How To Modify A Stock Balsa Glider with Tom Sanders

Tom Sanders demonstrates how to modify a stock balsa glider, including adding a launch lug and setting the wing's dihedral.
...
We are excited to be able to share this new project video with you. Additional instructional information is coming soon!
Like us on Facebook: bit.ly/AMA-FB
Join our Facebook group: bit.ly/iFlyAMA
Follow us on Instagram: bit.ly/AMA-Insta
Read the latest digital edition of Model Aviation magazine: bit.ly/MA-Digital
Visit the National Model Aviation Museum online: bit.ly/AMA-Museum
Keep up to date with FAA and AMA Government Advocacy News: bit.ly/AMA-Gov
Help support the preservation and advocacy of the hobby: bit.ly/AMA-Donate
Learn more about the AMA: bit.ly/About-AMA
Become a member bit.ly/Join-AMA
#iflyama

[@keithfreeman5204]

I build my planes from scratch. Fuse, a Paint stir stick, cut to length., tapered to the tail. Standard length sheet balsa. I do the wind tips the same way, crack and super glue. The cool thing about this project is you can scale up or down size wise. My biggest has been using full length 6 inch wide sheet balsa, bent, cracked and glued the wingtips. Did the same to the elevadors tips. First flew it a dozen of so times. Then I added two nano servos and radio.

[@collinmccallum]

very cool.

[@gary19222]

After 30 yrs of playing with rubber band planes or balsa gliders I discovered something! I ditched the plastic prop and switched the plane around (with the same parts) to a canard style plane. It flies great!!!

[@aeromodeller1]

Tom, very nice. These little gliders can't handle much speed. Even with a fast hand launch, they will loop back to the ground. I find I get a much higher rollout with a very moderate hand launch. Catapult launch is excessive. I wet form both more dihedral and camber into the wing. See my post on EndlessLift on the 8" Guillow's 25-1 glider. The camber produces more lift. The increased dihedral permits a quicker rollout at the top of the climb. I have reduced the angle of the tailplane to reduce the loopyness, but that makes longitudinal stability marginal. Minor trim of the loop can be effected by bending the trailing edge of the tailplane down a bit. I put some camber into the fin to produce a very slight left turn, then launch it with a right bank. Many hours of pleasant instruction may be had with these simple gliders.

[@yassermasood9798]

Good ideas friends love the whole concept. Well done please keep it up.

[@waynepurcell6058]

Easiest thing to do is just take the wing from a second glider overlapping to combine them using a drop of glue enlarging the wing area by 95% or so. I had one catch a thermal and it rose completely out of my sight. I never found the glider afterwards. I was ten years old or so and it was totally worth the lost (hard earned) $.65 cents just to see my contraption rise and disappear into the heavens like that lol.

[@rcwaffles]

Cool! I have always loved these models when I was a kid and now I know to show others how to make them more aerobatic.

[@gary19222]

A bottle rocket placed at the C.O.G is a awesome boost!!

[@bwcpublishing]

Nice video. I got mine at Dollar Tree. I uploaded the video of it on my page.

[@youtuuba]

Since this video is at least partially targeted at kids, it could be improved by: - describe what cyanacrylate glue is, in that it is better known as "CA glue" or "superglue". Caution that you don't want to touch it, and do the work over something disposable lest you ruin the furniture. - Mention that the accelerator is necessary because CA glue by itself will not cure/set very well (or promptly) if just left in the open air. - If you are bending the wing up and wood fibers are breaking, many are breaking on the bottom; it might be worthwhile adding a CA glue bead on the bottom once the top is done. - Rubber band 'specification' as given is unlikely to mean anything to a kid, or their parent. - Who has double edged razor blades laying around any more? But any hardware store will carry single edged razor blades, and they are much safer to use. - What's a "standard" ruler? A more useful description was needed.

[@johnonorgan]

ive had those cheap gliders fly for over 40 seconds with the right launch

[@bazdurrent3124]

Is this what they do in the old people's home?

[@gary19222]

Maybe but at least it's wholesome

[@luiscorvaleone5770]

And wat about the sand ? Sand balsa always is better for fly.

[@danielharman4437]

I cringed every time he said stabilizer

[@youtuuba]

STAB-ilizer ! Has this guy ever been around real airplane people?

[@RedstonePyroMan]

These people are so disconnected from actual beginners in the hobby

[@gary19222]

Why would you day that?? This is simple stuff

[@RedstonePyroMan]

@@gary19222 These people are so lousy explaining the mechanics of flight, and they're completely out of touch with people who want to fly. I'm barely more than a hobbyist and I still probably know more than these guys and could teach better as well. But of course there are probably very particular reasons why they are the ones who have all the money and production and not me

[@gary19222]

@@RedstonePyroMan geez man...what is wrong?? Why are you so upset?

[@gary19222]

@@RedstonePyroMan I'm being serious! I see this video as a refreshing change to what is the norm these days. So much nonsense and sexuality and violence and sin. And you're just angry? Why? These guys put out a decent video. Just enjoy it and if they have more money than you then they have more money!!

[@jaromejacksan6934]

It's good to see woodglut have new instructions to save my money and energy to build it.