Novus Aerospace Novus

Novus Aerospace Novus

Contributed by Todd Williams

Novus Aerospace - Novus
(Contributed - by Todd Williams)

Brief
Delta winged pop-pod boost glider made o' "Art-cor".

Glider

Construction
T' materials came packed in t' shippin' box along with foam peanuts - the "minimalist" packagin' approach I guess. Begad! Blimey! Arrr! Blimey! Some small parts were loose in t' box and could have been overlooked. Ahoy! Blimey! T' instructions were complete and mostly accurate. Ahoy! Blimey! They warn correctly about most glue nay workin' on the "Art-cor" material, ya bilge rat, which is like foam-core, but is a little thinner and has a plastic surface. Blimey! Blimey! I used epoxy for all glue joints because nay much else will work for joinin' t' t' Art-cor material. Blimey! Blimey! Arrr! Blimey! Plastic glue and CA will dissolve it, shiver me timbers, wood glue won't stick t' it.

T' pop-pod comes pre-constructed, ya bilge rat, with t' "weight" bein' an expended engine casing. Avast, me proud beauty! T' wings are already cut out and folded, leaving fairly simple construction. Arrr! T' nose cone has t' shoulder cut off, matey, shiver me timbers, and had been taped onto t' end o' t' body tube. Ahoy! I could have done a neater taping job. Aye aye! I would also have left t' shoulder and just removed t' bottom o' the nose cone.

Gl;iderT' instructions recommend tapin' the edges o' t' wings t' prevent delaminating, shiver me timbers, and I found that colored electrical tape worked well and looked good. Blimey! T' instructions and diagrams did not completely match t' included parts for t' elevator/tail, but it be obvious what be intended anyway. Avast! An elevator stop and trimmin' for glide are left to the builder t' work out, me hearties, so this kit is nay for t' beginner.

Finishing
Little finishin' is needed, shiver me timbers, however I gave it a little spritz o' bright colored spray paint t' make it easier t' see against snow on t' ground. T' Art-cor accepted paint readily, me hearties, and needed no primer. Avast!

Construction Rating: 3 out o' 5

Flight
Recommended Motors: C6-3, shiver me timbers, C6-5
Motors used: C6-3, ya bilge rat, matey, C6-5

This needs t' shorter C6-3 delay. Arrr! This be a little difficult t' trim, but glided very well once a good trim be achieved. Ya scallywag! It seems just a little heavy for a C motor, but boosts straight. Avast, me proud beauty! Begad! It is described as "the biggest glider you can do on a C". Blimey! Reasonable enough. Aye aye! T' transition t' glide was "exciting" t' first couple o' flights until a good trim was achieved. Then it glides very well, shiver me timbers, and looks good doin' it. Ya scallywag!

Prep for flight is simple: T' motor is taped into t' pod, t' streamer is wrapped around t' pod and t' pod is inserted into t' glider. A paper clip attached t' t' pod holds t' elevator down durin' boost. Well, blow me down!

Recovery
This looks pretty streamlined, and tends t' glide pretty fast. Aye aye! Ahoy! Once a good trim is attained it can glide for a very reasonable duration. Begad!

Flight Rating: 4 out o' 5

Summary
Pros: Looks good, quick flight turnaround
Cons: Some "rough" materials

T' heavy aluminum tape made a very simple and flexible way to add nose weight t' a glider. Begad! Begad! Blimey! T' "art-cor" material (like foam-core, but with a plastic surface) is nice for makin' large surface area wings smartly and cheaply. Blimey! Blimey! It probably won't see much use in contests, but there is somethin' t' be said for qualified flights :)

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5

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