HY-5 (oz4196)

About this Plan

HY-5. Free flight glider. A wartime austerity model, using cardboard construction.

Quote: "A Glider Made From Cardboard. My introduction to the sport of model aircraft flying, was by way of a series of not very successful cardboard flying (?) models. This method of construction was then forgotten until just recently, when the balsa shortage necessitated the use of other materials. The results obtained were very satisfactory, and enabled me to continue the construction of the 'Solid' type of glider, a type which I had been forced to neglect as a result of this shortage.

The cardboard used is of the thin white variety, bought in sheets approximately 32 by 23 inches, for fivepence or sixpence. The stage in assembling the parts which occasioned the most thought was fixing the wing to a fuselage which was only 1/4 in wide. The usual method, of course, is to build up fillets with plastic wood, but due to the flexibility of the cardboard this cracked after a time. Also the moisture in the plastic wood tended to cause the cardboard to wrinkle. So it was decided to build the fillet out of the same material as the rest of the 'Plane. The rather angular shape thus formed does not detract from the appearance of the model.

FUSELAGE: This is cut out in one piece, folded and glued as shown to make a fuselage 1 in deep and 1/4 in wide. Do not forget to cut out the wing slot on both sides.

FILLET: Study the head-on and the dotted side view before folding. The folds are made so that the flaps can be glued in their respective positions - A to A and B to B etc. The fillet can then be slid into position along the fuselage, and glued in place. The fillet must be glued to the top and bottom of the, fuselage. The wing is threaded through both fillet and fuselage and glued firmly.

WING: The wing is also made. in one piece. Glue is spread along the trailing edge about 3/16 in wide. The top surface is then bent to the approximate camber and held in place to the lower surface by 'Trombone' paper fasteners. Once the two surfaces are clipped together they can be adjusted, to obtain the correct shape. Make sure that the trailing edge forms a straight line when looked at from the rear. Any 'waves' can be eliminated by slightly bending up or down, when the two surfaces should slide over each other, between the clips. DO NOT use a quick drying cement. When the camber has been formed and the glue is dry, the wing tips are packed up to give a dihedral of 2-1/2 in. The top centre surfaces are allowed to overlap, glue being smeared on the lower one to form a strong joint. Any superfluous cardboard is now cut off, and the trailing edge and tips lightly sandpapered to a smooth curve. When dry the wing will probably be found to have assumed a slight under-camber, do not try to flatten this out.

TAIL: The tail surfaces are simply cut out of flat cardboard and glued on the top of the fuselage. The fin is fixed to the tailplane by two angles of cardboard, this giving a better job than flanging the bottom of the fin.

The balance weight, in the form of clay, etc, is contained in a paper tube glued in the nose. The square nose of the fuselage, when dry, is bent to a circular shape to accommodate this tube. One end of the tube is sealed off by a disc of cardboard, and the other end by a shaped plug of wood, which is glued in place, after the correct balance has been obtained.

The model is adjusted in the usual manner by gliding from shoulder height, and adding weight until the maximum glide is obtained. A coat of thick shellac may be given to protect the model from moisture. But it must be thick or else it will cause the cardboard to warp."

Supplementary file notes

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