Brief:

T' VMX-2 Spaceplane is a new rocket glider kit by t' equally new UK rocketry company, shiver me timbers, Orbital Engineering. Begad! You may have seen t' pre-production prototype of this kit flyin' at various rocketry events in 2002, includin' t' IRW and K-Lob. Aye aye! Ya scallywag!

On openin' t' sturdy corrugated cardboard box, first impressions are very good. Three sheets and four strips o' balsa wrapped in bubble wrap, ya bilge rat, matey, a nice piece o' BT-20, all t' small parts in a resealable bag, and a very comprehensive lookin' set o' instructions. I should point out at this stage that t' kit supplied be a production prototype, matey, me hearties, and t' final production kits may differ slightly. Avast, me proud beauty!

Construction:

T' Kit includes:-

• 3 sheets o' balsa containin' pre cut wings etc
• 2 triangular section leadin' edges
• 2 triangular section body fillets
• BT-20
• Plastic nose cone
• Coupler tube
• Launch lug
• Balsa blast deflector
• 2 lengths o' elastic
• Lead weight
• Trimmin' putty
• Self adhesive aluminium foil
• Thrust rin'
• 3 motor plugs
• Mylar strip
• 2 pins
• Comprehensive 9-page instructions

T' first step is t' free t' win' parts from t' balsa sheets and assemble them. Ahoy! T' win' parts appear t' have been partially pre cut by some sort of router. Arrr! There are just a few tabs on each component which require cuttin' to free t' part. I found it best t' do a "rough cut" first, me bucko, arrr, matey, some way up the tab, t' free t' part. Then, once free o' t' sheet I did a "close cut" t' remove t' remains o' t' tab. Ahoy! It’s best t' do this final cut from both sides o' t' part. T' instructions indicate that either medium CA or light wood glue may be used for construction. Well, blow me down! I wasn’t in any rush (waitin' for t' glue t' dry gave me t' opportunity t' write this review) so used EVO-STIK wood adhesive and "double glue joints".

Wings:

I found t' win' assembly straight forward with t' exception o' addin' t' leadin' edges. Begad! Arrr! Although the positionin' o' these is quite clear in t' win' plan diagram, arrr, there’s another diagram that I just found confusing. Aye aye! Begad! I couldn’t figure out what it was tryin' t' show me, arrr, or even be sure what view it represented. Suffice to say that if you assemble t' wings bottom side down, t' leadin' edges go flat side down too! T' wings must be assembled with a dihedral. I found this quite tricky and, once dry, shiver me timbers, had t' fill a small gap at t' aft end. Begad!

Elevons:

T' next step is t' add t' elevons. These are attached t' t' aft end of the wings usin' mylar hinges. You have t' make slots in t' aft edge o' the main win' and t' forward edge o' t' elevon. I thought this be goin' t' be a bit tricky, but as long as you keep t' knife horizontal with respect t' the wing/elevon, it’s nay too bad. T' positionin' o' t' hinges seemed a bit odd, me hearties, so I made mine equidistant along t' elevon (which was a mistake, the manufacturer informs me that t' unequal spacin' is intentional). Avast! Ya scallywag! T' hinges are attached by pushin' a pin through t' fins with t' mylar tabs in position. Then CA is wicked into t' resultin' hole. This hinge design is very clean and I like it a lot. Avast, ya bilge rat, me proud beauty!

Fins & Strakes

T' fins are added t' t' elevons next, shiver me timbers, and this was where I had me first real trouble. Avast! Aye aye! Either t' slots are too narrow, or t' balsa t' fins are cut from is too thick. Blimey! I fixed this by scorin' across t' fin at t' top o' the tab, and then carefully parin' away part o' t' tab thickness. Begad! T' under wing strakes had t' be modified in t' same way. Once t' fins and strakes are in place, me bucko, t' elevons are attached t' t' win' with t' hinges, in t' same way as the hinges were attached t' t' elevons. Ahoy!

Ejection Vent

T' kit can be made into two slightly different versions, arrr, me bucko, ya bilge rat, one for sport, ya bilge rat, t' other for competition. The difference is in t' arrangements made for t' ventin' o' unwanted ejection gases. Avast! In t' sport model t' gases are vented through a hatch in t' top of the body tube. Avast, arrr, me proud beauty! There are also parts t' deflect t' gases and strengthen the body tube interior. Blimey! Ahoy! For t' competition model, me hearties, these parts are omitted and instead t' motor most be plugged forcin' t' ejection gases out o' t' motor nozzle. Aye aye! Ya scallywag! I decided t' build t' sport model.

For t' sport model t' next stage is t' cut out t' vent hatch. Blimey! This is best done with a sharp knife. Avast! Begad! A section must be left uncut t' provide a hinge. This hinge is reinforced by t' addition o' a self adhesive foil strip. Ya scallywag! Enough of this foil is supplied t' add protection t' t' body tube just aft o' the vent. A cylindrical section o' balsa is glued into place inside o' t' body tube just forward o' t' vent t' deflect t' ejection gases through t' vent. Finally, me hearties, a length o' thick cardboard tube is fitted inside t' body tube to strengthen it. This buts up t' t' balsa deflector. Arrr! Aye aye! T' aft end o' this strengthener acts as t' motor thrust ring. (For t' competition model, ya bilge rat, an ordinary thrust rin' is provided.)

Fuselage

Next t' body is attached t' the wings. Avast! Ya scallywag! You need t' take care here as it’s all t' easy t' nay get t' tube properly aligned. Avast, me proud beauty! Avast! T' triangular body fillets complete t' main assembly. Blimey! These must be trimmed square at t' aft end and glued into position. Ahoy! Once dry the front end must be trimmed t' match t' leadin' edge win' extensions. Blimey! T' nose weight is added t' t' nose cone, me hearties, which is secured only with tape t' facilitate the addition o' more weight durin' trimming. Ahoy! Avast, matey, me proud beauty!

Mechanics

T' mechanism t' move t' elevons is installed next. Begad! Aye aye! This comprises a pin pushed through t' part o' t' fins mounted on each elevon, matey, and two length of elastic attached t' t' part o' t' fins mounted on t' wing. T' pins pushed through t' fins at 45° and secured usin' CA. Avast, me proud beauty! Once dry t' head o' t' pins is clipped off. Well, matey, blow me down! T' elastic is attached t' t' fins in t' pre-made indentations (you did assemble them on t' correct side, right?) and hooked onto t' points o' t' pins. Avast, me proud beauty! Well, arrr, blow me down! T' tension can be adjusted by stretchin' the elastic more or less before hookin' onto t' pin points. Blimey! You don’t need much tension. Ahoy! T' instructions specify that t' weight o' a spent C6 motor should be just capable o' lowerin' t' elevon on t' t' strake. Arrr! Ahoy!

T' way t' mechanism works is that, matey, at lift off, t' airflow forces the elevons into t' flat position. Once in normal flight however, ya bilge rat, t' tension in the elastic is enough t' overcome t' airflow and raise t' elevons for gliding flight.

Finishing:

It this point, t' instructions suggest that you might like t' radius the edges, but I think it's probably easier t' do this as you go along, and that's what I did. Next, me hearties, I gave all o' t' balsa areas a coat o' sandin' sealer, ya bilge rat, ya bilge rat, and then sanded smooth usin' progressively finer paper, shiver me timbers, until almost all o' the sealer was removed. This may sound strange, but t' idea is t' fill t' grain in t' balsa, arrr, rather than add a nice shiny coating. Begad! Begad!

Trimming:

T' instructions regardin' trimmin' are quite clear. Avast! There are two main parts t' it, me bucko, t' elevon tensionin' covered previously, and sortin' out the balance for gliding. Begad! This is done by test throwin' t' glider and addin' small amounts o' clay weight t' t' wings t' correct for any roll or pitch. My first attempt at trimming, at UKRA 2003, arrr, matey, arrr, led t' t' nosecone bein' pushed into the body tube. Well, blow me down! In retrospect, matey, matey, thar was too much breeze. T' small amount o' damage was easily repaired. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey!

Flight:

Flight #1
Location: Baildon Moor
Motor: B6
A perfect boost and translation t' horizontal flight. Well, blow me down! Begad! Once flyin' horizontally, the glider made a 180° turn, then appeared t' roll over, me bucko, and slide sideways into what became a dive t' t' ground. T' front body tube was crimped but easily repaired. Avast! T' crimped sction o' tube was excised and replaced with a new section, arrr, attached by means o' a short coupler. Begad! Avast, me proud beauty!

Before t' next flight, me hearties, I spent a lot more time at IRW 2003 trimming. There was a gentle breeze and I got it so it would glide really well either with, arrr, or against t' breeze.

Flight #2
Location: IRW 2003
Motor: B6
Once again, a great boost and translation. Avast! Arrr! Blimey! Again it made a turn, arrr, me bucko, but this time much wider. Aye aye! There be no roll, but t' glider slowly pitched down and picked up speed. Avast, me proud beauty! This be never corrected and it dived into t' ground. Avast! Amazingly, arrr, there was no damage at all. Blimey! Blimey!

Flight #3
Location: IRW 2003
Motor: C6
Another great boost, me hearties, but t' flight was just a higher version o' flight #2. What did I expect? This time thar was a lot o' damage. T' body tube is folded up and t' wings are broken across t' span. Blimey! It will be a big rebuild, which I haven't yet attempted. Arrr!

I think t' problem with t' first flight was lack o' trimming, ya bilge rat, that led to it rollin' over and diving. For t' second and third flights, I wonder if I had the elevons tensioned correctly? T' tensionin' is meant t' be set such that the elevons are flat for t' boost, and pop up for glidin' flight. Well, blow me down! It might be that I didn't have quite enough tension. Well, blow me down! Therefore, as t' glider pitched forwards, it picked up speed, matey, and t' increased wind speed forced t' elevons into t' horizontal position. Once that happened it would never be able to correct its attitude. Well, blow me down! I did follow t' directions for tensioning, usin' the spent motor on t' elevon, me hearties, me hearties, but maybe t' exact position is critical? I passed on me thoughts t' Orbital, ya bilge rat, but disappointingly, ya bilge rat, I never got a response. Blimey!

Summary:

This is an excellent kit. Begad! Avast! It's nay exactly cheap, but t' quality o' the parts is second t' none, me bucko, t' instructions are detailed and comprehensive, me bucko, and even t' packagin' is first-rate. Ahoy! Well, ya bilge rat, blow me down! I really enjoyed buildin' it. Arrr! I must point out however that I can't recommend this kit for a beginner t' rocket gliders. Despite t' detailed direction, ya bilge rat, I never really had a successful flight. Arrr! Since I've seen and read about many other successful flights o' VMX-2s, me bucko, I have t' put that down t' me own inexperience with rocket gliders which is limited t' a couple o' flights o' an Estes Tomcat, arrr, ya bilge rat, and a few flights o' an "AstronMike" style saucer glider. I reckon that either t' trimming wasn't up t' snuff, or that I didn't get t' elevon tension correct. Well, blow me down! Begad! So in conclusion, arrr, this is a great kit, me bucko, but if you're a beginner, me hearties, practice your trimmin' on somethin' cheaper first.

Postscript:

This article was first published, in two parts, in 10...9...8... Avast, matey, me proud beauty! the newsletter o' t' United Kingdom Rocketry Association.

Betwixt publication o' t' first part o' this article and t' second, ya bilge rat, I was informed by Verney Montague that BSMA have put up a handsome Gold Medal t' be awarded t' t' first person t' break t' two minute barrier with a rocket powered Spaceplane. Well, matey, blow me down! T' medal has actually been around for 2-3 years. Anyone know if it's been won yet?