Models of gliders made of foam plastic and plywood. Foam gliders and airplanes: lightweight glider: examples of models. How to make a glider: wing

A small, lightweight glider with a wingspan of 200 mm and a weight of 4 g (Fig. 1) belongs to the category of the simplest entertainment models and can be made in a few hours. He is launched into gym by hand or in calm weather on a sports field using a catapult. The model with a wingspan of 230 mm and a mass of 7 g (Fig. 2) is somewhat heavier and stronger, and its flight duration is longer (about 15 seconds).

The glider is designed to be launched by hand and using a catapult (even in light winds) on a football or other field. A more complex model (Fig. 3) with a wingspan of 400 mm and a mass of 26 g is a throwing glider. Both beginners and experienced modelers are passionate about building throwing gliders. Competitions are held for this class of models. The main task is to achieve maximum flight duration. Gaining height is ensured only by hand throwing.

When designing such a glider, one has to solve a whole range of problems. It is necessary to achieve the optimal ratio of the mass of the model, the shape and area of the load-bearing surfaces so that the glider can be thrown to the maximum height. After takeoff, the model should clearly enter the stable long-term gliding mode. For this purpose, in the proposed design the fuselage nose is made quite short, and the tail boom is made long, but light and strong. With such an aerodynamic design, the almost weightless and compact tail unit is located outside the zone of turbulence from the wing and works efficiently.

Even in the absence of upward flows, students in grades 5 and 6, with a correctly executed throw, managed to achieve a microfloat flight duration of up to 30 seconds. To run such a model, a field of at least 200x200 meters in size is required, preferably outside the city. Preparatory work consists of making drawings of parts in life size, making templates for the wing, stabilizer, fin and fuselage nose, selection of materials. You will need foam plastic ceiling tiles 3.5 mm thick with dimensions 500x500 mm (sold in hardware stores and finishing materials), dense types of foam plastic, wood (spruce, pine, linden), PVA glue and paints.

The finishing of the surface is carried out using sandpaper of various grains, glued to plywood plates measuring approximately 50x200 mm, with constant monitoring using templates. To give the wing of the model (Fig. 1.2) a small transverse V-shape, before gluing it into the slot of the fuselage along the axis of symmetry, an incision must be made on the upper surface. In the second of the proposed designs, the central part of the wing is reinforced with a short matchstick spar.

In the model of a throwing glider (Fig. 3), a slot should be made on the lower surface of the wing and a spar should be glued into it. Further from the wing, where the spar ends, you need to saw off the “ears” and re-glue them at the required angle. Pre-joint surfaces are beveled with sandpaper so that the gaps are minimal. As is known from the practice of launching throwing gliders, a good throw is obtained when the fuselage is grasped with the thumb and middle finger, and the last bend of the index finger rests on the rear edge of the root part of the right console.

Therefore, it is advisable to strengthen its lower surface with a 1.5 mm plywood or cardboard overlay under index finger The leading edge of the wing can be covered with thin colored paper on liquid PVA. The keel and stabilizer of the models have a profile " flat board» with rounded edges. The notch should highlight the “rudder” and “elevator”. The nose of the fuselage of the models is made of dense foam, and the fuselage rail is made of light wood.

A slot was made in the bow exactly along the wing profile and a cavity was drilled for a lead weight. The exact location of the groove on the lower surface of the fuselage for engaging the rubber cord of the catapult is selected experimentally. The parts are connected using PVA glue. The wing is carefully inserted into the fuselage slot and fixed with glue. The area where the wing and fuselage meet should be reinforced with strips of drawing paper.

Next, the keel and stabilizer are glued. The finishing of the models includes painting the fuselage slats and paper-covered sections of the wing with nitro enamel. Debugging of airframes begins with the elimination of distortions, and then proceeds to balancing. The center of gravity of models launched using a catapult (Fig. 1,2) should be at a distance equal to approximately 33% of the wing width, measured from the junction of its leading edge with the fuselage. The throwing glider has a centering of approximately 45°.

Adjustment is carried out by increasing the mass of the centering weight or reducing it by drilling it. During test runs of models, due to minimal deflection of the elevators and rudder, a smooth transition is achieved after gaining altitude to hovering in a left turn. Recommendations for launching and debugging simplest and throwing gliders were previously given in the magazine.

Rice. 1. The simplest entertaining model of a light glider: 1 - centering weight (lead); 2 - nose of the fuselage; 3 - fuselage (pine); 4 - wing; 5 - stabilizer; 6 - keel; material of parts 2, 4, 5, 6 - foam plastic

Rice. 2. Model of a glider for hand launch and using a catapult: 1 - centering weight (lead); 2 - nose of the fuselage; 3 - fuselage (pine); 4 - keel; 5 - wing; 6 - spar (match); 7 - stabilizer Fig. 3. Model of a throwing glider: 1 - centering weight (lead); 2 - nose of the fuselage; 3 - fuselage (pine); 4 - keel; 5 - wing; 6 - reinforcement for the finger (plywood s1.5); 7 - spar (pine); 8 - stabilizer

Proposed simple designs gliders were developed in the experimental design circle of the SUT of Kostroma. All of them are made mainly of foam plastic, but differ from each other in dimensions, proportions, weight, wing manufacturing technology, and flight characteristics. Models are recommended for making by young modellers at home, in club classes and technology lessons.

A small, lightweight glider with a wingspan of 200 mm and a weight of 4 g (Fig. 1) belongs to the category of the simplest entertainment models and can be made in a few hours. It is launched in a gym by hand or in calm weather on a sports ground using a catapult. The model with a wingspan of 230 mm and a mass of 7 g (Fig. 2) is somewhat heavier and stronger, and its flight duration is longer (about 15 seconds). The glider is designed to be launched by hand and using a catapult (even in light winds) on a football or other field.

A more complex model (Fig. 3) with a wingspan of 400 mm and a mass of 26 g is a throwing glider. Both beginners and experienced modelers are passionate about building throwing gliders. Competitions are held for this class of models. The main task is to achieve maximum flight duration. Gaining height is ensured only by hand throwing. When designing such a glider, one has to solve a whole range of problems. It is necessary to achieve the optimal ratio of the mass of the model, the shape and area of the load-bearing surfaces so that the glider can be thrown to the maximum height. After takeoff, the model should clearly enter the stable long-term gliding mode. For this purpose, in the proposed design the fuselage nose is made quite short, and the tail boom is made long, but light and strong. With such an aerodynamic design, the almost weightless and compact tail unit is located outside the zone of turbulence from the wing and works efficiently. Even in the absence of upward flows, students in grades 5 and 6, with a correctly executed throw, managed to achieve a microfloat flight duration of up to 30 seconds. To run such a model, a field of at least 200x200 meters in size is required, preferably outside the city.

The preparatory work consists of making life-size drawings of parts, making templates for the wing, stabilizer, fin and nose of the fuselage, and selecting materials. You will need foam ceiling tiles 3.5 mm thick with dimensions 500×500 mm (sold in building and finishing materials stores), dense types of foam, wood (spruce, pine, linden), PVA glue and paints.

1 - centering weight (lead); 2 - nose of the fuselage; 3 - fuselage (pine); 4 - wing; 5 - stabilizer; 6 - keel; material of parts 2, 4, 5, 6 - foam plastic

1 - centering weight (lead); 2 - nose of the fuselage; 3 - fuselage (pine); 4 - keel; 5 - wing; 6 - spar (match); 7 - stabilizer

1 - centering weight (lead); 2 - nose of the fuselage; 3 - fuselage (pine); 4 - keel; 5 - wing; 6 - reinforcement for the finger (plywood s1.5); 7 - spar (pine); 8 - stabilizer

It is recommended to start creating models with the manufacture of the wing, fin and stabilizer. After marking the contour using templates, these parts can be cut out with a scalpel. Then you should start profiling them. In order to simplify the design, the wing has a flat-convex profile along its entire span. It is better to remove a significant part of the material from the line of maximum thickness with a sharp knife. The surface finishing is carried out using sandpaper of various grains, glued to plywood plates measuring approximately 50x200 mm, with constant monitoring using templates. To give the wing of the model (Fig. 1.2) a small transverse V-shape, before gluing it into the slot of the fuselage along the axis of symmetry, an incision must be made on the upper surface. In the second of the proposed designs, the central part of the wing is reinforced with a short matchstick spar. In the model of a throwing glider (Fig. 3), a slot should be made on the lower surface of the wing and a spar should be glued into it. Further from the wing, where the spar ends, you need to saw off the “ears” and re-glue them at the required angle. Pre-joint surfaces are beveled with sandpaper so that the gaps are minimal.

As is known from the practice of launching throwing gliders, a good throw is obtained when the fuselage is grasped with the thumb and middle finger, and the last bend of the index finger rests on the rear edge of the root part of the right console. Therefore, it is advisable to reinforce its lower surface with a 1.5 mm plywood or cardboard pad for the index finger. The leading edge of the wing can be covered with thin colored paper on liquid PVA. The keel and stabilizer of the models have a “flat board” profile with rounded edges. The notch should highlight the “rudder” and “elevator”.

The nose of the fuselage of the models is made of dense foam, and the fuselage rail is made of light wood. A slot was made in the bow exactly along the wing profile and a cavity was drilled for a lead weight. The exact location of the groove on the lower surface of the fuselage for engaging the rubber cord of the catapult is selected experimentally.

The parts are connected using PVA glue. The wing is carefully inserted into the fuselage slot and fixed with glue. The area where the wing and fuselage meet should be reinforced with strips of drawing paper. Next, the keel and stabilizer are glued.

The finishing of the models includes painting the fuselage slats and paper-covered sections of the wing with nitro enamel.

Debugging of airframes begins with the elimination of distortions, and then proceeds to balancing. The center of gravity of models launched using a catapult (Fig. 1,2) should be at a distance equal to approximately 33% of the wing width, measured from the junction of its leading edge with the fuselage. The throwing glider has a centering of approximately 45°. Adjustment is carried out by increasing the mass of the centering weight or reducing it by drilling it.

During test runs of models, due to minimal deflection of the elevators and rudder, a smooth transition is achieved after gaining altitude to hovering in a left turn. Recommendations for launching and debugging simplest and throwing gliders were previously given in the magazine.

A. TIKHONOV, Kostroma

Our conversation today is about foam flying models. The advantages of this material are obvious: the simplest model can be made in fifteen minutes, more complex ones in two to three hours.

Thin foam sheets - main building material for all models of gliders and aircraft that we will talk about. Such plates can be cut from thick foam plastic yourself using a nichrome wire heater, but the easiest way is to use ready-made, cheapest foam ceiling plates, the so-called ceiling decor, used in apartment renovation.

In addition to foam plates (ceiling decor), you will need wooden slats, preferably pine or linden, whatman paper, plasticine, and glue. Special glue is now sold for polystyrene foam.

The simplest of them is shown in Figure 1. Plan wooden slats cross section 4x4 mm. Towards the tail it can be made thinner - reduced to almost nothing. Cut the stabilizer and wing to the dimensions shown in the figure. Slightly round the edges at the top sandpaper. Heat the stabilizer consoles over an electric lamp and bend them upward at a right angle - you get two keels. Bend the wing consoles upward by 20 degrees. Stick a piece of plasticine to the nose of the model so that the center of gravity of the model is approximately in the middle of the wing.

Before launch, check for any distortions in the wing and stabilizer.

Launch the model with a light push along the horizon. Don't be upset if your first flight is unsuccessful. The model needs to be taught to fly.

Let's say the glider dived sharply. Heat the rail with a soldering iron next to the stabilizer and slightly bend it upward. If the glider is making a sharp turn, bend the trailing edges of the fins in the direction opposite to the direction of the turn.

If the model lifts its nose up, loses speed and falls onto the wing, add a little plasticine.

A well-adjusted model should fly more than ten meters when launched from the hand.

You can make an interesting flying toy for your younger brother or sister. Look at picture 2. This duck flies beautifully.

Cut the body, wings and stabilizer from foam plates. The configuration of the wings does not have to be observed exactly; it is only important not to reduce their area and not to disturb the symmetry of each pair.

The upper wings should be parallel to the lower ones when viewed from the side. And if you look from the front, the ends of the wings are about 10-15 mm higher than the root parts. In addition to glue, you can strengthen the wings with a couple of pins.

Glue a rounded plate to the duck's beak from below, as shown in the figure. The angle of attack, that is, the inclination of this plate, should be 8-10 degrees. Attach 5-10 g of plasticine to the front edge of the plate. Now start it up and, if necessary, adjust it, just like the glider.

Another simple model is the “frame” (Fig. 3). It is also built from slats and foam plastic. Try to plan the slats as thin as possible. Stick a piece of plasticine to the nose, simulating a cockpit.

Two large-area keels significantly increase the model's directional stability, so it flies almost straight or in a circle of large radius. The adjustment is the same.

Now let's move on to more complex models. True, they are not complex in themselves, but only in comparison with the first models.

But, before talking about them, let's say a few words about gluing foam plastic.

The best glue- polyvinyl acetate emulsion (PVAE). It provides strength and elasticity and does not contaminate the foam. For foam plastic, special glue is now sold in any specialized hardware store. Where they sell ceiling decor, they also sell this glue, for example, “Master” glue. Stationery, casein, dextrin, BF-2, BF-4 - they all glue foam well.

What is the comparative complexity of subsequent models? They are larger in size, therefore, the load-bearing planes need to be made more rigid. Increasing the thickness of the wing is unprofitable: the model will become heavier, and in addition, drag will increase. This means we need to look for other ways. There are several of them.

First. Along the entire length of the wing and stabilizer on top, you need to cut a thin wooden strip. To do this, a groove is cut approximately in the middle of the wing along the width of the slats, the slats themselves are lubricated with glue and inserted into the groove.

Second. Strips of whatman paper 10-20 mm wide are glued to the top and bottom of the wing and stabilizer. Instead of whatman paper, you can use birch or linden veneer.

Third. The front and rear halves of the wing are cut out separately and glued to a 1-1.5 mm thick strip. The width of the slats is equal to the thickness of the wing. This is perhaps the most best way.

Figure 4 shows a schematic model of the airframe. You already know the manufacturing technology - here only the dimensions are different and the wings and stabilizer are given rigidity. Such a model, if launched with a handrail at a height of several tens of meters, will fly for about a minute and a half. And if you want it to fly even longer, give the wing and stabilizer an aerodynamic profile - it is shown in the figure.

The next model is in Figure 5. Its silhouette is reminiscent of modern airplanes. This glider can also be launched in the wind. The model is heavier than the previous ones, so when starting you need to push harder. It flies steadily and for a long time.

The rake-fuselage at the tail is two times thinner than at the bow - this is rational for strength and alignment. The wing and tail are made of thicker foam plates compared to previous models. If the wing turns out to be not rigid enough, cut a spar made of pine or linden into it.

Give the wing and stabilizer an aerodynamic profile.

The glider, shown in Figure 6, is launched from a rubber catapult like a slingshot. By bending the trailing edges of the fin and stabilizer, you can ensure that the model will perform a turn, a loop, and if the trailing edges of the wing consoles are bent in opposite directions, then a roll.

And finally, a very interesting “flying wing” model is shown in Figure 7. It is larger in size than some sports models. And the quality of its flight (provided you do it carefully) will exceed all your expectations. The model reacts poorly to gusts of wind; moreover, it flies even better in the wind.

If you can’t make a wing from a whole plate, glue it together from pieces. Cover the front edge with pre-curved pine slats for rigidity. The rack in the middle has a cross-section of 3x3 mm, and at the ends 1.5x1.5 mm.

A stabilizer is installed in the center of the wing on two foam pylons. Its installation angle is 5 - 8 degrees relative to the root of the wing.

The weight is carried forward on a strip glued to the lower surface of the wing strictly in the center. Two fins are installed on the wing consoles.

Some "technological" tips. To cut polystyrene foam, use only a sharp knife, and do not press on the knife, but rather saw it with it. Then the foam will not crumble.

Using sandpaper, sand the surface of the foam along and across the wing. Small holes in the foam have little effect on the flight quality, so there is no need to putty on them. Do not press hard on the sandpaper or move it quickly, because the foam may heat up and melt.

You can paint the model with colored ink from a spray bottle, applying a light layer. Make the inscriptions on the wings like this: before painting, pin the paper letters, and after painting, remove them - you will get an unpainted inscription.

This article describes step by step the creation of a simple glider for younger children. school age. It can be made in a couple of hours, and the materials used are the most affordable.

Materials:
- ceiling tiles
- plywood 4 mm
- bamboo skewer
- sushi stick
- rubber band for money
- threads
- cardboard

Tools:
- cutter
- pen
- ruler
- scissors
- ceiling adhesives and PVA
- jigsaw
- sandpaper
- brushes and paints

Step 1. Drawing and templates.

The drawing was made directly on a sheet of cardboard so that templates could be cut out of it later. All part sizes are indicated. From the nose, 75 mm is the distance to the leading edge of the wing and the boundary along which the plywood nose piece will be measured.

We cut out the part templates with scissors.

Step 2. Cut out and glue the model.

If the drawing was drawn on thick cardboard, then the details on the ceiling can be cut out directly according to the templates rather than drawn. Tail internal part I cut out the ceilings from the remains, so it is in two parts, but you can make it one-piece.

We cut out the bow part from plywood and make a cutout in it for a bamboo stick, which will be a hook for an elastic band in the model.

We glue the fuselage parts together by gluing the plywood and tail parts between the intact fuselage sides.

If for some reason it is not possible to make a plywood part, the nose can be weighted with a coin by gluing it between the sides, but the weight will have to be selected so that the centering is suitable.
We sand the edges of the fuselage and glue the wing to it.

Then we glue the stabilizer.

The model is ready for painting.

Step 3. Painting the model.

Before painting, it is better to first draw the contours with a pen for greater accuracy, or even paint the parts first, and only then glue them, but this is more convenient for everyone.
If you don’t have acrylic paints, you can paint the model with felt-tip pens and even cover it with colored tape.
In this case we use acrylic paints- blue and orange.

The wing and stabilizer can be painted only on top, leaving the bottom white.

We draw the contours of the cabin in the bow with a pen or felt-tip pen.

Step 4. Making a starting device.

Essentially, the launcher is a kind of slingshot to launch a higher model.
To make it you will need an elastic band for money and a sushi stick (or any other strip).

Using threads and PVA glue, we attach an elastic band to the end of the stick.