Minimoa first flight

I was surfing around today and found this cool website about Minimoa's. Turns out this group has built a new one from scratch and had their first flight in it yesterday. Wow!

http://minimoa.jimdo.com/maiden-flight/

On Mar 22, 1:57*pm, Tony wrote:
I was surfing around today and found this cool website about Minimoa's. *Turns out this group has built a new one from scratch and had their first flight in it yesterday. Wow!

http://minimoa.jimdo.com/maiden-flight/

What? No videos of the first flight? ;-(

On Thursday, March 22, 2012 3:00:03 PM UTC-5, JohnDeRosa wrote:
On Mar 22, 1:57*pm, Tony wrote:
I was surfing around today and found this cool website about Minimoa's. *Turns out this group has built a new one from scratch and had their first flight in it yesterday. Wow!

http://minimoa.jimdo.com/maiden-flight/

What? No videos of the first flight? ;-(

considering the amount of no hair and gray hair in the toasting picture i doubt these guys have a bunch of go pro's around. No offense to any of those out there with no hair or gray hair.

I did find this video which includes a bit about the glider, from last fall.. Anyone know Dutch (I presume)? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L4zg93PwTlw&hd=1&t=6m25s

Wonder when/if they'll sell plans...

On Mar 22, 1:35*pm, Tony wrote:
On Thursday, March 22, 2012 3:00:03 PM UTC-5, JohnDeRosa wrote:
On Mar 22, 1:57*pm, Tony wrote:
I was surfing around today and found this cool website about Minimoa's. *Turns out this group has built a new one from scratch and had their first flight in it yesterday. Wow!

http://minimoa.jimdo.com/maiden-flight/

What? *No videos of the first flight? *;-(

considering the amount of no hair and gray hair in the toasting picture i doubt these guys have a bunch of go pro's around. *No offense to any of those out there with no hair or gray hair.

I did find this video which includes a bit about the glider, from last fall. *Anyone know Dutch (I presume)?http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L4zg93PwTlw&hd=1&t=6m25s

Wonder when/if they'll sell plans...

looks like there is a section on the web site for blueprints that they
are creating....next project?

Dan
WO

looks like there is a section on the web site for blueprints that they
are creating....next project?

Dan
WO

It would be tempting. Lots of work of course. As far as I can tell there were at least 3 in the US. One in the NSM (N16923) which belonged to Richard DuPont and Ted Bellak. Barringer set the world distance record in this ship at 210 miles. The last airworthy one (N2664B) was exported a decade or more ago to Europe. Not sure what happened to the other one (N37JK). Would be cool to have one flying in the US.

On Mar 22, 11:57*am, Tony wrote:
I was surfing around today and found this cool website about Minimoa's. *Turns out this group has built a new one from scratch and had their first flight in it yesterday. Wow!

http://minimoa.jimdo.com/maiden-flight/

That's cool! I wish JJ would finish the Zanonia he's been building.

Thanks, Bob K.

On Thursday, March 22, 2012 4:53:39 PM UTC-5, Bob Kuykendall wrote:
On Mar 22, 11:57*am, Tony wrote:
I was surfing around today and found this cool website about Minimoa's. *Turns out this group has built a new one from scratch and had their first flight in it yesterday. Wow!

http://minimoa.jimdo.com/maiden-flight/

That's cool! I wish JJ would finish the Zanonia he's been building.

Thanks, Bob K.

I didn't know JJ was working on such a project. Speaking of here is a neat picture, must be from the 1946 nationals, of the Minimoa, Zanonia, and Orlik. Three classic gull wing planes. There is an effort under way to get the Zanonia back to Harris Hill this summer for IVSM 2012. Wish I could make it.

http://zanonia.com/Picture%20081.jpg

I wish JJ would finish the Zanonia he's been building.

Thanks, Bob K.

Ah, the good old days............truth be told, some of those oldies
didn't handle all that well! Fred Robibson told me "I would be
disappointed in the performance of the Minimoa". My Super Albatross
was a shear delight in a 3 knot thermal........down right terrifying
in a 10 knot thermal in the Sierras! When the lift hit the large stab,
the tail would pitch up, then the ship would roll 90 degrees away from
the thermal. Only way to make it enter strong lift was to give full
stick and rudder into the lift while pulling back hard to get the nose
back up. After 50 hours of this, I decided this wasn't all that much
fun and I donated it to the Southwest Soaring Museum.
Cheers,
JJ

How was that gull wing joint made strong enough? just scarfed and
glued? through bolted with backing plates?

On Friday, March 23, 2012 10:24:20 AM UTC-5, Mark Jardini wrote:
How was that gull wing joint made strong enough? just scarfed and
glued? through bolted with backing plates?

Mark,

there are a bunch of pictures here from an Australian Minimoa build project.. A few of the pictures show the spar construction, with the gull wing and the sweep. Looking at the first picture it looks like there is some scarfing going on just inboard of the kink in the wing.

http://www.vintageglidersaustralia.o...imoa-proj.html