Reply # 10 : http://www.rcindia.org/beginners-zone/so-what%27s-your-rc-story/

40 years have passed and the fires still burn as bright as ever. Just managed to complete 5 Chuck Gliders in a day and a half. Truth be told, I am just a wee bit embarrassed yet righteously indignant about posting this on a forum where 20 year old champion pilots fly RTF jets and FPV's. Yet they have no clue about terms like Decalage, Incidence, Moment Arm, Wash out or Camber. Are they true 'Aeromodellers'? As I may have mentioned earlier, I recently met a gentleman who claims to have been an 'Aeromodeller' for the last 30 years and yet was unaware that the position of CG differed in a High Wing Glider and a Low Wing Fighter.

Here I am then, 50 years old, happy with my Chuck Gliders. There is something very soothing about a little plane gently gliding into a perfect landing. No engine, no noise, no fanfare, no bravado - just a silent realisation that a few hours ago it was just a sheet of 3mm Balsa and a plan on an A4. You add passion and patience (lots of it).

But then again, you have to be around 50 years old to appreciate this magic.

Top to Bottom:

Scholastic 2015
Family Fun
Easy Mini
Queen Bee
Let's Roll

A part of my collection:

1. Saikat's model from 2011 - expert craftsmanship. Wouldn't part with this for any sum of money. Seriously.
2. Zing Mk.IV
3. Flicka
4. Thermic 18
5. Plain Sailor
6. Scholastic 2015 (this one needed a lot of mathematics   )
7. Family Fun - Easiest to build / GREAT flier on a still day.
8. Easy Mini
9. Queen Bee - Kebab skewer fuselage.
10. Let's Roll - There's a lot of history behind this little glider, you can Google it.

Except Saikat's model, free plans are available for all the others on the net. You will have to figure out the dimensions of #6 using a divider, a scale and a calculator. I've made this particular model with an adjustable wing and will use it to demonstrate Moment Arm differences to my students.

hi,

nice to see all those gliders. bought back my old memories

I started aeromodelling wit paper and thermocole. balsa was not known untill met a few old timers.

i still remember running behind the gliders made from card sheet and used to catapult to attain a good height. after that just relax and watch the beauty fly.

i have built chuck gliders in many diferent materials including depron and coro.

the white wings paper glider was a great design by a japanese.

aeromodelling is a art very few people master. the rest are only players.

regds

Nice chuck gliders VC..... I too recently made the Flicka.... and had great time with that.  Took it to Phaphamau along with my rc model and enjoyed flying the Chuck glider more.....

Too big to be Chuck Glider, a DLG perhaps?

Found plans from a Polish site for a 'little depron glider' that worked out to a 24" span!

Wings from 3mm Balsa, Fuselage from 3 layers of 2mm + 3mm + 2mm Balsa reinforced with 3mm square CF pipe, Tail feathers from 2mm Balsa. AUW 50 grams. CG at 1/2 chord. Hidden ballast...............

Most of my Balsa is supplied by Krunal @ Gajjark - to him a BIG Thank You!

Inspiration to patch up semi retired TLG.
(INDORE TLG1 on youtube for those who don't know the background...)

Funny no one wanted to know where the ballast was concealed. Talk about superficiality. 

In the toolbox of course.
In the airframe what you must have added is lightness
Making the ballast superficial, er, superfluous...
(Like these comments perhaps )
Even though the canopy is kind of leaden...

Not quite Sir. Read carefully - "Fuselage from 3 layers of 2mm + 3mm + 2mm Balsa" Why are 2mm skins flanking a 3mm skeleton?

Ballast?
Can't imagine ballast in an FF chuck.
Unless it's useful.
That means radio.
I suspect VC has gained access to an ultra thin Rx/Esc/Battery combo.

After he has tested it, one day he'll tell us...

After sanding all components, I did a dry fit and tested for CG. It needed 18 grams to balance. Needed something flat that weighed 18 grams. Thought about hammering airgun pellets into shape or using M Seal. Finally, I had a brainwave and that was God sent.

3 X 2 Rupee coins were CA'ed together, they weighed 18 grams exactly!!! A hole was cut out in the 3mm Balsa nose, the coins were slid into the hole and sandwiched with 2mm Nose shapes. Call it pure luck, but it balances exactly at half chord.

And Iyer Sahab, by 'Ballast' I meant nose weight. Thus the actual weight of the glider airframe is 50-18 = 32 grams.

@VC sir,
Do remind youngsters of my Rs 1000 prize offer for a 1minute chuck glider flight.
People like you, Saikat sir etc would however be subjected to a Rs2000 fine for claiming this.

Holding a series of workshops in the near future. Will tell the kids and provide video proof if that ever happens. Thanks!

@VC Sir,
It was Rs 10 when I first offered in 1969.
45 years later...
Am prepared to up it to Rs 5000 for guys under 18, if you'll go half and half.
Or if two more who spoke of old aeromodelling skills can do 1000 each, besides you, me and Saikat sir, the last included even without his prior concurrence...

Lets not take this any further Sir. I have at least two such gliders in my possession which could possibly achieve this. One made by Saikat and the other 'accidentally' crafted by me (Let's Roll). All it needs is a semi still day and a strong young arm to hurl them skywards into the breeze.

I use the word 'accidentally' in the true sense as it was an after thought involving spare pieces of balsa that somehow constituted the parts. The Family Fun Glider is also a good floater with a 1:10+ sink rate.

Will keep you posted Sir.

Intended for kids as a shared gift from guys like you and me and Saikat!
Alas, how easy to be misunderstood. Good intention perhaps do pave the way ...

Sir, all that I meant was "Good intentions seldom yield good results. Good ACTIONS yield good results."

It would be all so very easy for me to hand over Saikat's glider to a kid and shoot it crossing the 60 sec barrier. Would that be fair?

Do you seriously think that any kid would be seriously interested in REALLY trimming a glider today? Do you seriously think that trimming can be learnt from a workshop of 2 days?

Ok. Conceded. Withdrawn.

Vc sir aiyer sir in my child age i also bild chuck gliders like tich, yellow bird filladelfian here is a good hlg gliders plans and information link its free wery usefull to all 
http://f4bscale.worldonline.co.uk/hand.htm

Sir Ji,

Thanks for your appreciation. You are always welcome. Any time.

Regards,

Krunal

@gaurang.1972
Thank you for the link, even though i had seen it earlier.
I was really impressed that you mentioned the Tich.
Many remember Yellow Bird, but i think very few will have heard of the Tich.
I built it from a plan in Indian Modeller (design by Father Carlson i think)
Did you also build it from the same source?
I don't remember if Hobby Centre had a kit for the Tich.
Till today, after 40-50 years, my chuck gliders for kids still look like the Tich!

If you have old issues of Indian Modeller, you can see me on the cover of Vol 6, No 1, 1971!

Krunal, thanks a ton! Your large shipment of Balsa reached me in 48 hours flat. All in good shape and not a single damage. You booked it on saturday and I got it on Monday afternoon. It doesn't get any better than that, Bravo Speedpost!

Thanks iyer sir tich i was bough from aurora from indias hobby centre and later also kit from national modelling manufacturing from mr crj pinto mumbai and filadelfian from aurora a very tiny glider i also build mig21 gnat hunter from aurora and sir i was build many tow line glider like magpie gnome martine and lucifer

On Mr. Clarence Pinto of National Model Mfg. - http://www.rcindia.org/chatter-zone/in-memoriam-clarence-pinto/

Zephyr is the best chuck glider I have ever flown in my life.  17 inches span.  excellent glide ratio. It is a pleasure to build and fly.