Super Tough Warbird Glider

Those store bought balsa gliders are just too flimsy, especially when in the hands of a 6 or 7 year old. This awesome glider will only take 15 minutes of your time to build! I have made quite a few of these little gliders, and done crazy things to them including: ( I don't recommend you do this) throwing them into the ceiling fan, trying to hit it with a tennis ball while in flight, etc. Surprisingly most of them are still airworthy and pretty good looking.

Please vote and comment!

Step 1: Gather Your Supplies.

1.glue gun

2. zip ties (optional)

3. paper clips

4. BBQ skewers (optional for leading edge reinforcement)

5. block of hard balsa wood

6. hobby knife

7. duct tape

8. foam board

Step 2: Cut a Slice of Balsa About 1 Inch Wide by 8 Inches Long.

Step 3: Cut Out the Wing. About 7 Inches Long and 3 Inches Wide at Its Widest Point.

Step 4: Cut the Foam Down the Center of the Wing (but Only Half Way Through!) for the Dihedral.

Step 5: Squirt Some Glue in the Crevice That You Cut Previously.

Step 6: Before the Glue Dries, Bring the Sides Slightly Together, and Hold the 2 Sides at a 5 Degree Angle.

Step 7: Put a Some Glue on the Middle of the Wing, Right on Top of the Seam You Just Glued.

The wings should angle slightly UP toward the top of the plane, not the other way around.

Step 8: Glue the Wing on the Fuselage.

Step 9: Cut Out the Tail Feathers to the Dimensions Described Below.

The vertical stabilizer should be 3'' tall and 1-1/2'' long at the longest point.

The horizontal stabilizer should be 4'' long and 1-1/2'' wide.

Step 10: Glue Them Together.

Step 11: Glue the Tail Assembly to the Fuselage.

Step 12: Detach About 5 Inches of Tape and Stick 8 Paper Clips As Shown.

The purpose of this is to add weight to the nose of the plane.

Step 13: Stick the Tape/paperclip Assembly to the Nose of the Plane.

Step 14: Add the Optional Zip Ties.

This keeps the weight on the nose of the plane, even under insane flying conditions.

Comments

[jlathem56]

Over the years I have made many of these and taught my kids to make them as well. We have had many hours of fun flying & experimenting with them.

These are so much fun for kids of all ages. You can build them just like the instructions above or you can modify it in so many ways.

Here are just a few easy tips we learned that helped ours fly just a little better.

1. Put a slight curve on the top leading edge of the wings (front) as well as on the leading edge of the horizontal & vertical stabilizer ( the tail section). This will give you more lift and allow the plane to fly longer & farther.

2. If you have a Dremel or another way of cutting into the nose of the fuselage (from the top) you can sink a strip of soft lead fishing weight. This will give you the weight you need but reduce the drag and you get a little longer flight.

Thank you for sharing and a HUGE thanks for sparking up all the fond memories.

[awil]

BEST PLANE EVER

[KurtABeard]

My son destroys the store bought ones in a day (or two if we are lucky). This should double our fun since we can build it, change wing shapes etc. Thanks!

[crazy hacks]

thats realy nice it flys good to

[BikeHacker]

Thanks, bro!

[rxcosta]

Excellent set of instructions.

[bcavaciuti]

Love it wish I had one as a kid...too many plastic, terrible, boring, toys out there! It would be awesome if you uploaded a video of it in action and maybe some of your destruction tests :D

It would be interesting to experiment with aerodynamics with the foam board as I'm guessing you could cut the foam under the plastic and then fold the plastic back down and glue it. like this:

[NoelGreen]

This looks great for little boys who are not so gentle with their planes!