PT-1 Glider (oz13344)
About this Plan
PT-1 Glider. HLG glider model.
Quote: "Requiring a minimum of materials, the PT-1 is simple to build, easy to adjust and fly, and inexpensive.
One sheet of 1/16 balsa, two inches wide, 36 inches long, is the complete bill of materials for this unusual beginners' glider. All parts have not been designed of this single weight just for the novelty of it, for the fuselage, built of four layers, has more strength than if it had been carved from a single piece.
An ideal first step for the new model fan, the PT-1 is staunchly built. Its unusual wing assembly assures correct dihedral ; the wing joiner is not meant to be a structural member. A fuselage stiffener, fitted to the top of the body between the wing and tail, gives a tough T-section to the aft part of the fuselage where they so often tend to break.
Using the patterns, trace all parts to the sheet balsa stock and trim. them out neatly with a sharp model knife or razor blade. Cement the two inner body parts together and then attach the two outer parts. While these are drying, taper the wings and tail to the cross sections indicated on the plans. Use a sanding block for this and finish all trailing edges to uniform thinness. These parts may he given a coat of dope and laid aside to dry.
A penknife is ideal for shaping the fuselage. Nose is rounded smoothly as are the bottom edges. Upper edges, however, are left square as a base for the fuselage stiffener. Sand the fuselage and then apply a coat of dope to it. It is a good idea to rub a layer of cement over the nose and the bottom of the fuselage.
The wing joiner is now cemented into the fuselage slot and, with the aid of pins, the wing panels are joined. Use cement liberally here as well as in attaching tail parts. After the wing joint dries, carve the wing joiner flush with the fuselage and wing (as shown by dotted lines); Next fit the fuselage stiffener in place and see that all joints have a skin of cement over them.
Finally, the entire glider may be smoothed with very fine emery paper, then rubbed with a piece of bread wrapper which leaves a thin coating of wax on the surfaces. Add a bit of modeling clay to the nose, if necessary, to make the glider hang level..."
Direct submission to Outerzone.
Update 01/10/2021: Added CAD plan/parts in dxf format, thanks to JimHorner.
Supplementary file notes
Article.
CAD file
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(oz13344)
PT-1 Glider
by HA Thomas
from Air Trails
September 1947
14in span
Glider F/F
clean :)
all formers complete :)
got article :) -
Submitted: 16/09/2021
Filesize: 135KB
Format: • PDFbitmap • CADfile
Credit*: theshadow, JimHorner
Downloads: 1420
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User comments
Really enjoy your web site. Brings back lots of memories of my youth studying and obsessing over my father's old Air Trails and Model Airplane News mags. I digitized them all a number of years ago, so the pages will never rot.The PT-1 glider was the very first flying model I ever built. I was 5 at the time, and the truth is my father did most of the work, but I did get to do some of the sanding and gluing! Years later, I built some of these with my 5 year old son (he's 23 now). Who knows? Maybe I'll build one or two with grand children some day.
I'm including a picture of one of my PT-1s that I still have lying around [main pic]. This particular glider is probably 15 years old and is one of the ones I built with my son. Still flies very well. I'm also attaching a dxf file I send off to the laser cutter whenever I want to build a few more of these [see CAD zipfile supplement]. It's got all of the parts needed to build one of these fun little gliders.
Jim Horner - 01/10/2021
Still have a few unbuilt "kits" from my laser cut files. Here's a picture of one of them, unbuilt [pic 004].
Jim Horner - 01/10/2021
This will be a great glider project for me to try on my new xtool S1 laser cutter. I'm 66 now, and haven't built a model airplane since I was in my teens. I used to build and fly lots of balsa/plywood/RC planes. Now I'm semi-retired, and starting back at square one … knowing a little bit more. Yay!
Roy Smith - 31/01/2025
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- PT-1 Glider (oz13344)
- Plan File Filesize: 135KB Filename: PT-1_Glider_oz13344.pdf
- Supplement Filesize: 952KB Filename: PT-1_Glider_oz13344_article.pdf
- CAD Zip Filesize: 60KB Filename: PT-1_Glider_oz13344_cad.zip
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Notes
* Credit field
The Credit field in the Outerzone database is designed to recognise and credit the hard work done in scanning and digitally cleaning these vintage and old timer model aircraft plans to get them into a usable format. Currently, it is also used to credit people simply for uploading the plan to a forum on the internet. Which is not quite the same thing. This will change soon. Probably.
Scaling
This model plan (like all plans on Outerzone) is supposedly scaled correctly and supposedly will print out nicely at the right size. But that doesn't always happen. If you are about to start building a model plane using this free plan, you are strongly advised to check the scaling very, very carefully before cutting any balsa wood.
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