Excalibur VTPR Glider

The Excalibur VTPR glider is one of the best-known designs to come from the fertile slope aerobatics scene in Brittany, France. Originally designed by Eric Poulain in the 1990s, and later refined into a 2.0 version via collaboration with Rémi Le Besque, it has gone on to become one of the most influential RC aerobatics gliders of the 21st century, both within France and abroad.

Despite the renown and influence of the Excalibur, it has never been sold on a commercial basis, nor have plans beyond the original article in Looping magazine been made available. Pilots were left with two options, either to scratchbuild their own using the magazine article as a guide, or travel to Brittany in the hopes of acquiring one directly. Neither prospect is a trivial matter, as this author can attest!

With that said, one very cool aspect of the French glider aerobatics scene, and one that holds true across the country from Brittany to the Alps, is that scratchbuilding and “perso” projects are very much alive and part of the hobby. Towards that end, Eric and Rémi have graciously agreed to make their most recent Excalibur wing building plans available to the public, in an effort to help those who would like to make their own personal renditions of the Excalibur glider. Combined with the fuselage profile and sections from the original Looping magazine article, an intrepid builder or club should be able to build a very satisfying rendition of the Excalibur for their own personal, non-commercial use.

• The original Excalibur article from Looping magazine
• Wing and stabilizer plan for the Excalibur 2.0

These files are shared with the express permission of Eric Poulain and Rémi Le Besque for personal, non-commercial use only.

The Excalibur in action