Can you recommend a Glider plan?

[Glowhead02]

I am looking for a Glider project. I love high aerobatic airplanes but I can't leave the love for thermaling on a lazy afternoon. The last plane I have built is the STYLUS and have had mixed results. I am hoping to find persons with experience (or has a GOOD friend) on a peticular plans-built model with good thermaling qualities. I have a lot of building experience.

Any experience with plans by Model Airplane News, RC Modeler, Model aviation etc. would be nice.

The qualities I am looking for:

1. All wood, balsa-ply not foam wings or carbon fiber body, etc.
2. 2 meter class preferred (45"-75") but If a 100" model is recommended, the wing must have sections.
3. Plans may be from a kit but clear plastics parts may be hard to form and I must be able to order them.
4. I will be using a Hi-start. It will only launch planes 100" or less.

Thanks

[Wylie Shaw]

Scratch built
Oly 650 2 meter floater all wood has 3 piece wing and tail feathers
can be made to be removable.
Sagitta 600, 2 meter 2 piece wing and rear stab breaks down to 2 pieces.
Voyageur II
Challenger
Gnome 2 meter - might be 1 piece wing could be converted to 2 piece

100"
Aquila
Sagitta 900
WindFree

source for the plans listed below, all except for the Voyageur/Challenger/Gnome are Lee Renaud Designs from Airtronics"
They all fly very well.

www.rcmmagazine.com/e/env/0001uamhNjERngE4GE9h3q4/store/store-plans.html?link=/store/store-plans-list-5.html

Best Regards,

Wylie S.


You can also look at Ray Hayes woods kits expecally the Bird Series at

www.skybench.com

:D :cool: :D

[Mirage1]

Oly II is a excellent thermal machine. Skybench sells them

[Mirage1]

Oly II is a excellent thermal machine. Skybench sells them

[djnibler]

I second the advice already given: OLYII, or the Skybench Bird series (both available from skybench.com). Ray's kits are great and go together well. He is also very helpful if you have any questions during building.

[SoCalGliderFlyr]

Gnome 2 meter kits are on eBay.

[rvsixer]

I see a lot of kits only being posted. Original poster said plans built. Original poster also stated 2m class preferred (which isn't the 45-75" wingspan specified), but also accepting 100" recommendations :confused: .

That said, I can personally vouch for all of the Lee Renaud designs/plans offered by RCM (2m and Standard classes :) ). Most excellent flying!

[silvaire]

The highly recommended OLY II is most certainly available as plans for scratch building. It was originally an RCM article, and plans still available directly from them.

Here is the link:
http://www.rcmmagazine.com/e/env/0001aILc4tjI7WwQQ08S7o0/store/store-plans-list-5.html?link=/store/store-plans-catalog-tem.html&item=plans:pl-643

Arlen

[Glowhead02]

Thanks for all of your help. It seems like the olymipic II is getting alot of praise from different forums. Old information I have shows the olymipic II was an airtronics kit and now I found out it is offered by skybench. A kit is always is an option, But I will choose to plans build it. I found out the Bird of Time was offered in the RCM plans catalog, but through Tower Hobbies Tech notes, it was redesigned. I may contact skybench to see if the plans have been redesigned.

Thanks to every one.

[John Gallagher]

The Bird of Time and OlyII plans from RCM are original. The BOT ARF from Tower (Great Planes) is de-engineered.

[SoCalGliderFlyr]

de-engineered.

LOL!!!

[F3X]

Bird of Time from RCM plans is the way to go.


It's on my "to do" list.

Also the Brits have a lot of plans for thermal models that are not seen here so look online and see if you can find the plans. That would make a cool project.

[mlachow]

Skip the model plans from magazines. Go direct to the Net and build a Bubble Dancer or Allegro-Lite.

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Allegro-Lite/
http://www.charlesriverrc.org/articles.htm#On-Line%20Plans

[neonbutterfly]

i agree...build an allegro lite.....u can get most of the parts on line and it is a fantastic plane....handles wind well with ballast and the spar system is unbreakable.....my flying buddy has one and i am building one as we speak...

ribs - www.laserarts.com
tailboom - www.tailboom.com
composite material - www.acp-composites.com
kevlar fuse and v mount from bud elder in florida.

pm me for bud's addy if your interested.....my flying buddy and myself have also ordered the components for a bubble dancer.....good luck

bob