Simple Glider:

A balsa wood glider is easy to build and serves as the basis to flying model
airplanes, introducing the builder to building techniques, aerodynamics and flight
trimming. Each step is fairly simple, but thorough sanding and careful gluing will
pay off when your bird takes wing.

Materials Requirement:

Paper
1/16-inch sheet of balsa wood
1/32-inch sheet of balsa wood
1/8-inch sheet of balsa wood
Ballpoint pen
Modeling knife
Sandpaper (100-320 grits)
Two small blocks
Sanding block
Wood glue
Light weight
Modeling clay.

Procedure
1. The glider plan has been already provided to you. Make two copies of glider plan
to scale.
2. Place the plan over the wood and, pressing gently with a ball point pen, follow the
outlines. The soft balsa will take the impression of the pen and provide you with a
line to cut on.
(Note that the grain of the wood should run along the longest dimension of the
piece, as it will be much more difficult to cut across the grain).
3. Cut along the impressions with a modeling knife, taking multiple passes if you
need to. The wood should cut or split easily along the grain.
4. Sand the pieces into their final shape. Start with the edges, but avoid the inner
edge of the two wing halves, the bottom of the vertical stabilizer, and the places on
the fuselage where the wing and horizontal stabilizer will be mounted; these will be
glued together later.
5. Hold identical pieces together as you sand, like the two halves of the wing, so
they maintain an identical shape. Once the edges are sanded, sand the fuselage
and the tail pieces until they are smooth to the touch.

6. Use sandpaper to create an airfoil in the wings. The airfoil shape should make the
wing rounded along the leading edge, widening toward the center and then tapering
almost to a point at the trailing edge.
7. Shape the inner edge of each of the wings using sandpaper to create a dihedral
angle when the two halves are glued together. The amount of dihedral is measured
as the distance each wingtip is from where it would be if the wing were parallel to
the ground.
8. With the wings leading edge facing away from you, prop up one half of the wing
with a small block so the wingtip is at the proper height. Take a sanding block and
place it vertically against the inner edge. Sand until the edge is perfectly flat and
perpendicular to the work surface. Repeat with the other wing half.
9. Glue the two wing halves together. Using blocks under both wingtips to create the
proper dihedral, apply a bead of glue to the inner edge of each of the wing halves.
Press the two halves together. Remove the excess glue.
10. Place a light weight on the wing near the center joint to hold it in place. Measure
the dihedral again and make any necessary adjustments. Let the glue dry for a
couple of hours.
11. Assemble the plane by fitting and gluing the remaining parts together. Check
your parts against the plan to be sure the proper angles are maintained as you
build. Let the glue dry for a couple of hours.

Trimming and Test Flying

1. Place a finger on the bottom of each wing half, roughly in the middle of the width
of the wing. Balanced this way, the plane will tip toward the tail. Add modeling clay
for weight on the nose of the plane until you achieve a level balance.
2. Hold the plane at shoulder height, with the nose angled slightly downward.
Gently push the plane as you release it into the air. Do not throw it or toss it. The
glider should fly fairly straight on a smooth, steady path.
3. Trim or add clay to the nose as needed. If the plane dives out of your hand,
remove some nose weight. If it flies sharply upward, then stalls and flips downward
into a dive, add more nose weight. If the plane veers sharply to the right or left,
gently bend the back edge of the vertical stabilizer to compensate for the turn until
the glider flies fairly straight.

Tips & Warnings

1. Balsa can be purchased from most craft stores, but better quality and a wider
selection of sizes will be available at a hobby shop.
2. The plane can be thrown hard almost vertically into the wind for the longest
possible flight. However, this type of flying requires special trimming.
3. Be patient while trimming the model and change only one thing at a time until it
flies the way you want.
4. When assembling the plane, pay special attention to the angle of the horizontal
stabilizer relative to the angle of the wing. This is called the wing incidence. If it is
incorrect, the model will fly poorly.