| 3's A Charm |
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More fun than a barrel of, well, GLIDERS! The whole idea was first introduced with the FlisKits Tri-Glide kit, an
18mm kit with 3 foam gliders that act as fins during boost then detach and glide back to earth as the mother ship
returns via parachute. 3'a A Charm is the same basic concept only micro sized!
In fact, the 3's A Charm is an actual down-scale of the original Tri-Glide concept. Originally designed in the
1980's, the Tri-Glide used the foam Dart gliders from Gullow's. When working out the kit version of that design
we were unable to locate these foam gliders and the design was changed to incorporate balsa gliders that you
would build from patterns. Shortly before going into production the original foam gliders were located and were
used with the kit.
But, those original kit plans remained and when considering a micro version of the Tri-Glide kit no foam gliders
were known to exist for such a small model. The solution was to micro size the plans for the balsa gliders that we
had already worked out!
So, there you have it. Now you can fly the smallest gliders ever to exist in the world of model rocketry! Not once,
not twice, but thrice! All in the same flight!
The higher weight of this model, coupled with the extra drag from the gliders, means that this model only goes
about 75 feet up. This is good as you want to be able to keep a good eye, or many of them, on these gliders.
3's A Charm is an exciting model for the micro enthusiast as well as a great entry model for the rocketeer who has
contemplated micro rocketry but wanted more excitement. 3's A Charm delivers in a BIG way!
18mm kit with 3 foam gliders that act as fins during boost then detach and glide back to earth as the mother ship
returns via parachute. 3'a A Charm is the same basic concept only micro sized!
In fact, the 3's A Charm is an actual down-scale of the original Tri-Glide concept. Originally designed in the
1980's, the Tri-Glide used the foam Dart gliders from Gullow's. When working out the kit version of that design
we were unable to locate these foam gliders and the design was changed to incorporate balsa gliders that you
would build from patterns. Shortly before going into production the original foam gliders were located and were
used with the kit.
But, those original kit plans remained and when considering a micro version of the Tri-Glide kit no foam gliders
were known to exist for such a small model. The solution was to micro size the plans for the balsa gliders that we
had already worked out!
So, there you have it. Now you can fly the smallest gliders ever to exist in the world of model rocketry! Not once,
not twice, but thrice! All in the same flight!
The higher weight of this model, coupled with the extra drag from the gliders, means that this model only goes
about 75 feet up. This is good as you want to be able to keep a good eye, or many of them, on these gliders.
3's A Charm is an exciting model for the micro enthusiast as well as a great entry model for the rocketeer who has
contemplated micro rocketry but wanted more excitement. 3's A Charm delivers in a BIG way!
Check out the short photo album below of the prototype
of this new kit. You can click on the thumbnail image to
see a full size image.
of this new kit. You can click on the thumbnail image to
see a full size image.
Close up of the gliders attached to the mother ship.
Here you can clearly see the forward hook securing the
glider in place. There is a second hook near the rear of
the glider. The glider on the right of the image has not
been trimmed for flight. The one on the left (orange
wings) has a dot of clay at the front to bring the CG up
to the proper spot. In the instructions you perform this
weighting with a drop of glue.
Here you can clearly see the forward hook securing the
glider in place. There is a second hook near the rear of
the glider. The glider on the right of the image has not
been trimmed for flight. The one on the left (orange
wings) has a dot of clay at the front to bring the CG up
to the proper spot. In the instructions you perform this
weighting with a drop of glue.
Close up of the glider. Three of these
gliders are assembled as a part of the
kit. This glider is only 2.5" long with
a wing span of less than 1.9"! A dual
hook arrangement helps keep these
gliders in place even in moderate
winds.
gliders are assembled as a part of the
kit. This glider is only 2.5" long with
a wing span of less than 1.9"! A dual
hook arrangement helps keep these
gliders in place even in moderate
winds.
A rear view of the proto shows the 3
gliders in place and a clear view of
the rear lug and hook setup to secure
all 3 gliders in place. In this figure
you can see the balsa fuzz on the
unfinished gliders on the right to give
you a good idea of the small size of
these gliders!
gliders in place and a clear view of
the rear lug and hook setup to secure
all 3 gliders in place. In this figure
you can see the balsa fuzz on the
unfinished gliders on the right to give
you a good idea of the small size of
these gliders!