A blast from the past: My venerable OD Mig-21 D-powered boost glider

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tab28682

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In the process of another active period in rocketry after about 15 years of flying R/C with only a little rocketry activity mixed in.

Thought some of you might enjoy like to see my old (19 years old and going strong) own design Mig-21 boost glider for 24mm motors. Folks that attended the DARS launches around 1995-1998 and NARAM in 1996 in Evansville, Indiana might remember this model. It was flown mostly before the internet got huge, so not a lot about it out there on the WWW.

I do not have a close up photo handy, but will load one up later. This particular launch was a couple of years ago at the SMALL Steps model aircraft event in Little Rock, AR, what happens to be very rocket freindly and especially rocket and boost glider freindly..

The Mig-21 was based on some not too common NCR 2" tubing. 1/8" hard balsa wings and tails. Internal pop pod ala the old Estes gliding Bomarc (sigh). Flights very nicely on D12-3s. It started out with a card stock shock cone in the nose, but later it started sporting a HobbyLab SR-71 shock cone, as I have a pile of them left over from the HobbyLab days. Carved and hollowed light balsa turtledeck fairing, vac formed canopy, airbrushed lacquer camoflauge, Russian stars from trim Monokote.

Probably has 70 plus flights on it and was flown last this past June. Had it out at the DARs High Power launch in Gunter, but never got it out of the car. It does need a repaint as it has a lot of years on the original finish...:)

Back in 1998 I started a 4" diameter version of the Mig-21 for I power, but it was never finished....perhaps I will tackle it soon, if I can find it in my storage/disaster area....:) Plan was to have a water ballest tank in the nose draining during boost phase (ala George Gassaways X-1) that would correct the CG shift during boost.

This thing has to be one of my longest lasting rockets ever, althrough several years can pass between brief flurries of flying the thing.

mig21pad.jpg

mig21boost.jpg

DSC_0947.jpg

mig21glide.jpg

mig21recovered.jpg
 
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It's beautiful! Thank you for posting these photos.

Ari.
 
It's beautiful! Thank you for posting these photos.

Ari.

Thanks for the kind words.

I have a few other blasts from the past that I will post over time.

Have a great sequence of the HobbyLab F-14 prototype RCBG on G-40 power from the late 1990s that I will post soon.

Perhaps some of this old stuff will inspire new projects......
 
I was always hopeful that more of "Hobby Labs" fleet would have made it out.
Brochure.jpg

Thanks for your posts, and the SR-71!
 
Very cool, here is my larger profile RC BG I've been flying on E-6's or as a pusher with a pod installed into the motor mount, 39" long, and 12 oz rtf, no pop pod, the CG shift is just handled with up trim.

WP_20140112_003.jpg
 
I guess there was a video, would this be on YouTube?

No video ever done of the Mig, to my knowledge. There was a TV commercial filmed on video tape of the SR-71 back around 1996 or so. Sort of predates modern digital video and youtube...:)
 
Flew the good old MiG at the DARS HP launch on Aug 23. The venerable model flew very nicely. Pictures coming.

Dug out the 4" diameter 2X upscale parts with an eye to continuing the build. Plan is for it to use H and I motors and RC control via tailerons. Also planning on water ballast discharge from the nose cone/shock cone during boost for CG control.

Also procured some 3" tubing from BMS with an eye towards a 3" diameter 1.5X upscale version as well, for F and G motors and the same ideas per the 4"

Tubing lengths (without the shock cone) are 22" for the original, 33" for the 1.5" upscale and 44" for the 2X version.

image.jpg
 
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