Full Size Printed Plan GLIDER W/S 59” flight performance is beyond expectations.

Full Size Printed Plan & Building Notes

No material, Plans only

Night Owl

GLIDER

Full size printed plan on a  36” x 12” sheet

Four Pages of notes and photos

Wingspan 59” (1500mm)

D/T

By Jim Moseley

The two prototype Night Owls have proved that the design is not only strong and easy to build, but that the Wingspan 59”

DURING THE SPRING of 1978 I assisted my elder son Kevin, then 8 years of age, to build his first glider from a kit, which subsequently demonstrated the fact that the flying ability of a small cabin design is not necessarily as attractive as its illustration upon the box! In this instance, even I had great difficulty in towing the model to any appreciable altitude, and Kevin found it impossible to handle at all with his very limited skills.

After putting aside the pieces, I reasoned that the prime requirement was; for a glider of moderate size, and thus possessing greater inherent stability; which would be simple enough to build to be within the "attention span" of a youngster, yet strong enough to stand up to some considerable abuse; and still fly well enough to be satisfying.

So Night Owl took shape on paper, prime importance being given to stability and strength with the structure kept simple, and performance a secondary consideration. A flat bottomed wing section was chosen for ease of building for rib cutting, assembly and eventual covering. The 12 1/2% thickness aerofoil was selected to give a thick wing that would be resistant to both warps and towing stresses.

The most pleasing surprise came on the occasion of the models' first outing in October 1978 when, after a little hook adjustment, it proved viceless to fly in all respects with a slow, bouncy glide which was in excess of all expectations

Thank you for your interest