop (likely because a lot o' propellant be used up bringin' its CG closer t' Glide point).

T' engine popped and it glided nicely with a little too tight a turn but acceptable (again due t' lack o' Stabilizin' Dihedral)

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