Giving back: My son is approaching the end of his Cub Scout career and we recently enjoyed his last winter camping trip. Although camping may not be quite the right term, because we inflated our air mattress in the dining hall of a local summer camp then topped it with flannel sheets, feather pillows, and a down comforter. Technicalities aside, I was on the hook for another afternoon activity for the 20-plus Scouts and, of course, I wanted to do something with airplanes.
Last year we built and flew rubber-powered Sky Streaks donated by a generous, anonymous benefactor. Now, I know what you are thinking. “Those simple sheet models aren’t worth a darn.” Although we all tried out similar models as kids, most of us found as much frustration as delight. Our limited success was a direct result of not knowing the secrets.
Fortunately, MA’s “Safety Comes First” columnist, Dave Gee, has posted a great YouTube video showing how to get good performance out of the Sky Streak. In slightly less than 4 minutes, Dave assembles the model with some key modifications, then winds the motor, and launches his model on its test flight. He also narrates the video, explaining each step and his suggested modifications.
If there’s an air-minded kid of any age in your life, you owe it to him or her to watch Dave’s video. Just search Google for “Soup-up a Sky Streak!” with quotes.
The main problem with the Sky Streaks that day was that their performance far exceeded the capacity of the dining hall. Sure the kids had fun, but the constant swarm of whirring propellers had me fearing for all of the eyes in the room and there was really nowhere to hide.
Simplify
This year I decided to back off a bit and leave the propellers at home, so I looked to the AMA website for information on the FPG-9. “The what?” you ask.
The FPG-9 is a simple glider cut from a single, 9-inch foam plate. Basic assembly instructions, along with templates and a video, are readily accessible on the AMA website and I urge you to take a look at these resources. The FPG-9’s performance is quite remarkable. Amazingly, it seems utterly independent of the craftsmanship employed in its construction.
I printed the paper pattern then cut a few plates to shape before we got started. These became the working templates, because the kids could easily nest them with a new plate, then draw around them with a felt marker. A pair of scissors, some tape, a penny, and a few minutes were all they needed to create an actual flying aircraft of their own.
The FPG-9, or penny glider as my son likes to call it, is a perfect project for a budding modeler or anyone else looking for a slight diversion. You might even want to surprise your club members with an unannounced contest at your next meeting.
Innovation
One of the Scouts came back to the table after the initial round of stock FPGs were well on their way to destruction and asked if he could build a Lufthansa airliner. Riley had already drawn his design on the flat center of a plate and was ready to start cutting. I offered little guidance, save suggesting he go bigger and work with the flats from a handful of plates.
The only “expert” knowledge I offered regarded balance. We placed his completed airframe at roughly the right point on our calibrated pencil—laid flat on the roll of masking tape—and I had him slide a penny back and forth until it balanced.
Now completed, Riley couldn’t wait to test his airplane. I offered to his dad that just completing it was impressive enough, as Riley walked out onto the floor and drew back his arm. With that diminutive tail and eyeballed everything, I really didn’t expect what came next. Much to our collective delight, Riley’s jet looked like the 6:05 out of JFK as it soared skyward toward Europe. And it might have made it too, were it not for the wall 30 feet away!
Several successful flights later, Riley unwittingly decided to play Tex Johnson. He gave the flaps opposite deflection, followed by another mighty heave. I cringed, anticipating the imminent crash, yet his creation arched up and over in a beautiful roll, narrated by the magical squeal from a young boy with his first successful model. And that roll was no fluke. Riley repeated it a few more times before the airframe started to fatigue.
Thank You, Riley
I’ve no doubt that I learned as much from Riley as I offered to him. I let most rules of successful design slide that day as he worked along, yet the air and his model didn’t seem to care. And to top it all off, the next morning he insisted that I take his airliner home so I could copy it and make my own. I demurred, and instead sent him home with a stack of plates for his next few designs.
Sometimes the simplest projects give the highest returns. The next time you consider helping a new prospect dip a toe into modeling, give the FPG-9 a second thought. Who knows what you might inspire.