Pluto (oz2314)

About this Plan

Pluto. Towline glider. A/1 spec glider from Aeromodeller March 1959. A high performance glider for beginners. Wingspan 45-1/2in

Quote: "THIS EASY-TO-BUILD glider to the A/1 specification by one of the leading Czechoslovakian designers, is an ideal subject for the beginner who wants to try his hand at the competition class model. One can expect a regular flight average of up to two minutes from 164 ft towline and the cost of construction is well within the means of most schoolboys of our acquaintance.

Pluto is a fairly light model and like all A/1s is not quite as easy to tow straight as with models of large proportions and heavier loading. It is best to start with about 75 ft. of line paid out from the winch and then to gradually allow the glider to unreel the winch after the line angle is over 60 deg. Trimming via the tailplane incidence is advised and the standard setting of 1/8th packing is indicated on the plan.

Now get building and include the dethermaliser fuse in your shopping list, for this is a model that will hold any thermal and soon disappear into the blue if you give it half a chance.

As will be seen from the plan below, the fuselage is of equal width from nose to tail and a strip of 3/32nd sheet is cut to the width of formers 1 to 14 to form top and bottom. Pin these up on edge over the plan view, fit in formers and then set aside whilst cutting out the side profile in 1/8 sheet. It is advisable to get medium to soft sheet for this purpose in order to avoid too much weight in the rear fuselage. The auto-rudder arm and tow hook assembly should be fitted before the last side profile is added and the laminated nose blocks can be shaped after final assembly. Upper and lower fins are butt-joined on to top and bottom sheets, but if you have additional patience it is advisable to let them in for extra strength.

Wing construction is a little different to normal British practice in that it utilises the Continental system of avoiding tissue contacts with spars by positioning the spars through the centre of each rib. One must, therefore, cut alt ribs and slide them on to spars loosely, then position them accurately over the plan..."

Supplementary file notes

Planfile includes article.

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