Arm Soar
THE ARM SOAR is an old Free Flight
Hand-Launched Glider (HLG) that is still
being flown competitively, with occasional
success, by a really old man (I’m in my 70s
now!).
My younger son Barry originated the
model’s design just before the 1975
Nationals (Nats) in Lake Charles,
Louisiana, when, in his enthusiastic haste,
he carved and installed the wing backward
on the Flash HLG that he was readying for
our trip south. The tried-and-true Flash by
“Fast Richard” Mathis has swept-forward
outer-panel trailing edges (TEs) and a
straight leading edge (LE) on the wing.
Barry ended up with swept-back LEs
and a straight TE on his model. To this day
he claims that it was an intentional design
innovation! Since he placed with “his
design” at that Nats, who am I to dispute
him? Regardless, we’ve been improving
the design ever since.
The evolution resulting in the Arm Soar
shown on the accompanying drawing has
involved many changes; all that remains of
the Flash is the still-apparent similarity in
wing and tail-surface shapes.
Among the differences are increased
wing and stabilizer spans and areas,
decreased fuselage length with a shortened
nose, a new wing airfoil with a rounded
hardwood or carbon-fiber (CF)-rod LE, and
a symmetrical airfoil on the horizontal tail.
Beginning with Barry’s success at the
1975 Nats, the Arm Soar has accumulated a
noteworthy contest record that includes
first place in Open HLG at the 1985 Nats.
That victory was a contributing factor in
our New York team (Danny Agers, John
Carbone, and me) winning the then-popular
HLG Perpetual Team Trophy that year. At
the 1990 Nats the model placed third in
Open HLG.
Between those contests the Arm Soar
placed well at most of the major
Northeastern Free Flight meets, including
the various Eastern Championships held at
Galeville and Johnsville, New York. It has
continued to perform well in spite of the
ever-increasing age of the sore arm upon
which it is so dependent.
CONSTRUCTION
Constructing the Arm Soar is easy and
should be essentially self-explanatory with
the accompanying full-size drawing.
However, I need to call your attention to
some of the details.
As I’ve noted, the stabilizer should have
a symmetrical airfoil and it uses the same
V of anhedral as its ancestor the Flash.
The drawing shows a 1⁄8 hardwood LE
on the wing, which is a great asset in
durability. However, since modern CF
materials are so readily available, now I
use .050-inch-diameter CF rod for the wing
LE and .030-inch rod for the TE. Burying
the LE rod slightly in the balsa and then
carving the airfoil to mate with it
automatically provides the desired LE
rounded contour.
Carve the overall airfoil using a
template of the shape shown on the plans.
The wing’s inner panels are a constant
thickness while the outer panels taper to 1⁄16
inch at the tips (resulting in a flat “airfoil”
at the wingtips). Using the .030 CF rod at
the TE provides a consistent thickness and
strength.
The fin has a symmetrical airfoil. I
generally use a 1⁄4-inch-thick, wedgeshaped
finger rest at the wing/fuselage
intersection to help beef up that critical
joint. Gluing a couple of sandpaper finger
“grips” to the fuselage at comfortable
locations improves the glider’s
launchability. The fuselage can be
hardwood or extremely hard balsa.
The center-of-gravity location is shown
on the plans. My dethermalizer (DT)
preference is a swinging weight attached
approximately halfway between the wing
and the stabilizer. Since it is necessary to
add nose ballast to balance a glider, the
swinging weight ballast/DT performs a
dual function with no unnecessary added
weight.
Trimming: The trimming process is
78 MODEL AVIATION
by Jean Pailet
What goes up has to come down—before it leaves the field! This close-up shows the
nose weight/swinging dethermalizer weight.
This is a simple-toconstruct
model that
can be used for sport or
competition flying.
02sig3.QXD 11/25/03 11:06 am Page 78
conventional. Since I am right-handed I launch the Arm Soar to
the right and trim it to glide to the left. Glide turn is achieved with
varying combinations of stabilizer tilt, rudder, and slight
differential elevator (up—left/down—right). This “tail twist” helps
in the transition from launch phase to glide. You can counteract
any tendency to spin in during the glide by warping down the
inboard wing’s (preferably the inner panel only) TE.
There you have it: an HLG that can be competitive without a
world-class athlete doing the launching. The Arm Soar’s primary
attribute is that it has done so well flown by a weak-armed
nonathlete. As long as I have this model, I refuse to retire solely to
Catapult Glider as so many of my peers have done! MA
Jean Pailet
30 Emerson Rd.
Glen Head NY 11545
Sources: The only specialized material (if you choose to use it) in
the Arm Soar is the CF rod for the wing LEs and TEs. CF rod that
is .020 inch in diameter and larger is available from the following.
(Even if you don’t plan to build the Arm Soar or use any CF rod
right now, it’s worth getting these companies’ catalogs. They
have a wealth of useful products for a model builder.)
Aerospace Composite Products
14210 Doolittle Dr.
San Leandro CA 94577
February 2004 79
The line on the top of the wing denotes the airfoil high point. This
model has a simple planform, but it performs!
In this three-quarter rear view of the Arm Soar, you can see the
minimal amount of anhedral in the stabilizer.
The author’s contact information is inscribed in the top of the
wing—in case the dethermalizer malfunctions.
You can see the fuse snuffer tube and the large finger-rest
reinforcement for the wing/body joint.
Arm Soar
Type: Free Flight Hand-Launched Glider
Wingspan: 18 inches
Power: One strong right or left arm
Flying weight: 35 grams
Construction: Balsa and spruce
Finish: Two coats of clear nitrate dope
Composite Structures Technologies
Box 622
Tehachapi CA 93581
Hang-em High Fabrics
1420 Yale Ave.
Richmond VA 23224
Photos courtesy the author
02sig3.QXD 11/25/03 11:08 am Page 79
80 MODEL AVIATION
02sig3.QXD 11/25/03 11:08 am Page 80
Edition: Model Aviation - 2004/02
Page Numbers: 78,79,80
Edition: Model Aviation - 2004/02
Page Numbers: 78,79,80
Arm Soar
THE ARM SOAR is an old Free Flight
Hand-Launched Glider (HLG) that is still
being flown competitively, with occasional
success, by a really old man (I’m in my 70s
now!).
My younger son Barry originated the
model’s design just before the 1975
Nationals (Nats) in Lake Charles,
Louisiana, when, in his enthusiastic haste,
he carved and installed the wing backward
on the Flash HLG that he was readying for
our trip south. The tried-and-true Flash by
“Fast Richard” Mathis has swept-forward
outer-panel trailing edges (TEs) and a
straight leading edge (LE) on the wing.
Barry ended up with swept-back LEs
and a straight TE on his model. To this day
he claims that it was an intentional design
innovation! Since he placed with “his
design” at that Nats, who am I to dispute
him? Regardless, we’ve been improving
the design ever since.
The evolution resulting in the Arm Soar
shown on the accompanying drawing has
involved many changes; all that remains of
the Flash is the still-apparent similarity in
wing and tail-surface shapes.
Among the differences are increased
wing and stabilizer spans and areas,
decreased fuselage length with a shortened
nose, a new wing airfoil with a rounded
hardwood or carbon-fiber (CF)-rod LE, and
a symmetrical airfoil on the horizontal tail.
Beginning with Barry’s success at the
1975 Nats, the Arm Soar has accumulated a
noteworthy contest record that includes
first place in Open HLG at the 1985 Nats.
That victory was a contributing factor in
our New York team (Danny Agers, John
Carbone, and me) winning the then-popular
HLG Perpetual Team Trophy that year. At
the 1990 Nats the model placed third in
Open HLG.
Between those contests the Arm Soar
placed well at most of the major
Northeastern Free Flight meets, including
the various Eastern Championships held at
Galeville and Johnsville, New York. It has
continued to perform well in spite of the
ever-increasing age of the sore arm upon
which it is so dependent.
CONSTRUCTION
Constructing the Arm Soar is easy and
should be essentially self-explanatory with
the accompanying full-size drawing.
However, I need to call your attention to
some of the details.
As I’ve noted, the stabilizer should have
a symmetrical airfoil and it uses the same
V of anhedral as its ancestor the Flash.
The drawing shows a 1⁄8 hardwood LE
on the wing, which is a great asset in
durability. However, since modern CF
materials are so readily available, now I
use .050-inch-diameter CF rod for the wing
LE and .030-inch rod for the TE. Burying
the LE rod slightly in the balsa and then
carving the airfoil to mate with it
automatically provides the desired LE
rounded contour.
Carve the overall airfoil using a
template of the shape shown on the plans.
The wing’s inner panels are a constant
thickness while the outer panels taper to 1⁄16
inch at the tips (resulting in a flat “airfoil”
at the wingtips). Using the .030 CF rod at
the TE provides a consistent thickness and
strength.
The fin has a symmetrical airfoil. I
generally use a 1⁄4-inch-thick, wedgeshaped
finger rest at the wing/fuselage
intersection to help beef up that critical
joint. Gluing a couple of sandpaper finger
“grips” to the fuselage at comfortable
locations improves the glider’s
launchability. The fuselage can be
hardwood or extremely hard balsa.
The center-of-gravity location is shown
on the plans. My dethermalizer (DT)
preference is a swinging weight attached
approximately halfway between the wing
and the stabilizer. Since it is necessary to
add nose ballast to balance a glider, the
swinging weight ballast/DT performs a
dual function with no unnecessary added
weight.
Trimming: The trimming process is
78 MODEL AVIATION
by Jean Pailet
What goes up has to come down—before it leaves the field! This close-up shows the
nose weight/swinging dethermalizer weight.
This is a simple-toconstruct
model that
can be used for sport or
competition flying.
02sig3.QXD 11/25/03 11:06 am Page 78
conventional. Since I am right-handed I launch the Arm Soar to
the right and trim it to glide to the left. Glide turn is achieved with
varying combinations of stabilizer tilt, rudder, and slight
differential elevator (up—left/down—right). This “tail twist” helps
in the transition from launch phase to glide. You can counteract
any tendency to spin in during the glide by warping down the
inboard wing’s (preferably the inner panel only) TE.
There you have it: an HLG that can be competitive without a
world-class athlete doing the launching. The Arm Soar’s primary
attribute is that it has done so well flown by a weak-armed
nonathlete. As long as I have this model, I refuse to retire solely to
Catapult Glider as so many of my peers have done! MA
Jean Pailet
30 Emerson Rd.
Glen Head NY 11545
Sources: The only specialized material (if you choose to use it) in
the Arm Soar is the CF rod for the wing LEs and TEs. CF rod that
is .020 inch in diameter and larger is available from the following.
(Even if you don’t plan to build the Arm Soar or use any CF rod
right now, it’s worth getting these companies’ catalogs. They
have a wealth of useful products for a model builder.)
Aerospace Composite Products
14210 Doolittle Dr.
San Leandro CA 94577
February 2004 79
The line on the top of the wing denotes the airfoil high point. This
model has a simple planform, but it performs!
In this three-quarter rear view of the Arm Soar, you can see the
minimal amount of anhedral in the stabilizer.
The author’s contact information is inscribed in the top of the
wing—in case the dethermalizer malfunctions.
You can see the fuse snuffer tube and the large finger-rest
reinforcement for the wing/body joint.
Arm Soar
Type: Free Flight Hand-Launched Glider
Wingspan: 18 inches
Power: One strong right or left arm
Flying weight: 35 grams
Construction: Balsa and spruce
Finish: Two coats of clear nitrate dope
Composite Structures Technologies
Box 622
Tehachapi CA 93581
Hang-em High Fabrics
1420 Yale Ave.
Richmond VA 23224
Photos courtesy the author
02sig3.QXD 11/25/03 11:08 am Page 79
80 MODEL AVIATION
02sig3.QXD 11/25/03 11:08 am Page 80
Edition: Model Aviation - 2004/02
Page Numbers: 78,79,80
Arm Soar
THE ARM SOAR is an old Free Flight
Hand-Launched Glider (HLG) that is still
being flown competitively, with occasional
success, by a really old man (I’m in my 70s
now!).
My younger son Barry originated the
model’s design just before the 1975
Nationals (Nats) in Lake Charles,
Louisiana, when, in his enthusiastic haste,
he carved and installed the wing backward
on the Flash HLG that he was readying for
our trip south. The tried-and-true Flash by
“Fast Richard” Mathis has swept-forward
outer-panel trailing edges (TEs) and a
straight leading edge (LE) on the wing.
Barry ended up with swept-back LEs
and a straight TE on his model. To this day
he claims that it was an intentional design
innovation! Since he placed with “his
design” at that Nats, who am I to dispute
him? Regardless, we’ve been improving
the design ever since.
The evolution resulting in the Arm Soar
shown on the accompanying drawing has
involved many changes; all that remains of
the Flash is the still-apparent similarity in
wing and tail-surface shapes.
Among the differences are increased
wing and stabilizer spans and areas,
decreased fuselage length with a shortened
nose, a new wing airfoil with a rounded
hardwood or carbon-fiber (CF)-rod LE, and
a symmetrical airfoil on the horizontal tail.
Beginning with Barry’s success at the
1975 Nats, the Arm Soar has accumulated a
noteworthy contest record that includes
first place in Open HLG at the 1985 Nats.
That victory was a contributing factor in
our New York team (Danny Agers, John
Carbone, and me) winning the then-popular
HLG Perpetual Team Trophy that year. At
the 1990 Nats the model placed third in
Open HLG.
Between those contests the Arm Soar
placed well at most of the major
Northeastern Free Flight meets, including
the various Eastern Championships held at
Galeville and Johnsville, New York. It has
continued to perform well in spite of the
ever-increasing age of the sore arm upon
which it is so dependent.
CONSTRUCTION
Constructing the Arm Soar is easy and
should be essentially self-explanatory with
the accompanying full-size drawing.
However, I need to call your attention to
some of the details.
As I’ve noted, the stabilizer should have
a symmetrical airfoil and it uses the same
V of anhedral as its ancestor the Flash.
The drawing shows a 1⁄8 hardwood LE
on the wing, which is a great asset in
durability. However, since modern CF
materials are so readily available, now I
use .050-inch-diameter CF rod for the wing
LE and .030-inch rod for the TE. Burying
the LE rod slightly in the balsa and then
carving the airfoil to mate with it
automatically provides the desired LE
rounded contour.
Carve the overall airfoil using a
template of the shape shown on the plans.
The wing’s inner panels are a constant
thickness while the outer panels taper to 1⁄16
inch at the tips (resulting in a flat “airfoil”
at the wingtips). Using the .030 CF rod at
the TE provides a consistent thickness and
strength.
The fin has a symmetrical airfoil. I
generally use a 1⁄4-inch-thick, wedgeshaped
finger rest at the wing/fuselage
intersection to help beef up that critical
joint. Gluing a couple of sandpaper finger
“grips” to the fuselage at comfortable
locations improves the glider’s
launchability. The fuselage can be
hardwood or extremely hard balsa.
The center-of-gravity location is shown
on the plans. My dethermalizer (DT)
preference is a swinging weight attached
approximately halfway between the wing
and the stabilizer. Since it is necessary to
add nose ballast to balance a glider, the
swinging weight ballast/DT performs a
dual function with no unnecessary added
weight.
Trimming: The trimming process is
78 MODEL AVIATION
by Jean Pailet
What goes up has to come down—before it leaves the field! This close-up shows the
nose weight/swinging dethermalizer weight.
This is a simple-toconstruct
model that
can be used for sport or
competition flying.
02sig3.QXD 11/25/03 11:06 am Page 78
conventional. Since I am right-handed I launch the Arm Soar to
the right and trim it to glide to the left. Glide turn is achieved with
varying combinations of stabilizer tilt, rudder, and slight
differential elevator (up—left/down—right). This “tail twist” helps
in the transition from launch phase to glide. You can counteract
any tendency to spin in during the glide by warping down the
inboard wing’s (preferably the inner panel only) TE.
There you have it: an HLG that can be competitive without a
world-class athlete doing the launching. The Arm Soar’s primary
attribute is that it has done so well flown by a weak-armed
nonathlete. As long as I have this model, I refuse to retire solely to
Catapult Glider as so many of my peers have done! MA
Jean Pailet
30 Emerson Rd.
Glen Head NY 11545
Sources: The only specialized material (if you choose to use it) in
the Arm Soar is the CF rod for the wing LEs and TEs. CF rod that
is .020 inch in diameter and larger is available from the following.
(Even if you don’t plan to build the Arm Soar or use any CF rod
right now, it’s worth getting these companies’ catalogs. They
have a wealth of useful products for a model builder.)
Aerospace Composite Products
14210 Doolittle Dr.
San Leandro CA 94577
February 2004 79
The line on the top of the wing denotes the airfoil high point. This
model has a simple planform, but it performs!
In this three-quarter rear view of the Arm Soar, you can see the
minimal amount of anhedral in the stabilizer.
The author’s contact information is inscribed in the top of the
wing—in case the dethermalizer malfunctions.
You can see the fuse snuffer tube and the large finger-rest
reinforcement for the wing/body joint.
Arm Soar
Type: Free Flight Hand-Launched Glider
Wingspan: 18 inches
Power: One strong right or left arm
Flying weight: 35 grams
Construction: Balsa and spruce
Finish: Two coats of clear nitrate dope
Composite Structures Technologies
Box 622
Tehachapi CA 93581
Hang-em High Fabrics
1420 Yale Ave.
Richmond VA 23224
Photos courtesy the author
02sig3.QXD 11/25/03 11:08 am Page 79
80 MODEL AVIATION
02sig3.QXD 11/25/03 11:08 am Page 80
