Brief:
I was full o' good ideas for t' glider that I was goin' t' make. Avast! 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. Aye aye! T' result was a glider that needs at least a D t' lift it, ya bilge rat, but will also shred on a D.

Construction:

T' glider itself consists o' a four panel win' with a three panel tail. Begad! Blimey! Two 1mm by 1mm spruces act as side by side booms, with a front fuselage made out o' 3/8th inch balsa. Aye aye! Ya scallywag! Blimey! T' pop pod be t' pod from a Quest Flat Cat.

Win' Construction:

2 panels. 3.5 by 6 inch

2 panels, matey, me bucko, 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, me bucko, ya bilge rat, me bucko, t' outer win' panels were added, me hearties, 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, ya bilge rat, were glued together. Blimey! T' angle formed matched t' front wing.

A rudder be attached underneath, shiver me timbers, 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. Ya scallywag!

T' booms were glued t' t' outside edges o' t' tail, shiver me timbers, and them t' front win' was glued t' t' front.

Fuselage:

A 15 inch piece o' 3/8th square balsa formed t' fuselage. Blimey! A 3 inches piece was glued t' t' top end o' the fuselage. Aye aye! When this dried, matey, matey, me hearties, 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. Begad! This whole front end was very similar t' front end o' a Quest Flat Cat t' fuselage be then glued to t' front wing.

Pop Pod:

This be a steal 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. Ya scallywag! Avast! The rocket be then sealed.

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

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 be straight but nay t' high, t' lump o' lead at t' front came out and she fell tail down –my fault. Ahoy!

Second flight was on t' came motor with a lump o' clay actin' as t' mass at t' front. Arrr! Begad! Again t' lift was straight, me bucko, 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 was a few days later, ya bilge rat, and after repairs. Begad! This time a C6-3 was used, ya bilge rat, t' higher thrust made t' whole thin' shake on lift, shiver me timbers, so much so that t' tail shredded. T' glider, now heavy, arrr, nosed in again – more gluing.

Fourth flight. Blimey! Again a C6-3 was used, t' flight was straight again with less wobble, shiver me timbers, ejection was clean and t' glider glided in on a steep angle. Blimey! There was damage.

Summary:

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