Old School Plans

 The Thrifty Rocketeer blog continues...

I've decided to go old school for this entry.

That being said, I should explain a bit.  I was flipping through entries on Facebook, and a nifty Red Baron glider caught my eye.  Someone suggested that the plans were available for:"Jenny" from "JimZ" .

A little detective work resulted in my finding his website, that contains early Estes rockets, plans, ads and images.  "Jim Z" shared with me the link to the "Flying Jenny" boost glider. 

Flying Jenny (spacemodeling.org)

It's a simple layout of parts and plans on only two sheets.  It's numbered "Rocket Plans #21."



The list of parts include BNC-20A balsa nose cone, BT-20J body tube, BFS-30 balsa sheet, LL-1A Launch Lug, and  launch weight NCW-1.

A bit more detective work tells me that the nosecone (though pricey, cause it's balsa) IS still available.  It's a short Ogive.  The body tube is a common enough size (BT-20) that holds low power As, Bs and Cs.  The length is specified by the "J" at the end.  Launch lugs are not hard to come by,  and you can find sheets of balsa or basswood at hobby shops, Hobby Lobby and Joanne Fabrics to name but a few.  The rocket weight appears to have been a lump of lead, and the builder was to peel of a slice and mold it over the wings to tune and trim them during testing.  These days, we rely upon modelling clay's adhesive properties.

But it's the balsa wood that I want to focus on right now.  The plans call for three sheets, and include a pattern for parts (spars, wings, struts, rudder) to be cut out.  That's right, CUT OUT , not punched out  laser-cuts.  The plans remind the builder to copy or trace the pattern rather than cut them out of the one paper sheet...because the second page of the instructions back up against the first.  These days, we photocopy the sheet twice with our printer. Most of the 7 parts are pairs or doubles.

Remember how I've been telling you to save your balsa scraps?  Well, here's where it pays off.  I was able to lay out and tack my paper pattern over all the scrap balsa flashing that I have been saving for years.  EVERY part has been laid out and cut from scrap with a hobby knife.  Any imperfections in my cuts will be covered by the "white glue" that the plans call for.  These days, I use yellow Elmer's Carpentry Wood Glue.  It bites better, and dries yellow, not quite clear.

This is what I mean by "old-school".  I got into the hobby as the balsa wood nosecone was giving way to the blown plastic cone and clay weight.  The era of tracing out your own parts was foreign to me, though I have done a few of those over the years.

Now, I much prefer the precision and ease of the laser-cut fins and balsa parts, but I also miss the balsa nosecones.  With a little assistance, I found the nosecone on eRockets as well as a needed body tube.  I will have invested slightly over six bucks to acquire them.

Today, from my scrap, I pulled out four triangles that measure about 1 5/32" inches tall and have glued a brace between the two pairs.  These will become bracing stands to prop under the wings when they are attached.  The height hold the wings at the correct angle, though my scrap may be off by a hair.  Again, scrap balsa was used from the trash pile.

Are you getting a drift here?

While I await my nosecone and body tube (since that forms the spine of the glider) I have cut and sanded the other balsa parts in preparation for assembly.  The forward and rear edges of the wings are to be rounded.  I am not certain if I will scallop the rear edge of the wings, nor paint it red to honor the red baron, but I am tempted to try to modify this design to suit.

Speaking of this design,  "JimZ's" website asks for donations if you find the plans or images of help.  A minimum of $2 is suggested, because of fees involved in Paypal, but you can also make charge card payments and more.   As a fun little design, and a thoughtful repository of older plans, this seems like a very reasonable investment, even for a Thrifty Rocketeer like me.

Check it out.

Plans are free here:

Flying Jenny (spacemodeling.org)

 

Many other free plans here:

JimZ Rocket Plans (spacemodeling.org)

This has been the Thrifty Rocketeer reminding you to SAVE YOUR BALSA WOOD SCRAPS, and cap your glue!

Comments

  1. Kirk G - The Thrifty RocketeerSeptember 16, 2021 at 7:06 PM

    After posting a picture of the Jenny on FB, I got a response that it was looking good, but why did I extend the body tube and nosecone forward? I ordered a BT-20J , just as the parts list indicated, but got this extended length instead. I will probably have to cut off the nosecone and remove about an inch of body tube to get it down to the 2 7/8" standard length of a low- power motor. SO hard interpreting older plans like this...especially when either the parts number doesn't line up, or the plans skip info.

    ReplyDelete

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