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| Pat LeBlanc's XRG-2 |
Pat takes on the XRG-1 in an attempt to improve the flight time.
Pat writes:
I've been working on a foam board version of the XRG-1. I started by duplicating the size and shape of the original; It weighs 89 grams and flies without a pilot. The original with a pilot is 197 grams. The big one is the same shape but 1.4 times wider and longer. It weighs 179 grams with a pilot. The flights shown are representative: small foam 40 feet, large foam 38 feet and original 30 feet.
2020.12.15
About this time last year, I posted a video of some XRG-1 based gliders made from blue insulation foam board. The larger version is 24” x 24” compared to the original which was about 17” x 17”. While the dimensions of the larger one are 1.41 times those of the original, the area of the wings is the product of those ratios, or 1.99 (which is close enough to 2 for me). Hence this is the XRG-2.
The farthest I can throw the glider is about 45 feet. That’s not bad compared to the 30 feet that the original went but I wanted more!
I decided to go back to my very first MMM custom from 2001: the potato cannon launched X-RV. I moved the ventral fins to the wingtips and added a launch tube to the back of the XRG-2. I will post some pictures shortly.
2020.12.15
Here are some pictures of the finished XRG-2 and the larger potato cannon used to launch it. Last week it flew about 100'. I wasn't set up to video it but as soon as the weather clears up, I'll record it flying.
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| Pat LeBlanc's XRG-2 |
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| Pat LeBlanc's XRG-2 Side View |
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| Pat LeBlanc's XRG-2 Front View |
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| Pat LeBlanc's XRG-2 Rear View |
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| Pat LeBlanc's XRG-2 Potato Gun |
NEWS FLASH - BAYOU MISSILE RANGE
Lockheed Martin's Nutriaworks released a video of the first flight of its experimental rocketplane, the Banshee. A variant of the XRG-1, it is larger (wingspan and length are both 40% greater) and is equipped with a 3.1 liter pressure chamber. Today’s flight was launched at 102 psig. Chief test pilot, Major Matt Mason commented, “Ascent on the rocket engine was good and the transition to gliding went well. We still have some work to do on the handling though.” Stay tuned for updates.
2020.12.19
A beautiful morning in Baton Rouge to fly the XRG-2. Here are the distances flown:
1 6 paces
2 21 paces
3 34 paces (a new record!)
4 18 paces
5 15 paces
6 28 paces
7 15 paces
8 25 paces
9 18 paces
You can reach Pat LeBlanc on Facebook, he's also an active member of the MAJOR MATT MASON Facebook group.
Should anybody reading this have any similar information, additions or corrections, then we would very much appreciate hearing about them.
All Mattel images and captions are copyright Mattel and used without permission. All other content, including images and editorial, is Copyright © 1997-2024 John Eaton and/or contributors unless otherwise stated. If there are any comments or objections, please contact John Eaton.
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