It took several tries. Finally I moved the Center of Gravity (balance point)  far enough back and as usual I had the wing incidence set wrong.  On just about every plane I design the correct wing incidence is 3/16" higher on the LE than TE (the thickness of the foamboard). 

Changing the CG is simple.  You just move the pod forward or backward inside the fuselage.  It is a snug sliding fit.  The perfect CG is set almost exactly on the fuselage join where the original plane came apart to service the jet engine.  This model also uses that same spot to pull the fuselage apart to access the EDF and electronics pod.

The first glides were basically steep and downward.  Busted the wings off it hit so hard.  A little glue and a reset of the wing angle and getting the CG right and I was ready for another try.
I pushed the plane out at about a flat angle from shoulder height.  It glided 55 feet!  Nice and flat with no turning tendency.

With this nice glide I am ready for some power on testing as soon as the weather cooperates.

Michigan is snow covered and cold but I had to try the Colditz glider.  It was snowing lightly with a 10 mph breeze.  I gave the glider a little shove and it rose quickly in the wind, flattened out and glided until it neared the ground and the wind pushed it down.  All in all a good test.
It occurred to me that this plane would have shot right up in altitude if it were a kite.  The only trick would be if it would fly off the ring at the top.  I will experiment with the hook position. 
I used to fly kites a lot.  If the bridle attachment is too high the kite will go up but stall as the angle changes.  Basically it approaches an angle closer to parallel with the ground.  If the bridle attachment is too far down the lift is bad and the kite waggles but wont gain altitude.
So to launch a sail plane as a kite it would need to be attached midway between nose and CG.  Hopefully it will lose enough lift at the apex that the line will blow off.
If this works it will make gliding on the small field flatland a lot easier.

The Mig 15 and F-86 Sabre prototypes came out really well.  The electronics finally arrived and were as planned.  The total weight came to about 2.3oz which was right on plan.  So what's wrong?  The planes will have to fly fast to carry the weight which is not what I want.  The tails are too delicate and will be hard for the inexperienced builder.
The redesign increases the size by 15.5% and the wings have even been lengthened a little more.  The weight will come in at about 3oz but the wing area will be increased to .70 sqft for a wing loading of about 4.5oz/sqft.  This should tame the flight characteristics and make less than perfect landings very forgiving.
The other thing this re-design makes possible is now a jet pod with all the electronics, servo and EDF installed.  This can be pulled out and installed in a F-86 Sabre in a few minutes.
The new prototype should be done by the weekend.

The Infrared combat pod was a failure, so now I'm onto a 433Mhz RF transmitter receiver system.  It's lighter and has more positive action.  So far I can adjust range from many meters to several inches.  I am having success with a Yagi antenna in focusing the radio waves.  When your plane approaches close enough to an opponent there is a strong 5volt signal that will release the yellow and grey ribbons indicating a hit.  The circuit can be set so that it takes more than a brief signal.  This would simulate a fatal shootdown as opposed to mere damage.
The problem with the IR system was the necessity to encode the signal so that sunlight wouldn't interfere and then the line of sight problem.  And where to put the receiver?  A fighter can be shot down from any angle as long as the shooter aims at the airframe.  The other problem was complexity and expense.
Parts for the RF system are under $10 per unit.  The circuit runs happily off 4-6 volts so power will come off any unused receiver output normally used for a servo.
The Mig 15 and Sabre are coming along but I failed to order a receiver that would work.  I'll probably have a garage sale soon of leftover un-needed parts.  The Spektrum receivers only work with certain transmitters (Duh).  The 12A ESC I bought were way overkill and heavy.  So now I wait on new components to test the Mig and Sabre.
There is a real market niche for a company to sell matched component systems.  It's a jungle out there trying to get the right parts.
This is a wonderful hobby to learn about all sorts of sciences.  And, yes we learn best by doing, making mistakes and studying the successes of others.

Just received the electronics and waiting on the 3 gram servos.  All up weight is coming in at 2.2 oz.  The airframe is slightly less than 1 oz.  The ESC I bought is a 12 amp programmable and weighs a bit more than I'd like so I will try a 6A ESC instead. 
Both planes can be made from the same single sheet of Dollar Tree foamboard.  The paper is removed after the parts are cutout.  The motor mounts right about where it did on the full-scale planes.  The fuselage simply pulls apart exposing the battery.  Because the thrust is forward and the servo is behind the motor the fuselage can be separated for servicing or battery change.
I will finish installing this weekend.
Plans will be ready after testing in a couple weeks.

I am working on a small pod that has both a forward Infrared Gun and a rearward looking IR receiver.  The unit will draw power from the planes battery.  The circuitry will operate at 38 kHz, 940nm.  Range will be about 12-16 feet and optimum angle will be 30 degrees or less.  At 38kHz it will be unaffected by sunlight.

This system would be perfect for a group of pilots wanting to test their skills of attack and evasion with any type of model planes.

The idea is to simulate the difficulty fighters of WWl and WWll had in trying to get close to the enemy and lineup a shot.  If the enemy IR receiver detects a 38MHz IR pulse it triggers the circuit to pop open a magnetic pod latch and releases a red, yellow and gray ribbon to simulate a hit.  The deployment of the smoke ribbon will be a definite indication of a hit but allow the pilot to land.
Repacking the ribbon will take a minute, but the pilot can rejoin the fight.

The pod will be very light and can be attached by rubber band, magnets, or velcro.  Let me know if you have interest in purchasing this system.

It was 44 F degrees and light winds today in Michigan!  I took the Morane and the Fokker DR1 out for some trim flights.  Both models were balanced well and straight.  Except the Morane's rudder couldn't be trimmed enough with the transmitter.  It's a good idea to make notes on trim flights.  So, I am sharing my notes in this blog.

The Morane needed a few degrees up elevator because I reset the wing incidence at a zero angle.  I bent the elevator up and once the plane got some speed the rudder took over and it climbed level.  Back on the ground I moved the rudder servo control horn to give neutral rudder.  Now I could fly straight hands off.  I need to reduce the throw by moving the control wires in on the servo.  The Morane has a big rudder and it was a bit too twitchy.  It will ROG easy and looks very scale as it barrels down the runway and lifts off.

The Fokker Triplane was hand launched and went straight up nosed over and dove in.  Luckily no damage.  I gave the elevator a few degrees down bend.  This time the plane refused to climb and dove.  A little less down elevator and another try.  Ahhh!  - it sets up just like the full-size DR1.  You have to keep the nose down with elevator and climb with lift from the massive wing area.

Now the DR1 gently flew out level and with some throttle majestically took to the sky.  Into the breeze and it climbed steeply.  I realized this plane needs very little throttle.  To bring the nose down I gave a little rudder and less throttle.  Once I got used to the triplane characteristics I confidently could climb, dive, spiral and land.  But with its big rudder I needed to move the control wires to the innermost servo control horn positions.

The Fokker flies very smoothly and will fly on its own.  Add throttle and it climbs, back off slightly and she's level.  Then just steer around.  Landing into the wind you have to keep a little throttle so the nose stays up.  It doesn't dead-stick land.

Both planes self level if you come off the stick.

Really fun!

The first cut Mig 15 took about 40 minutes.  Each part was cutout and steamed for a few seconds to cleanly remove the paper.  I had my doubts that the tail would be strong enough but it is.  The total air frame weighs less than an ounce.  To balance I added a penny to the nose.  It glides across the living room flat and almost floats.  It is such a light model and so light that I eliminated a lot of the support strengthening that I thought it would need.  The wings just tab into the fuselage sides.  The tail just tabs into a slot in the fuselage.  The EDF plugs into the back fuselage just as the real plane did.  The two fuselage parts are a snug fit.  The 2.5g servo and ESC will be set in the rear fuselage, battery and receiver forward.
So to service the electronics, motor fan... The fuselage separates and the ESC and servo unplugged from receiver, battery from ESC.
Currently the model is unpainted and un-decorated.  it will get a mist of silver aluminum and then Red Stars.

I have built two Auto Gyros now and done some testing.  The second version is longer and balances easier.  The first was nose heavy and I didn't want to add dead weight to the tail.  I have tried two, three and four blade rotors and varying airfoils, angles etc...
The latest version has four 3" wide blades that can be trimmed at the field whereas the others were fixed.
My goal is to make this a one board model, easy to build with common items, and easy to fly.  It will ROG smoothly even with no wind.
The Mig 15 has undergone several design changes and I am settling on a very easy build sacrificing some scale accuracy to the fuselage.  From 6 feet away you wont notice the compromise.  I scrapped the 55mm EDF design in favor of the 30mm EDF because the plane was getting too big.  The 30mm version starts with a common 1-1/4" PVC tube you can get at Home Depot.  Wrap with paperless DT foamboard and from there a Mig 15 and F86 emerge.  I will try rudder only but it may be a "yank and bank" elevator aileron control is better.
The new design Mig 15 has a span of 17" and length of 17"  The electronics include a 2.4g micro lite receiver, 2.5 g servos and a 12A ESC.  Thrust from the 30mm EDF is 80-90 g so the target weight is 4-5 oz.  The hope is this will be a docile jet and not a bullet.