Sunward Glider Flying Model Rocket questions

Well, another old hand gave me a hand out in the launch field, trying to trim the glider. He was surprised at how much clay was on the nose, but after several more additional tosses, He agreed it was about right. He stole a pinch off the nose to weight the right wing, trying to correct a left turn after stall, but not with a great deal of success.

We launched it on an A8-3 and it went up well, separated and streamer was late on deploy for the booster. The glider went well, but again had a broad left curve spiraling down. All this despite a steady 4-5 mph breeze from the south.

I attempted to add a little more to the right wingtip, repacked the streamer, and loaded a B4-2 that was recommended, and got it all ready to fly. I rushed a little as the breeze was picking up, and when all was set, launched quickly so a departing friend would see it.

Dissaster. The rear stablizer hit something (clothes pin? Wire leads?) and sheared the lead edge off. The rocket and glider made an immediate horizontal turn and flew about 30 feet as it dove into the ground. The front of the right wing sheared off, and the boom snapped immediately behind where my brace ended. (Fortunately, I have about the right length of brace left over to continue down the boom (but this is getting old!) Also, had made a replacement for that sheered right stablizer, so that'll be an easy replacement. The front edge of the right wing may be able to be glued back. I'll have to work on that.

But I'm also seriously considering just ordering an Edmonds' DeeLite or CiCi glider to use up my weaker motors. I'm told they are good, and the triangle construction is very sturdy for kids to work on, trim, and then fly.

That's a bummer. At least you got one good flight from it! Also, a broad left hand circle is what you want. That way it doesn't fly straight off into the sunset.

Personally, I would just use CA to glue the wing and stab back together.

Might I recommend a QCR kit?

https://store.heavenlyhobbies.com/qcrroki.html

The "Easy Slide" series are Rocket Gliders and the "Never Loop" series are boost gliders. The materials are good quality, although the instructions are a little sparse. My first competition gliders were QCR kits, the Never Loop I for 13mm motors. The II would be good for 18mm motors.

If you feel like giving a Rocket Glider (no engine drop) a try, you can't go wrong with an Apogee Cirrus Breeze. Tim makes good stuff. He also has construction videos so that you can see exactly how it's done.

https://www.apogeerockets.com/Rocket_Kits/Skill_Level_5_Kits/Cirrus_Breeze_Rocket_Glider?cPath=1_92&

Kirk G said:

I attempted to add a little more to the right wingtip, repacked the streamer, and loaded a B4-2 that was recommended, and got it all ready to fly. I rushed a little as the breeze was picking up, and when all was set, launched quickly so a departing friend would see it.

Dissaster. The rear stablizer hit something (clothes pin? Wire leads?) and sheared the lead edge off. The rocket and glider made an immediate horizontal turn and flew about 30 feet as it dove into the ground. View attachment 177388 The front of the right wing sheared off, and the boom snapped immediately behind where my brace ended. (Fortunately, I have about the right length of brace left over to continue down the boom (but this is getting old!) Also, had made a replacement for that sheered right stablizer, so that'll be an easy replacement. The front edge of the right wing may be able to be glued back. I'll have to work on that.

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Ouch. Yeah, these boost gliders have a way of knocking you down a few pegs just when you're feeling confident. I just finished my first one (Estes Tercel) which has survived six flights (and two crashes) so far, but I kinda wish I started with something a little simpler that didn't take as long or cause as much stress to build...miss one little detail and you wreck it. Lest we forget, NASA lost a boost glider (and seven crew) over a loose piece of insulation.

That is not much damage, just a scratch, it will buff right out. A little super glue and you are back in business.

Hello Kirk G...was thinking about you since I broke my shock cord mount (again) on my own pop pod glider. Have you gotten yours back together?

Sorry for the delay, I've been on vacation for about two weeks in Yellowstone starting in Chicago and points west and north...a big circuit and some by Amtrack to start!

Anyway, I laid out the Sunward Glider, and attempted to glue it together, piecing it and gluing it. Holding it straight while it dried became an issue. So, though it is "together", it has sat on the high shelf for two weeks, untouched, untried. I suspect that I will not try to fly it again though. We shall see.

Instead, I have several additional ideas...some suggested from here... and I thought I might do a quick investment in a CiCi or DeeLite from Edmund or Phillips Aeronautics (don't recall the right name right now)... just to burn off the excess motors in the mini sizes that I've got cluttering my shelf... But I also thought the D-shape kid's glider was going to be more stable (stronger) for me too... so I haven't decided what to do yet. I got about two weeks before the next club launch, so we'll see.

The Deltie is a great kit. Easy to build and flies great. There used to be a series of them in different sizes from MMX to 24mm.

kj

Just a little history on the Sunward Glider, in it's original incarnation it was first designed by Canaroc Industries back in the late 1970's, plans for the original are available on "Ye Olde Rocket Plans" as the Canaroc Nomad kit. In the first incarnation it used the then available Canaroc A2-2 and B4-2 motors. Well of course Canaroc is long since gone as are the A2 motors. The original pop -pod was a BT 20 version with either a plastic or balsa nose and with a 12 inch parachute for recovery. When Sunward produced their original version they used a BT 56 Pod with the large canopy nose, an A8-3 was marginal due to the added mass and drag, but a B4-2/B6-2 motor would work reasonably well.

If you were daring and had built a robust model a C6-3 would be spectacular. I believe that Sunward has since reduced the size of their power pod to 24mm BT 50, which will significantly improve the model's performance.

What I would suggest, if anyone was willing to try another Sunward Glider, download the Canaroc Nomad kit plans off the Ye Olde website, pick up the BT20 and PNC 20 nosecone along with a new Sunward Glider kit with your next Sunward order, save the BT 50 or BT56 tubes and noses for your parts box for future projects and just build a Nomad. I have scaled the Nomad down to 75% and used 13mm power pod and a smaller , lighter glider really flies well on 1/2A3-2T or A3-4T, just substitute 3/32(wing) and 1/32 hard balsa for the rudder and stab.

Garth Illerbrun
CAR S04 L3
NAR 26894 L2

I confess, I was weak.... I gave in and shopped Edmonds Aerospace gliders from Erockets.biz

I saw an inexpensive Deltie....and then a Didi....and a Cici....and finally, there was an Estes Quark.... almost all of which were marked down...and used pretty much the same rocket motors that I already have in my jump kit. So, I broke down and ordered them.

I was especially pleased cause it was going to give me an extra $5 off my total for allowing them to post an ad on my facebook account. So I pushed the button. But when I went to paste in their promo code, it then told me that I had to order $50 to take advantage of that discount.
Bummer.

So I am hoping that the four items arrive by this Saturday, so that I can begin this weekend, before we drive to Niagra Falls for the last weekend with my grown kids. Maybe I'll be able to finish one or two of them before the club launch the second Saturday of August. That's my goal.

Kirk G said:

I saw an inexpensive Deltie....and then a Didi....and a Cici....and finally, there was an Estes Quark.... almost all of which were marked down...and used pretty much the same rocket motors that I already have in my jump kit. So, I broke down and ordered them.

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I'd love to see/hear about building, trimming, and flying these, Kirk. I want some more boost gliders but looking for something a little less labor intensive (and therefore a little more expendable!) than my Estes Tercel.

mrichhcirm said:

I'd love to see/hear about building, trimming, and flying these, Kirk. I want some more boost gliders but looking for something a little less labor intensive (and therefore a little more expendable!) than my Estes Tercel.

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I'd be happy to share my experience as I unpack, assemble, tune and fly these.
Unfortunately, the package didn't show up Saturday as hoped (The gas oven ignitor did however!)
and so, I am not likely to see it before next Thursday or Friday...despite being told that it would be mailed Friday, and was received by the USPS in Dayton (3 hours west of here) on Friday at 10:30 a.m. In theory, it should have gone to Columbus sorting center on Friday, then be dispatched to Athens overnight...and sorted Saturday morning, with delivery the next delivery...Saturday afternoon. But that didn't happen. I think it may be setting in the Athens post office, waiting until Monday morning sort and afternoon delivery.

Frankly, I don't think t hat it's going to be terribly difficult to assemble any of these, after my experience with the Sunward... but we shall see.

Just checked on line. They sent it to Cincinatti first, which added a day to the journey....then to Columbus where it arrived Saturday ... then left Saturday at 10pm...and must be sitting in my post office awaiting Monday morning sorting and delivery!

Kirk G said:

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The instructions are both in English and French, so it's bizarre reading them interspersed. But doable.

The first question has to do with glue. I am in the habit of using yellow carpenter's wood glue on my rockets...balsa fins, and assembly, except when CA or plastic epoxy or something exotic is specified. THIS kit mentions white glue in the list of required materials (along with a list of the usual suspects...sandpaper, hobby knife, cellophane tape, etc.) and I've not run into this before.
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sorry I didn't see this thread earlier.

You have an older version of the kit. The new version uses a lighter BT50 combination for the main body tube/nose cone. Lighter and more stable.

As for glue, you can use either white or yellow. The difference being yellow glue - carpenter's- has more tack and will bond faster. White glue will take more time to set.

Strength is not a problem as you are gluing wood to paper. Yellow glue is more easier to work with but give less time to adjust pieces. Once they touch, they are glued.

As for instructions, I have been moving to english only for the US market.

Thank you for weighing in, Angelo of Sunward.

The small box of gliders arrived about five minutes before we left on vacation, so I took it with me to Niagara Falls. No, I didn't launch nor assemble any of them there, although I did sort through the package and open the quark. I decided I was there for my family, not my hobby, so I left it alone until I got back. I'm thinking I should start a separate thread for the three Edmond gliders, so as not to compete with Sunward's glider thread here.
So, watch for that.

Plus, I'm thinking of trying surgery to remove the damaged stabilizer on the Sunward's back left, and replace it with the too- thick one I had started. I think there's enough of the wing in-place and intact to leave that one alone. Maybe I'll get bold and decide to try to launch again if I get it done, AND if I can convince my daughter (the artists) to doctor up the new fin as well...