Holverson Swinger RG – resurrection of a nostalgic classic

Took off a tiny bit too much with the dremel. A little shimming with some 1/32” ply got things aligned right, although I do notice a little weirdness—the piston tends to “roll” in the motor tube, allowing the control wire to move a bit right or left so that both wings can move up to 1” left or right in the locked back position. Equalizing the tension on both sides of the rubber band seems to ameliorate the problem though, and I’m guessing air pressure and drag will help keep them pinned back.

Happily no adjustment was needed in the wing’s glide position, they both deploy at an exact 90°.


As extra insurance I hardened off the wing root and control rod clamp areas of the wings with CA. The forward wing root is an especially high-stress area that I wanted to ensure wouldn’t split when the wings slam up against the fuse when they deploy.

Just need one final coat of dope to protect things from all the balsa-warping humidity here and getting the CG where it needs to be, and I think I can wrap things up.

 

Both wings turned out virtually identical in weight (16.2g & 16.3g), something which has never happened before (there’s usually a more pronounced weight difference). So I may either go the clay route or slightly warp the rudder to induce a turn. What I’m hoping is that the stacked wings might induce a turn naturally, so I won’t have to add any wingtip weight or mess with the rudder.

The CG should fall 9/16” ahead of the rear edge of the wing support disk. Fortunately all it needed to balance was a less than BB-sized lump of clay on the aft end, though I may still have to make small adjustments after some trimming glides.

 

Done! Adding the small wire nut feels like adding the cherry on top. Happy to have this Blast from the Past replica. I feel like John Hammond, the billionaire guy in Jurassic Park that brought back extinct dinos—except in this case it’s a cool but extinct glider.


Quite happy with the way it turned out. It’s definitely unique looking and unlike any other glider kit currently out there. At about 23” in length and 89.37g (3.15oz) in weight with an expended engine casing in place, it may not be a contender for competition, but with a C6-3 it should put in a flight time of over a minute, which is plenty enough for a sport glider that I really don’t want to lose or have to hike a long way to retrieve.
Hopefully I can give it its inaugural flight in mid-February at our club launch, weather permitting.

 

Nice job!

 

Appreciate that! Always wanted one of these, glad I got to scratch that itch.

 

Beautiful Job!!! I can't wait to get one for myself.

 

Thanks! It'll be a great addition to your fleet and different enough to be a real attention-getter at any launch. Would be great to see a pic of yours here in this thread when you're done.

 

Good hunting!

 

Yup I think she's going to be a big field flier only.