Hello Allan...I have seen some pics of your T31 from the Blenhiem aero tows and was hoping you would pop up here.
I have very little info on my build other than some full size pics of two T31s in the UK.
I have send several emails to the world vintage glider movement requesting info ,but as yet absolutely no replies.
So most of my designing is round these photos.
Yes I intend an aero tow release on mine as that is the main reason to build it, other than I love older gliders.
I have been to Blenhiem several times for your float flys,and always fly STS the White Super Cub. You might of seen it there.
I will take your advise on the taller rudder,and include that in the building. Thanks for that.
Any pics you have of your wing& strut mounting would be real helpfull here.
Chirp in any time you like with ideas.
What is your A / U wt ?
cheers Graeme

I'll see what I can dig up for you Graeme. My T31 was actually built by a work mate as a static display model but to the old Radio Modeller (UK) plan. Have you seen this plan? It works pretty well structurally. Do you want a copy? I could get it scanned to your scale and you would then have a pretty good working set of drawings.
The colour scheme on mine is scale apparently. It represents a NZ T31 that the builder used to maintain. The registration is a real one.

Allan

PS Now daylight saving is here we are back doing our Wednesday night slope soaring so I'm hoping to get the T31 up on the hill. It will need good lift though as the performance is pretty awful. Have you seen Chris Williams video of his big T31 in flight? Typical Williams effort, very nice.

Graeme, I attach some stuff on the T31 that may help. It shows the taller rudder which may in fact be standard fit on the Mark III.
Allan

I have a little plan by keith Humber from 1994 [ Radio modeller ]with a w/s of 74.5 in and I just doubled every thing on that. Is this the same plan you speak of?
The construction on the plan is good but I am trying to get more scale.
Thanks for that other information have that all printed out now.
Will use this to check my rudder hight.
I have seen some of Chris Williams gliders ,but not the T31.
Hill slope flying is fun I have two gliders here that I use for that .One is 1.8m the 2.4m.The 1.8 has done over 160hrs flying on the slopes.
You should try sand dune flying on the beach as well. That will test you out.
Need a light glider and strong wind.
Graeme

No Greama mine is 108 inch span I'm pretty sure. It is from a similar period though.
It sounds like you have what you need. Interesting reading in the stauff I posted that the Canterbury gliding club got a T31 to 19,000 feet in the NW wave. Man that must have been cold!
Yes, I here you can soar sand hills. I haven't tried it. I suspect a HLG would be usefull for that sort of thing.
I bumped into Chir Brew at an Aero Society meeting last night and he remembers you from his club's float flies. Good of you to come so far to fly with us.
I look forward to watching your build.

Allan

Originally Posted by AllanK1

No Greama mine is 108 inch span I'm pretty sure. It is from a similar period though.
It sounds like you have what you need. Interesting reading in the stauff I posted that the Canterbury gliding club got a T31 to 19,000 feet in the NW wave. Man that must have been cold!
Yes, I here you can soar sand hills. I haven't tried it. I suspect a HLG would be usefull for that sort of thing.
I bumped into Chir Brew at an Aero Society meeting last night and he remembers you from his club's float flies. Good of you to come so far to fly with us.
I look forward to watching your build.

Allan

Kiwi number 3 now.
HI, it just so happens I have a T31 I was given sitting in my "building area" in my garage that I am in the process of re-furbishing. It was built off the plan that Allan is talking about I think. It is a slope design so is a bit beefier than usual. Design weight is 5.5 lbs, my example weighs in at 6.5 lbs no wonder it flew like a brick off the tow so I've been told. Haven't seen it fly myself.

Attached is a scan of the plan header, which shows the centre rib for the wings. If you want I can take some pics of it on the model (got a new camera - - but ssshhhh don't tell the wife yet she doesn't know )

BTW, that NZ reg'd blue t31, do you know if it ever came down to Mandeville Airfield near Gore? ? I saw one fly there the year the Tiger Moths did their big country long race. I'm sure I've got photos somewhere of it.

Anyway, your building method is interesting and I am watching with interest.

Phillip C
Invercargill

PS: Yes, love sandhill sloping as per my avatar. Own design foam/balsa wing, balsa fuse, first three channel glider, flew well till . . . . you can guess the rest. Lets just say if you make a wee mistake - it's over veeeeerry quickly. Just need to glue the two pieces of fuse together and shes ready to again. Enough hijacking, back to topic. Mintie, whats new ? ?

wellcome aboard Phil..thanks for the print of the rib....Mine is having both wings join in the centre as per the full size.will put up pics as we go along..
Just making the jig to weld up the wing cabine to hold the front of the wings.
Having fun designing bits for this glider.always learning something along the way.
Any input is welcome .
Not sure about BTM but Allan might be able to add some thing here.But if ou have any pics that would be good.
I just might do some research through CAA on Monday when back at work.
PhilI I am writing this from our motel in Timaru.Here for their labour weekend flyin
Have you been to it at any time? cheers Graeme.

Hi Graeme, no I haven't been to Timaru, but one of our members goes most years, Richard Race. He flies a large edge coloured like the NZ Flag. He also has a jet, but may not be repaired after landing short a few weeks ago.

I have no idea where those photos are but I'm going to have look, cos I was thinking of recovering my T31 in those colours too.

Hope the weathers better for you than here . . .
Phillip C

BINGO . . I found the photos. Date is March 1990 . .
But, not happy, just close ups of the cockpit area no full plane shots.

Allan, I did a search of GAI and found a record saying it crashed on landing in . . . 1965 ! Also found that the registration was cancelled in Feb 1966. But have no idea what happened to the bits, maybe it got rebuilt under a new registration.

So, that begs the question, whats the registration on the glider in my photos ? ? ?

Phillip C

Oops, forgot to attach the photos.

good pics thanks Phill. Some good detail here that is of help to me...No Richard didnt make it here this year.
Fine weather here sat and sun but windy..Cold now in the evening..
need some pics of your T31 some time.
keep tuned in..cheers Graeme

Back home from the weekend fly in.....here is a pic of the wing cabane jig that I am working on .
Still have to fit in the top bolt mount which holds the wings to the fuse.

Originally Posted by philkiteflyer

Kiwi number 3 now.
HI, it just so happens I have a T31 I was given sitting in my "building area" in my garage that I am in the process of re-furbishing. It was built off the plan that Allan is talking about I think. It is a slope design so is a bit beefier than usual. Design weight is 5.5 lbs, my example weighs in at 6.5 lbs no wonder it flew like a brick off the tow so I've been told. Haven't seen it fly myself.

Attached is a scan of the plan header, which shows the centre rib for the wings. If you want I can take some pics of it on the model (got a new camera - - but ssshhhh don't tell the wife yet she doesn't know )

BTW, that NZ reg'd blue t31, do you know if it ever came down to Mandeville Airfield near Gore? ? I saw one fly there the year the Tiger Moths did their big country long race. I'm sure I've got photos somewhere of it.

Anyway, your building method is interesting and I am watching with interest.

Phillip C
Invercargill

PS: Yes, love sandhill sloping as per my avatar. Own design foam/balsa wing, balsa fuse, first three channel glider, flew well till . . . . you can guess the rest. Lets just say if you make a wee mistake - it's over veeeeerry quickly. Just need to glue the two pieces of fuse together and shes ready to again. Enough hijacking, back to topic. Mintie, whats new ? ?

Yes, that is the way mine attaches, sounds like the right plan. Seem to remember I weighed mine at 5.5 pounds.
Allan

Slingsby T31b Tandem Tutor 3rd scale (3 min 35 sec)

Check out the Chris williams 1/3 scale T31 in flight on Utube.
Looks to fly better than mine! Must have a massive wing area.
I asked Al, the builder of mine about why he choose GAI. It seems it was the T31 that lived at Matamata and was woked on by his father and grandfather over the years.
He did say that he thought there was a serviceable T31 at the Norfolk Gliding club in Taranaki. If it still exists, it may make a good subject to photograph and model. Al felt it was in their hangar about 2 years ago. Hope that helps.

Allan

Originally Posted by AllanK1

I asked Al, the builder of mine about why he choose GAI. It seems it was the T31 that lived at Matamata and was woked on by his father and grandfather over the years.
He did say that he thought there was a serviceable T31 at the Norfolk Gliding club in Taranaki. If it still exists, it may make a good subject to photograph and model. Al felt it was in their hangar about 2 years ago. Hope that helps.

Allan

There is a T31 at Piako, GAU, it is in NZ military colours (red and white) there is a good video of a flying event in 2007 on their website. Couldn't find any mention of a T31 at Norfolk, but there is a photo of a T46.

My dad took some video of the Tiger race and of the T31 but it doesn't show the registration.

I will have to do more digging.

Phillip C