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Blue
Wren - 2m hand launch thermal glider
by John Lynch
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SPECIFICATIONS
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Type:
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2m hand launch
thermal glider
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Wingspan:
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2 metre
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Length:
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1.1 metre
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Weight:
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.3.15kg (6lb 15oz.)
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Weight:
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500grams
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| Designed
by: |
John Lynch
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INTRODUCTION
Whilst not a serious
competition type RC hand launch glider, the Blue Wren is a good
all round fun type 2 metre glider which has been hand launched
successfully.
Weighing only 17 oz ready to
fly, and with a wing loading of a mere 3.75 oz per sq ft, it
will stay aloft on the lightest lift, and the all-flying rudder
gives excellent controllability at low speed, allowing it to be
flown in very small diameter circles.
There is no greater thrill
than thermalling away from a hand launch. As a matter of fact,
the day after the initial test glides was one of those magic
days with beautiful little fluffy cumulus clouds everywhere, and
a 2 knot breeze. On my second hand launch I hooked into a little
bubble of rising air and bingo, away it went, shrinking in
silhouette, until it was just a speck in the sky. After 45
minutes and an aching neck, I found an area of sink and brought
the Wren in for a landing just metres from where I was standing.
CONSTRUCTION
| I
find it best to cut out all the bits and pieces first;
e.g. fuselage sides, bottom, top, all the formers, glue up
F3 and F4 with dowels, wing ribs, dihedral braces, spars,
trailing edges and so on. I sort of make a kit of it, then
I can concentrate on the construction. I used a
combination of glues: fast and slow cyano, Bondza and
Loctite. |
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For the
wing ribs, make a set of templates; i.e. two centre section ribs
and one tip rib out of 1.5mm scrap sheet metal such as
galvanised iron. Using the two centre section rib templates and
the sandwich method, make sixteen 1.5mm ribs then three 3mm
ribs. Then using one centre section template and the tip rib
template, make seven 1.5mm ribs. Reverse the template positions
and make another seven 1.5mm ribs of the opposite hand. Use the
same templates and technique to make the riblets.
Having
prepared all the parts, its time to start construction. Make
sure that the building boards are straight and true with no
twists or warps.
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