How to Build a Wooden Primary Glider

Wings and Elevators

• 1

  Draw a rectangle, 2 inches by 6 inches, onto your balsa wood sheet. Press very lightly when drawing onto the balsa wood. Place the metal straight edge firmly onto the wood, flush with the pencil lines. Cut out the rectangle with the utility knife. You now have the primary glider's wings.

• 2

  Draw a rectangle, 2 by 1 1/4 inches onto the balsa wood. Use the straight edge and utility knife to cut it out.

• 3

  Cut a slot, 1/8 inch thick and 3/4 inches deep, into the 2-inch side's center. Make sure it is at a perfect right angle.

Fuselage and Landing Skate

• 4

  Draw a rectangle, 3 inches by 6 inches, onto the balsa wood sheet. Use the straight edge and utility knife to cut it out. Label one of the 3-inch sides "front," the other "back." Label one of the 6-inch sides "top," the other "bottom."

• 5

  Place pencil marks along the bottom at 1 1/2 inches, 3 1/4 inches and 5 1/4 inches, going from the front. Label them A, B and C in the order you marked them. Place a pencil mark on the front side, 1 1/4 inches from the bottom. Do the same in the back. Label the mark in the front D, the one in the back E. Counting from the back, place a pencil mark at 3/4 inch at the top. Label it F. Make sure F is exactly above C.

• 6

  Draw a pencil line from D to E. Draw another line from F to B. Label the point where these two lines intersect G. Draw a line from A to E. Draw a final line from F to C. You now have the fuselage's basic outline.

• 7

  Use the straight edge and utility knife to cut from A to E. Cut from F along the line that leads to C. Cut from F to G. Place a last cut from G to D.

• 8

  Cut an 1/8-inch-thick, 3/4-inch-deep slot along the E to G line. During the final assembly, you will place the glider's elevator here.

• 9

  Cut the Popsicle stick to a length of 3 1/4 inches.

Assembly

• 10

  Run a bead of hot glue along the fuselage's bottom edge, from the front to point A. Line up the landing skate with the fuselage bottom so the skate's back is flush with point A. Push the two pieces together. Apply light pressure while counting to 10.

• 11

  Draw an X with hot glue on two pennies. Place them on the one side of the skate so half of each penny lies on the fuselage. This adds extra durability. It also adds extra weight to the primary glider for a smoother flight. Turn the the fuselage over. Draw a hot glue X on the remaining two pennies. Place them on the landing skate so half of each penny is on the fuselage.

• 12

  Draw a pencil line across the wings' middle. Line up the wings with the fuselage's top, so the edge is flush the the fuselage's front. Hot glue the wings to the fuselage.

• 13

  Insert the the elevators' slot first into the slot at the the glider's back. Hot glue it in place.