THE VMC PILOT - EASY TO BUILD, TRADITIONAL FLYING FUN
The VMC Pilot is a high wing cabin sports model designed for fun flying. This is not a scale model based on a real (or what modellers call the "prototype" aircraft, but is designed purely as a flying model. Sports models come in many guises and are often flown in competitions that are purely about flying duration, with many different sets of rules and regulations governing their size and shape. Often these models bear no resemblance to a real aircraft at all, with thin tubular fuselages, no undercarriage and very long thin wings.
A cabin sports model is one that has a "cockpit" where a notional pilot could sit, with fewer compromises to the size and shape for duration. Therefore, it sits between a scale model and a pure duration model both in the way it looks and the way it performs.
These models are much easier to build and fly than their scale model counterparts and therefore form an ideal starting point for a new modeller.
YOUR KIT
This kit is for building a traditionally constructed, rubber-powered, free-flight cabin sports model of an original design by the Vintage Model Company (VMC). Construction of the model from this kit uses simple balsa wood surfaces and the traditional method of ‘stick and tissue’ for the wings; that is to say, a built up balsa wood skeleton (framework), covered with a tissue skin. The balsa wings are built over a plan printed at their exact scale. Power is provided by a rubber strip motor that is wound up before flight.
Free-flight means just that once the model is launched it is on its own. It must follow a pre-determined flight path established when the model is initially adjusted for flight or "trimmed". Also in the spirit of traditional kits, additional items required to build the model are things that can be found in the kitchen drawer or are easily available on the high street.
INCLUDED IN YOUR KIT
- Three balsa sheets with precise laser cut parts and strip wood.
- PVA glue for building the wooden frames.
- Piece of P400 Sandpaper.
- Pre-formed wire main undercarriage.
- Three low friction plastic nose bushings - one for the propeller and two for the undercarriage wheels.
- Three cocktail sticks /toothpicks to use as dowels.
- One 150mm diameter plastic propeller.
- One pre-bent motor hook and shaft.
- Coloured covering tissue.
- Piece of clear acetate for the windows and "trim tabs".
- Lightweight printed paper graphics sheet.
- Two rubber bands to secure the wings.
- Rubber motor strip.
- Two building plan sheets.
- Parts reference sheet.
Only Suitable For Ages 14+
Choking Hazard - Contains small parts, keep out of reach of children.
MARKINGS SHEET
Here is the markings/pattern sheet included in your kit for you to download and print out at home.
Click on the image to download the file.
CHRISTMAS 2024 DELIVERY INFORMATION
The workshop will be closed from 12pm Friday 20th December 2024 until 9am Monday 6th January 2025.
Any orders placed while the workshop is closed will be despatched in the week starting Monday 6th January 2025.
We will monitor emails during the period we are closed, but replies may take longer than usual.
Thank you for your custom over the past year - we look forward to serving you again next year.
Wishing you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
The VMC Team
UK SHIPPING
Most orders are shipped via Royal Mail’s Tracked 48 service.
We are in a very rural location and so our Royal Mail collection is at around 1pm.
Example:
An order placed before 12pm on Monday should be with you on Wednesday.
An order placed after 12pm on Monday should be with you on Thursday.
For larger or heavier orders, we use APC to deliver your package on a Next Working Day service.
Example:
An order placed before 10am on Monday should be with you on Tuesday.
An order placed after 10am on Monday should be with you on Wednesday.
Shipping is free to UK Mainland addresses for orders over £30.00, otherwise we charge £6.00 for Royal Mail Tracked 48 parcels and £12.00 for APC Next Working Day.
NORTHERN IRELAND
Unfortunately, for the purposes of the new EU GPSR regulations introduced on 13th December 2024, Northern Ireland falls under EU jurisdiction.
Until we have worked out how to comply with the new rules, we will not send items to Northern Ireland.
We are really sorry about this and hope to have a solution in place sometime in 2025.
SCOTTISH HIGHLANDS & UK ISLANDS
Royal Mail considers the Scottish Highlands and UK Islands as part of the UK and so does not charge a premium for deliveries.
Pretty much all other UK couriers have surcharges for deliveries to the following postcodes: IV, HS, KA27-28, KW, PA20-49, PA60-78, PH17-26, PH30-44, PH49-50, ZE, IM, TR21-25
If you live in one of these postcodes and the parcel size of your order is outside Royal Mail's dimensions, you will have to pay a surcharge.
Our system is not clever enough to work this out and so if your order attracts a surcharge, we will contact you before despatch to see if you would like to pay the surcharge and proceed with the order or cancel and receive a full refund.
INTERNATIONAL SHIPPING
EU COUNTRIES
On 13th December 2024, the EU introduced new regulations with respect to product safety called GPSR.
There was very little publicity or notice given to small UK businesses about the new regulations, but needless to say, to comply will be time-consuming, onerous and probably expensive.
Unfortunately, until we have worked out how to comply with the new rules, we will not send items to EU countries.
We are really sorry about this and hope to have a solution in place sometime in 2025.
Smaller items
Items that fit within Royal Mail International Tracked Medium Parcel parameters (59cm x 17cm x 15cm weighing less than 2kg) can be sent to most countries outside the UK.
For example up to 3 of our smaller 18” wingspan kits can fit into one of these parcels.
A parcel like this currently costs around £18 to send to the USA and will take up to 3 weeks to arrive. This is because Royal Mail hands over the parcel to the local Post Office service for your country who have to clear it through customs and then deliver it to you.
The Royal Mail tracking code also transfers over to the tracking for your country’s postal service.
Larger items
For items that do not fit within Royal Mail International Tracked Medium Parcel parameters, we use standard international couriers such as DHL, FedEx and UPS.
These companies use something called volumetric weights to calculate the cost of shipping.
For example, a Balsa Basics RC bundle kit that measures 102cm x 34cm x 16cm and weighs 2.5 kg is actually calculated at 14kg!
This makes these very expensive to send outside the UK - a large kit can cost nearly £60 to send to the USA.
