MARSKE PIONEER 3A N295MH WITH ORIGINAL WINGS INCLUDING UNFINISHED SET OF PIONEER 4 ALL-GLASS WINGS AND TRAILER
The Pioneer 3A was meant to be a more competition-minded evolution of the Pioneer 3A 15-meter tailless sailplane with retractable landing gear, automatic control hookups, and a stronger, easier-to-assemble spar join similar to the Genesis.
The Pioneer Series is Jim Marske’s long journey with the flying wing: each model taking what was learned from the last and pushing it a little further.
One of those aircraft, registered N295MH, is now available for sale. It comes with its original Pioneer 3A wings and, stored in the trailer, a set of Pioneer 4 all-glass wings that were started but never finished.
How this Pioneer 3A was built
After a first short flight in the Pioneer 3 prototype, the builder of N295MH wanted one of his own — and he wanted it competitive. Retractable landing gear and automatic control hookups were specified from the outset.
Those seemingly simple requests required a substantial redesign of the crowded aft fuselage, where pushrods and bellcranks had little room to spare. The work eventually came together.
Other 3A changes included the tongue-and-fork spar joining method that had worked so well on the Genesis, extra leading-edge laminate for torsional rigidity, and geometric rib spacing based on local chord rather than equal 12-inch bays.
The added structure and the retractable wheel raised empty weight somewhat, accepted as the price of better high-speed performance.
The completed Pioneer 3A empty weight is 435 lb, with a 700 lb maximum gross. Wing loading is about 4.5 psf at typical flying weight and 4.9 psf at gross. Stall was expected near 35 kt with a 200 lb pilot — under the FAI racing floor of 39 kt.
Build time was about two and a half years and nearly 1,000 hours. The retractable wheel and doors, along with a C.G. shifter, accounted for a good share of that work. Water ballast was desired for strong conditions, but the built-up D-tube and its ribs did not leave room for tanks in the Pioneer 3A wings.
Handling and performance
Pilots new to flying wings often worry about pitch sensitivity. On the Pioneer 3A the elevators sit at the wing roots, yet pitch forces have been described as firm and predictable as with conventional long-tailed sailplane.
Ailerons, elevators, and spoilers behave as one would expect. Air tow is straightforward at 65–70 kt, and adverse yaw is mild.
Thermaling is most comfortable at 40–45 kt, with stall somewhere below 36 kt. There is no sharp break: the glider settles into a controlled mush, ailerons and rudder still effective.
The glide stays flat through 70 kt, with a more nose-down attitude as speed builds toward the 128 kt redline.
In one comparison flight the Pioneer 3A matched an ASW 27 from 40 to 70 kt, out-climbed it in thermals, and remained controllable after the 27 had fallen out.
Spoilers are effective, with a slight pitch-up when opened above 70 kt. The large rudder makes aggressive slips easy, so glide-path control is not a problem.
Pioneer 3A wings and Pioneer 4 wings
The original fabric-covered Pioneer 3A wings, with the 3A structural changes, hang on the wall in the photographs. Inside the enclosed trailer is a pair of Pioneer 4 all-glass wings built by Matt Kollman.
They are in out-of-the-mold condition and will need finishing work before they are flyable.
Completing those wings would, in effect, turn this airframe into a Pioneer 4: the all-glass laminar-wing development Jim Marske and Kollman pursued as the next step after the 3A. That retrofit was not completed.
What is offered now is the flown Pioneer 3A, its original wings, the unfinished Pioneer 4 glass wings, and the trailer.
If this project interests you
This is a rare chance to take on a flown Pioneer 3A and, if desired, finish the Pioneer 4 glass wings that were always meant to follow.
It is not a turnkey racing ship with the unfinished P4 wings, but it is a complete 3A that has already been flown, plus the parts of a more ambitious next step.
Serious inquiries can be made through the Contact page on this website. Messages will be passed along to the seller.
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