I posted a couple pix of the glider portion of my Nighthawk 2.5x project in
abmr. I wanted to finish the glider first so I had at least some idea of the
weight being lofted, and what sort of motor mount to build into the booster
pod. I stuck my son in one picture for scale.
Being at least something of a traditionalist, I had hoped to launch this on an Estes motor, preferably a D-12, but it is not to be. The glider weighs in at 10.1 ounces, and with the booster pod attached I expect the total weight to be around 14 ounces. Add a motor and it's right to the edge of model rocket territory. Plans right now are to shoot it on an E15-4. I did a "sort of" simulation on rocksim, and it looks like I can expect about 600'. Since I'm getting a glide ratio of about 12 to 1 that is way more than enough. Hopefully I've got it trimmed to circle correctly.
The 41" wing is constructed of 5/16" balsa, laid up in crossgrain layers. The main wing joint is fiberglassed, and I added a fiberglass 'bash plate' to the nose. It carries 1.25 ounce of balance weight. Rather than use the original method of attaching the pod to the glider (a maple dowel) I've opted for a 1/8" G10 hook and receiver assembly.
Kevin OClassen
Being at least something of a traditionalist, I had hoped to launch this on an Estes motor, preferably a D-12, but it is not to be. The glider weighs in at 10.1 ounces, and with the booster pod attached I expect the total weight to be around 14 ounces. Add a motor and it's right to the edge of model rocket territory. Plans right now are to shoot it on an E15-4. I did a "sort of" simulation on rocksim, and it looks like I can expect about 600'. Since I'm getting a glide ratio of about 12 to 1 that is way more than enough. Hopefully I've got it trimmed to circle correctly.
The 41" wing is constructed of 5/16" balsa, laid up in crossgrain layers. The main wing joint is fiberglassed, and I added a fiberglass 'bash plate' to the nose. It carries 1.25 ounce of balance weight. Rather than use the original method of attaching the pod to the glider (a maple dowel) I've opted for a 1/8" G10 hook and receiver assembly.
Kevin OClassen