The Jongblood Primary is an American single-seat,
high-wing
A monoplane is a fixed-wing aircraft configuration with a single mainplane, in contrast to a biplane or other types of multiplanes, which have multiple wings.
A monoplane has inherently the highest efficiency and lowest drag of any wing config ...
,
strut-braced primary glider
Primary glider aircraft, gliders are a category of aircraft that enjoyed worldwide popularity during the 1920s and 1930s as people strove for simple and inexpensive ways to learn to fly.Schweizer, Paul A: ''Wings Like Eagles, The Story of Soaring ...
designed by
Mike Jongblood of southern
California
California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...
and first flown in 1967. The aircraft is unusual in that primary gliders went out of fashion in the 1930s and few have been built since.
[Said, Bob: ''1983 Sailplane Directory, Soaring Magazine'', page 44 ]Soaring Society of America
The Soaring Society of America (SSA) was founded at the instigation of Warren E. Eaton to promote the sport of soaring in the USA and internationally. The first meeting was held in New York City in the McGraw–Hill Building on February 20, 193 ...
November 1983. USPS 499-920
Design and development
Jongblood designed and built this primary glider in 1966, with assistance from Hugh Knoop. The design was original and includes an original
airfoil
An airfoil (American English) or aerofoil (British English) is a streamlined body that is capable of generating significantly more Lift (force), lift than Drag (physics), drag. Wings, sails and propeller blades are examples of airfoils. Foil (fl ...
design as well, designated as a ''Jongblood II'' section.
The aircraft is built from wood and covered in doped
aircraft fabric covering
Aircraft fabric covering is a term used for both the material used and the process of covering aircraft open structures. It is also used for reinforcing closed plywood structures. The de Havilland Mosquito is an example of this technique, as are ...
. The glider has a detachable pod to cover the pilot or can be flown open cockpit. It has a constant chord wing with a chord and a span. The wing features dual parallel
strut
A strut is a structural component commonly found in engineering, aeronautics, architecture and anatomy. Struts generally work by resisting longitudinal compression, but they may also serve in tension.
A stay is sometimes used as a synonym for ...
s and
jury struts, but has no
spoilers or other glidepath control devices. The
tailplane
A tailplane, also known as a horizontal stabilizer, is a small lift (force), lifting surface located on the tail (empennage) behind the main lifting surfaces of a fixed-wing aircraft as well as other non-fixed-wing aircraft such as helicopters ...
is also
strut-braced. Unlike most earlier primary glider designs that land on a fixed skid, this aircraft has a fixed monowheel.
Only one was ever constructed.
Operational history
The Primary had accumulated over 200
auto-tows and seven
aerotows, along with nine hours of flying time, by the end of 1968 and by 1983 had flown 22 hours total. It had flown a single three-hour flight and had recorded a height gain of .
By 1983 the aircraft was reported as being in storage. In May 2011 it was still on the
Federal Aviation Administration
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is a Federal government of the United States, U.S. federal government agency within the United States Department of Transportation, U.S. Department of Transportation that regulates civil aviation in t ...
registry listings, although its
registration had expired on 31 March 2011.
Specifications (Jongblood Primary)
See also
References
{{reflist
1960s United States sailplanes
Homebuilt aircraft
High-wing aircraft
Aircraft first flown in 1967