WhiteWing Gliders

[WiK]

Hey all,


Does anyone have/kow about Whitewing gliders? They're little gliders made with Paper wings and tails, with a wooden body. Does anyone know if they would be suitable for launching by rocket??

Cheers,



-Phil

 

[jflis]

Phil,

Not only are WhiteWings "suitable", they're Fantastic!

I've been flying WhiteWings for years. The hardest part is coming up with a pod that provides a nice straight boost.

They also work great as a parasite glider (small glider place on a large rocket, kinda like the Orbital Transport). Doing this is far easier because the larger rocket overwhelms the glider surfaces and you can easily get a good boost.

Going with a minimum boost pod for B/G can result in a design that would provide VERY stiff competition in any 1/4A - A B/G event, I can tell you that!

The construction of the WhiteWing gliders results in a very strong model that has outstanding glide ability. Truely wonderful to watch in a B/G configuration.

Here is a pix of one of mine from years ago.

https://jflis.com/hobbies/rocketry/photos/13-mar-01/whitewings01.jpg

I must have done a dozen of these things!
jim

 

[Austin]

I have also built WhiteWing gliders in the past, over 40 of them to be exact. All of them had paper everything...fuselages, wings, stabs, etc... They are a blast to build and are the BEST fliers I have ever constructed...bar none!!!

A pack of WhiteWings, while a bit pricey, contains tons of models. I received my first pack years ago as a Christmas gift and have had more since then. In fact, I still have several built and in flyable condition. A tip would be to use the glue they recommend...I have used the Duro and one other from the list of three and they both worked well. FOLLOW the directions, don't get inovative with glues.

To be honest, I never even thought of using these for 13mm rocket gliders, but they should work well...good idea. Problem is, they fly so well, you may never get it back if you get any kind of altitude!!!

Carl

 

[astronboy]

Hmmm.... I have these gliders, but I never built them. I guess that I will need to dig them out...

 

[Stymye]

I also have 2 sets of these stored away given to me as gifts..the Heritage series and the Future of flight set..Thanks for the idea!

(as If I need more things to build ..Lol)

What is a good type of scissor to use on these?

 

[dtomko]

I had a package of them sitting in my closet for must have been 7 years and a couple of weeks ago took it out and built a few of them with my son. They are fantastic. I have the ones with the balsa fuselages. They are great fliers and as has been pointed out, solidly constructed so they should withstand powered flight well.
Drew Tomko

 

[WiK]

Well, the pack of gliders i brought was a Sport Glider set, designed for maximum flight times. I have already lost 10 out of a 12 pack! I made them last summer. As far as i remember, though this may not apply to all of their kits, the sheets of paper were prefotrated, so you only have to pop the wings and tails out. But if they aren't, i would reccomend a sharp hobby knife or a scalpel.



Thanks for all the ideas, i will probably oreder some stuff to make a Boost Pod one with in a couple of Months. Are there any programs that will let you sim Boost Gliders?


Cheers,


-Phil

 

[dtomko]

I have the ones that aren't perforated. I use a pair of cuticle scissors from a drug store. They are small, sharp, and slightly curved and they work well on paper.
DT

 

[Frank Claunch]

I have a question. What is the rule for making a pod for a glider like the Whitewing gliders as far as length of pod and where shood the center of gravity be located?