Korda TLG (oz8289)

About this Plan

Korda TLG. Nationals Towline Winner. Free flight towline glider model.

Quote: "Korda's Tow-line glider. Drawn from first MAP plans book, published 1946-1947 by Bill Winter Books. 53in span x 35in length. Drawn by Terry Rose Aug 1999."

Quote: "DICK KORDA, last winner of the Wakefield Trophy, probably has won more firsts with his rubber-powered cabin jobs than any other individual. In fact, Korda's record with that type of machine is so long, and so brilliant that it had been supposed generally that he would prove no better than the rest of us with any other kind of model. This has been another great year for Korda but the amazing thing is that his old stand-by, the cabin job, contributed nothing at all. He has been cleaning up with a sensational DeLong-powered Class-B gassie, and at the Nationals won a first in Class A control-line, and another first in towline glider.

The towline, as will be seen from the plans, is an unusually attractive ship. The general theme would be good for a rubber job, too, and will remind old-timers of the California Champ. Korda uses 100 feet of eight-pound test Nylon line which stretches ten feet during the tow. Good glider builders say that anything over 100 foot line may lose a ship! When the model is directly overhead, Korda gives a steady pull on the line, thus accelerating the ship to loop.

As it loops off the line, it rolls into level flight due to the rudder tab which becomes operative at the moment of release. As shown on the side view of the plan, the tow-line engages the tow hook, which is located on the bottom keel of the fuselage slightly back of the leading edge of the wing. The pull on the line causes the spring to be compressed as, at the same time, the pull forces the rudder tab against the side of the rudder where it can have no affect on the flight. When the line is released, the spring returns to its orig-inal position, and the tab then swings open to make the ship turn. Since this happens as the ship loops, the ruddering affect first causes the roll to the upright position. After that, the glider circles smoothly.

Korda's construction is neither simple nor complicated. The fuselage features an interesting variation of the 'diamond,' which is a square box turned until one longeron is directly down. The variation lies in the added structure from station one to ten. In the cross section given on the plan, note how the front section of the diamond was deepened
by adding longer cross pieces which meet at the keel position. Formers are added to these cross pieces and then that section of the fuselage is planked with 1/16 wood. The wing platform consists of a single piece of 1/8 sheet balse, faired into the fuselage with soft blocks of 3/8 squared wood, shaped like fillets. The wing is distinguished by its eight spars, five on top and three on bottom, made from 1/16 x 3/16 strips in an upright position. There are six spars in the stabilizer.

Korda's Nationals-winning towliner had previously taken first in the first interna-tional meet held since the last Wakefield event, which was prior to the war. Challenged by the Pharos Model Flying Club, of Hillingdon, Middlesex, England, as America's leading exponents of rubber-powered and glider flying, the Cleveland Balsa Butchers (also this year's winner at the Nationals of the club award given by Fred Megow ) were to compete against six proxy fliers for the British models. Korda then took first in towline, and George Reich, also in this issue, first in cabin."

Scan from DBHL, cleanup by theshadow.

ref DBHL-5176.

Direct submission to Outerzone.

Update 31/12/2016: Added article, thanks to JeffMac.

Supplementary file notes

Article pages.
Previous scan version (scaled from magazine page). Moved here from previous slot at oz574.

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