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Contributed by David Fergus 
(Contributed - by David Fergus)  Brief:
A simple skill level one boost glider with a small Styrofoam glider that
separates at ejection - booster recovery by parachute.
Construction:
main body is BT-50
plastic nose cone
one piece plastic tail/fin section
small Styrofoam toy glider
self-adhesive decal set
This is a simple kit with easy assembly.
Booster: The engine mount and rear fin assembly glue together with
plastic cement and white glue. The engine hook is installed normally. The nose
cone is plastic with the plastic insert glued in with plastic cement. The
hardest assembly step is getting the two launch lugs installed lined up and the
third launch lug for the glider installed on the opposite side. I used braided
Kevlar® with epoxy for the shock cord attachment rather than the standard Estes
folded paper mount.
Glider: There are just two steps on the glider. A small wooden dowel
needs to be glued under the nose as the attachment point to the booster. A
small piece of lead is inserted into the nose of the glider to give it better
glide balance. I used epoxy for both of these steps for a more permanent
attachment. As long as you don't use too much, the balance should remain fine.
The finished glider weighs 0.2 oz.
Finishing:
I chose to paint the rocket with Rustoleum chrome to get a glossy silver look.
The only caution with chrome paint is that it has a tendency to run or smudge
until it has dried for at least a day. The decals go on very easy.
Construction Rating:
3
out of 5
 Flight:
It flies well on A8-3 and B6-4. The glider instruction say to bend the
Styrofoam to obtain the desired glide profile, but it just cracked when I tried
this. I ended up gluing the tip of a wing back on with white glue. My glider
tends to fly straight instead of in a descending circle, so the higher I boost
it the farther the recovery walk...
Recovery:
Because it has a lot of plastic components, I figured I was safe launching this
at our clubs winter launch. Just when the glider separated, I realized I had a
white glider coming down on two feet of snow. I followed it's straight flight
path and found it though, so alls well that ends well. I also didn't use any
chute or streamer for the booster and it tumble recovered fine into two feet of
snow.
Flight Rating:
4
out of 5
Summary:
This is a perfect first boost glider for kids. It is simple to build and fly,
and the glider is even replaceable if lost. I found a pack of three similar
gliders in a hobby store for launch by rubber band. They would be easily
modified for this rocket. I am even contemplating how to put two more gliders
on this thing and taking three gliders for a ride at once.
Overall Rating:
3
out of 5 Flight Log- Post a Comment -
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