Glider inside rocket tube?

Hi everyone,

Some quick background - I've never launched a rocket powered glider, but have an interest in all things rocket and airplane, so it's a nice mix.

All of the glider launches or pictures I've seen are a full up glider with a rocket motor strapped to it, which would have some drawbacks I can imagine. Has anyone designed a glider with swing wings that could swing back 90 degrees and fit into a model rocket body tube? I can think of 50 different reasons why this is a terrible idea (mostly complexity and weight related) but might be a fun engineering challenge regardless.

Anyone ever try something this boneheaded?

Thanks!

Dustin

QCR had a glider called Auta Sight! that had parasail wings that folded into a rocket tube. At ejection it would unfold and glide down, the rocket would come down separately on a streamer.
Here's my micro version:

Spring locked down with thread and glue to unfold the wings.
They had larger versions, 13 and 18mm I think.
Don't know if they had a 24mm version.
Good upscale project.

Cool!!! Thanks for sharing, didn't know if that was a thing or not. My plans are different, but that's what makes it fun.

Roto Rocket used to offer one as well
https://www.rocketreviews.com/star-scan-system---roto-rocket-ss-1-1970-1986.html

Does the wing have to fit inside a body tube?
There was the Estes Scissor Wing Transport and Swing Wing Crusader, for example.

https://www.spacemodeling.org/jimz/est1265.htm
https://www.spacemodeling.org/jimz/est1961.htm

Dustin. It's not a boneheaded idea at all. It is quite logical. I had developed what I called an ejection glider back around 1970. It was a fairly standard glider with wings and a tail. It could have been radio controlled. Of course the surfaces were flexible and triangular. I used aircraft silk sealed with plasticized dope. I tried one with aluminized mylar, but I preferred the silk. The initial development was done with BT-20, but I made larger ones as well. Most were minimum diameter, but for C motors, 22mm seemed to scale well. I flew an F100 powered minimum diameter Condor B/G at NARAM-14 as a Junior Record attempt. This was the last gasp for the no return rule. I did set or break the record, but only at about 6 minutes. I then decided that it was not worth the hassle of making a presentable drawing and set of photographs, as was required at the time. Eventually it was banned from B/G competition as a flexie, and that ended that. It never had a shred, and I don't recall a DQ either. So it seems that after you build a better mouse trap, they just change the rules to outlaw it. But honestly, the classic HLG style of B/Gs are the most fun.

Way back, when the FAI competition glider event was Boost Glide (instead of Rocket Glider) I believe there was a rigid wing glider that folded up and fit inside the booster boded tube. FAI shortly changed to rocket glider so that development was a dead end for that event.

I think both a flying wing and more conventional configurations were developed and flown.

Several IREC teams have tried wing-deploy payloads. (Its easy to fit the hardware in 5.5/6/8" tubes) Unsure if they've been successful

Thanks for all of the replies everyone, it's much appreciated. Much to think about!

Dustin