Trewest Designs Slingsby Skylark 4
Posted: 15 Apr 2018, 09:45
I thought I would share my Skylark build as I take so much inspiration from those of you who do post your builds on here.
Not long after I started throwing models off hills a friend and I went to watch some scale comps, one we went to was at Crooke Peak and I remember seeing some of Mike Trew's designs, all to 1/5 scale. Shortly after that I ordered the plan for his Skylark 4 from Trewest Designs with the intention of building it but I decided to build the Swallow as my first scale model. The first flight of the Swallow was a disaster, not enough lift and a rearward CofG, it spun in. I rebuilt it but was scared to fly it until some years later when I was gliding at the Mynd, I took the Swallow with me and with it balancing almost at the LE it flew and flew well.
Since then I have built a few scale gliders but all of glass ships and every now and then the Skylark plan would come out.......
Finally some 30 odd years later I have started cutting wood, but not at 1/5 scale as I am enlarging this to 1/4 scale.......scale alert!!......and fitting a hidden electric motor in the nose because it is such a great way to launch when flying solo.
So far I have cut the wing ribs the old fashioned way, the sandwich method from 1/32" balsa. The main spar on the 1/5 model is 1/4"x1/8" spruce and the centre panel utilises a secondary spar, I have increased the spruce of the main spar to 3/8"x1/8", added 1/16" webs with the grain vertical between the spruce, ply dihedral braces at the centre, carbon tows bonded to the spars and finally capped with 1/16" ply each side.
Not long after I started throwing models off hills a friend and I went to watch some scale comps, one we went to was at Crooke Peak and I remember seeing some of Mike Trew's designs, all to 1/5 scale. Shortly after that I ordered the plan for his Skylark 4 from Trewest Designs with the intention of building it but I decided to build the Swallow as my first scale model. The first flight of the Swallow was a disaster, not enough lift and a rearward CofG, it spun in. I rebuilt it but was scared to fly it until some years later when I was gliding at the Mynd, I took the Swallow with me and with it balancing almost at the LE it flew and flew well.
Since then I have built a few scale gliders but all of glass ships and every now and then the Skylark plan would come out.......
Finally some 30 odd years later I have started cutting wood, but not at 1/5 scale as I am enlarging this to 1/4 scale.......scale alert!!......and fitting a hidden electric motor in the nose because it is such a great way to launch when flying solo.
So far I have cut the wing ribs the old fashioned way, the sandwich method from 1/32" balsa. The main spar on the 1/5 model is 1/4"x1/8" spruce and the centre panel utilises a secondary spar, I have increased the spruce of the main spar to 3/8"x1/8", added 1/16" webs with the grain vertical between the spruce, ply dihedral braces at the centre, carbon tows bonded to the spars and finally capped with 1/16" ply each side.