Dave,

No. I had a crash and lost the fuselage and hor stab and fin. Wings are okay. It was difficult for me to fly the Bird. I'm above a beginner but not a top sailplane pilot. I intend to try again. I noticed E Bay has a Bird up for bid. the bid is up to $57.00. I can't understand how anyone would bid that high on a used kit when a new kit from Tower is $70.00.

Mike

<span style="font-size: larger;">Hey Mike! Yeah, understood about the bid, but that's how e-bay seems to work these days. If you want, I can copy off my plans and send them to you - including the fuse.

I've heard about the BoT since I first started flying RC (many decades ago) and finally got my own just last year - from Tower. It's the first sailplane I ever put spoilers on and I made them too big (5 wing bays, only 3 needed really) but that wasn't the real issue with the plane. My problems were not enough elevator (down) and not nearly enough rudder for turning - she just isn't responsive enough <u>for me</u>. I increased the elevator travel to twice the plans' recommendations and increased the size of the rudder by 50%. That helped a lot, but if I ever build another I'm going to completely redesign the vert stab/rudder to more of a "full flying" type - like the old Aquila had. On that plane (best sailplane I've ever flown, by the way) the vert stab went just a bit higher than the elevators (also were full-flying) and the rudder finished out the lines. To do the same thing on the BoT I'd have to simply cut a horizontal line above the elevator, make the trailing edge of the fuse/stab vertical instead of the slant she's got, and connect the rudder to the rest of the vert stab, making it all one piece. That added bit of movable rudder would be all she'd need to turn a lot more responsively.

I'd also think about ailerons on the next one.

Anyway, let me know and I can start copying.

Dave</span>

(pics - me and the BoT)