are wooden gliders worthwhile building ?

"Ian" wrote in message
...
On 6 Feb, 00:13, Andy wrote:

And if you built a new one with modern adhesives the near infinite
fatigue life would be of some value. Many of the older wooden gliders
were retired because the glue holding those wonder composite
components together gave up the ghost.

As far as I know, the only major glueing problems have been with pre-
war gliders made with casein glue. Just about everything post-war used
urea-formaldehyde (cascamite) which is effectively eternal. My club is
happily using a Ka2 from 1955 which has had no glue problems.

That's wood-wood glueing, by the way. I know there have been problems
with the Oly wood/metal composite spars.

Ian

There's no simple way to categorize wooden gliders. Bad glue is bad, good
glue is good etc... The condition of an older wood glider depends heavilly
on the love and care it has been given. A wood glider is a high maintenance
mistress.

What I haven't seen discussed here is the sound of wood. If you whack
fiberglass with your hand it just goes "whack", metal sounds like a tin can
but, a wood glider sounds like a fine musical instrument. The acoustic
characteristics of wood shapes airflow sounds into changing musical chords
in a most pleasing way. The sound is addictive - once you have heard it,
you want to hear it again and again.

Bill Daniels

On Feb 6, 9:07*am, "Bill Daniels" bildan@comcast-dot-net wrote:
"Ian" wrote in message

...





On 6 Feb, 00:13, Andy wrote:

And if you built a new one with modern adhesives the near infinite
fatigue life would be of some value. *Many of the older wooden gliders
were retired because the glue holding those wonder composite
components together gave up the ghost.

As far as I know, the only major glueing problems have been with pre-
war gliders made with casein glue. Just about everything post-war used
urea-formaldehyde (cascamite) which is effectively eternal. My club is
happily using a Ka2 from 1955 which has had no glue problems.

That's wood-wood glueing, by the way. I know there have been problems
with the Oly wood/metal composite spars.

Ian

There's no simple way to categorize wooden gliders. *Bad glue is bad, good
glue is good etc... *The condition of an older wood glider depends heavilly
on the love and care it has been given. *A wood glider is a high maintenance
mistress.

What I haven't seen discussed here is the sound of wood. *If you whack
fiberglass with your hand it just goes "whack", metal sounds like a tin can
but, a wood glider sounds like a fine musical instrument. *The acoustic
characteristics of wood shapes airflow sounds into changing musical chords
in a most pleasing way. *The sound is addictive - once you have heard it,
you want to hear it again and again.

Bill Daniels- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

I like the RIDE of wood wings. It's unique and very pleasing like a
fine luxury car.
MM

On Feb 6, 9:26 am, wrote:
On Feb 6, 9:07 am, "Bill Daniels" bildan@comcast-dot-net wrote:



"Ian" wrote in message

...

On 6 Feb, 00:13, Andy wrote:

And if you built a new one with modern adhesives the near infinite
fatigue life would be of some value. Many of the older wooden gliders
were retired because the glue holding those wonder composite
components together gave up the ghost.

As far as I know, the only major glueing problems have been with pre-
war gliders made with casein glue. Just about everything post-war used
urea-formaldehyde (cascamite) which is effectively eternal. My club is
happily using a Ka2 from 1955 which has had no glue problems.

That's wood-wood glueing, by the way. I know there have been problems
with the Oly wood/metal composite spars.

Ian

There's no simple way to categorize wooden gliders. Bad glue is bad, good
glue is good etc... The condition of an older wood glider depends heavilly
on the love and care it has been given. A wood glider is a high maintenance
mistress.

What I haven't seen discussed here is the sound of wood. If you whack
fiberglass with your hand it just goes "whack", metal sounds like a tin can
but, a wood glider sounds like a fine musical instrument. The acoustic
characteristics of wood shapes airflow sounds into changing musical chords
in a most pleasing way. The sound is addictive - once you have heard it,
you want to hear it again and again.

Bill Daniels- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

I like the RIDE of wood wings. It's unique and very pleasing like a
fine luxury car.
MM


yes the ride is sweet. the flex on the thermals is there just enough
to notice. I enjoy looking out the 20 foot long wing of my cherokee
and seeing that slight bend up. Then i pretend that I am flying the
eta. Then I land in a field somewhere. Time to stop daydreaming
during cross countries!

Hello , you wrote at 06.02.2008 21:53

[flying wood]

yes the ride is sweet. the flex on the thermals is there just enough
to notice.

it's not just that (sweet). It's like *dancing* on the thermals (flown
Ka6 and Ka8).

I enjoy looking out the 20 foot long wing of my cherokee
and seeing that slight bend up. Then i pretend that I am flying the
eta. Then I land in a field somewhere. Time to stop daydreaming
during cross countries!

Yes. You won't get that far as in glass (in the same time). But it's
FUN. More fun per time, as far as I'm concerned.

Regards
Werner

JJ Sinclair wrote:

Remembering the rhetoric from the '60's; SNIP
"You can trust a tree!"

I guess this dates me but I still remember (I hope with some accuracy)
the ads in SOARING by George Coder (whom I never met) for his Std.
Austria using that line and several others. This was back in the
days when we lived for the arrival each month of that magazine.

Chip Bearden
ASW 24 "JB"
USA

And the parts grow on trees!!

On Tue, 5 Feb 2008 13:43:10 -0800 (PST), Ian
wrote:

On 5 Feb, 14:15, Stealth Pilot
wrote:

no, he can and probably will buy the fibreglass ship himself.
I wanted something that was beautiful to look at and fun to fly. the
amazing thing in aviation is that if you can lay hands on the plans
you can build an exact replica of a classic design in modern
materials, and have it perform just like the original.

Please, please, please built him a Minimoa!

Ian

where would you get the plans?

On Wed, 06 Feb 2008 22:21:22 +0100, Werner Schmidt
wrote:

Hello , you wrote at 06.02.2008 21:53

[flying wood]

yes the ride is sweet. the flex on the thermals is there just enough
to notice.

it's not just that (sweet). It's like *dancing* on the thermals (flown
Ka6 and Ka8).

I enjoy looking out the 20 foot long wing of my cherokee
and seeing that slight bend up. Then i pretend that I am flying the
eta. Then I land in a field somewhere. Time to stop daydreaming
during cross countries!

Yes. You won't get that far as in glass (in the same time). But it's
FUN. More fun per time, as far as I'm concerned.

Regards
Werner

guys thank you immensely.
I think I will.
....added motivation to get the turbulent finished and flying.

if the boy doesnt like it I'll fly it myself.
Stealth Pilot

Stealth Pilot wrote:

Please, please, please built him a Minimoa!

where would you get the plans?

Shempp Hirth might still have the plans. If everything else fails, the
Glider Museum on the Wasserkuppe http://www.segelflugmuseum.de/ has an
original Minimoa. The museum is always willing to help if somebody wants
to build a replica.

Start by joining the VGC www.vintagegliderclub.org/

I think one of the 4 minimoas in europe is a new build,
However the Minimoa based at London GC, UK has recently
started flying again after a 30 year restoration. I
know the owners, although very pretty it is certainly
not the nicest vintage gllider to fly.

One of the owners also has a Rhonsperber, which is
much more user friendly.

From the VGC mags it seems that quite a few types have
had new builds which must have plans available, so
there may be quite a choice. Some seem unnecessarily
complex, so selecting the right one would help construction
time.

rigging times can vary quite a bit to! the minimoa
is more engineering project than rigging and the Rhonsperber
is not much better

Pete



At 12:30 07 February 2008, Stealth Pilot wrote:
On Tue, 5 Feb 2008 13:43:10 -0800 (PST), Ian
wrote:
o
On 5 Feb, 14:15, Stealth Pilot
wrote:

no, he can and probably will buy the fibreglass ship
himself.
I wanted something that was beautiful to look at and
fun to fly. the
amazing thing in aviation is that if you can lay hands
on the plans
you can build an exact replica of a classic design
in modern
materials, and have it perform just like the original.

Please, please, please built him a Minimoa!

Ian

where would you get the plans?