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-   -   Estes Solo Ring Boost Glider (http://www.oldrocketforum.com/showthread.php?t=18024)

5x7 08-11-2019 08:19 AM

Estes Solo Ring Boost Glider
 
4 Attachment(s)
This is the Hobby Lobby exclusive kit similar to the Double Ringer but with a single glider. I assembled the kit and glider, it took around an hour using only Gorilla Gel CA which I highly recommend for the E2X style kits. The kit is BT-55 based with plastic fin can and two regular plastic fins and two short fins with pegs the glider hangs on. The glider is cut out of card stock and taped to a plastic ring. The flight on a C6-3 was pretty high, and the glider was amazing, dead stable and seeming to stop in midair as it turned into the wind, eventually setting down about 100 yards away after gliding for 54 seconds. It was pretty close to the trees so I did two flights on B6-2s, which were also very nice and on one the glider landed close to me. There was dew on the grass this morning so I took a paper towel and dried off the glider right away since it’s card stock. If you want something to glide reliably, this is it.

Here is a bit of the glide for the one that landed close by:
https://youtu.be/WwunxVPAvrY

BRS Hobbies 08-11-2019 09:46 AM

That is very cool! Thank you for sharing the review. I do have one question, do you see any advantage of the Solo over the Double Ringer? I like the paint scheme a little better on the Solo but am trying to decide which one to get.

LeeR 08-11-2019 10:16 AM

Quote:
Originally Posted by BRS Hobbies
That is very cool! Thank you for sharing the review. I do have one question, do you see any advantage of the Solo over the Double Ringer? I like the paint scheme a little better on the Solo but am trying to decide which one to get.


For me, the advantage would be one fewer glider to lose. :p

5x7 08-11-2019 10:24 AM

Quote:
Originally Posted by LeeR
For me, the advantage would be one fewer glider to lose. :p


I think that’s it exactly. On the C the glider and booster both went downwind, and were not too far apart, but if they were separated further one might have been lost as I wouldn’t have seen the touchdown location. At a club launch the Double Ringer would be great.

BRS Hobbies 08-11-2019 11:18 AM

I also wondered if the Solo flies straighter with the two fins.

JumpJet 08-12-2019 09:07 AM

The Solo flies a little higher because it has less drag.


John Boren

5x7 08-12-2019 11:05 AM

Can you give us any insight on development of the glider? It must have been quite a project.

JumpJet 08-12-2019 11:21 AM

I designed this model a couple years ago. I hand the launch the ring portion to test it's glide. The first shape I used for the card stock didn't fly well. I changed the shape and the second shape flew fine. The first test flight of the rocket was perfect and one of the rings flew away. I designed the rocket one day, grew the parts on a rapid prototype machine. A couple days later I flew the model and the designed hasn't changed since the first flight prototype. I flew the model at our local rocket club field several time and it was always a crowd pleaser. It is highly recommended to have several people watching the flight since the gliders can thermal away.

Since Hobbico wasn't spending money on new tooling the design sat until the Langfords purchased Estes.


John Boren

5x7 08-12-2019 11:36 AM

Thanks John!

Was there an inspiration for the ring deign? Searching online I come up with a couple of paper ring gliders online used for teaching, I had never seen anything thing like the solo before.

Speaking of flying away, can the rings be made available as parts? I would love to make a bunch of gliders with different decorations and also replace the ones I’m going to lose! :)

JumpJet 08-12-2019 12:09 PM

I flew ring type gliders when I was a kid, so I thought I would try this style where the ring isn't just a straight cylinder.

I thought I remembered hearing that just the ring gliders would be sold separately but don't know it this is happening or not.

My prototypes used file folders for the paper portion. I cut them to 81/2 x 11 and simply sent them through my ink jet printer for the cut lines. Later ones I printed shapes on them as well.



John Boren


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