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. Avast! Some small parts were loose in t' box and could have been overlooked. T' instructions were complete and mostly accurate. Blimey! They warn correctly about most glue nay workin' on the "Art-cor" material, me bucko, me hearties, which is like foam-core, but is a little thinner and has a plastic surface. Avast, me proud beauty! I used epoxy for all glue joints because nay much else will work for joinin' t' t' Art-cor material. Arrr! Plastic glue and CA will dissolve it, shiver me timbers, me bucko, wood glue won't stick t' it. Avast, me proud beauty!

T' pop-pod comes pre-constructed, me bucko, shiver me timbers, with t' "weight" bein' an expended engine casing. Avast, me proud beauty! T' wings are already cut out and folded, matey, matey, leaving fairly simple construction. Blimey! T' nose cone has t' shoulder cut off, and had been taped onto t' end o' t' body tube. Ahoy! I could have done a neater taping job. Begad! Avast, me proud beauty! 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, and I found that colored electrical tape worked well and looked good. Avast! Avast! T' instructions and diagrams did not completely match t' included parts for t' elevator/tail, me bucko, matey, but it was obvious what was intended anyway. Aye aye! An elevator stop and trimmin' for glide are left to the builder t' work out, so this kit is nay for t' beginner. Avast! Arrr!

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

Construction Rating: 3 out o' 5

Flight
Recommended Motors: C6-3, shiver me timbers, C6-5
Motors used: C6-3, me hearties, C6-5

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

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

Recovery
This looks pretty streamlined, and tends t' glide pretty fast. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Once a good trim is attained it can glide for a very reasonable duration. Avast!

Flight Rating: 4 out o' 5

Summary
Pros: Looks good, me bucko, 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. Aye aye! Aye aye! T' "art-cor" material (like foam-core, but with a plastic surface) is nice for makin' large surface area wings smartly and cheaply. Ya scallywag! 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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