TIME OUT FOR GLIDERS! THIS ZIPPY LITTLE CLASS A JOB MAY BE BUILT FOR BALSA OR HARDWOOD.
A THERMAL CATCHER DE LUXE.

THIS little glider started its existence as an all-balsa type, but the final model ended up as a hardwood design. The same plan, however, can be used for the ship in either form. Material consists of 1/8" and 1/16" sheet balsa, if you are lucky enough to have any, or a soft-pine yardstick from the five and ten and a wooden fruit basket from the grocer's. The wood found in these baskets is about 1/32" thick, and makes excellent glider surfaces.

Using the plans as a pattern, take a sheet of carbon paper and trace the outlines onto the proper thicknesses of wood. If the glider is to be of hardwood, follow the dotted line over the center section when tracing the fuselage. It is this curve that will form and hold the camber of the wings. This camber will give the wings rigidity as well as extra lift. Before drawing the fuselage, however, plane or sandpaper the yardstick until it is 1/16" thick.

After the fuselage has been sanded to proper cross section, coat it with two or more coats of glider polish, if balsa, and one if pine. Repeat the process for wings and tail.

Assemble from the tail forward, placing the stabilizer first and then the rudder. Allow these parts to dry thoroughly before cementing the wing in place. If the wing is to be of balsa, assemble the two halves into one solid unit before attaching; but with the hardwood wing, each half is to be attached to the fuselage separately.

Balance the model with clay or putty until it glides at the proper angle. Once long, straight glides are obtained, remove a bit of the clay and warp down the trailing edge of the right wing to make the glider circle to the left. For best performance, launch it into a medium right bank. This crossing of the controls will cause it to execute a climbing S turn, pulling out at the top and entering a left circling glide on her way into the clouds.