Glider from a hot air balloon. The glider “Russia“ (AC-4, Me-7)

The video demonstrates the launch of the glider “Russia“ (AC-4, Me-7) of The Design of Fyodorov from a hot air balloon. The glider is particularly unique as it participated in a technical competition organized by The International Gliding Commission (IGC/CIVV) in 1989. The idea behind the project was to make gliding competitions more affordable and popular and thus create a low-cost sailplane, which should have moderate performance, be easy to assemble and to handle, and safe for inexperienced pilots to fly. “Russia” AC4 took the prize as it had the best characteristics among all participants. The glider was named the best challenger among the American test pilot - Richard Johnson, who participated in the competition. Interestingly, this glider was developed in the Soviet Union and was very light and had spacious cockpit suitable for tall glider pilots. This shooting took place almost 25 years ago. Its designer, Fyodorov V.E., was involved in the development of a number of projects,