Airtronics Super Questor

[ejett]

There is one of these on eBay now. I haven't heard anyone discuss this sailplane. Anybody have any experience with this kit/Plane? :confused:

I don't have much concern about the quality of the kit, but I don't know if this plane is a good sport sailplane.

EJ

[Marten]

I built one in 1980, still have it but it's in ned of some new covering. An easy build, light ply and balse machine cut, light wood. I taught myself to fly gliders with it on a short hi-start. I think I paid about U$40 in a Denver shop when I was bumped off a flight to Calgary. Delightful flyer, watch out for wing flutter if you get it too fast, though. Sounds like a washboard.

Marten

[Esprit2]

In 1980, I bought a Super Questor for my little (then) brother. I needed an easy kit since he had to build it himself, and it had to be easy to fly since it was going to be his first trainer. It got him through both.

The Super Questor is very easy to fly and it really doesn't do anything "wrong". In really light lift, it's not going to be the last one down. And with the flat bottom airfoil it doesn't penetrate especially well either. I'm not saying that's bad, it just doesn't excel at either end of the spectrum. But on a nice day, it's very pleasant to throw up against the bottom of a cloud, kick back and relax. I guess it's a little like a baby-Aquila without the Miller mod. Just not as sophisticated looking.

The kit pre-dates the rush to winches and the spar is not up to agressive launches. If you build it to plan, take it easy on the launches. Six volts is more than enough, or pedal the winch like crazy.

The spar does not carry through the polyhedral joints. The inner and outer panels are built separately, ending with thick balsa ribs. Then the two panels are just butt-glued together. While little brother was learning he had his fair share of wingtip landings, and the tips broke off almost every time. I asked Lee Renaud about that one time and he said that's the way it was intended to be. Having the tip snap off keeps the rest of the wing from being damaged. ;-/ Hmmm.... About the umpteenth time I glued a wing tip back on, I fabricated some 1/16" plywood joiners and boxed the spar for one bay on either side of the poly-joint. The tips never came off again, and the wing never broke without the safety relief.

At some point, he managed to wipe the vertical tail off the fuselage. I always preferred the look of the Oly II's tail, so I shrunk it down to Super Questor size and gave the model a fresh look. I still like it better. That Super Questor is still flying and we'll be using it this Spring to train another new pilot.

I wouldn't mind having another Super Questor... just for old times sake, I guess. But I wouldn't pay a lot for one. That's not meant as a slam, it is a nice little plane, but I never thought of it as anything special. So it surprised me when I saw the price one dragged down on eBay not long ago... $82.97 on Jan 22nd. And the one currently up for bids is at $61 with something like three days left. I guess someone out there is really fond of them... which is a good thing. Let's keep them flying.

Regards,
Tim