Brief:
I was full o' good ideas for t' glider that I be goin' t' make. Begad! None o' these came t' be and instead I made a pop pod glider. Well, blow me down! Avast! 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. Ahoy! Avast, me hearties, me proud beauty! Two 1mm by 1mm spruces act as side by side booms, with a front fuselage made out o' 3/8th inch balsa. Well, blow me down! T' pop pod be t' pod from a Quest Flat Cat.

Win' Construction:

2 panels. Blimey! 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, again with a one inch lift.

Tail:

Two panels o' balsa measured 5 inch with t' sides bein' 2 and 2.5 inch, matey, were glued together. Well, blow me down! Blimey! T' angle formed matched t' front wing.

A rudder be 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. Begad!

T' booms were glued t' t' outside edges o' t' tail, arrr, 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! Ahoy! 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, arrr, matey, 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. Ya scallywag! 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 was a plunder from t' Quest Flat Cat.

Finishing:

T' whole glider be sanded down, all edges were rounded and a slight aerofoil added t' t' liftin' surfaces. Ya scallywag! The rocket was then sealed.

T' design was that as t' aft booms were out o' t' way o' t' motor thrust, matey, matey, thar be 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. Arrr! Begad! Blimey!

Test Glides:

Several test glides were needed t' get t' glide right, in t' end a big lump o' lead be 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, me hearties, t' lump o' lead at t' front came out and she fell tail down –my fault. Begad!

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

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

Fourth flight. Again a C6-3 was used, ya bilge rat, shiver me timbers, t' flight was straight again with less wobble, arrr, ejection be clean and t' glider glided in on a steep angle. Arrr! Begad! There was 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, I have had me own design smaller gliders perform very well, and I've had large kit gliders work, ya bilge rat, but I'm nay quite ready for t' large birds yet.