Dr. Mark Drela’s original Bubble Dancer is a super-lightweight, super-strong RES sailplane made from wood and composite (carbon, fiberglass, kevlar) materials. Released to the web in 2002, it has spawned a number of ARF imitators (the AVA, the Danny, the Topaz), but had never been released as a full do-it-yourself kit. That is until Denny Maize at Polecat Aeroplane Works designed (in part with Dr. Drela) the EZ Bubble Dancer (EZBD). Having built an Allegro-Lite and having fully documented that build, Denny tapped me to build EZBD #1, and write the build documentation.
Over the span of a few months, Denny shipped me the parts (CNC milled in his shop) and I put it all together! Heavier than the original, but still up to the rigors of a full-pedal winch launch, the EZBD is what a lot of the Drela-Design faithful have been waiting for.
I first flew mine in April of 2006, and it is now my favorite plane. Flying at the 2006 NATS in the RES competition, I put up 4 of the best rounds of my life, getting my time and often winning my flight group while working in some tough conditions.
