Unique Sailplanes
The Edelweiss is a 15 m class, single seat, shoulder wing sailplane with a butterfly tail, built mostly from wood. The wing has a single spar and is skinned with 8 mm foam-bonded plywood. It has almost constant chord; it had forward sweep on the two prototypes but production Edelweiss have unswept wings. Read more about the aircrafts history.
SZD-16 GIL, 4.50m Scratch built by Tom Pack
Using pictures and a three view drawing, Tom Pack drew the plans and scratch-built this 1/3 scale SZD-16 Gil, which is a Polish experimental glider from 1958. Wingspan is 4.5m.
In this video, Tom describes the plane and the design.
I hand drew the plans then made a form in order to fabricate the curved upper and lower nose bows. I stained the wood before using it to avoid 'the pox', i.e., glue not allowing stain to penetrate glue joints. I used H. Behlen water based stain so that the gluing of joints won't be compromised like they would be if using oil based stains...read more in the build thread.
Weihe, 6.00m Scratch built airfrme, rescued and finished by Peter Goldsmith
This model was scratch built, but the builder did not finish the plane. Peter took over the project, spending a lot of time making it right. The result is a beautiful scale flying replica of the 1936 Germany record holding sailplane.
Learn more about the Weihe, visit out friends over at ScaleSoaringUK
Slingsby Falcon III, 4.42M Scratch built by Fred China
Slingsby Falcon III by Fred China
The Slingsby T.4 Falcon 3 was a two-seat training version of the original Falcon produced from 1935. Master builder Fred China designed and scratch-built this stunning 1:4 model of the Falcon III, spanning 4.42 meters. Crafted entirely from wood with fabric covering, the plane faithfully replicates the original and throughout represents the hallmarks of fine scale modeling typically reserved for a museum piece.