Konrad
Very Strong User
One of the things I like to do with basket case donations like this is trying to figure out what the last flight may have looked like.
With the broken dorsal fin (stab mount) and this broken rudder. I’m confident that the last flight ended in violent ground loop that came to rest inverted.
The other issue is that the wing tip was damaged. I’m thinking that this might have been part of that same violent ground loop. I’ve also noticed that the aluminum wing rod is bent. But there is no damage to the carry through structure in the fuselage. This indicates that the force to bend the rod didn’t have too high a shock load, indicating again the ground loop or ground loops!
I’d like to show the wing root. You will notice that is has a distinctive serpentine look. You can see that the trailing edge is coming back under the fuselage. This wing root is as distinctive as the elliptical dihedral. I really don’t want to loose this esthetic feature by lowering the wing incidence.
I’ve been doing some research on the Hobie Hawk and I’ve come to the conclusion that there are two very polar camps on this bird. There are those that love the Hobie Hawk and think it is the pinnacle of sailplane design. And then there are those that think in was a horrible sailplane used to experiment with manufacturing processes and never should have been brought to market.
I have to admit I’m a bit ambivalent on the Hobie Hawk. I’ve loved her lines for decades, lusting after one ever since I saw ads for her in the model press. She is deeply rooted in the dreams of my youth.
Now I have to say that the last “high performance” 2 channel sailplane I owned was a Mark Smith’s Windfree. I loved the Windfree as it was my first standard class ship. I actually learned to find and work strong thermals with the Windfree. But I also learned that I didn’t like the lack of control one had with an aileronless model!
When the time came for me to actually fly a Hobie Hawk I actually had strong ideas (feelings) as to what made a great sailplane. I’m sorry to say the Hobie Hawk is NOT a great flying sailplane. It wasn’t back in 1975 and it isn’t today. But she is a beauty! And this is why I want to try to rebuild this example and try to address some of the crippling flight characteristics without compromising her esthetic appeal.
All the best,
Konrad
With the broken dorsal fin (stab mount) and this broken rudder. I’m confident that the last flight ended in violent ground loop that came to rest inverted.
The other issue is that the wing tip was damaged. I’m thinking that this might have been part of that same violent ground loop. I’ve also noticed that the aluminum wing rod is bent. But there is no damage to the carry through structure in the fuselage. This indicates that the force to bend the rod didn’t have too high a shock load, indicating again the ground loop or ground loops!
I’d like to show the wing root. You will notice that is has a distinctive serpentine look. You can see that the trailing edge is coming back under the fuselage. This wing root is as distinctive as the elliptical dihedral. I really don’t want to loose this esthetic feature by lowering the wing incidence.
I’ve been doing some research on the Hobie Hawk and I’ve come to the conclusion that there are two very polar camps on this bird. There are those that love the Hobie Hawk and think it is the pinnacle of sailplane design. And then there are those that think in was a horrible sailplane used to experiment with manufacturing processes and never should have been brought to market.
I have to admit I’m a bit ambivalent on the Hobie Hawk. I’ve loved her lines for decades, lusting after one ever since I saw ads for her in the model press. She is deeply rooted in the dreams of my youth.
Now I have to say that the last “high performance” 2 channel sailplane I owned was a Mark Smith’s Windfree. I loved the Windfree as it was my first standard class ship. I actually learned to find and work strong thermals with the Windfree. But I also learned that I didn’t like the lack of control one had with an aileronless model!
When the time came for me to actually fly a Hobie Hawk I actually had strong ideas (feelings) as to what made a great sailplane. I’m sorry to say the Hobie Hawk is NOT a great flying sailplane. It wasn’t back in 1975 and it isn’t today. But she is a beauty! And this is why I want to try to rebuild this example and try to address some of the crippling flight characteristics without compromising her esthetic appeal.
All the best,
Konrad
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Like the wings will resist flutter about as well as a wet noodle!
Not sure what you could do with the pink
