Well, my son being the growing aviation bug he is, needs something to do to beat the cabin fever. He's been a fan of the strange design of the Blohm and Voss BV 141, a German reconnaissance plane from WWII which had the engine in the main fuselage with a second smaller fuselage with the cockpit separately which gave great visibility looking downward. The plane was actually successful and few until replaced by something that didn't take the same engine as Focke Wulf fighters.
So we took the design and applied it to one of his rubber band powered balsa gliders by trimming down a separate plane body and tail wing and putting it all around one wing.
We took the glider out to a big empty field and we were both surprised how well it flew without any modifications. It was great to get out and do something fun but also learn at the same time.

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Vaya con Dios

I used to love those things when I was a kid. I'd use them until the rubber band broke and try to find some kind of replacement.

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SWHF #595

That's cool! I didn't know about that plane. What a interesting design. It just seems so wrong to cut the tail like that. I guess it's not about weight and balance but more about drag.

I could be wrong, I can imagine the center of balance and not being seated in the center must be a weird sensation for the pilot.

Thanks for sharing.

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Dum vivo cano

I'm betting a lot of forum members my age remember the Jim Walker A J Hornet, a fifty cent plane like the one they modified in the first post. They would rise off the ground or you could hand launch it. I got one off ebay a couple of years ago and paid 22.00 for it.

Thank you so much for this.

It's has really brightened my day.

This is great.

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SD social distanc'n since 1889

Mr.David LaPell , way to Dad up . Sometimes being a Dad ain't easy . finding time to do things with your kids is so important . I would like to nominate you for Dad of the day on this forum . Job well done Sir . thank you . kenny

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Too good

I started flying model airplanes when I was 12 . I flew U control , free flights , hand launch gliders , radio control . When I turned 16 I started taking flying lessons . It was my senior yr in high school, I worked 4 nights a week 4- midnight to buy 1 hrs flight time . I rode an old worn out Harley back and forth to work and the airport . At age 24 I was offered the chance to fly for Pan Am. It all started flying small balsa glider / rubber band models at a young age . This could be the start of something for your young son as well . ENCOURAGE him , be part of it with him as my father was with me . Regards Paul

Oh boy Dave, thanks for posting starting this thread. It sure brought back lots of boyhood memories!
If I had a dollar for every Guillow glider bought during my youth I'd have enough money to buy a nice old S&W.
Bought a lot of the five cent models. On rare occasion had enough money to buy one with a propeller and wheels. Even had a biplane version once.They were great fun.

John

Your experience with the unusual glider model parallels my flying experiences in full size aircraft. It is amazing just how well certain airplanes will fly with all sorts of unusual 'things' attached. I earned my Commercial Pilot's License in Alaska with ratings for floats. I started a weekend job of flying for a FBO in Anchorage. I hauled fishermen out to various locations adjacent to the big glacier fed rivers by landing on gravel bars. From there they walked up or down river to clear water tributaries for their fishing. From that I went to flying a Cessna 185 on floats and hauling other types of passengers and their gear to various lakes. I hauled canoes lashed to the float struts. Plywood laid across the float to float bracing was a common load. Once in a while it was a 35 gal. fuel drum laid on one piece of plywood and lashed down. A couple of times it was a full spread BIG moose head and horns on that piece of plywood. I was amazed at just how little those external loads affected the flying abilities of the aircraft. Later in life here in the "Lower 48" I flew parachute jumpers in a gutted Cessna 182. At times there would be two jumpers holding on to handholds outside the airplane waiting for a paying jumper to come out so they could follow that jumper down while video filming. What amazed me was I was flying just a little above stall speed at 12,000 ft. altitude with little bother because of the outside load.