Ring-wing glider

[Sooner Boomer]

Has anyone seen/built a ring-wing glider? Not a single ring like the Stovepipe, but one that used a pair of rings (or more properly cylinders). There's a Canadian company selling a hand-launched glider called the "Skyaak" https://skyaak.com/tag/skyaak-ring-wing-glider/. This actually uses two cones rather than two cylinders. About 10 years ago, a member of the local NAR group had built a glider from two carbon fiber cylinders and a carbon fiber arrow shaft. I'd like to duplicate the design (lost contact with original member). I've gathered a lot of stuff to go through from NACA/NASA documents, but would like to hear if anyone else has built something like this, or if they have comments/ideas.

 

[cwbullet]

It looks like 2 lamp shades on a body tube.

 

[kjohnson]

Yes I've built a few small ones using straws and card stock. Also one of the Whitewings sets had one in them.

There was also a rocket glider design printed in Sport Rocketry a while back that was a two ring wing type. Had "hawk" in the name I think.

kj

 

[SwingWing]

A similar design, Tim Bush's Ringhawk plans are printed in an old MASA newsletter here: https://www.mn-rocketry.net/masa/planet/masa_Vol6-5.pdf Page 4

I have built one of them, and it is a fun little flyer. It currently needs re-building, due to hangar rash.

 

[Micromeister]

These Straw rocket ringwing glider do quite well. Lots of indoor or outdoor fun.

 

[Pem Tech]

Interesting design concept....
A friend of Trudy's introduced me to the mono-ring glider a while back, but the dual conical sections makes this intriguing.

 

[Sooner Boomer]

I downloaded the .pdf and that looks like a neat rocket. It'a got the body tube as the spar, and the front ring slides forward on ejection. The rocket Peter built had fixed rings, and flew (I believe) on a G80. This design has equal-sized rings. I can't remember if Peter's rocket did or not. Also can't remember whether the engine pod was outside the rings or inside. I've found two airplanes that might serve as inspiration as well. One called the "Hoopskirt" from the April '63 Popular Mechanics (google books), and another I found through google images that has a pair of octagons on opposite ends of a main spar, with an engine on a pod below.

 

[Sooner Boomer]

These Straw rocket ringwing glider do quite well. Lots of indoor or outdoor fun.

Which end is the "front"? Do you have build details? I ran across something like this in my web search. Is that a Nike Smoke?

View attachment Ring_Wing_Glider.pdf

 

[Sooner Boomer]

Apparently the "Flying Octogons" was designed by Ted Maciag. It came from the web site https://aeromodelismovolarlibremente.blogspot.com/ - a model airplane (powered and glider) free flight blog. Found build plans on google images that point back to this site (in the image). Looks like there might be more good stuff there...

 

[Micromeister]

Which end is the "front"? Do you have build details? I ran across something like this in my web search. Is that a Nike Smoke?

The smaller end is always the "front" LOL!
the strips are simply computer paper or copier paper, the rear 1-1/2" wide x 11" long, forward 3/4" wide by 6" long. make a loop out of each taping the end with magic tape, then tape to a standard drinking straw.
Adjust the Glide trim by moving the forward ring back until you get a nice level glide. For hand tossing the straw can be left open on both ends, for launching from a soda bottle fold the forward "Nose" closed and tape.
I've been simply amazed at the altitude and distance one of these little ring gliders can achive outdoors from the sudden squeeze on a 16 to 20oz plastic soda bottle. 12 to 15 feet up with a glide of more the 50yards. They just seem to hang in the air and slide along LOL!!!

If your speaking of the red tapered point model second for the left in the first phot no it's no a Nike-smoke. It's my own design I just call it the Conehead Paper rocket. That one I do have a page plan for the other two that are a blast are the little straw launcher ALCM and 2-liter bottle squeeze launched 10-1/4" paper rocket. Great paper and tape fun for all ages. Super for those "NO-Field or Flyable" demo's.

View attachment Straw launcher-e3c_5.75in Conehead Rocket pg_08-05-10.pdf

View attachment Straw launcher-e4c1_Red.840inx10.25inPaperRocket_08-05-10.pdf

View attachment Straw launcher-e2c_6.5in ALCM Glider pg_08-04-10.pdf

 

[brianc]

I've been folding and flying paper airplane versions of this design
since the late 1960's. This appears in The Great International
Paper Airplane Book https://www.amazon.com/dp/0671211293/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

In there, the design is credited to Phillip W. Swift of Rochester, NY.

A few years ago, I had considered an upscale for a local NAR contest. When
Chris recently introduced his Corkscrew at ROCK,
I was tempted to make a MMX version. Seeing Micromeister's is making
think about it again!

 

[Sooner Boomer]

I've been folding and flying paper airplane versions of this design
since the late 1960's. This appears in The Great International
Paper Airplane Book https://www.amazon.com/dp/0671211293/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

In there, the design is credited to Phillip W. Swift of Rochester, NY.

A few years ago, I had considered an upscale for a local NAR contest. When
Chris recently introduced his Corkscrew at ROCK,
I was tempted to make a MMX version. Seeing Micromeister's is making
think about it again!

Well boogerbears and snotsnakes! I thought I had made an original design. I've never seen a Corkscrew before a few minutes ago, yet built BT20 and BT5 versions about 6 days ago. I guess great minds think alike.

 

[kjohnson]

Well boogerbears and snotsnakes! I thought I had made an original design.

Don't feel bad. All gliders are just derivatives of the BumbleBee anyhow.

kj

 

[Sooner Boomer]

If your speaking of the red tapered point model second for the left in the first phot no it's no a Nike-smoke. It's my own design I just call it the Conehead Paper rocket.

Well, ya know...with just a few modifications (mostly fin shape...), you could call it a Nike Ajax. White cone upper section, black lower w/fins. :wink:

 

[Brazell]

I remember Peter Kor's glider. It was about 48 inches long, a 14"(?) hoop as the main wing and a 6 or 8" ring in front. It had a 24mm motor mount mounted just ahead of the small ring, in the center. Saw it fly many times. It looked like some kind of invertebrate wiggling through the air with that thin carbon fiber fuselage tube and the prepreg carbon fiber rings. As I remember he lost it at a launch in Argonia in 2000. Peer and I talked about the concept in the old Hobbytown in Norman, and Peter dared me to make a high-power rocket glider.
-Braz

 

[SandiaMan]

I was just googling around for anything about ring wing glider rocket, came across skyaaks, then found this thread before posting my own. Anyone have photos or flight reports of a rocket powered skyaak / ring wing glider? I'm thinking of kit bashing a LPR kit to try one with BP motors.

 

[BABAR]

I was just googling around for anything about ring wing glider rocket, came across skyaaks, then found this thread before posting my own. Anyone have photos or flight reports of a rocket powered skyaak / ring wing glider? I'm thinking of kit bashing a LPR kit to try one with BP motors.

These should get you started. @Rktman is one of the current generations of masters of bending balsa.

https://www.rocketryforum.com/threads/best-method-to-bend-balsa.139470/page-4

https://barc775.files.wordpress.com/2015/05/ring-hawk-plans-002.pdf

 

[SandiaMan]

Thanks for the working Ringhawk link! The one above is broken, of course. Great thread too. Appreciate the help. That's exactly what I was hoping to find.

 

[Rktman]

I remember Peter Kor's glider. It was about 48 inches long, a 14"(?) hoop as the main wing and a 6 or 8" ring in front. It had a 24mm motor mount mounted just ahead of the small ring, in the center. Saw it fly many times. It looked like some kind of invertebrate wiggling through the air with that thin carbon fiber fuselage tube and the prepreg carbon fiber rings. As I remember he lost it at a launch in Argonia in 2000. Peer and I talked about the concept in the old Hobbytown in Norman, and Peter dared me to make a high-power rocket glider.
-Braz

Do you know where Peter got the the carbon fiber rings? Would really like to clone something like this!

 

[Ez2cDave]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FNhtg0WWEpo

 

[Aeronerd]

Very cool if you could upscale one of those soda straw ring wing gliders to fly on 18mm or 24mm motors. Guess the problem challenge would be how to build the rings so they wouldn't tear off when launched.

 

[SandiaMan]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FNhtg0WWEpo

It was a video like this that got me thinking in the first place... I was glad to find more info. I think I'm going to have to build a Ringhawk to indulge my curiosity.

 

[Rktman]

It was a video like this that got me thinking in the first place... I was glad to find more info. I think I'm going to have to build a Ringhawk to indulge my curiosity.

I built one and have flown it many times. They're a real crowd pleaser. No one expects what looks like a common ring tail rocket to suddenly transition into something that glides...and glides absurdly well!

 

[SandiaMan]

@Rktman What motors do you typically fly with? How much hiking do you have to do for recovery?

 

[Rktman]

@Rktman What motors do you typically fly with? How much hiking do you have to do for recovery?

C6-3. Unlike a regular glider though, you can't get it to circle, it tends to turn into the wind so I've had to do some couple acre hikes. Of course it won't have the duration of a well trimmed traditional glider with an airfoiled wing.

 

[Sooner Boomer]

Do you know where Peter got the the carbon fiber rings? Would really like to clone something like this!

I would assume from a local member. One of the local guys calls his garage the "Central Okla. Military Industrial Complex"; kind of a local guru for all things composite fiber. If I can track him down, I'll what it takes to get some cylinders made.

 

[Rktman]

I would assume from a local member. One of the local guys calls his garage the "Central Okla. Military Industrial Complex"; kind of a local guru for all things composite fiber. If I can track him down, I'll what it takes to get some cylinders made.

Thanks that would be awesome!