On the subject of spoilerons,
it is a fact spoilerons have been used on a US ATC'd
glider.

It is called the J4 Javelin.
It was in series factory production in the 1970s, and
8 were made.

Competitively, it came up against the popular influx
of German fiberglas gliders that offered in the US
market very high performance gliders such as the Glasflugel
Libelles, Schleicher Asw-15 etc.

The design and engineering was done by Max Peterson,
and production was by his company Peterson Sailplane
Corporation in California. This was reported on by
Dick Johnson.

Also, in June 1973 issue of Soaring magazine there
is the article by Max Peterson, and it is cited in
the SSA Sailplane Directory of 1983.

It was a single seat fixed landing gear all metal glider
aimed at the market for recreational, club, and commercial
operation glider use.

Interestingly, I think I recall the design used the
same parts for right, left and vertical tailfin control
surfaces although I am not sure of that.

A friend of mine, the late Tom Hulings of Mid Georgia
Soaring Association (he was WWII B-17 hero, who put
one of his shotup and then gliding B17s between hedgerows
backed by rocks in England; Tom also holds the WWII
record of bringing back the most shot up bomber of
WWII to base. He was in the Eighth
Air Force).

Tom Hulings did a number of flights in the Javelin
J4. He said he wanted to consider buying one. He

told me of his flying a J4 Javelin at Bermuda High
Soaring School (as a demonstrator?).

Tom Hulings reported to me that his flying the J4 was
interesting and that he enjoyed the experience but
that he did not care to buy one: that he could fly
it without problem; but that he did not care for the
spoileron roll response feeling in that it was not
as sensitive and not as quickly roll responsive as
he liked a glider to feel yet it was completely controllable.


Dick Johnson evaluated the J4 Javelin and wrote his
evaluation. put this into your browser and read-

http://web.ukonline.co.uk/sssrcsoaring/
Spotlight_Data/Javelin/J-4_JavelinArticle.pdf

Kindest regards,

Dancing on clouds,

Keep it up!

Jim Culp USA
Asw-20C
GatorCity Florida