To do this well you need to have a strong light model. The way to get this is to build one lightly and correctly. The following list of tips should be well known to all the builders who, like myself, have been building models for years and years and years. My god, is it that long?

The same tips can be considered valid for all types of gliders, but in HLG the benefits will show themselves more clearly.

1. Use only enough glue! It is surprising just how many grams you can add by not paying enough attention.

2. When sheeting HLG wings with 1/32" balsa, weigh each sheet to get equally light sheets, use the straighter grained pieces for the front halves off the wings and the more quarter grained pieces for the rear parts. ( Quarter grained is the more mottled surfaced wood, which is usually slightly stiffer across the grain).

3. Use only enough epoxy to stick the wood to the foam, squeegee it on to the wood, then squeegee most of it back off again before applying the wood to the foam. Do not coat the foam with epoxy, it absorbs far too much. Use a good vacuum to stick the wood to the foam, alternatively pile those old magazines high on top and then add some weights.

4. Build the tail end light, but strong enough to take your best launches.

5. Keep the paint in the pot, I use only water based interior varnish, house hold quantity sized tins and lots off sanding between coats. Who knows, you might find a use for the rest of the stuff around the house, you know window sills, doors, etc. but only if you are pushed.

6. Use nylon bolts instead of steel where possible.

7. For HLG's use carbon pushrods (1.0 mm dia.) through well spaced guides for all your controls.

8. For HLG's install your radio as far forward as is possible. Be a bit thoughtful about this and it will pay dividends.

9. Use the lightest servos you can find, that does not mean the most expensive. The best ones I have found only cost about £8.00 from various sources on the web.

10. In HLG's remove the receiver case and wrap the works in foam.

11. Remove the aerial wire and replace it with light weight copper wire with a varnish coating on it, similar to the winding wire from small electric motors.

12. Lastly, learn to fly the model at its most sensitive position, with a rearward c.g. In this position you will not be carrying any extra lead and the model will kick off any little bubble.

Well that's that, follow these rules and you can do no more for the model, the next step is thinking up the excuses about why you missed that obvious ( to all the onlookers) thermal.