Written by Louis Joyner
As featured on page 125 in the November 2011 issue.
MATERIAL CHANGES: For at least 80 years, balsa has been the material of choice for hand-launch gliders. But, just as the event has dramatically changed from the traditional javelin launch to tip launch, construction materials and techniques are also starting to change.
Javelin-launch gliders typically measured 16 to 22 inches in wingspan and weighed roughly an ounce. Models were also considered somewhat expendable. Serious fliers produced large batches of gliders knowing that some would be broken, some wouldn…
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