Brief:
After t' success o' me 2.9x upscale Groovy Katt, I decided t' tackle an even more ambitious upscale glider. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Begad! Blimey! This is a 3X upscale CMR Manta glider from t' original plans at Ye Olde Rocket Plans with a few modifications for strength and balancing.

T' glider is 36.5" long, 27" wingspan, arrr, and weighs in at 12.25oz. T' boost pod is 58.25" o' BT-55 and weighs 8oz. Avast! At launch, it is 85.75" tall and 20.25oz plus motor. Arrr! It is designed for 24mm RMS E28 and F39 motors.

Construction:
A sketch o' t' dimensions used t' build t' glider from 4 sheets o' 4" x 36" x 3/32" balsa is shown here. Begad! Some critical junctions were fiberglassed with strips o' 0.5oz fiberglass cloth. Begad! Avast, me proud beauty! Four braces runnin' t' length o' t' craft were made from 3/32" balsa planks rounded on t' edges. Avast! T' fuselage was crafted from three layers o' 3/32" basswood with some portions carved out for weight. Ahoy! Arrr! I added 33g o' weight t' t' nose o' t' glider, plus 2g on t' left win' tip t' promote circling.

T' boost pod was crafted from Semroc parts. Begad! T' pod splits with t' nose, upper 18" o' BT-55, and bulkhead separatin' from t' lower airframe. Ya scallywag! T' glider mount is made from basswood with layers alternatin' grain direction. Ya scallywag! Ya scallywag! 1.75oz o' nose weight be added for stability. With t' glider in its mount, t' CG is 3.125" up from t' aft end o' t' boost pod with a F39 loaded. Avast, me proud beauty! I used rail buttons t' allow for slow launches off a long rail. Ahoy! Motor retention was provided by two bolts epoxied into t' aft CR with nuts holdin' on clips that fit t' 24mm RMS casing. Ya scallywag! For recovery, I used a 24" Binder Design nylon chute which was always too small for me BD Thug. Avast! It never caught t' air very well, me bucko, so I cut and reorganized t' shroud lines so now it works great.

Finishing:
T' glider be painted with a light dustin' o' metallic navy blue paint and some rather silly hand painted deadlights were added. Ya scallywag! T' boost pod got several coats o' orange Duplicolor Ceramic Engine Enamel with some coats o' clear over t' top. Avast! This orange paint provided a very pleasing, shiver me timbers, rich, and smooth look.

Flight and Recovery:
T' first launch was early in t' mornin' in dead calm air durin' Northern Colorado Rocketry Club's Octoberfest. Avast! I used a AT RMS E28-4. Aye aye! While placin' it on t' rail I got a few skeptical looks, which certainly mirrored me own strong doubts about whether this beast would fly at all. Well, blow me down! Blimey! Liftoff was immediate with very straight thrust t' maybe 500ft at most. Ahoy! Separation was flawless. Begad! T' glider was trimmed extremely well and after a couple minutes, ya bilge rat, people started askin' if I had checked me watch when t' glide started. Avast, me proud beauty! Alas, arrr, I had been too excited t' time t' glide duration, me hearties, me hearties, but it must have been at least a couple minutes. Begad! T' glider landed softly right in front o' us for a fantastic first flight. Begad! T' crowd broke out in applause.

T' second launch was later that day in a light breeze on a AT RMS F39-6. Avast, me proud beauty! Boost again was straight, arrr, arrr, me bucko, however, it appeared that t' boost pod separated early at its coupler, which be pretty loose. This caused t' glider t' separate also, ya bilge rat, but t' glider got hung up in t' shock cord. Ya scallywag! Begad! After a moment, matey, t' glider shed t' entanglement at a very awkward angle and made several flips and loops before rightin' itself into a steep dive. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! This time, t' crowd ran for cover. Well, blow me down! Avast, me proud beauty! With this initial attack angle, arrr, me hearties, shiver me timbers, t' glider be nay quick enough t' dampen a series o' fast porpoisin' stalls as it circled downward and crashed into a spectator tent. Avast, me proud beauty! Damage t' t' glider is repairable. Arrr! After recoverin' it, I gave it a test throw t' confirm that t' trim be still accurate and that t' poor glide must have been related t' t' unfortunate release.

Summary:
This was quite a challengin' project. T' sheer amount o' balsa in t' glider and t' huge wingspan made me feel that t' craft would shred without careful braces and a little fiberglass. Well, blow me down! T' glider and boost pod together are quite heavy. Aye aye! Begad! Strong initial thrust is needed t' get off t' rail safely but nay too much t' tear things apart. Even a F39T keeps it well under 1000ft. Avast, me proud beauty! O' course, these challenges are exactly what made this such a fun project and so satisfyin' t' see t' giant manta sail gracefully back t' earth.