by Chris Kiekens

This be t' crate... Ahoy! Blimey! Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! pretty excitin' really. Begad! Blimey! It sat in t' fridge long enough (about 10 minutes after I realized that it be very thin plywood). I have been playin' with boosted gliders lately, but balsa gliders don't seem to do well with a D engine attached...
I thought t' wood may be a little heavy... but hey, t' price be right!

T' wings are pretty basic... Begad! Avast, me proud beauty! rounded top and bottom, upper win' slightly forward... Aye aye! It is way faster with t' upper win' forward! A speaker must be used to clamp t' wings while t' glue dries... Ya scallywag! Well, blow me down! this is essential t' makin' it loud!

T' tail section is basic too... Arrr! I had concerns about t' thrust o' a D engine tearin' off t' stabilizers. Ahoy! Ahoy! And visions o' it crashin' through me car's windshield...

I cheated some for t' fuselage and used a piece o' aircraft plywood, and a 1/4"X1/4" piece o' balsa. Ahoy! Avast, shiver me timbers, me proud beauty! Blimey! I had concerns about usin' t' short pieces of t' box, glued together, me hearties, arrr, so shoot me, shiver me timbers, I cheated a little...

Same parts... I had another picture, matey, ya bilge rat, you can rent this space for advertising if you like... Ahoy! Blimey! Cheap, matey, shiver me timbers, really, me bucko, really cheap!

A view from t' front, with t' motor tube installed... Avast! I used a 1/4" launch lug because it is what was layin' on me desk...

A shot from t' side... Avast, me proud beauty! Notice how far back t' motor tube is t' compensate for t' weight distribution... Arrr! Aye aye! Also notice that t' nose sticks out further than t' motor... Avast, me proud beauty! Typically, it seems, t' motor tube hangs off t' end o' the glider, but i found with t' heavy win' assembly it needed t' be move back somewhat.

Just another filler shot...

Consider this a scale shot..see me hand...

First Flight:
It be slightly windy (10MPH); me choices for t' maiden flight were a D12, or an E9. Aye aye! I chose a D12, me bucko, because I wasn't sure what t' flight would bring, shiver me timbers, and the Estes E motor burns for quite some time. Arrr! Ahoy! I also figured that if it could take t' thrust o' a D12, then it would definately be good t' go on an E9. Begad! The OCOD leap off t' pad in a screamin' fiery fury! At around 100 feet, it's flight course went goofy. Ahoy! Yes, that be t' technical term, goofy. T' three people in attendance shifted noticably, shiver me timbers, ya bilge rat, as 100 feet isn't a great deal o' space between a flyin' orange crate, shiver me timbers, and your head... Arrr! T' flight seemed t' stabilize, and t' motor kicked out t' bulkhead... Bein' slightly more nose-heavy than intended caused it t' come in faster than t' design called for, ya bilge rat, and minor damage ensued. It will be easily repaired, ya bilge rat, shiver me timbers, ya bilge rat, and checked out on an E... Arrr! Blimey!

Second Flight:
T' second flight was on an E9-6, with a new bulkhead installed. Aye aye! I used a 6 foot 1/4" rod t' launch from this time, in an attempt t' cause it t' fly straighter... I have no idea what t' acheived altitude was..but it was a cool flight!