Rich Pearsall

THAT'S right, ladies and gentlemen, right before your very eyes you'll see a Craft-Air Drifter glider (72-in. wing span) change into a throttleable 3-channel power plane, complete with landing gear, in less time than it takes to tell you how to do it. In addition, the change back from snarling propeller-equipped monster to 2-channel soarer is even quicker. When we go van camping we always bring along something to fly. If we see a site that looks interesting, we stop the car, unload the plane, and go flying. Since one plane takes up half the room of two, it is quite handy to have a glider that will double as a power plane. On my last trip through Southern California I flew the Drifter as a glider at Torrey Pines, in San Diego, and at the Palisades over Marine World near L.A. The slope lift was fantastic! Using the motor, I flew in the high desert, by the shores of the Salton Sea, and in a big field outside of Thousand Oaks. I've also had several good flights at Taft and Squaw Valley (Lake Tahoe), thanks to the engine.