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

Win' Construction:

2 panels. Begad! 3.5 by 6 inch

2 panels, shiver me timbers, 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, arrr, 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, were glued together. 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. Aye aye!

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

Fuselage:

A 15 inch piece o' 3/8th square balsa formed t' fuselage. Avast! A 3 inches piece was glued t' t' top end o' the fuselage. Blimey! 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. Blimey! Avast! This whole front end be very similar t' front end o' a Quest Flat Cat t' fuselage be then glued to t' front wing.

Pop Pod:

This be 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. Avast! The rocket be then sealed.

T' design be that as t' aft booms were out o' t' way o' t' motor thrust, arrr, thar was no need t' protect the fuselage. Ahoy! Ahoy! I knew t' glider would be tail heavy so t' cavity at t' front would take mass t' balance. Avast, 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 be on a B4-2

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

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

Third flight was a few days later, me hearties, matey, and after repairs. Avast! Aye aye! This time a C6-3 be used, me hearties, t' higher thrust made t' whole thin' shake on lift, shiver me timbers, so much so that t' tail shredded. Begad! Well, blow me down! T' glider, matey, now heavy, matey, nosed in again – more gluing.

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

Summary:

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