Tow-Hi (oz14742)
About this Plan
Tow-Hi. Free flight towline glider model.
Quote: "Appealing, proven towline glider. Tow-Hi, by Gerald Zeigenfuse
Tow-Hi is a typical example of the Nordic A-1 designs to appear in this country since the adoption of the event by the AMA. It is rugged to withstand the rigors of contest flying. Because it is of simple construction, it is quickly built. The plug-in wing is a life saver because it allows the wings to pop-off in a crash, greatly reducing any damage. The plywood wing tongue and box are constructed in about the same amount of time as it takes to construct the center dihedral joint of a conventional wing.
As far as flight performance is concerned, Tow-Hi is a top notch contender at any contest. Note the simple airfoil used. We believe that the exaggerated wing sections commonly used in Europe are not suitable for contest conditions in this country. We need good wind penetration which is almost next to impossible to achieve with a highly undercambered airfoil on a ship with as light a wing loading as a Nordic A-1 (approx 2.5 oz/100 sq in.) By drooping the trailing edge of a standard flat bottomed airfoil we get good glide performance plus our much needed wind penetiration.
Towing is a snap with this ship. Straight overhead tows are made with no effort. Tow-Hi also has the ability to be held on the line while feeling for a thermal. We're sure you'll enjoy building and flying Tow-Hi as much as we have.
Construction: Since it is practically self-explanatory we will not go into too much detail. One point to remember, however, is to select the wood carefully. Light, straight-grained wood is used throughout. We have given• the weights of the various strips and sheet stock to be used in the Bill of Material. These are the maximum weights of the wood to be used and any increase in their weights will naturally result in an overweight model.
Start by building the flying surfaces. For uniformity we chose to strip the wing and stab leading and trailing edges from sheet stock. It is best to shape them before beginning construction. Don't forget that the trailing edges are blocked up 1/16 along the front edge. The wing tongue boxes are constructed from three layers of hard 1/16 sheet and one layer of soft 1/4 in sheet which is shaped to match the airfoil. The first layer of 1/16 sheet is cemented in with the grain chordwise, the second, which has the tongue outline cut into it, has the grain running spanwise, and the third layer is cemented in with the grain chordwise. Be sure to remove the excess cement from the slot. Also, don't forget the large 3/16 sheet gussets. They are very important to the overall strength of the wing.
The stabilizer is constructed very similar to the wing. Light weight here is very important.
Cover the surfaces with Jap tissue and put on about 3 to 4 coats of thin dope. One of the coats of dope should be plasticized. After covering, cement the rudder in place. It has previously been finished and color doped if you so desire.
The fuselage is a real cinch to construct. Begin by cutting out and dihedraling the 1/16 plywood wing tongue. We simply cut it in half and cemented it together to the correct dihedral angle. Since it is cemented solidly in the fuselage there is no need to worry about it coming apart. Cement the wing tongue into the 3/8 sheet fuselage core using lots of cement. Next the 3/32 sheet sides are slipped over the wing tongue and cemented to the core. Be sure they are aligned correctly or you will have a bent or twisted fuselage. Contact cement used here will speed the job considerably.
Add the formers and the 3/32 sheet planking top and bottom. The stab platform and the sub-rudder, which has cloth hinges already attached, are cemented to the fuselage next..."
Tow-Hi from American Modeler, January 1959.
Direct submission to Outerzone.
Supplementary file notes
Article pages, thanks to RFJ.
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(oz14742)
Tow-Hi
by Gerald Zeigenfuse
from American Modeler
January 1959
45in span
Glider F/F
clean :)
all formers complete :)
got article :) -
Submitted: 09/07/2023
Filesize: 422KB
Format: • PDFbitmap
Credit*: Circlip, RFJ
Downloads: 293
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- Tow-Hi (oz14742)
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Notes
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Scaling
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