CONDOR MOMENT

Simon Cocker looks back at a range of popular Multiplex semi-scale and sport gliders - and shows where you can get one now!

- Simon Cocker

I acquired a newly completed Multiplex Condor last year, lovingly brought to life out of its antique box by Keith Thomas, a gentleman who quietly frequents the Long Mynd and who I have known through his magazine contributions back in the days of Quiet Flight International.

The Condor is 4.2m span and a sturdy Alpine design, which has a similar soaring pedigree as the ubiquitous Alpina, originally released in 1993. If you Google search Multiplex Condor you will be directed to many photos of the type but the one example that stood out was an unusual burgundy coloured version with yellow tips, which resonated in my mind with a tinge of familiarity. I opened the link to find an old article I had written for RCM&E in 2006 and to find it was a younger version of me posing with the model on top of Bosley Cloud. Ironically, I mentioned that I had previously owned two Condors and regretted selling them, which clearly was a mistake that I had unknowingly and subliminally rectified with this latest acquisition/swap!

I referred to the Condor as quite a heavy model in the article, which it is compared to the Alpina. It is a little heavier duty and much more robust. Today, however, the airframe, with its higher wing loading is no big deal and it is certainly regarded as an advantage to cope with those bigger wind days.