Tronglodon
Junior Member
Over the weekend the kiddo and I went out to put our Simple Soarer in the air for the first time. We went to the local football field which sits right next to a 30 foot tall hill. We took turns tossing the glider into the wind over the field and gradually guiding it down. In the build video Josh said this would make a great beginner plane and I think he's right. Without the throttle to worry about my 6 year old kid was able to fly with more confidence and success. So far it's a great plane, and the wing, for as long and ungainly as it seemed at first, now seems totally bulletproof. The long thin fuselage however wasn't so bulletproof after the small mistake I made in building.
After the final landing I picked up the plane to discover it had snapped right where the fuselage tapers behind the wing. I had scored through the paper on the blue line in the plans at this point to make the bend easy and clean, but it seems that doing so weakened the structure enough for it to let go on what looked like a pretty tame landing.
Here's the fix with hot glue and gift cards. I haven't had time to fly it again yet, but I think it should be just fine, especially since after gluing back together the control surfaces returned to flat and even without any further adjustment. Plus while I was checking that the gift card was empty, I found one with a few bucks left on it which I promptly used to place an order with Altitude Hobbies.
So there's just a warning for scratch builders looking at this plane. I think if/when I build another fuselage I'll reinforce this point during construction with gift cards glued on the interior.
After the final landing I picked up the plane to discover it had snapped right where the fuselage tapers behind the wing. I had scored through the paper on the blue line in the plans at this point to make the bend easy and clean, but it seems that doing so weakened the structure enough for it to let go on what looked like a pretty tame landing.
Here's the fix with hot glue and gift cards. I haven't had time to fly it again yet, but I think it should be just fine, especially since after gluing back together the control surfaces returned to flat and even without any further adjustment. Plus while I was checking that the gift card was empty, I found one with a few bucks left on it which I promptly used to place an order with Altitude Hobbies.
So there's just a warning for scratch builders looking at this plane. I think if/when I build another fuselage I'll reinforce this point during construction with gift cards glued on the interior.
