Zoomie™ is 6" long with a little over an 8" wing span and flies on mini (13mm) motors. It is a boost glider because it ejects a portion of the rocket while the remaining portion glides to earth. In the Zoomie's™ case, it ejects the motor casing.

CONSTRUCTION:

The kit includes an 11x17 instruction sheet printed on both sides, a laser-cut balsa sheet with the four wing pieces, a 2" long body tube, a 2" long launch lug, a short, balsa nose cone, and a small piece of clay.

The instructions were very clear and thoroughly illustrated. I really want to emphasize that. In fact, Holverson comments, "This instruction sheet is laid out to allow you to start a rocket plans reference file. Save your entire set of instructions for future reference." The instructions cover building, finishing, trimming and flying of the Zoomie™. They also tell a little bit about boost gliders as defined by NAR.

Assemby is very easy but takes a little time to ensure the wings are built properly. During assembly of the wings a small square is good to have to ensure the wing tip is at a 90° angle. The instructions are very good here indicating the need for pins to hold while drying.

I have read about a glue technique that was used for the build of the Zoomie™, however, this was the first time I used it. That is a double-glue technique. First the edges that are going to be glued together get a light coat of white glue and then are allowed to dry. Then they are coated again and assembled. It is to "increase the strength of the joint." according to the instructions.

The only part that I had some difficulty on was the sanding the joint of the wings. With the wing tips assembled, each wing looks like a "L". With both wings laying on the table as they would be assembled, the joint is to be sanded to allow them to adjoin flushly. This is done by sanding until it is perpendicular to the table. Doesn't sound hard but I had some trouble and had to take several shots at it. Only advice I have is to go slow.

I didn't really "finish" the Zoomie™ although the instructions gave good information for sanding, sealing and painting. I hit mine with some fluorescent green paint. It really made it very visible.

Overall, for CONSTRUCTION I would rate this kit 4 points. It is easy to build on its own, however, with excellent instructions . . . it's a snap.

FLIGHT/RECOVERY:

I practiced on three separate occasions trimming the Zoomie™ in the back yard and did as the instructions said. Then one day I went to the field for the flights. I tossed it there and found that I had to trim again . . . removing most of the clay I added to the wing tips. So again, the instructions hinted at this by saying "Balsa gliders are tempermental about holding their trim over changes in the climate."

I popped in a 1/2A3-4 and took a picture and let her go. After a slight spiral in the climb, she arced over and "pop" ejected the motor. The motor casing hit the ground right near me as the Zoomie™ took a steep dive toward the earth. According to the instructions, this indicated that I needed additional weight in the rear.

I added the weight and flew the Zoomie™ three more times on 1/2A3's. Each time I determined to add a bit more clay to the rear of the wings and each time the glide got better.

The 5th flight was on an A10-3. The climb was several large spirals. It was way up there. I heard the "pop" but never saw a the motor or the glider again.

Holverson recommends 1/2A3's and A3's

For FLIGHT/RECOVERY, I would rate this kit 3 points. I have watched other larger gliders at launches and they can really glide. This little bird didn't compare, however, it does provide a good way to get into gliding and was fun. If I were to build another, I would never fly in on anything bigger than 1/2A's though. It's just too small and goes out of sight.

This was my first glider. I had fun with it, but I believe that I needed the flight tests to trim it. It seemed to act differently in the air than me toss-testing it. I highly doubt this could win any duration events, even after extensive trimming, but it was easy to build and fun to fly. I give the kit an OVERALL rating of 3 1/2 points.