Thermic B "Hand Chuck" glider

[Daveairway]

Does anyone remember the Thermic B?

This last Sunday was one of those beautiful days to fly, so I pulled my Thermic B off the wall and did some hand launch flying. I am not sure how many reading this have flown a Thermic B, but it is an 18” hand-chuck glider circa 1960’s. They also sold another kit called the TRIO (I think that was the name?), which was a conventional glider, a canard, and a flying wing all in on box. These were smaller, around 8” to 10” span. But I regress…

This Thermic B is the third that I have owned and was built in the early seventies. The first was lost due to a fly away, which is definitely a thrill. Hey, it is going up, still going, getting small, hey, where did it go?

The second also caught a real nice thermal, was chased around half a mile, but a Volkswagen got to it before I could. (Yes, the car won, Crunch one glider).

Sunday’s flights were quite sweet. You launch sidearm, with the wings at 90 degrees to the horizon, and the fuse parallel to the ground. The left rudder trim raises the nose and up she goes to about 30 to 40 feet. At the top of the climb it “bunts”. Then glides off in a left hand circle of about 30 feet in diameter. When it hits a thermal, it either bounces out, or cores the thermal. Luckily, with no wind on the field, the thermal I cored Sunday kept the Thermic B in view for almost 6 minutes. Then it dumped out and landed within walking distance.

On the drive home I remembered all of the great flights that I had as kid with “hand-chuck” gliders. How about it, has anyone else flown a Thermic B, or maybe the Thermic C towline?

Happy Landings,
Dave

PS: I wonder how a larger Thermic B would fly?

[Daveairway]

Considering the original Thermic B has an 18” span, if a larger one was scaled up to a 72” span, then the original Thermic B would be Quarter Scale! A chord of 11.5” seems about right. Since the original wings were solid ¼ balsa shaped to an airfoil, then the big one should be 1” thick. Still need the “balsa look”, but a solid structure of 1” balsa does not sound to good. Maybe use a top sheeting of 1/32 balsa with clear covering? Then use a standard spar and ribs below.

Like this!

[Ric Duley]

Hi Dave, :cool:
I can't wait to hear how you hand launch the big one....:p

[Vince inTX.]

My introduction to model airplanes was a chuck glider. My Uncle bought it for me and we built it on the kitchen table in one evening. I learned alot from that little plane. I think it was SIG PIGEON. Like how to trim it for flying by spitting on the rudder or elevator, bending the surface and blowing on it to lock in that setting. And how to take off nose weight(clay) until it just started porpoising and then put back just enough to make it stop, then you knew it was trimmed right. GawdDawg that was loads of fun for a 10 year old kid. My Uncles Control line club used to have contests with these little planes just for grins. I guess since they went in a circle it was something they could tolerate. I recently found a hobby shop with airfoil shaped solid balsa stock. The first thing I thought of was buying some and making some little chuck gliders for my kids to play with at the flying field while I play with my big planes. I think they would be much more fun than the propeller on a stick they goof around with now. If not for them then atleast for me

Vince

[fprintf]

I think I have had more fun with Harvey Michaelis' Whipper Whiz micro-hand chuck glider than with my RC gliders (pilot skill reasons). :)

Plus the hand chuck gliders are cheap and durable enough for the local neighborhood kids to get involved. Longest flight so far was just over a minute.

[Raymund Reyes]

vince, I used to have a Sig Pigeon also! Bought when I was about 9 or 10, which was maybe 8-9 yrs ago. Very fun and a good learning experience. Hmmm..I should go out and buy another just for fun!

Godspeed and see you on the flipside,
Ray

[BMatthews]

I've never done a Thermic but if I had a nickel for all the contest hand launch gliders I've planed, sanded and lost over the years I'd be a rich guy..... Well, at least the balsa wouldn't have cost so much.... :D

I doubt if there's a better deal in all of model flying than the smiles per buck that can come from such a simple glue up of so little balsa that is a hand launched glider.

[Daveairway]

Hi All,

Matthews post sums up “hand chucks” real well:

“I doubt if there's a better deal in all of model flying than the smiles per buck that can come from such a simple glue up of so little balsa that is a hand launched glider.”

For those that are so inclined, I do suggest grabbing a little balsa and adding a few Hand Chucks to your repertoire of gliders. I am still amazed at how many of the current RC crowd is excited when they see a well trimmed one fly.

Maybe someone has a link to plans that can be downloaded from the web? (TLAR works well too!)

I have also built quite a few 30” span gliders that were hand towed. The wings for these were real quick to build. They used 1 piece of 1/16 * 4 *36 medium balsa. First you trim 6” off the end to make ribs. Then cut the 30” into 2 sections for dihedral or 4 sections for a poly wing. The outer sections get a mark (chord wise) about 1.5 to 2” back from the leading edge. Another mark around 5” in from the tip Span wise at the leading edge. These triangles get cut off and then glued to the trailing edge. The triangles can be glued on to give a wider tip (jet look?), or reversed for a BOT look.

Shape some ribs to a pleasing shape, glue the wing sections to the ribs, and presto, an airfoil. Join the sections, and presto again, a wing. A light coating of clear dope and talcum makes a nice finish; can you still buy that stuff?

Fly’m if you got’m

Dave

PS: These are really fun, especially if you know any kids!

[T. Lyttle]

I'm too old for hl any more, bursitis, arthritis, etc. but you guys are making me antsy now. I still have original plans for the B, the C, the Trio, and more I think.

My favourite was the Hedge Hopper from AAM in the late 50s, and we used it as a first model for the beginners. Many, many of these were scattered over the landscape, some 6' away, some chased for miles. Built one a few years ago, let a young guy fly it: he hooked a thermal on about the 10th launch, and his expression was worth the model... "It's still going up!" "Scott, can I have my airplane back now?" ... until it was gone. :D Whee!

[BMatthews]

Then use a catapull'it... :D

The aging free flight population here in the Northwest recently discovered the joys of using a 12 inch loop of 1/4 rubber to slingshot their handlaunches into orbit.

The big key is to extend the fuselage stick about 3/4 behind the stab and glue on some 120 grit sandpaper for a grip. The rubber peg goes onto the belly about an inch or so in front of the leading edge. A little further forward if it's a deep sectioned old timer type.

The 12 inch loop give about the same power as an early twenty guy's arm....

[Daveairway]

Originally posted by T. Lyttle
I'm too old for hl any more, bursitis, arthritis, etc. but you guys are making me antsy now. I still have original plans for the B, the C, the Trio, and more I think.

My favourite was the Hedge Hopper from AAM in the late 50s, and we used it as a first model for the beginners. ... until it was gone. :D Whee!

T,

I have never seen the Hedge Hopper but the Canard from the Trio is GREAT using a mini high start (that 12" loop of 1/4 rubber that Mr. B mentioned). Maybe you should build one, post a picture of it for us here, then take it to the field with you next time you go.

The plot thickens: Pretty sure that if you just carry it around, give it a few gentle toss's, trim it, then carry it around some more, the magic will happen. Some young kid ( 50 years old or less should do ) will want to see it really fly. "Sure, we can take turn launching, if you bring it back" ;)

Put your phone number on it and "Reward if found", just in case. It is quite rewarding to get that call and ask how far away they found it. :D

Dave

[T. Lyttle]

... and I'm still too old! :D

Fact is, I still have a couple squirrelled away, most to do with the beginnings of a kid's program, and I still can't resist pitching them around until (a) the shoulder sez "quit this" or (b) one flies away. I used to built "Whisper" (again from the 50s)for catapult, but can't find the plan now. Key there was to get the model clean enough so that you couldn't hear it after it left the rubber; there is a lesson there for any glider type: if you can hear it, there's drag there somewhere...;) BTW, this thread would do as well in Freeflight!

[BMatthews]

Yes but then we couldn't spread the gospel to all these heathen RC'ers....

Oh wait, I just bought a new radio...... But at least I know what to do with a sheet of tissue paper and that 1/16 sq is good for more than a toothpick... :D

[T. Lyttle]

... some people think I'm kinda wierd, too. I fly EVERYTHING that is available to me: freeflight scale, HLG, sport, rubber, electric, and fuel (diesel), indoor; r/c scale, sport, thermal, slope; lastly that old branch that was supposed to die off with the advent of nearly-reliable r/c, control line. The fact that I do not limit myself to one discipline makes me good at lots of them, great at none.

However, the advantage is that I am not so advanced that I can't give advice to beginners, regardless of their age, nor experienced enough so that there is nothing left to learn. Electrics and their wild advancement curve is a great revelation to me because I am, once more, a beginner. The advent of Park fliers is the best thing for modelling since they started to ban flying in parks, usually c/l.

Simply the best lifelong hobby, ever!!! :D

[BMatthews]

I'd forggoten about this thread.

No one ever came up with any plans. If anyone is interested in expanding their horizons here's a couple of links to downloads for plans.

http://www.f4bscale.worldonline.co.uk/hand.htm
Hit the plans button but there's lots of other goodies here too.

http://cliff234.tripod.com/ffhlg/ffhlg.html
A page with lots of links to other handlaunch stuff including the one above.