Aria (VTPR) 1200mm Rev 1.1

Are you ready to Madstab?

Our first VTPR product release co-designed with Dr. James Hammond. 

James has used all his knowledge, experience, and artistic flair to craft the essential aerodynamics and beautiful lines of our 1200mm span VTPR style balsa glider kit.

The design was handed over to ourselves to create our highly detailed Fusion 360
CAD model, which serves as a foundation for constructing a lightweight, strong and highly accurate airframe. The Aria airframe utilises all the best technologies alongside traditional know-how from both past and present. By combining the precision of 3D-printed engineered components, carbon fibre rods and tube to assist in building these more complex or challenging assemblies, we must not forget that nothing replaces the tactile beauty of high-quality balsa wood.

The materials chosen for the kit serve specific purposes and are the best for each task.
Although this is a builders model, we have meticulously engineered every stage to ensure it as accurate straightforward to construct as possible! If the building process requires a building jig, its included in the kit. Even the fully symmetrical hollow fin has a double-sided jig to facilitate the task, making it easy, precise and quick!

We could have taken the easy options and built these models with a simple slab-sided, flat-topped characterless fuselage out of materials costing a quarter of the price of those you'll find hidden in this delightful VTPR Style slope aerobatic glider kit. However that wasn't a compromise that either James or we would accept.

Thus while the fuselage still-flat sided, it evolves into a fully rounded top and bottom decking, finished with an elegant vacuum formed canopy. The core to the fuselage design and easy assembly consists of a very clever 3D-printed wing root and former main sub assembly, a 3D-printed nose and nose fairing. The formers all having integrated supported pillars for the rudder and elevator pushrods. This ensures smooth and gentle curves to the pushrods minimising friction and slop.

The wing roots have the same 3D printing technology applied to the wing root and joiner rod system. As standard the wing is mounted using a sturdy 8mm carbon rod joiner, this can be replaced with 2 steel joiners for an additional 100g of ballast. The wingtips incorporate a lightened 0.8mm ply core for added strength. Coupled with a mighty 7mm carbon tube spar and you have a very light, rigid wing.

As you proceed  to the rear of the model, things become particularly exciting. The Aria supports a full 180-degree all-flying mad stab tailplane. Crafted from engineering-grade, low-friction Acetal sheet, this specially-designed assembly employs a bellcrank arrangement featuring nylon joiner tube bushes and a 3D-printed housing that seamlessly integrates into both the fin and fuselage for maximum strength.

A quality servo is essential, and a dedicated curve on the TX elevator input is required to get the best out of the mad stab for "flipping good fun" An MG90 9g servo simply wont suffice!  With a smaller output arm on the servo, more resolution can be obtained if the Mad Stab flips aren't for you!