Minimoa first flight

[Tony[_5_]]

I was surfing around today and found this cool website about Minimoa's. Turns out this group has built a new one from scratch and had their first flight in it yesterday. Wow!

http://minimoa.jimdo.com/maiden-flight/

[JohnDeRosa]

On Mar 22, 1:57*pm, Tony > wrote:
> I was surfing around today and found this cool website about Minimoa's. *Turns out this group has built a new one from scratch and had their first flight in it yesterday. Wow!
>
> http://minimoa.jimdo.com/maiden-flight/

What? No videos of the first flight? ;-(

[Tony[_5_]]

On Thursday, March 22, 2012 3:00:03 PM UTC-5, JohnDeRosa wrote:
> On Mar 22, 1:57*pm, Tony > wrote:
> > I was surfing around today and found this cool website about Minimoa's. *Turns out this group has built a new one from scratch and had their first flight in it yesterday. Wow!
> >
> > http://minimoa.jimdo.com/maiden-flight/
>
> What? No videos of the first flight? ;-(

considering the amount of no hair and gray hair in the toasting picture i doubt these guys have a bunch of go pro's around. No offense to any of those out there with no hair or gray hair.

I did find this video which includes a bit about the glider, from last fall.. Anyone know Dutch (I presume)? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L4zg93PwTlw&hd=1&t=6m25s

Wonder when/if they'll sell plans...

[Dan[_6_]]

On Mar 22, 1:35*pm, Tony > wrote:
> On Thursday, March 22, 2012 3:00:03 PM UTC-5, JohnDeRosa wrote:
> > On Mar 22, 1:57*pm, Tony > wrote:
> > > I was surfing around today and found this cool website about Minimoa's. *Turns out this group has built a new one from scratch and had their first flight in it yesterday. Wow!
>
> > >http://minimoa.jimdo.com/maiden-flight/
>
> > What? *No videos of the first flight? *;-(
>
> considering the amount of no hair and gray hair in the toasting picture i doubt these guys have a bunch of go pro's around. *No offense to any of those out there with no hair or gray hair.
>
> I did find this video which includes a bit about the glider, from last fall. *Anyone know Dutch (I presume)?http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L4zg93PwTlw&hd=1&t=6m25s
>
> Wonder when/if they'll sell plans...

looks like there is a section on the web site for blueprints that they
are creating....next project?

Dan
WO

[Tony[_5_]]

> looks like there is a section on the web site for blueprints that they
> are creating....next project?
>
> Dan
> WO

It would be tempting. Lots of work of course. As far as I can tell there were at least 3 in the US. One in the NSM (N16923) which belonged to Richard DuPont and Ted Bellak. Barringer set the world distance record in this ship at 210 miles. The last airworthy one (N2664B) was exported a decade or more ago to Europe. Not sure what happened to the other one (N37JK). Would be cool to have one flying in the US.

[Bob Kuykendall]

On Mar 22, 11:57*am, Tony > wrote:
> I was surfing around today and found this cool website about Minimoa's. *Turns out this group has built a new one from scratch and had their first flight in it yesterday. Wow!
>
> http://minimoa.jimdo.com/maiden-flight/

That's cool! I wish JJ would finish the Zanonia he's been building.

Thanks, Bob K.

[Tony[_5_]]

On Thursday, March 22, 2012 4:53:39 PM UTC-5, Bob Kuykendall wrote:
> On Mar 22, 11:57*am, Tony > wrote:
> > I was surfing around today and found this cool website about Minimoa's. *Turns out this group has built a new one from scratch and had their first flight in it yesterday. Wow!
> >
> > http://minimoa.jimdo.com/maiden-flight/
>
> That's cool! I wish JJ would finish the Zanonia he's been building.
>
> Thanks, Bob K.

I didn't know JJ was working on such a project. Speaking of here is a neat picture, must be from the 1946 nationals, of the Minimoa, Zanonia, and Orlik. Three classic gull wing planes. There is an effort under way to get the Zanonia back to Harris Hill this summer for IVSM 2012. Wish I could make it.

http://zanonia.com/Picture%20081.jpg

[JJ Sinclair[_2_]]

I wish JJ would finish the Zanonia he's been building.
>
> Thanks, Bob K.

Ah, the good old days............truth be told, some of those oldies
didn't handle all that well! Fred Robibson told me "I would be
disappointed in the performance of the Minimoa". My Super Albatross
was a shear delight in a 3 knot thermal........down right terrifying
in a 10 knot thermal in the Sierras! When the lift hit the large stab,
the tail would pitch up, then the ship would roll 90 degrees away from
the thermal. Only way to make it enter strong lift was to give full
stick and rudder into the lift while pulling back hard to get the nose
back up. After 50 hours of this, I decided this wasn't all that much
fun and I donated it to the Southwest Soaring Museum.
Cheers,
JJ

[Mark Jardini[_2_]]

How was that gull wing joint made strong enough? just scarfed and
glued? through bolted with backing plates?

[Tony[_5_]]

On Friday, March 23, 2012 10:24:20 AM UTC-5, Mark Jardini wrote:
> How was that gull wing joint made strong enough? just scarfed and
> glued? through bolted with backing plates?

Mark,

there are a bunch of pictures here from an Australian Minimoa build project.. A few of the pictures show the spar construction, with the gull wing and the sweep. Looking at the first picture it looks like there is some scarfing going on just inboard of the kink in the wing.

http://www.vintageglidersaustralia.org.au/minimoa-proj.html

[Dan[_6_]]

On Mar 22, 11:57*am, Tony > wrote:
> I was surfing around today and found this cool website about Minimoa's. *Turns out this group has built a new one from scratch and had their first flight in it yesterday. Wow!
>
> http://minimoa.jimdo.com/maiden-flight/

Here is another Gull Winged beauty
http://www.dfs-habicht.de/home%20(engl).htm

Enjoy,
Dan
WO

[JJ Sinclair[_2_]]

On Mar 23, 8:24*am, Mark Jardini > wrote:
> How was that gull wing joint made strong enough? just scarfed and
> glued? through bolted with backing plates?

On my Zanonia wing I used 10mm square strips that were glued together
to form the spar caps. Quite interesting, because each cap strip not
only bent over at the gull wing point, but it also bent back at the
same place. I made crude bend lines with nails in my level table and
then bent the strips around the curve. Top cap strips had some 36
(10mm) strips and the lower caps had about 20. The strips were also
bent back by raising them up the apprpriate amount. Each cap was glued
together with a mixture of epoxy and a little cotton flox to give it
some body. The caps were then joined together with plywood shear webs
on both sides and vertical posts inside making a box spar on the
inboard portion that transitioned into a C section outboard. The D
tube skins were scarfed over the bend with two 12" sections. Thats
where the project sits..............maybe some day?
JJ

[Hans Disma]

"Tony" > schreef in bericht
news:11853096.300.1332453195433.JavaMail.geo-discussion-forums@ynbq18...
> looks like there is a section on the web site for blueprints that they
> are creating....next project?
>
> Dan
> WO

It would be tempting. Lots of work of course. As far as I can tell there
were at least 3 in the US. One in the NSM (N16923) which belonged to Richard
DuPont and Ted Bellak. Barringer set the world distance record in this ship
at 210 miles. The last airworthy one (N2664B) was exported a decade or more
ago to Europe. Not sure what happened to the other one (N37JK). Would be
cool to have one flying in the US.

I was the lucky buyer in 1988 when I bought N37JK from John Karlovich. After
carefull restoration by Jan Vermeer the dutch registration became PH-848 and
I flew her at many VGC-meetings, until I sold the Minimoa to Tilo Holighaus
and Sieger Maier in 2005 where it was registered as D-8180
I am also involved with the recreation of PH-80 so I can still enjoy flying
this beautifull sailplane.

There is still a original Minimoa in private hands in the U.S.A. but the
owner does not want to sell it or have it brought back in the air.

Hans Disma

[Burt Compton - Marfa]

I wonder where the Minimoa that was owned by EAL Captain Shelley
Charles is located?

My father, Captain Fritz Compton, flew it several times in the late
1940's and loved it.

Eastern Air Lines let Captain Charles store it in one of the EAL
hangars at Atlanta Airport.

Burt Compton
Marfa, Texas USA

[Nyal Williams[_2_]]

Several references to other gull winged gliders, but no one mentioned the
Condor IV. There is at least one in the US. I got a ride in one of them
in Cologne at the very beginning of my gliding career (1954).


At 16:48 24 March 2012, Burt Compton - Marfa wrote:
>I wonder where the Minimoa that was owned by EAL Captain Shelley
>Charles is located?
>
>My father, Captain Fritz Compton, flew it several times in the late
>1940's and loved it.
>
>Eastern Air Lines let Captain Charles store it in one of the EAL
>hangars at Atlanta Airport.
>
>Burt Compton
>Marfa, Texas USA
>

[Tony[_5_]]

On Saturday, March 24, 2012 11:48:55 AM UTC-5, Burt Compton - Marfa wrote:
> I wonder where the Minimoa that was owned by EAL Captain Shelley
> Charles is located?
>
> My father, Captain Fritz Compton, flew it several times in the late
> 1940's and loved it.
>
> Eastern Air Lines let Captain Charles store it in one of the EAL
> hangars at Atlanta Airport.
>
> Burt Compton
> Marfa, Texas USA

Capt. Charles bought his Minimoa from Chet Decker in late 1939 (Soaring Dec.. 1939) He set a national altitude record in it (Soaring Sept/Oct 1943)

Decker bought his from Barringer in late 1937, which had been damaged in the 1937 Nationals. (Soaring Jan. 1938) The damage was from another plane that stalled on approach (Soaring August 1937)

Barringer ordered his new from the factory for the 1937 Nationals (Soaring Feb. 1937)

Can't find any definitive evidence with brief searches to determine what the registration number was for this ship. It is definitely not DuPont's N16923 or N2664B (November 1983 Soaring). I'm curious what the registration was on N37JK before it was presumably changed by John Karlovich. It is a 1937 model, which makes it possible it was the one that Barringer ordered, but there was at least one more ordered that year. The November 1983 Soaring claims there were 6 in the US at that time but the locations of only 2 were known at that time.

Gosh I love the SSA's online Soaring archive!

[Tony[_5_]]

At 1:46 there is a brief clip of a Minimoa in flight.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S9HQE44aOgs

[Hans Disma]

"Tony" > schreef in bericht
news:23484994.209.1332785994463.JavaMail.geo-discussion-forums@ynel5...
On Saturday, March 24, 2012 11:48:55 AM UTC-5, Burt Compton - Marfa wrote:
> I wonder where the Minimoa that was owned by EAL Captain Shelley
> Charles is located?
>
> My father, Captain Fritz Compton, flew it several times in the late
> 1940's and loved it.
>
> Eastern Air Lines let Captain Charles store it in one of the EAL
> hangars at Atlanta Airport.
>
> Burt Compton
> Marfa, Texas USA

Capt. Charles bought his Minimoa from Chet Decker in late 1939 (Soaring Dec.
1939) He set a national altitude record in it (Soaring Sept/Oct 1943)

Decker bought his from Barringer in late 1937, which had been damaged in the
1937 Nationals. (Soaring Jan. 1938) The damage was from another plane that
stalled on approach (Soaring August 1937)

Barringer ordered his new from the factory for the 1937 Nationals (Soaring
Feb. 1937)

Can't find any definitive evidence with brief searches to determine what the
registration number was for this ship. It is definitely not DuPont's N16923
or N2664B (November 1983 Soaring). I'm curious what the registration was on
N37JK before it was presumably changed by John Karlovich. It is a 1937
model, which makes it possible it was the one that Barringer ordered, but
there was at least one more ordered that year. The November 1983 Soaring
claims there were 6 in the US at that time but the locations of only 2 were
known at that time.

Gosh I love the SSA's online Soaring archive!


John bought N37JK from John Coxon ( UK ) and at that time it had the BGA
registration BGA 1738
It received it's registration in 1972 after a very carefull restauration by
Southern Aero Services Ltd after it was brought to the UK in the late 1960s
having been used by the RAF in Germany and bought by a british and american
in service in Germany at that time.
All the remaining original documentation is now with the Minimoa and it's
new owners in Germany again.

Hans Disma

[Martin Gregorie[_5_]]

On Wed, 28 Mar 2012 08:16:38 -0700, Tony wrote:

> and now i find this site which has a lot of minimoa research documented:
> http://www.scalesoaring.co.uk/VINTAGE/Documentation/Minimoa/
Minimoa_docs.html
>
That site is worth bookmarking if you like wooden gliders even though its
primarily an RC scale soaring resource. The coverage can be patchy as it
depends on the enthusiasm of whoever researched each type of glider, but
when its good its very, very good. For example, take a look at what it
has on the Fafnir.

As a one-stop source I'd rate it as second to the three Martin Simons
"Sailplanes" series, which BTW, the RC guys *love* for their 3-view
drawings, and are still available from the publisher Eqip, www.eqip.de


--
martin@ | Martin Gregorie
gregorie. | Essex, UK
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