For 2024 the club are running a new event at the summer Scale Fly-in (date TBC). In addition to the All in Flying Only and Kit scale duration we will be running a scale glider competition
The event will be a flying duration competition open to any scale gliders with no static element and will flown as a total of 3 flights (TOTF). There will be a Peterborough Rules 30m Hi-Start bungee ( 7.5m of 1/8” rubber + 22.5m of line)
Full rules can be downloaded here
For those who fancy building one over the winter there a quite a few possible candidates, particularly with the Peterborough Hi-Start bungee in mind. Gliders can be fairly quick to build and simple too, particularly if you use an offset tow hook instead of any kind of auto rudder to keep the model straight when on the towline, they are great fun and nice way into scale model flying if you’ve not tried it before
There is no restriction on size but bear in mind that launching is via Peterborough rules bungee so anything too large may not gain much height. 36″ – 40″ is probably ideal but the smaller designs under 36″ should work very well
Kits are available from VMC for KK Slingsby Prefect and the West Wings Slingsby Swallow. The old Aerographics kits for the Slingsby Kadet/Tutor sometimes come up second hand as well and there were Slingbys from FROG, Weihe, Zlin and Zoegling
For those looking to build from a plan the choice expands somewhat with several plans being published by Aeromodeller magazine in recent years. A Minimoa, Airspeed Tern both designed by Lurk, would make good candidates. The Tern is a very pretty design and a nice flyer too so I have started building one those.
Minimoa – Aeromodeller January 2021
Airspeed Tern – Aeromodeller September 2021
Looking further afield to OuterZone the list of plans grows
Some of the larger design would need scaling down to around 36′ for the Peterborough Rules bungee
Airspeed Horsa 22″ from Aeromodeller 1943
Avia 152-A 48″ from MRA
Bowlus sailplane – a couple of designs around 32″ and one 48″
Bowlus babay albatross – Big 100″ RC design which could be scaled down
Castel Mauboussin 301-S 48″ from MRA
CB 28, a big FF 78″ model
DFS Reiher 75″ FF design from Model Aircraft 1959
Falke 35″ from 2003 by Phil Bernhardt
GA Hotspur II 46″ Ron Warring Aeromodeller
Gotha Go 242, 82″ RC plan that would need scaling
Grunau Baby 2b 30″ by FEJ White
Hamilcar I, a couple of designs 20″ or 48″
Hutter H-17, 23″ from Flying Aces 1939
Kirby Cadet 30″ Bill Hannan or 38″ B Cosgrove
Kirby Prefect 24″ Keil Kraft
Schleicher K8B 35″ RC that could be flown FF
Waco Hadrian troop carrier glider – a few designs from 42″ to 52″
My own Airspeed Tern, built from the Aeromodeller plan is now well underway. If you start building something or if you have some shots of your scale gliders please do send them in to webmaster@oxfordmfc.bmfa.uk and I’ll feature them here
Many Thanks to Andy Blackburn and Lurk for the photos