ElEsido

Hi Harry This is a truly generous offer. I am seriously tempted, let me think about it. I am based in central Europe, so getting the material here should be possible. Are these the moulds from the Danish builders (Ole and Kjeld)? Best ElEsido

Kent, you nudged me into the right direction, thanks! The gentleman who started this thread could help me with some of the material that he has. It is rumoured that AeroComposites LLC might have the Solitaire moulds. Look what they have in their hangar.

Thanks. The e-mail bounced back, the address is no longer valid. Too bad.

I agree! According to the Canard Pusher #65 page the mechanism was designed by Herb Abrams (an Ohio Solitaire builder, he passed away in 2013, may he rest in peace). Kjeld Pedersen and Ole Ploug (the builders of the Solitare in the videos) might have contributed to it (the CP article is not entirely clear about this). The mechanism allowed the use of a larger prop compared to the simpler fold-out mechanism designed by Rutan which increased the efficiency of the motorised flight mode. If anybody has any technical information on the mechanism (plans, descriptions, photos...), please post it here or send me a PM. Apparently Mr Abrams was a glider instructor; if anybody happens to know a former student or anybody who knew him, or even his family, it would be great it you could ask whether anything about the whereabouts of the plans is known. Clutching at straws here, but you never know, sometimes the world is a surprisingly small place...

Hi all I am a glider pilot in Europe and am currently working on the modification of a 1971 "Elfe" glider. My mind roams around the next project and I think that a Solitaire would fit the bill. I have read all the flight reports available online and I am aware of the Solitaire's modest thermalling performance (with the canard stalling before the main wing generates CLmax), but I still think that it would be a fun and rewarding bird to build and fly. And it's "a Rutan" and probably as rare as the Defiant (or even more so). I've got the plans from the TERF CD, but I don't have any templates. Does anybody have a set that he/she would either scan (we can talk about the costs) or pass on to me? I know that the Solitaire was sold as a kit, but there is at least one example that was built from plans by two Danish gentlemen, see Canard Pusher 50, page 7: "Ole and Kjeld wanted a total building experience so they started from scratch with a lofting drawing of the fuselage translated into a plug, then molds, and finally a fuselage. They made spar molds and spars. Their work is outstanding." So it can be done. There are two videos of this bird on youtube, here and here. Best ElEsido