Descon Multipurpose Glider

Scratch - Multipurpose Glider {Scratch}

Contributed by Chris Taylor Jr.

Manufacturer: Scratch
Multi Purpose Glider Booster
(Contributed - by Chris Taylor) 

The Purpose !

I like to design and Build Balsa Wood Gliders, I have done so for a Long Time and have gone to and won Competitions in this area BUT Boy would I like to get some of those designs up HIGH !

This Rocket is made from Estes F-22 Fighter Kit minus one fin with addition of some balsa parts.

Note that all the fins are in one general direction this is to offset drag produced by the odd shaped and varied possible gliders.

I also canted the engine JUST slightly to help offset the Gliders Mass Drag and Potential for it wings to drag the rocket like a plane.

 

 
I used both launch lugs from the kit and cut them to form these multi mounts which should accommodate most any average 250-300 mm glider
This is the rear tail Hooking assembly it will grasp the rear wing and vertical tail of most gliders

There is a lot of play for the glider to move I am trying to figure a way to eliminate this without restricting glider from release

I have designed this to carry most any average 250-300 mm glider without much modifications and without having to design it FOR this rocket

 

 
You hook the tail into the tail hook assembly and mark the best Launch Lug Multi mount

you then make a tiny balsa hook to easily and loosely Hook into the multi mount and you are ready to launch

 

I added enough Clay Weight to the nose cone to equal twice the weight of most any glider I will launch to help assure stability and as straight a launch as possible.

Most every flight will be a heads up But I think it will support with reasonable stability most any glider you can attach in the 250-300 mm range and smaller anything bigger and I can not say what will happen

All Balsa Hook assemblies and plane multi point hooks are Coated in CA to add strength ! This is important ! and make sure the Multi Point Hook on the plane is LOOSE so it will be able to get away from the rocket

This Rocket will Revolutionize the Boost Glider Competitions if successful for you will now be able to design an Airplane INDEPENDENT of a Rocket and with only SLIGHT mods launch it on a Rocket which will also allow a LARGE variety of Planes of many styles to be flown !

In fact Modifying a White Wings plane to launch on this should not be beyond possibility Although I don't know how the paper will handle High Thrust etc..

Flight Reports Coming Soon

I will make many designs to fly from varied standard design some canard designs Biplanes and some more exotic designs and report back here !

I will also work on the wing slop an Idea I have is to have a slidable coupler on the body with to LONG screws that I could position under wing and extend till it just touches wings keeping them stable for Boost ! More to cone soon

UPDATE July 22 1998

Success !!! I flew This Rocket 4 Times today 3 on the Above Glider and Once on a Similar Glider but with an average Poly Hedral Glider wing.

Flight 01: the Poly Hedral Glider (Sorry no Picture Explained Later)(you can see a part of it in the last picture above at the bottom)

Total Success !!! Flew on a C6-3 headed into the wind a Little and released the Glider
Here is the reason I will not have a Picture I never saw that Glider again Was still a couple hundred feet up when I lost sight of it I did NOT even bother to try and fetch it :-(

Flight 02: the Above Glider on an A8-3

Caution an A8-3 is a DEFINITE HEADS UP you will get a VERY VERY Good View of this Rocket as it maxes out at about 50 feet !!! BE CAREFUL and DO NOT launch in ANY WIND the Rocket will go about 60-70 feet and and arch over and then Pop the Glider Although DARING in view this is GOOD for those I don't want to loose this Glider Days

Flight 03: the Above Glider on an B6-4

Another Good Launch this one near vertical Glider had a 1.5~ minute flight landing in a Yard some 200 meters away (I set this one to Turn a Little Tighter and it Still went pretty Far !)

Flight 04: the Above Glider on a A8-3

Same as Flight 02 Identical Performance Glide time about 30-40 seconds from about 50 feet

Since the Launch Body Proved SO STABLE and NO need was required for a stabilizing device for the wings

I plan to Build some more varied SIZES and Design Gliders to Fly off of this including some Exotic Designs

Remember you do NOT need to DESIGN for the Rocket you can take most any 300mm or smaller glider you have NOT and fit it to this Rocket ! That is its whole purpose and the only mod you will likely need to make is the addition of a Small Balsa Hook in front to mate to one of the Multi mount Points

Additional Flight Report information

I went to a local Toy Store I had not been to before to check out .. What else Rocket prices :-) I saw this 2 foot wingspan styrofoam glider and had this urge MPGB Turbo 2000 :-)

I bought it Taped the wings and all into place so they don't move under power Replaced the Horizontal stabilizer with an exact copy out of Balsa Wood (I sat on the original :-) Added a Paper Clip Hook to the Nose and then Spent forever trim flying it.

I strapped it to a booster and what can I say WWWWOOOOWWWW ! Very Cool

I flew this some 20 times (Literally) at NARAM 40 (that is how much Fun I had with it) they eventually stopped announcing it and just said Chris's plane on pad 3 etc.. again :-)

The Performance was AMAZING flights of OVER 30 seconds every time and A Couple that might even give a minute a run for it money

Considering this is a $2 dollars kids styrofoam plane boosted at highest 300 feet if I got lucky that was NOT bad This is a C5-3 or C6-3 ONLY plane :-) a B6-2 would probably be safe but a waste of $1.50 for the engine !

Here is some pictures A Pretty Good On Boost Shot and some Not so great In air Shots (glider)
 
 

I also flew My Quantum Voyager Plane on this rocket and got some 1+minute flights (remember I got a LOT of nose weight in this rocket to allow me to fly just about any Airplane you can come up with To to this I have to sacrifice So I can only boost to about 300-400 feet in even the best of conditions But it SURE is fun ! and Extremely Stable so you can test out those Exotic designs before making a Custom Booster for it !










Note I have retired this Booster after some 70 odd number flights and with Tumble recovery it is DEFINITELY showing its ages a LOT ! and I deem it no longer safe and or reliable to fly

I will build another and fly it just as much :-)

I also have plans to build a Cluster Dual C6-3 version to loft the 4 Foot version of this foam glider :- That will be VERY neat !

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