Walkalong Gliders and Foam Store





Welcome to the Walkalong Glider and Foam Store

Thin sliced, low-density foam is much more efficient and be easier to fly than paper. My goal is to spread this great science STEM activity by providing the highest quality and lowest prices for both small quantities and large. You'll find links to helpful information, including detailed instructions for the first step of getting started. I (Slater) am happy to answer any questions by e-mail or phone. We use PayPal for security and convinience, and you don't need PayPal account to pay via PayPal with a credit card. (other payment methods) Proceeds from sales go directly to The Physics Factory, a non-profit education outreach.

Best Product to Start with:

These products will get you started. Click for full description.

The best design to start with for groups, at 70 cents per ready-to-fly glider. This video is the best for learning how to fly (despite some rough editing in a couple of places). How to Fly a Jagwing

30 Jagwings
$21+Shipping

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Forget about “Aerogel”. These gliders made from special Ultra foam--which is less than 5 times the density of air itself--have an almost magically slow flight! And that gives you time to think and react as you learn to fly. Ultra foam is too delicate (and expensive) for big groups, but in the still air of your home you can learn to fly even in the smallest cluttered rooms.

2 Jagwings + 2 Baby Bugs
$12+Shipping

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For Advanced Pilots:

EPS (expanded polystyrene) foam blocks are custom made for sciencetoymaker--lower density than any other foam in North America and many times lower density than paper. Then I hotwire cut the foam robotically with CNC g-code to 10cm x 20 cm x 0.7mm

100 foam sheets + 2 ready-to-fly gliders
$20.00 + shipping
or 50 foam sheets + 2 ready-to-fly gliders
$14.50 + shipping

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The Hang Glider design is a marvel of efficiency, the best for hands-only flying. I can keep one levitated in the air with just one hand. However, unlike Jagwings, performance drops off quickly if they get a little out of adjustment. PLEASE DO NOT ORDER THESE UNLESS YOU HAVE EXPERIENCE MAKING WALKALONG GLIDERS, OR AT LEAST EXPERIENCE MAKING FLYING MODELS. If you are new to walkalong gliders, get the ready-to-fly Jagwings instead.
10 Baby Bugs
$15.00 + shipping

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I like special projects and try to be helpful when people experiment. Do you need an odd size of foam or particular thickness? Or would you just like some advice? Contact me and maybe I can help you out with material, advice or both.

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About Foam store

We built a robot (CNC) hot-wire foam cutter to slice sheets from the blocks. Automated production means high quality and low cost.
We program G-code into the computer, which controls the CNC robot hot-wire cutter, cutting perfect .7mm. sheets that the gliders are then made from.

The foam store started in 2012 at my school, where we discovered how thin foam gliders were many times lighter and stronger than paper gliders. Recognizing the need for precision-cut 1/2 millimeter foam, students helped make foam and gliders to sell around the world as an education project and fund raiser. After almost 3 decades in education, I am no longer teaching but happy to say that foam and glider production continues with my family's help, and all proceeds go directly to the educational non-profit Physics Factory and Physics Bus. With walkalong gliders, Bernoulli's Principle, fluid dynamics, flight stability, center of mass, analysis of systems and Newton's Laws of Motion all become engaging and tangible. Unlike model airplane kits, foam gliders cost only pennies, so whole classes of students can get high-quality hands-on flight experience for only a few dollars.