On Sat, 4 Oct 2008 09:30:25 -0700 (PDT), "
wrote:

To All:

As promised, I've began posting drawings of primary glider(s). You
will find them in PRIMARY_GLIDERS Group, in the FILES archive, in the
Folder 'The Northrup Primary Glider.' So far I've only posted a few.
The others will be posted as time -- and my medical condition --
permits.

The drawings are in DeltaCAD's native format; the file suffix is .dc.
DeltaCAD will give you a free but time-crippled copy of their
software. It is about 6megabytes and will run on any WINDOWS system
from 95 on up. Most of the drawings are of fittings. The main
advantage in using a CAD format is that the drawings may be printed
full-scale, allowing them to be used as patterns.

I believe I have drawings for five different primaries but so far I've
only found the Northrup and the SG-38. These use a wooden fuselage.
Other primaries use welded steel tubing.

'Northrup' is a seed company. A member of the Northrup family
imported a primary glider after seeing them being flown in Europe
(circa 1929) and 'Northrup' became synonymous with 'primary glider.'
The drawings depict one of the earliest configurations of the primary
glider, in which the wings are wire-braced. Later versions have a
strut-braced wing.

NORTHROP refers to John Northrop, the American engineer best known for
his flying wings.

-R.S.Hoover
************************************************** ************************

Veeduber

What would it take to convert a primary into a basic soaring machine
(35+ to 1)?. I know sitting in open would be a high drag problem
but.......maybe a very light none structual wood frame cloth covered
to stream line fuselage?

Could a machine be made very cheap and quick this way to permit
soaring local around the air patch?

Also designed to pull (or fold) the wings in a few minutes (Solo) and
load to haul home for storage (and work/repair) in the garage?

To continue with a War Story.

I had a young Japanese man working for me in Japan. In discussion with
him he said he was in pilot training when war ended.

He said that the initial training was in primary gliders and that the
instructor stood on the welded steel tubing just behind the pilot in
training. The instructor wore the classical Japanese socks, like they
wore with 'zories', and gripped the tubing between the big toe and
first toe and held on to a vertical piece of the tubing.

Since the instructor couldn't reach the controls in front of pilot, he
gave voice instructions over the shoulder until he got off and let the
pilot go solo.

Launch was typical V of shock cord which two groups would hold and run
down the hill to extend. When they had stretched the shock cord
enough, the glider would be released and launched down the hill just a
few feet off the ground as sink rate and slope of hill was about the
same.

As was typical of Primary Glider flying, all the pilots had to help
launch and pull the gliders back up the hill.


Big John