Brief:
I was full o' good ideas for t' glider that I was goin' t' make. Aye aye! 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. Ya scallywag! Begad! T' result was a glider that needs at least a D t' lift it, me hearties, but will also shred on a D.

Construction:

T' glider itself consists o' a four panel win' with a three panel tail. Avast, me proud beauty! 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. Avast! T' pop pod was t' pod from a Quest Flat Cat.

Win' Construction:

2 panels. Ahoy! 3.5 by 6 inch

2 panels, matey, 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, shiver me timbers, ya bilge rat, again with a one inch lift.

Tail:

Two panels o' balsa measured 5 inch with t' sides bein' 2 and 2.5 inch, ya bilge rat, me hearties, were glued together. Ahoy! T' angle formed matched t' front wing.

A rudder was attached underneath, me bucko, 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. Well, me bucko, blow me down!

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

Fuselage:

A 15 inch piece o' 3/8th square balsa formed t' fuselage. Avast! Blimey! A 3 inches piece was glued t' t' top end o' the fuselage. When this dried, shiver me timbers, 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! Blimey! 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 be sanded down, shiver me timbers, all edges were rounded and a slight aerofoil added t' t' liftin' surfaces. The rocket was then sealed.

T' design was that as t' aft booms were out o' t' way o' t' motor thrust, me hearties, arrr, 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. Well, blow me down!

Test Glides:

Several test glides were needed t' get t' glide right, 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, me bucko, arrr, t' lump o' lead at t' front came out and she fell tail down –my fault. Avast, me hearties, me proud beauty!

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

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

Fourth flight. Avast, me proud beauty! Begad! Again a C6-3 was used, me bucko, t' flight was straight again with less wobble, ejection was 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. Aye aye! Blimey! I should learn t' walk before I can run, 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.