Simple foamboard free flight design

[joshuabardwell]

Can anybody point me to a simple, foam-board, free-flight plane design? I'm thinking basically one step up from a folded paper plane level of complexity. I want something I can make with my son in a half hour or an hour, and he can throw it around the living room kind of a thing.

Thanks.

 

[FAI-F1D]

I haven't been terribly impressed with most of the DTFB free flight gliders I've seen that are on that simplicity level. Not saying that it can't be done, only that I don't know of anyone who's made a good one yet.

The FT tiny trainer that's soon to be released makes a fantastic FF chuck glider, and can be built in half an hour, but may be more complex than you're looking for.

If you are willing to buy two sheets of balsa (or just one if you laminate the fuselage), this is one of the best dead simple CLG's I've found: http://www.amaglider.com/?p=view&a=cmarkflight-possible-high-ceiling-so-elastic-glider-design

I built several of those and they take 15-20 minutes to build and will easily outfly your front yard.

 

[dutchmonkey]

here is my QFII at about 50% scale took about 1 1/2 to build its all foam with coffee stir stick wing brace and bbq skewer boom. wing DT foam board with airfoil sanded into it then packing tape for strength, pod DT foam laminated with rubber cement, tail is hefty foam plate. flies great and even my destructive son could not kill it most gliders only last under an hour with him he flew this thing for 2 hours solid and it had only minor damage. and yes you can DL this thing too

 

[Stape]

It may be too big for the living room but you can easily make a giant glider out of one sheet of DTFB by finding the middle of the 20" side, draw a line diagonally to both opposite corners, cut this out. Turn one of the left over smaller pieces around and glue it at a 90 degree angle in the center of the big piece with both pieces pointing the same direction. You basically end up with the classic paper airplane look but HUGE! Then just balance it with whatever you have laying around, tape washers to it works pretty good.

 

[rcspaceflight]

Chuck gliders are a lot funner if you launch them with a rubber band / sling shot. Not a good idea indoors, but spring is right around the corner.

You could always just make an FT Flyer. Maybe scale it down to 75% or maybe even 50%.