JAGRAF/X

by Ron & Heather Jagodinski

June 7, 2014

We use TIGHTBOND brand white glue or TIGHTBOND cut with approximately 40 per cent water on all of our boat models.  Just about any white paper glue is OK as long as it dries slow.  DON"T use anything like HOT GLUE [out of a gun] or GORILLA GLUE.  Both of those glues have weight problems after they dry and we're dealing with a little airplane here.  Your final weight should be just below a half an American ounce; or 13 or 14 grams.  


All of those doublers in the fuselage will give the F4 a lot of longitudinal support for plenty of crashes.  I thought of placing a bamboo bar-b-q stick running the length of the plane but I didn't want the little ones potentially hurt by something hard and sharp within the aircraft.  Still was surprised how rigid the structure turned out to be.  Two biggest stress points are the nose and the wing-body joint.  Better flight characteristics can probably be easily achieved if one induces pitch control by adding a pin to the horizontal stab to provide normal movement.  Hinge point would about in the middle of the control surface for scale appearance if memory serves.

One thing that might help is to spray each completed plane with Art Fixative lightly.  That will give the glider a little more life as far as the ink being smudged by little fingers goes.  I've got the KEYNOTE files for each object in the design.  Can convert these to PowerPoint for others if the 314 folks wish to edit their own F4 image and aircraft detail.  This project works out to be a design that can be used just as well on the desk or table top as the air.  I used to work in ECM (ALQ-76, ALQ-99) and it's fun to hear someone say that they think they are looking at a photograph or painting of a real F4 in action.  "Sorry, its just a paper airplane..."

 

or...!!