Last winter I started and completed a balsa glider kit from Hobby King, the "Red Swan". It wasn't an ARF, or pre-assembled, it was simply laser cut balsa and plywood that had to be assembled, covered, and flown.
This is what Hobby King shows on their website:
And this is what I finished with (before the motor and decals were applied)
I've got to admit that I wasn't expecting a whole lot from this plane. The instructions were crap, the quality of the laser cutting was hit-or-miss, and there was no real information on how to actually build the plane.
But I did it anyway. I made mistakes, but none were too bad. I got good at thinking three steps ahead to make sure I didn't build myself into a corner. And best of all I got to help people out who were trying to build this plane with various levels of success.
Once it was completed I took it out to the local park and gave it a test flight. A few trim adjustments were needed, but it flew much better than I had hoped. As of this writing I've got 33 flights totaling just over 9 hours of flight on it since Spring, and I enjoy it now as much as ever. I usually fly with a small 850mAh 3 cell battery and climb to the point where I can barely keep orientation. The throttle is then cut and I glide as long as possible trying to find some thermals to help me. On one occasion I had enough lift that I had to force the plane into a series of shallow dives just so I wouldn't lose it. Usually I'll get a couple minutes glide followed by 30 seconds of hard climb. Flight time is usually around 25 minutes.
But with that said, the plane is not as good as it COULD be. I built it too heavy by using too much glue, epoxy, and other bad building techniques. The plane itself is also over-engineered and heavier than it needs to be. The design is good, but the execution was lacking on my part and that of the people who designed it.
So I decided to try building it again. Not just taking apart the plane and fixing it, as that would take too much effort and may not work as hoped. Plus I like flying the plane and depending on weather it may be a better choice than one that is lighter. My goal with this build was to lighten it up as much as possible, while not making it too fragile. I also will go with a folding prop to lessen the drag. If possible I want to switch to a 500mAh battery instead of the 850 to save a few more grams.
This is what Hobby King shows on their website:
And this is what I finished with (before the motor and decals were applied)
I've got to admit that I wasn't expecting a whole lot from this plane. The instructions were crap, the quality of the laser cutting was hit-or-miss, and there was no real information on how to actually build the plane.
But I did it anyway. I made mistakes, but none were too bad. I got good at thinking three steps ahead to make sure I didn't build myself into a corner. And best of all I got to help people out who were trying to build this plane with various levels of success.
Once it was completed I took it out to the local park and gave it a test flight. A few trim adjustments were needed, but it flew much better than I had hoped. As of this writing I've got 33 flights totaling just over 9 hours of flight on it since Spring, and I enjoy it now as much as ever. I usually fly with a small 850mAh 3 cell battery and climb to the point where I can barely keep orientation. The throttle is then cut and I glide as long as possible trying to find some thermals to help me. On one occasion I had enough lift that I had to force the plane into a series of shallow dives just so I wouldn't lose it. Usually I'll get a couple minutes glide followed by 30 seconds of hard climb. Flight time is usually around 25 minutes.
But with that said, the plane is not as good as it COULD be. I built it too heavy by using too much glue, epoxy, and other bad building techniques. The plane itself is also over-engineered and heavier than it needs to be. The design is good, but the execution was lacking on my part and that of the people who designed it.
So I decided to try building it again. Not just taking apart the plane and fixing it, as that would take too much effort and may not work as hoped. Plus I like flying the plane and depending on weather it may be a better choice than one that is lighter. My goal with this build was to lighten it up as much as possible, while not making it too fragile. I also will go with a folding prop to lessen the drag. If possible I want to switch to a 500mAh battery instead of the 850 to save a few more grams.
Last edited: