RC Sport Flyer Oct 2013 (Vol 18-10)

SHOOT VIDEO WITH THE NEW

1SQ V CAM l

The RC Aircraft Pilots and Builders Magazine

SPLENDOR

and • • • • •

How to Cover Piper PA-28 Plan Easy Mold Making New E-Power Column Learn to Fly on the Apprentice S

USA & CANADA $6.49

Discover F3A Pattern Flying at the Controls of this Outstanding RTF Machine

RC-SF.COM

OCTOBER 2013

DX9 Talk Isn’t Cheap.

It’s Priceless.

NEW SpEktrum™ DX9 9-ChaNNEl traNSmittEr With voice alErtS Keep tabs on telemetry and transmitter functions without ever taking your eyes off what you’re flying. Also features wireless buddy box system and forward programming.

Want to hear more? Go to spektrumrc.com right now for complete details and to find the Spektrum retailer near you.

VISIT

CLICK

CALL

Your Local Retailer

horizonhobby.com

1.800.338.4639

©2013 Horizon Hobby, Inc. Serious Fun and the Horizon Hobby logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of Horizon Hobby, Inc. The Spektrum trademark is used with permission of Bachmann Industries, Inc. 40908

SERIOUS FUN ®

hangar 9

Set Your Sights on the Total Package warbirds

HAN4760 F4U-1D Corsair 60cc

Hangar 9 Warbirds Have the Right Mettle

HAN2790 P-47D-1 Thunderbolt 60 ARF

When it comes to making the whole warbird experience great, only Hangar 9 ARFs have the detail, construction and flight performance to satisfy the most discriminating modeler. All are built with the best balsa and plywood available and covered with a genuine UltraCote trim scheme or an exclusive printing process onto UltraCote that rivals an expertly painted finish. Our attention to detail minimizes your assembly time in a way we hope will help inspire you to add further detail. But what truly sets our warbirds apart is the exquisite flight performance. That’s because Hangar 9 designers are pilots just like you, and know full-well that impressive looks are only half as satisfying as an impressive flight. ®

®

HAN2785 Messerschmitt BF 109 60 ARF

All Hangar 9 Warbirds Include: – True-to-scale accurate representation of the full-scale counterpart – Outstanding flight performance – Exceptionally detailed instruction manual – High level of completion with quality accessories and hardware HAN5035 P-51D Mustang 40 ARF

For the warbird experience you can feel, visit Hangar-9.com

VISIT

Your Local Retailer

CLICK

horizonhobby.com

CALL

1.800.338.4639

© 2013 Horizon Hobby, Inc. Hangar 9, UltraCote, wSerious Fun and the Horizon Hobby logo are registered trademarks of Horizon Hobby, Inc. 41680

SERIOUS FUN ®

Phoenix Edge series ESCs are intended for use in helicopters ranging from 450 to 800 size, and up to 1.20 size fixed wing aircraft.

The all new Vertigo line of heli motors is available for sizes 450, 500, 550, 600 and 700 class helis and offer superior quality and performance.

Jeti a ESPRIT s u l e mod

www.ESPRITMODEL.com

(1) 321-729-4287

www.JetiUSA.com

PG 28

PG 72 DEPARTMENTS

10 14 88 89

PG 66

LEADING EDGE

See why this airplane may be the perfect trainer.

HOT PRODUCTS ADVERTISER INDEX MYSTERY AIRPLANE

BUILD

28

BRISTOL BEAUFIGHTER #3 Learn from a Top Gun professional how to make parts molds.

By David Wigley

34

COVERING THE DALLAIRE SPORTSTER This step-by-step how-to will give you the skills for covering your model to perfection.

By Jeff Troy

42

EASY MODEL MAKING HOW-TO Our master builder explains quick and easy mold making that will save you lots of time.

By Rob Caso

46

6

E-POWER COLUMN #1 Learn the fundamental realationships between voltage, current and resistance.

By Andrew Gibbs RC SPORT FLYER — OCTOBER 2013

HOW TO

52

AEROBATICS PART 7 Learning the basic maneuvers, as detailed in this article, is the way to advance your piloting into 3D flying.

By Daniel Holman

PLAN

58

PIPER AIRCRAFT PA-28 Examine this PA-28 plan to learn how to build your next scale airplane from scratch with balsa and plywood.

By Wendell Hoestler

The new Heli-Max 1SQ V CAM lets you start doing video surveillance

.

PG 62

OCTOBER 2013

Wind About 40 percent throttle is required when pivoting the airplane over the top of the

Slowly and gently release the rudder and throttle inputs as the airplane’s flight path nears a vertical down-line.

hammerhead.

PG 52

Get ready for 3D flying by learning the basics from a pro pilot.

PG 58

As the airplane slows, it loses its wind penetration ability and requires a larger amount of wind

At this point, airspeed is low and lots of wind correction is required.

correction.

As the airspeed increases, the airplane requires less wind

When at a high airspeed, the required wind correction is

correction.

minimal.

PG 72

REVIEW

62

HELI-MAX 1SQ V.CAM Discover how you can do video surveillance with this little quadcopter.

By Max Keppler

FOLLOW US ON TWITTER @RCSPORTFLYER

66

E-Flite APPRENTICE S 15e We show you why this new electric-powered SAFE model may be the best trainer ever.

By Wil Byers / Alyssa Peña

72

HITEC FUN CUB Get a good look at why Devin thinks this little Cub is a fun and easy airplane to fly.

By Devin Troy

80

E-Flite CARBON-Z SPLENDOR If you’ve ever wanted to try F3A pattern flying, this review gives you an inside look at an affordable intro airplane.

By Wil Byers

RC-SF.COM

7

SUBSCRIBE @ RC-SF.COM FOR ONLY $24.95

Editor in Chief:

Wil Byers

Assistant Editors:

Caroline Minard Bess Byers, John Likakis, Asa Clinton

Art Director:

Zhe Meng

Photography:

Wil Byers Bess Byers

Graphic Designers:

Zhe Meng Bess Byers Shi Yuang

Webmaster Contact:

Chang Liang

Office Manager/Circulation:

Heather Villa

Office Assistant:

YinZi Cui

Circulation:

Mike Werner

Marketing:

Wil Byers, Sue Wharton ads@rc-sf.com

web@kionapublishing.com support@kionapublishing.com

Contributing Editors: Don Bailey, Rob Caso, Gene Cope, Daniel Holman, Mike Hoffmeister, Richard Kuns, Bob McGowan, Joe Nave, Vincenzo Pedrelli, Steve Rojecki, Gary Ritchie, Mike Shellim, Jerry Smith, Jeff Troy, James VanWinkle RC Sport Flyer (ISSN: 1941-3467) is published monthly for $24.95 per year by Kiona Publishing, Inc., P.O. Box 4250, W. Richland, WA 99353-4004. Periodicals postage paid at Richland, WA and additional mailing offices.

POSTMASTER: Send address changes to RC Sport Flyer, P.O. Box 4250, W. Richland, WA 99353-4004.

Office: (509) 967-0831 Hours: M–Th 8-4, Closed Fri, Sat & Sun. Subscriptions: kionasubscribe.com Toll Free (Orders Only) (866) 967-0831 Editor/Ads/Design: (509) 967-0832 E-mail: subscriptions@kionapublishing.com Fax Number: (509) 967-2400 Ask for RC Sport Flyer at your local hobby shop!

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Hobby Shop Orders (800) 558-1544 ext. 818 www.retailers.kalmbach.com

Hobby Shop distribution by: Kalmbach Publishing Co. (800) 558-1544 ext. 818 Subscriptions: USA and possessions and Canada: $24.95 per year, $54.95 overseas.

Washington residents add 8.3% sales tax. Single copies $6.49 plus $3.50 S&H U.S. All payments must be in U.S. funds. Visa, Mastercard, Amex, and Discover accepted. Send to: RC Sport Flyer – Circulation, P.O. Box 4250, W. Richland, WA 99353-4004.

Please allow eight weeks for change of address.

MEDIA USE:

Contributions: Articles and photographs are welcome, but cannot be considered unless guaranteed exclusive. When requested we will endeavor to return all materials in good condition if accompanied by return postage. RC Sport Flyer assumes no responsibility for loss of or damage to editorial contributions received. Any material accepted is subject to possible revision at the discretion of the publisher. Publisher assumes no responsibility for accuracy of content. Opinions of contributing authors do not necessarily reflect those of the publisher.

RC Sport Flyer will retain author’s rights, title to and interest in the editorial contributions as described above in both print and electronic media unless prior arrangement has been made in writing. Payment for editorial materials will be made at our current rate. Submission of editorial material to RC Sport Flyer expresses a warranty by the author that such material is in no way an infringement upon the rights of others. The contents of this magazine may not be reprinted traditionally or electronically without permission of the publisher.

FOR PRESENTATION PROJECTIONS, FLAT SCREEN MONITORS, CRT MONITORS USE

a. HEXACHROME #09195B or b. R = 9 G = 25 B = 91

FOR PRINT (Lithography, Screen printing), USE

a. PMS 294 Uncoated b. C = 95 M = 65 Y = 17 K=5

All rights reserved.

RC SPORT FLYER — OCTOBER 2013

graphics@rc-sf.com

graphics@rc-sf.com

Copyright ©2013

8

wil@rc-sf.com

Printed in the USA

or

WIL BYERS

Q

uite some time ago I shared with you three ways that magazines make the money required to continue publishing. The first is by selling and distributing enough copies to garner huge ad rates, and therefore keep subscription prices low. The second is to sell so many subscriptions that the cost of producing the magazines per copy is very, very low—with little need to sell advertising. Then there is the third way, which is to sell both subscriptions and display ads, a business model that many publishers follow. It has worked for publishers almost since the time that Johannes Gutenberg revolutionized printing with the first press in 1450.

Much has changed since then, especially since January 27, 2010, when the first generation iPad was introduced. While there have been mega changes in content delivery beginning with e-mail, and then the worldwide web, the publishing paradigm has literally blown up since the introduction of the iPad and digital tablets.

Today publishers are being asked to deliver their content in many forms and facets. For example, publishers must now deliver hardcopy (paper) magazines, have tablet-compatible versions, deliver digital newsletters by e-mail on a monthly basis that is streamed from a website, have a website that is updated regularly or is blogged, provide video content via YouTube®, have a Facebook® presence, tweet via Twitter, provide images via tumbler (with captions), and post to the message boards as well.

To say it is overwhelming is an understatement. Moreover, the advertisers are forced to stretch their budgets thin to get their message in front of their potential customers. That means that publishers are now being asked to do more, more and more, but with budgets that remain unchanged over the last few years, if not the last decade. Consequently, publishers’ assets are absolutely stretched to their limits too.

What that means to you, the information consumer, is that while you have more and more choices from which to get your content, sometimes that content is not what it might otherwise be in terms of quality, technicality and accuracy. The reality is that when publishers are squeezed they must cut costs, which inevitably means fewer dollars dedicated to buying high-quality content.

Therefore, readers are left searching the Internet for content that sometimes may be incomplete at best.

I can tell you that we’ve felt the groundswell of change in publishing here at RC Sport Flyer magazine over the last few years. I’m 100 percent confident that other magazines have experienced it as well—that goes for those magazines that publish a few thousand copies to those that publish a few million copies every month, and it applies in every magazine category.

Here is the reality for RC Sport Flyer’s customers: We must raise our U.S. subscription price to $29.95 per year (12 issues) starting with our November 2013 issue. Our cover price will remain at $6.49 per issue. Then too, beginning with our November issue, we will offer a digital-edition price of only $21.95 per year (12 issues). The digital issues will be for iPad, Droid, and miscellaneous tablets, and will be web browser compatible. These issues will include hypertext links for all the ads and digital references. Often there will be links to videos—both instructional and entertaining. Note too, that we will be putting all of our back issues online in digital form over the next few months. In so doing, you will have available to you those issues all the way back to Volume 01-01, which was published in April of 1995. We will also begin publishing our monthly digital newsletter. It will be absolutely FREE to anyone and everyone— you can even share it with your friends the world over. I would like to underscore that the newsletter and the magazine will have contrasting content, so don’t expect to read the same in both. We will also be updating our Facebook, Twitter and blog (rc-sf.com) regularly. Note that across our content delivery methods, we will endeavor to provide content that is clear, concise and easy to read as well as understandable and accurate.

If you like what we publish in these future issues and the format, please share it with your RC aviation friends. By doing so, you will help us to sell display ads to those companies that support the industry—our business model is to sell magazine subscriptions as well as display ads. It is pretty simple: The more readers we have, the easier it is to sell advertisements to the hobby merchandisers, which means we can then publish more high-quality content. It’s fundamental to publishing. It is fun and informative for you too—at least that is what we are striving to do.

Oops, I made a mistake in last month’s column saying that infrared radiation damages your skin. It does not. It is ultraviolet radiation that does harm to your skin and puts you at risk of skin cancer.

Till next month, think and fly like a pro pilot.

APC Competition propellers for the intermediate and

advanced sport flyer as well as the competition community.

Over 400 pitch/diameters available ranging from slow-flyer electric to High performance Giant Scale Racers.

Visit the APC Prop Website for product selection and detailed information on product design and features.

LANDING PRODUCTS All propellers are in stock and overnight delivery is available.

Proudly made in the USA

10

RC SPORT FLYER — OCTOBER 2013

1222 Harter Ave., Woodland, CA 95776 (530) 661-0399 est. 1989 by Mr. Fred Burgdorf

The Silent Thriller NEW ParkZone® Ka-8 Sailplane

Since its introduction over 50 years ago, the full-scale Ka-8 has smitten sailplane pilots the world over with its graceful lines, smooth flight characteristics and outstanding thermal performance. The ParkZone® Ka-8 sailplane is a faithful reproduction of this soaring classic that’s going to win your heart without making a sound.

Measuring an impressive 2.25 meters, wingtip to wingtip, it comes equipped with elevator, aileron and rudder control, as well as wing spoilers that look and operate like the real thing. You can launch it using the E-flite® Hi-Start launch system (EFLA650) or equip it for aerotow operations with an E-flite Servoless Payload Release (EFLA405), both sold separately.

Never before has the thrill of 2 meter scale soaring been this easy to enjoy.

Go to parkzone.com right now for complete details and to find the ParkZone retailer near you.

Wingspan: Length: Weight: Receiver: Servos:

Battery: Charger: Transmitter:

88.6 in (2250mm) 41.0 in (1100mm) 27.7 oz (785 g) Spektrum™ 6-channel DSM2®/DSMX® sport receiver (installed on BNF only) 2 x SV80 short lead (PKZ1080) 2 x SV80 long lead (PKZ1081) 1 x DSV130 (PKZ1090) 2S 1300mAh Li-Po (included with BNF only) 2-cell Li-Po balancing (included with BNF only) Full-range 4+ channel DSM2®/DSMX® required (sold separately)

BNF (PKZ6680)

PNP (PKZ6675)

VISIT

Your Local Retailer

CLICK

horizonhobby.com

CALL

1.800.338.4639

© 2013 Horizon Hobby, Inc. ParkZone, just fly., Serious Fun and the Horizon Hobby logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of Horizon Hobby, Inc. The Spektrum trademark is used with permission of Bachmann Industries, Inc. 41747

SERIOUS FUN.™

Carbon Fiber Propellers •Unique carbon fiber production method, •Crafted for top quality & maximum effectiveness at competitive prices, •Quick to spool-up and highly responsive •100% attention from hub to tip for optimum performance, •Every prop is individually inspected & pre-balanced for immediate use from paceage,* •Newest launched in the US market - check website for new sizes.

Gas Carbon Fiber Props

Electric Carbon Fiber Props

US Distributors Aeroworks

www.aero-works.net info@aero-works.net Phone:303-371-4222; Fax:303-371-4320

Bobs Hobby Center

www.bobshobbycenter.com derjager@msn.com Phone:(407)277-1248; Fax:(407)282-7281

Maxx Products International,LLC

www.maxxprod.com sales@maxxprod.com Phone:(847)438-2233, Fax:(847)438-2898, Ordering:(800)416-6299

Canada Distributor Thunderbolt RC

www.thunderboltrc.com Phone:519-971-1975

jeff@thunderboltrc.com

For more information,please visti our webstie

www.falconhobby.com

Bell Electronic Technologies MEMS

Bell Electronic Technologies 529 Shadow Lane Yreka, CA 96097 Phone: 530-842-3150 aeroperfect.com

U

se your laptop or desktop PC to set up your RC aircraft, and do so with 0.01 degrees of precision. With their new unit, there’s no need to level your aircraft. Simply plug in the two-axis MEMS angle sensor—it comes with a USB 2.0 cable. Then you can set up control throws, wing incidence, decalage and engine thrust angle using the intuitive Graphical User Interface. You can even convert control throws that were expressed in inches or millimeters to degrees with a single click of your computer’s mouse. AeroPerfect™ is compatible with Windows 7/8, Vista, XP.

Bold Props

Frank Tiano Enterprises West Pipkin Road Lakeland, FL 33880 franktiano.com

F

rank Tiano Enterprises, better known as FTE, recently released a new line of propellers they believe may become the “Go To” product for the majority of RC power pilots.

BOLD Props are made by a company that manufactures propellers for full-scale, ultra-

C-Ray 180

Horizon Hobby, Inc. 4105 Fieldstone Road Champaign, IL 61822 Phone: 217-352-1913 horizonhobby.com

T

he E-flite C-Ray 180 PNP flying wing is a clever airplane designed with simplicity in mind, so that you can catch a flight at any cavalier moment. Its lightweight Z-Foam® construction makes it possible to bounce back from crashes with minimal impact to its flying performance. The sleek lines of its design include a copious amount of wing area for increased stability. Not to be caged,

14

RC SPORT FLYER — OCTOBER 2013

light aircraft. They know propellers! FTE has taken their superior product, and by going direct to the modeler is able to offer highquality propellers at lower than customary pricing.

Frank Tiano promises these new propellers

are as good, or better, than anything available today, but he is selling them for less. BOLD is offering sizes for 15- to 500-cc-size engines.

They range from 14- to 42-in. diameters.

Finally, BOLD Props will custom-make any size propeller you or your company may need.

its custom power system delivers spirited performance that you can enjoy. Out of the box, the C-Ray 180 is ready to accept the Spektrum®-compatible micro-class receiver and transmitter. Fast or slow, you’ll find its performance comfortable whether drawing

circles in the sky or just clowning around, flying with friends for some cool combat fun.

Price $99.99 (EFL3075)

HOT PRODUCTS

RCGF 26-cc Gas Engine

BP Hobbies LLC 115 Stryker Lane Building 4 Unit 10 Hillsborough, NJ 08844 Phone: 908-431-5603 bphobbies.com

B

P Hobbies announces the arrival of the new, RCGF 26-cc “Beam Mount Version” gasoline-powered engine. This engine produces 2.95 hp and can turn an 18 x 8 propeller at 7000 rpm. The 26 is a lightweight,

Common Sense GPS Speed Meter

Specifications Common Sense RC PO Box 3546 Chatsworth, CA 91313 Phone: 866-405-8811 commonsenserc.com

T

his handy GPS Speed Meter can tell you all that and more! It displays your current GPS coordinates and records your entire trip, allowing you export the data to your PC and track where your aircraft or vehicle has been.

FieldMate Pro Electric Field Box

compact design that employs a rail-mount system. The RCGF 26-cc, beam-mount engine weighs 900 g (≈32 oz) with ignition and muffler. All RCGF engines come with propeller adapter, muffler, two beams, spark plug, electronic CDI ignition, twoyear manufacturer’s warranty and a 30-day BP Hobbies return warranty. Replacement parts and fee-based servicing are available from BP Hobbies. BP Hobbies is the exclusive RCGF distributor for the U.S. and Canada. RCGF Engines are available at your local hobby store or at BPHobbies.com.

Horizon Hobby, Inc. 4105 Fieldstone Road Champaign, IL 61822 Phone: 217-352-1913 horizonhobby.com

Features

Recording capacity

Six hours

Battery life

2 .5 hours

Requires

USB cord (not included)

GPS Coordinator

Displays current longitude and latitude as well as total distance traveled. Records GPS coordinates of entire trip allowing you to track an aircraft or vehicle using the GPSLogger software that you download to your PC.

Speedometer

Displays current speed and records top speed and average speed

Altimeter

Records peak altitude

GPS Software

Also allows you to export your data to Google Earth for more advanced GPS logging

Power

Built-in, rechargeable, 200-mAh LiPo battery

Price $99.95 It also records top speed and top altitude that can be instantly reviewed once you’re done flying or racing.

you have easy access to parts and pieces, and there is plenty of storage for the equipment you have and need most.

EFLA180 $69.99

T

he E-flite FieldMate Pro Electric Field Box is the ideal choice for RC pilots who want an organized container that can carry everything required to help them have a great time flying electric-powered aircraft. The box comes fully assembled and is built from high-quality materials. It is finished such that it will stand the test of time. Finally, it is engineered so that FOLLOW US ON TWITTER @RCSPORTFLYER

RC-SF.COM

15

Pulsar 4E Pro

Esprit 1240 Clearmont St NE, Unit 12 Palm Bay, FL 32905 Phone: 321-729-4287 espritmodel.com

T

constructed using free-flight techniques. The wing is a balsa, built-up, carbon-fiber and Kevlar D-box design that utilizes carbonfiber-faced balsa ribs and carbon-fiber trailing edge. The open section of the wing, as well as the tail parts, are covered with UltraCote®.

The fuselage is made of white, gel-coated Kevlar with carbon-fiber-tapered boom and removable, fiberglass/Kevlar nose cone. The

three-piece wing and two-piece conventional tail are easily removable for transport and storage. The rudder and elevator servos install in the vertical fin. The careful use of composites, combined with an underlying wood structure in the wing, ensure a good light structure that will hold its shape for a long time. This is an extremely light, highperformance model.

he Pulsar 4E Pro is the largest addition to the ever-growing Pulsar family of hand-made, electric-powered sailplanes.

Built at our request, this model is an evolution of the mid-sized, 2.5-m Pulsar. The Pulsar 4E models use the AG25 modified airfoil, which was designed by Dr. Mark Drela specifically for 3-m and larger thermal duration airplanes. Just like its smaller cousins, the entire model is

Hangar 9® Cirrus® SR22T 30-cc ARF

Horizon Hobby, Inc. 4105 Fieldstone Rd. Champaign, IL 61822 (217) 352-1913 Hangar-9.com horizonhobby.com

T

he Hangar 9 Cirrus SR22T 30-cc ARF is an officially licensed, giant-scale reproduction of the aviation star. A clear leader in modern civil airplane design, Cirrus Aircraft creations are as stylish as they are advanced.

Their modern engineering methods offer performance conventionally built aircraft can’t match, especially when combined with a premium level of comfort and functionality.

The latest SR22T offers single-engine aircraft enthusiasts a contemporary and luxurious beauty true to its trend-setting heritage.

Features • Officially licensed by Cirrus Aircraft • Scale-inspired SR22T paint scheme • Authentic scale outline and contours • Fiberglass fuselage, all-wood wings, foamcore stabilizer • Shares the same solid handling and performance characteristics as the full size • Removable right and left access doors; tinted windows • Two-piece, plug-in wing with carbon-fiber tube spar • Authentic flap system and airfoil-shape tail surfaces

16

RC SPORT FLYER — OCTOBER 2013

• Includes scale aluminum spinner (optional, three-bladed spinner available) • Landing gear mounts to fuselage for easy transport and assembly • Fiberglass, flush-mounted cowl and fiberglass wheel pants • Includes installation options for gas and electric power With the modern, civilian, scale RC pilot in mind, this stylish, IMAA-legal, Hangar 9 model matches every refined curve, as well as the character of the full-size airplane perfectly. The fiberglass-fuselage construction and fully balsa-sheeted wings and control surfaces deliver amazing flight characteristics that are both smooth and stable. Additional convenience features, including removable doors for easy internal access, factory-located hinges, slotted flaps, plus an aluminum spinner, contribute to its scale accuracy and modern appeal. Both the recommended 33-cc gas engine and electric power system easily

Specifications Wingspan

97.0 in. (2.46 m)

Wing area

930 in.2 (60.0 dm2)

Length

66 in. (1.67 m)

Weight range

16.3–18 lb (7.4–8.2 kg)

Radio

6+ channel with 9 servos (8 for electric)

Engine

Gas 33-cc

Motor

Power 160

mount inside the cowling, plus the highquality hardware package is complete so that you can enjoy a distinctive, civilian-aircraft flight experience as soon as possible.

(HAN5020) $649.99

HOT PRODUCTS

Hangar 9® P-51D Mustang 40 ARF

Horizon Hobby, Inc. 4105 Fieldstone Rd. Champaign, IL 61822 Phone: 217-352-1913 horizonhobby.com

T

he Hangar 9 P-51D Mustang 40 ARF is a unique take on the historic fighter. Along with its authentic trim scheme and decals, it includes an impressive list of scale details usually available only on more expensive kits.

It’s also been designed with a low parts count, so assembly is simple. The overall construction delivers an outstanding sense of realism and the opportunity to choose the power system you enjoy. Whether it’s gas, glow or electric power, hardware for either option is included in the kit, plus you can enhance this fighter even further by making the optional flaps operational. Electric retracts are an easy option too and installation is just a bolt-in operation.

Features • Hangar 9 quality construction using balsa and lightweight plywood • Genuine UltraCote® covering • Retract-ready using optional E-flite® electric, 85-degree, main retracts (available separately) • Painted fiberglass cowl and radiator scoop • Scale-shaped, two-blade spinner included • Scale details such as simulated exhaust, machine guns and antenna mast are included • Fuselage top hatch allows easy access to batteries and internally hidden switches • Operational flap option requires just one additional mini servo • Steerable tailwheel in the scale location

Ka-8 Sailplane BNF

Horizon Hobby, Inc. 4105 Fieldstone Road Champaign, IL 61822 Phone: 217-352-1913 horizonhobby.com

• Ready for gas, glow or electric power choices • Three sets of aircraft livery decals • All hardware included A popular mission given to the Mustangequipped fighter squadrons of the 8th Air Force was the Ramrod—a code word derived from classic cowboy tales to describe fighters escorting bombers in and out of treacherous territory. Among the 355th Fighter Group, the 357th Fighter Squadron included many elite Mustang riders who patrolled the European theater between 1944 and 1945. The Hangar 9 P-51D Mustang 40 is a tribute to those “cowboys” and comes out of its kit box covered in the appropriate colors. Decal sets will let you customize your model after three notable fighters, including OS-F “Tiger’s Revenge” used

by Lt. William Lyons, OS-A “Jersey Bounce” flown by Lt. Victor Iglesias, or OS-S “Luscious Lu” piloted by Lt. Robert Garlich.

In the air, the P-51D Mustang 40 possesses all the best characteristics of a spirited sport airplane, yet its special attention to outline

German classic sailplane will win the heart of any RC pilot eager to experience scale soaring.

It comes equipped with elevator, aileron and rudder control, as well as wing spoilers that look and operate like the real thing.

You can launch the model using an E-flite

Specifications Wingspan

56 in. (143 cm)

Wing area

560 in.2 (36.1 dm2)

Length

49.5 in. (126 cm)

Weight range

6.25–6.75 lb (2.80–3.10 kg)

Radio

4+ channel with 5 mini servos (4 for electric)

Engine/motor size

2-stroke glow: .46–.52; 4-stroke glow: .72–.82 2-stroke gas/petrol: 10-cc EP: Power 46

and detail will make you think you’re flying a much larger warbird. Whether you’re flying aerobatics or strafing the runway, its smooth, precise, control response will make it feel as though you’re flying on rails.

(HAN5035) $229.99

hi-start launch system or equip it for aerotow operations with the E-flite servoless payload release.

(PKZ6680) Price

$219.99

T

he ParkZone Ka-8 Sailplane is a marvelous reproduction of the full-scale Ka-8, which has smitten thousands of sailplane pilots with its friendly flight characteristics and impressive thermal performance for 50 years. This scale model of the FOLLOW US ON TWITTER @RCSPORTFLYER

RC-SF.COM

17

Kranich Glider

Esprit Model 1240 Clearmont St NE, Unit 12 Palm Bay, FL 32905 Phone: 321-729-4287 espritmodel.com

T

he AP Model’s 1/5-scale version of this beautiful sailplane comes with the fiberglass fuselage and flawless finish in beige gel-coat. The canopy is removable with fiberglass frame and comes ready for completion. The wings are beautifully finished in scale-like Solartex and ready for your aileron and spoiler servos installation. The plug-in wings as well as tail parts are scale-like too, with classic balsa/plywood construction, and are easily removable for transportation.

This model comes in two versions: ARF (Almost Ready to Fly), covered by Solartex iron-on fabric and ARC (Almost Ready to Cover), ready for covering of your choice. All these features give this model performance

Saito™ FG-40 40-cc SingleCylinder Gas Engine

Horizon Hobby, Inc. 4105 Fieldstone Rd. Champaign, IL 61822 (217) 352-1913 saitoengines.com horizonhobby.com

T

he Saito four-stroke gas-powered engines give modelers high-quality standards, matched only by impeccable workmanship.

The RC industry’s most reliable manufacturer of top-quality, gas-powered, four-stroke engines introduces the Saito FG-40 engine. Slightly larger than the FG-36 engine, it provides more power for medium to large airplanes accompanied by the precision craftsmanship, distinguished look and sweet sound of Saito engines. The engine comes with the new, smaller, Saito four-stroke ignition module that provides easy starts and reliable performance with lower power consumption. The specially designed Walbro carburetor features a rotating barrel specially made for four-stroke engines, ensuring reliable fuel feed and outstanding performance at any attitude.

Features • 40-cc displacement for more power than the FG-36 engine

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RC SPORT FLYER — OCTOBER 2013

characteristics similar to a full-scale airplane while still remaining very lightweight and beautifully built. The synergy of low weight and strong structure is very unusual even in a

custom production sailplane and can only be achieved with careful attention to design and construction detail.

• Smaller Saito four-stroke ignition module provides easy starts and reliable performance with a lower power consumption

Four-stroke Saito engines are famous for: • Specially designed Walbro carburetor • Includes exhaust header and muffler • Aluminum, beam-style engine mount included • 3-year limited warranty

Specifications Type

4-stroke airplane

Fuel

20:1 gas/oil mix

Displacement

2.5 cu in. (40.2 cc)

Bore

1.6 in. (40 mm)

Stroke

1.3 in. (32 mm)

Cylinder type

Ringed

Weight w/ muffler & ignition

50.6 oz (1440 g)

Crankshaft thread

M12 x 1.25

Rpm range

1,700–8,000

Propeller range

19 x 10–21 x 10

(SAIEG40) Price: $799.99

HOT PRODUCTS

Jeti Phasor Motor

Esprit Model 1240 Clearmont St NE, Unit 12 Palm Bay, FL 32905 Phone: 321-729-4287 espritmodel.com

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quality. The new Jeti line of motors are made using 20-mm, 4-pole rotors wrapped in Kevlar and designed to withstand up to 70,000 rpm.

The stators have been built using the thinnest possible laminations for the highest possible efficiency in this category of motors.

he Phasor Race motor design represents the best combination of high performance and durability. The complete line of Jeti Phasor motors targets mainly professionals and competition FAI F5B, F5F and F5J pilots looking for uncompromised precision and

After Run Engine Oil keeps engines running in top condition

After Run Engine Oil comes in a convenient 2 fl. oz. bottle.

Great Planes P.O. Box 9021 Champaign, IL 61821 Phone: 800-637-7660 greatplanes.com

C

onsider After Run Engine Oil an inexpensive insurance policy against costly repairs. Simply pour a few drops into the engine after every running to provide lubrication that protects bearings and internal parts from corrosion. It also helps prevent gum and varnish buildup. The clear formula won’t stain clothes, hands or tools, and can be used with both 2-stroke and 4-stroke engines.

Features • Provides protection from corrosion for bearings and internal parts • Helps prevent gum and varnish buildup • New clear formula won’t stain clothes, hands, tools or field box

Flip 3D Sailplane/ Electro

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Esprit Model 1240 Clearmont St NE, Unit 12 Palm Bay, FL 32905 Phone: 321-729-4287 espritmodel.com

he Flip 3D, with its full-flying elevator, is capable of incredible aerobatics. With the big elevator throws and large, full-span ailerons, Slope 3D flying is possible. The tall but narrow fuselage design gives the Flip 3D great knife-edge flight characteristics as well.

Although designed for the slope, the Flip’s

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• Great for 2- or 4-stroke engines • Easy to use; just pour into exhaust port or glow plug hole after each running After Run Engine Oil 2 fl. Oz (GPMP3001) $3.49 After Run Engine Oil Display Pack (12) (GPMP3006) $47.88

light wing loading means that it thermals well and performs well in light wind conditions.

With addition of electric-powered version you do not need strong slope lift conditions; from now on you can enjoy this 3D-capable sailplane anywhere you want. The synergy between low weight and strong structure is very unusual in a production sailplane. As such, it can only be achieved with careful attention to design and construction. The details on this model are outstanding: All seams are sealed and the covering is tight.

This model comes with high-quality European hardware and a well-done illustrated instruction manual. This airplane is incredibly stable and a predictable flyer, suitable for beginners as well as advanced pilots.

RC-SF.COM

19

P-47D-1 Thunderbolt 60 ARF

Horizon Hobby, Inc. 4105 Fieldstone Road Champaign, IL 61822 Phone: 217-352-1913 horizonhobby.com

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he Hangar 9 P-47D-1 60 ARF is a remarkable tribute for the scale RC pilot who wants an authentic warbird, sized to pack a punch. The P-47D-1 comes with several scale features that are included in the kit box, such as scale tires and wheels, scale spinner nut, scale-like flat finish and operational flaps, to name a few. Plug-in wings make transport and storage fast and convenient. No matter what power system you favor, all the hardware is

Hitec Extra 300S

Hitec RCD 12115 Paine Street Poway, CA 92064 Phone: 858-748-6948 hitecrcd.com

Features Motor

WB3720 600Kv outrunner

ESC

50-amp WE50A

Propeller

12 x 8 three-blade

RC Functions

Ailerons, elevator, throttle and rudder

Specifications Wingspan

47.2 in.

Weight

3.1 lb

Length

42.5 in.

Stock #13609

$219.99

Aeronaut White Turbo Spinners for 2-Blade Folding Propellers

Esprit Model 1240 Clearmont St NE, Unit 12 Palm Bay, FL 32905 Phone: 321-729-4287 espritmodel.com

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hese turbo spinners from Aeronaut not only look great on soaring machines flying through the air, but are quite functional. They are built with an integral cooling system, aluminum backplate and white plastic cap.

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RC SPORT FLYER — OCTOBER 2013

included to go as gas, glow or electric power, plus a large hatch provides quick access to critical components. Furthermore, four sets of graphics and group numbers are included so

the squadron at your RC airfield can perform in the air or on the flight line with distinction.

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Includes • Assembled airframe • Installed servos • ESC • Brushless motor

ur Extra 300S offers sport-scale aerobatics in a durable, nimble package perfect for low-stress, weekend fun! The EPO foam airframe comes pre-painted in an eye-catching color scheme with a highperformance brushless motor and servos, preinstalled! The model features four-channel control that delivers unlimited aerobatics.

Dazzle your friends with your own private airshow!

(HAN2790) $349.99

Recommended Equipment • Hitec Optic 6 Sport or Aurora 9 transmitter • Hitec Optima 6 receiver • 2200–2500-mAh 3- or 4-cell LiPo

HOT PRODUCTS

Hitec eHawkeye

Hitec RCD 12115 Paine Street Poway, CA 92064 Phone: 858-748-6948 hitecrcd.com

snuggly into the fuselage without tools and can be easily removed to go back in its box for compact storage and travel. Easy to hand launch with an efficient folding propeller for low-drag gliding, the eHawkEye allows for a full weekend of flying fun!

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he eHawkEye adds the excitement of electric power and radio control to our popular, free-flight HawkEye glider.

This model features a durable foam airframe with a preinstalled brushless motor and servos. The wing fits/slots

Specifications Specifications

22 in.

Weight

4.2 oz

Length

20.5 in.

Wing area

93 in.2

Wing loading

6.5 oz/ft 2

Stock #13607

$99.99

Features

Includes • Assembled airframe • Installed servos • ESC • Brushless motor • Prop and spinner

Motor

WB1605 2200-Kv brushless outrunner

ESC

6-amp WE6A

Prop

5.5x3 folding

RC Functions

3 Channels–rudder, elevator & throttle

Recommended Equipment • Optic 5 Tx • Minima 6L Rx • 400–450-mAh 7.4-V LiPo battery

charging solution.

X1-200 Touch 200-Watt DC Input, MultiChemistry, Touch-Screen Battery Charger

Hitec RCD 12115 Paine Street Poway, CA 92064 Phone: 858-748-6948 hitecrcd.com

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ust one more thing to add to the wish list.

Hitec is proud to announce the arrival of our high-performance, microprocessor-controlled X1-200 touch charger. With its 3.2-in. LCD touch screen, integrated cell balancer and automatic current adjustment, this 200-watt charge/discharge station has the ability to operate on a 12-volt automotive battery or 11to 18-volt DC power supply. The X1-200 Touch package includes a universal balancing board with paired cable, two alligator clips and a 2-pin, T-type charging cable. Easy to use and easy to set up, it is your convenient, proficient,

Number AC Input of Output Voltage Channels 1

N/A

Features • Charges NiMH, NiCd, LiPo, LiFe, Li-Ion and lead acid batteries • Adjustable charge current rate of 0.1 – 12.0 amps • Internal balancing circuit • 3.2-in., High-resolution touch screen • Optimized operating software Stock# 44209

$119.99

DC Input Voltage

DC Input Amperage

Charge Circuit Power Per Channel

Discharge Circuit Power Per Channel

Charge Circuit Range Per Channel

Discharge Circuit Range Per Channel

Balancing Current Drain Per Cell

Dimensions

Weight

11~18 VDC

15 Amps

200 Watts

5 Watts

0.1~12.0 Amps

0.1~2.0 Amps

200mAh

5.5x6.5x2.3

1.2 lb

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21

JR XG14

JR Americas Inc PO Box 8757 Champaign, IL 61826 jramericas.com

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rue 14 channels, the new JR X Bus capability, combined with JR’s finest gimbals ever, make the new JR XG14 the best choice in pro-level systems. While other largechannel systems offer only 10 or less “nonshared” channels, and achieve the additional channels through “sharing” (splitting update rates between channels to expand) or expansion, JR’s XG14 is a true, “non-shared”, 14-channel system.

In addition, thanks to JR’s creative programming and DMSS sophistication, the XG14’s 14 channels can be accessed through the use of two JR RG731BX X Buss receivers, creating not only true, 14-channel access, but a redundant airborne system as well.

Based on our Premium Gimbals found only in the Flagship 12X professional systems, our new, CNC-machined, premium aluminum gimbal base provides the ultimate in precision feel, with no flexing during quick and full stick extremes as found with standard plastic gimbals. JR’s new Premium Gimbals with CNC base will truly have you “feeling the difference.”

The New XG14 is also JR’s first system to offer the new, JR X Bus, digital, serial data

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RC SPORT FLYER — OCTOBER 2013

communication technology. When purchased with the new, JR RG731BX X Bus Receiver, the XG14 is capable of connection of up to four servos per channel via the X Bus serial connector. When using the XG14 X Bus feature, this allows for connection of up to 56 servos (4 x 14 ch) via special JR X Bus servo harness (available separately). For connection of conventional (non-X Bus) servos, a special, conventional, servo harness converter is also available.

JR World-Championshipwinning, Dual Modulation DMSS for the ultimate, 2.4 RF Link JR’s exclusive, DMSS (Dual Modulation Spectrum System), 2.4-GHz RFprotocol offers a secure and reliable RF link that combines DSSS and FHSS capabilities into a wideband transmission system. This DMSS exclusive combination results in not only high-speed response, but also high resistance to RF interference for unmatched reliability.

JR’s DMSS 2.4 also features a patented JR “Intelligent Output System” (IOS), which automatically selects control signals/ channel priority for channels that need to be transmitted at exactly the same time, and delivers this data as one complete signal frame. JR’s unique IOS ensures there is no time delay/latency for channels used for control surfaces such as a CCPM swashplate on a helicopter, or multiple, servo control surface setups in large aircraft.

Another exclusive JR DMSS feature is its dual-stream, bi-directional, telemetry communication system. JR DMSS transmits all telemetry information through a separate RF stream, rather than through the primary channel stream so as not to reduce or share update rates with critical control channels as is common practice with most all 2.4-GHz protocols.

Receiver voltage telemetry is built in as standard in every DMSS receiver, and add-on sensors will give you real-time feedback of information from your model, such as the rpm of an aircraft propeller or helicopter rotor blades, temperature and variometer/ altimeter readings.

The all-new, XG14 radio system provides the ability to control popular model types within the Airplane, Helicopter or Glider categories, all from the same transmitter.

Special switch labels are provided for each

of the three categories of models, so pilots can customize the switch labeling for their model type. Therefore, these switches are easily identifiable at a glance. Programming is “JR Easy” thanks to the well-proven, intuitive, user interface, with data entered using the JR™ vertical roll selector, as well as the four, pushbutton entry keys. Programming information is clear and concise thanks to the XG14’s large, graphical back-lit LCD display screen.

The XG14 truly has you “feeling the difference” like only a genuine JR system can!

XG14 Systems includes • Receiver choices: RG831B, RG731BX X Bus, RG1131B, or RG1131BPU • Li-Fe 6.4-V, 1400-mAh 2S transmitter battery pack • NEC-A912 JR 9.0-V power adapter • Bind plug • Instruction manual Features • Large, back-lit screen • 30-model internal memory • Airplane, helicopter and glider program options • Premium-grade gimbals with CNCmachined aluminum bases • True, non-shared, 14-channel communication • New JR X Bus serial data system • SD card slot for data sharing, storage and updates (SD card required) • Li-Fe 6.4-V, 1400-mAh 2S Tx battery pack

HOT PRODUCTS

Specifications

• Integrated charging circuit • 9V AC/DC adapter supplied with automatic shutdown • Lightweight (820 g) transmitter design • Easily adapts to stick modes 1–4 • Data entry via scroll bar and four pushbutton keys • Telemetry with receiver voltage sensor built in • Optional telemetry sensors available • Stick tension and spring adjustment • Dual trim options

4-Star 54 EG ARF

SIG Mfg. Co., Inc. P. O. Box 520 Montezuma, IA 501710520 Phone: 641-623-5154 sigmfg.com

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he 4-STAR 54 EG ARF is the best midsize RC airplane for transitioning pilots from highwing trainers to low-wing aerobatic aircraft.

With its low-wing, semi-symmetrical airfoil, and a wing loading that would make most trainers proud, the 4-STAR 54 takes you to the next level with all the basic aerobatics and

• Dual side slide-lever controls • Touch Select System for switch selection • New soft switch covers for improved feel and control • User-selected menu for frequently used functions • 8-channel failsafe • User-assigned switch function • Programmable throttle cut

maneuvers your thumbs deliver. If it’s time to give up your trainer and fly a model with more ability, the 4-STAR 54 EG ARF is a good choice.

Designed to get you into the air quickly with a traditional, handcrafted, balsa wood ARF, all wood parts are CAD-drawn, laser cut, and factory jig assembled, so everything fits well. The lightweight airframe is very rugged and has been covered with Oracover® (aka Ultracote®) premium film. Available in yellow or red base colors with complete, factoryapplied markings.

Fly With Electric or Glow Power!

The 4-STAR 54 EG ARF is designed for either electric or glow power. The 4-STAR 54 EG flies

Channels

True 14 non-shared

Modulation

DMSS

Band

2.4 GHz

Receivers 4 options

RG831B, RG731BX, RG1131B, RG1131BPU

Programming features

Airplane, sailplane, helicopter

Model memory

30

Modes

1, 2, 3, 4 selectable

Tx battery

6.4-V 1400-mAh Li-Fe

• Two independent programmable timers

Specifications Wingspan

54 in. (1372 mm)

Wing area

585 in.2 (37.7 dm2)

Length

47.5 in. (1206 mm)

Weight

5–5.5 lb (2268–2495 g)

Wing loading

19.7–21.7 oz/ft2 (60–66 g/dm2)

Radio

4-channel w/ 5 servos (glow) 4-channel w/ 4 servos (electric)

Glow

2-stroke .40–.46 in.2 (6.5–7.5 cc) 4-Stroke .40–.54 in. 2 (6.5–8.8 cc)

Electric

500–800-W motor (800–1000 kv) 60–75-amp ESC 3-4S 3000–5000-mAh LiPo

well with a two-stroke glow engine, a fourstroke glow engine, or a brushless outrunner electric motor with a 3-4 cell LiPo battery.

SIGRC44EGARFR - 4-Star 54 EG ARF (red) SIGRC44EGARFY - 4-Star 54 EG ARF (yellow)

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RC-SF.COM

23

JR® Forza 450 Kit Combo and Super Combo

Horizon Hobby, Inc. 4105 Fieldstone Rd. Champaign, IL 61822 (217) 352-1913 JRhelis.com horizonhobby.com

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he JR Forza 450 is an advanced 3D electric helicopter aimed to uplift the 450-class helicopter community onto a new performance pedestal. Designed around a reputation for quality and built for the pilot who wants the ultimate in extreme 3D flight, JR took everything they loved about their “big” machines and packed them into a convenient yet potent flybarless heli.

Features • Aluminum main and tail, flybarless mechanics • Main bearing blocks with integrated servo mounts • Lightweight, rigid, carbon-fiber frames • Adjustable STF servo horns (included) to provide accurate geometry

• Robust 6-mm main shaft and 4-mm tail shaft • Autorotation-integrated, one-way pinion gear • Helical-tooth main gear for smooth and quiet operation • High-strength, low-drag, belt-drive tail rotor system • Zero-slop, tail-rotor control lever • Available in two combo package options

Specifications

The integrated servo mounting points of the bearing blocks offer both a solid servo location and the accuracy of direct-linkage control of the aluminum swash plate. The servos are also very easy to remove. Adjustable aluminum (JR-type) servo arms are included to provide accurate linkage geometry. The unique autorotation system features one-way bearing in the pinion gear, which simplifies the main gear while also reducing weight.

Helical teeth in the main gear help to keep the drive train smooth and therefore quieter. The large front pulley for the tail drive belt offers lower drag, and the simple, tail-rotor control lever is slop free so you can have a biggerfeeling, 3D heli flight experience.

Completion level

Kit

Type

450-class electric, collective-pitch, flybarless helicopter

Length

26.1 in. (663 mm)

Width

8.74 in. (222 mm)

Height

7.17 in. (182 mm)

Main rotor diameter

28.8 in. (731 mm) with 325-mm blades

Tail rotor diameter

6.12 in. (155.5 mm)

Main blades

325–350 mm

Swash type

120º CCPM

Main shaft diameter

6 mm

Tail shaft diameter

4 mm

Tail drive

Belt

Battery

3S 2200–2500-mAh LiPo

Weight

22.9+ oz (650+ g) depending on blades and battery

Canopy

Factory-finished fiberglass

Two combo packages of the Forza 450 will be available so that you can also choose to take advantage of the new JR Mini TAGS01 flybarless control system available soon.

Forza 450 Combo (TAGS mini, servo, motor, ESC) (JRP988331) $549.99 Forza 450 Combo (servo, motor, ESC)

(JRP988332) $479.99

Secraft Engine Insulation Mount

Esprit 1240 Clearmont St NE, Unit 12 Palm Bay, FL 32905 Phone: 321-729-4287 espritmodel.com

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hese new floating mounts from Secraft not only help prevent damage to the body of your aircraft—from the rough vibrations of the engine—but they quiet the rumble as well.

They are available in blue and red.

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RC SPORT FLYER — OCTOBER 2013

HOT PRODUCTS it all with the super-smooth operation of a dual-ball-bearing output shaft.

Spektrum™ A6180 Standard Digital Metal Gear Aircraft Servo

Horizon Hobby, Inc. 4105 Fieldstone Rd. Champaign, IL 61822 Phone: 217-352-1913 spektrumrc.com horizonhobby.com

(SPMSA6180) Price: $29.99

I

f you’re looking for the most servo performance available for under $30, you must examine the new Spektrum A6180 servo. In addition to providing digital precision and the durability of a metal gear train, it can produce up to 94 oz-in. of torque when powered by a 6-volt receiver pack. And it does

RD Pilots

RD Enterprises 4885 Mt Durban Dr San Diego, CA 92117 Phone: 858-222-4574 premierpilots.net

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he new Premier pilot is a woman general aviation pilot. It weighs only 5.5 oz when it is clothed and ready to install in the model. It is an articulating pilot. Each pilot is fabricated by employing 17 different molds. This is a pilot that lets you create lifelike poses in your aircraft. Each pilot’s shoulders are adjustable in width from 3-3/4 to 4-1/4 in. The shoes and legs can be removed to fit in cockpits with

Specifications Class

Standard

Dimensions

38.8 x 18.8 x 34.9 mm (1.53 x 0.74 x 1.37 in.)

Weight

42 g (1.48 oz)

Torque

6.8 kg-cm (94 oz-in.) @6V 5.9 kg-cm (82 oz-in) @ 4.8 V

Speed

0.14 sec/60º @ 6 V 0.17 sec/60º @ 4.8 V

Bearing

Dual

Gears

Metal

Motor

5-pole ferrite

Voltage

4.8 V or 6 V

limited space. The pilot suit and uniform is sewn from cloth fabric to give it a scale look.

Includes • Cap, sunglasses, headset, parachute bag and harness, and four-point harness with seat belts and watch Accessories • Flight suit, leather jacket and helmet, and goggles Other Pilots • General Aviation, WWI, WWII (USAAF, Luftwaffe and RAF).

Dimensions • Butt to shoe top: 8 in.

• Butt to cap top: 8-3/4 in.

Pilots start at only $129.

Hitec Zipper

Hitec RCD 12115 Paine Street Poway, CA 92064 Phone: 858-748-6948 hitecrcd.com

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ix it up with your friends at the local park or airfield with our agile Zipper. Easy to hand launch and perfect for lunchtime sport aerobatics or weekend club racing fun, the Zipper features durable EPO foam construction and aileron/elevator three-channel control. Take charge of your fun with a Hitec Zipper.

Includes • Assembled airframe FOLLOW US ON TWITTER @RCSPORTFLYER

• Installed servos • ESC • Brushless motor Recommended Equipment • Optic 6 sport transmitter • Minima 6L receiver • 400–450-mAh 11.1-V LiPo battery

Specifications Specifications

23.6 in.

Weight

5.3 oz

Length

21.3 in.

Wing area

93 in.2

Wing loading

8.2 oz/ft 2

Stock #13605

$109.99

Features Motor

WB1605 2500-Kv brushless outrunner

ESC

10-amp WE10A

Prop

4x3

RC functions

3 Channels -throttle, ailerons & elevator

RC-SF.COM

25

HOT PRODUCTS

RC FlightDeck Pilot Pass Delivers Members More Than $2,500 in Deals

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CFlightDeck.com announced the release of the hobby industry’s first, personalized, multi-vendor discount card. Pilot Pass gives members private access to exclusive offers from more than 20 of North America’s top vendors. Vendors provide deals to Pilot Pass members that are great.

The sturdy plastic Pilot Pass bears a QR code unique to each member. When scanned, the code enables the holder to instantly register for events hosted on RC FlightDeck. Event hosts can scan the code on virtually any type of smart phone. In addition, the reverse side of the card displays the membership numbers and turbine waivers for the holder.

Clubs and organizations can set up arrangements to have a club-branded version of the Pilot Pass made for their members in

lieu of a paper membership card. Specially branded cards will carry the organization’s logo on the reverse side of the card in place of the membership information normally presented. The Pilot Pass can then serve as both the organization’s official membership card as well as carry all of the benefits of a standard Pilot Pass.

Pilot Pass is backed by the industry’s top players, including premium sponsors, Tower Hobbies, HeliProz and Hobby Lobby.

Members can also get offers from Horizon Hobby, DuBro, Ohio Power Tools, Global Jet Club, Aerobeez, Aeroworks, KMP, Dreamworks, Icare-RC, Quadrocopter.com, RTL Fasteners, Jersey Modeler, RC Aerodyne, FliteTest, East Coast Scale Helicopters, CARF Models, Great Hobbies, Savox, Epic Helis and 3DX Hobbies.

According to Kranitz, even more vendors are coming on.

FMI: RCPilotPass.com

BY Dave Wigley

BRISTOL BEAUFIGHTER

MAKING THE MOLDED PARTS

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fter the Beaufighter’s basic airframe was framed and sheeted, numerous molded and formed parts needed to be fabricated. Since this aircraft was a scratch-built project, there were no commercially available parts— everything had to be designed and manufactured by me.

For this Top Gun project, the

1

2 On a scale model, molded parts are a necessity if you want to make certain you duplicate the full-scale aircraft’s outlines correctly.

3

This is the balsa mockup of the wing in the area of the nacelle. This will provide an accurate flange on the mold after it is layed up over the plug/wing section mockup.

4 Sections of pink foam are glued together with spray adhesive then station cross sections are layed out.

28

formed parts generally fall into three different types: fiberglass, vacuumformed and cast parts. On the Beaufighter, the molded fiberglass parts included the nacelles, cowls, carburetor intakes, nose radome and oil cooler intakes. The clear canopy and rear cupola are vacuum-formed plastic, so solid plugs were needed for them. The dummy engines, static

RC SPORT FLYER — OCTOBER 2013

Tools used to shape the foam nacelle plug along with cardboard templates used to check for symmetry at the cross sections.

BRISTOL BEAUFIGHTER propeller hubs and blades were resin cast. Flexible silicone molds were made to fabricate them.

For the fiberglass pieces, the steps are as follows: first a plug is made that is the exact shape and dimensions of the finished part.

After the plug is shaped, sanded and polished, a multi-part mold is laid up over the male plug. When the mold is removed from the male plug it forms a female mold. The female mold is then used to form the finished part. This requires a lot of effort for just one or two finished parts.

However, I actually enjoy this phase of a scratch-built project. Working with composites and resins is a nice change of pace from working with wood and building the airframe. The two construction types require very different skill sets.

NACELLES

The plugs for the nacelles were hand carved from pink foam. This material is fairly inexpensive and is available at most home improvement stores.

You’ll find that sometimes you need to glue foam sheets together.

The best way to glue the slabs together is with spray adhesive.

Most other types of glues will leave a hard line at the joint line. You’ll discover that these are difficult to sand and will transfer through to the finished surface. Note too that pink foam is soft enough to be rough shaped quickly using a cheese grater as your tool, then with 80-grit sandpaper and finally with

220-grit. I use cardboard templates to frequently check the shape I’m creating for symmetry. I do so at preset locations or stations on the plug.

The left and right nacelles of the Beaufighter are identical except for the joint at the wing’s surfaces.

This is because the wing is tapered and slightly swept back. The nacelles obviously mount on the wings, so the parts needed to be shaped to fit over the leading edges. I framed and sheeted a mockup of the wing, with a constant cross section of the outboard rib at the nacelle location. As you will see later, this allowed me to make the plug, and to lay up the mold, so that the finished nacelles would have the correct shape at the outboard edge.

Consequently, only larger, inboard edges needed to be trimmed to fit the wing.

7

5 The plug is roughly shaped using the “cheese grater.” This tool is good for removing a lot of material while still keeping a smooth shape.

6 The plug is sanded smooth with 80 then 220 grit sandpaper prior to applying fiberglass cloth and epoxy resin.

8 Successive layers of fiberglass cloth are laid up with epoxy resin over the plug to build up a smooth, strong surface.

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The nacelle plug after being waxed and polished. It is now ready for the parting planes and mold layup.

RC-SF.COM

29

10

9 The nacelle plug is shown in this photo in place on the mockup of the wing, with the parting planes in place and sealed with modeling clay.

The oil coolers on the leading edged of both wings were formed fiberglass layed up in a multi-part mold. The vanes and honeycomb oil cooler duplicate the full-scale Beaufighter.

12

11 The interior structure of the cowl plug and the front lip were formed out of REN tooling board.

13

14 The plug for the cowl is ready for its parting planes in this photo.

The stamped blisters on the aluminum are clearly visible on the part below the cowl ring.

Since I needed two identical nacelles, I chose to add panel lines and rivet details directly on the plug.

They therefore become part of the mold and are transferred to both finished parts.

30

The cowl lip is being turned down to shape on the milling machine.

At ten inches in diameter it was too large for the lathe.

RC SPORT FLYER — OCTOBER 2013

This is the multi-piece cowl mold in progress. At this stage the final section is ready to lay up. Bolt holes are drilled prior to taking the mold apart.

When molding fiberglass parts, it is important to make sure that you put a lot of effort into making a very precise plug—make it as perfect as possible. This will save you a lot of work later when it comes to

producing multiple parts, because any flaws in the plug will be faithfully transferred to the molds and into every part produced thereafter.

After the foam is shaped and finished, layers of fiberglass cloth and

BRISTOL BEAUFIGHTER

15

16 The five-piece cowl mold is shown bolted together. After waxing, polishing, and spraying on PVA mold release, the finished cowl is laid up as one piece inside the mold.

17

The molded fiberglass cowl looks very convincing after it is primed, painted and weathered. Notice the dummy engine that lives inside the cowl.

18 The plug used for vacuum-forming the cupola was fabricated out of Bondo®, which was applied directly on the rear fuselage to ensure that it would fit perfectly to the fuselage’s dorsal area.

epoxy resin are laid up over the plug.

Do not use polyester resin! It will attack and dissolve the foam. For the nacelle molds, I used two layers of 6-oz cloth, followed by a 2-oz layer.

At this point in the plug’s fabrication, it was sanded, primed and then panel lines and rivets were added. Finally, it was waxed then polished.

Laying up the material over the plug to make the mold is the next step. The number of pieces you will lay up over the plug to create the mold depends on the complexity of the part. Note too that parting planes are used to section off the areas that you’ll mold. It is extremely important to know that there can be no negative angles, otherwise you will not be able to separate the mold from the plug. Generally the parting planes are located at the widest parts of the shape.

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Stations were marked on the surface of the plug. Then a shaping gauge was used to make sure the cupola was symmetrical on both sides of the airplane.

For the nacelle I formed a threepiece mold consisting of the top and two lower halves. Thin masonite was used for the parting planes. I covered the planes with clear packing tape to seal them. The planes are temporarily tack glued to the plug with hot glue, and modeling clay is used to seal the small gap between the plug and the parting plane. This is a timeconsuming process, but an important step. Sealing the gap prevents resin from leaking past the parting plane, which would otherwise lock the mold onto the plug.

After the top section of the nacelle mold’s epoxy had cured, the parting planes were removed and the left-bottom side of the mold was added. Finally the lower parting plane was removed and the right-lower part was laid up.

After the three mold sections

were released from the plug, they were waxed and polished in preparation for laying up the finished parts in them. As expected, the panel line and rivet detail had transferred to the mold, so I decided to prime the nacelle in the mold rather than priming the finished part. By doing it this way I didn’t lose any of the detail.

I used epoxy primer in the mold.

Then I started laying up the fiberglass cloth and epoxy resin in the mold while the primer was still tacky. This ensured a very good chemical bond between the primer and the epoxy resin.

OIL COOLER

The oil cooler scoops on the leading edges of the wing, just outboard of the nacelles, were also laid up in a three-piece mold. In this case, the circular lip of the intake was RC-SF.COM

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molded first to make sure that there were no negative angles to trap the plug in the mold.

RADOME

The radome was the easiest to

make. I just bolted a balsa block to the front of the fuselage then carved and sanded it to shape. After it was glassed, sanded, primed and waxed, I laid up a—can you believe it—onepiece mold.

19

I used different materials to make the cowl plug. On the prototype, the front lip is actually an exhaust collector ring, and is a constant cross section. I shaped this section out of

20 The cupola on the rear fuselage, where the observer sits, is a prominent detail on all Beaufighters.

21

The cupola was vacuum-formed over a solid mold using clear Lexan®.

The part is so large that a commercial machine was used.

22 The hardwood punch and die was used to form the cowl blisters from aluminum sheet. After all the blisters were formed, the aluminum was wrapped around the cowl framework.

23

The mold for the dummy engine is ready to be cast from OOMOO 30, a silicone molding material. When poured slowly into the form, it flows easily between the cooling fins.

24 As the urethane casting resin cures it turns from clear to white.

After about thirty minutes the part is ready to be removed from its mold.

32

COWLINGS

RC SPORT FLYER — OCTOBER 2013

Balsa slabs were cut to shape to make the solid plug for the nose radome. Notice the patterns that were used to get the shapes transferred to the wood.

BRISTOL BEAUFIGHTER

25

26 The nose radome pieces were glued together then the plug was bolted to the front of the fuselage. Notice the steps in the wood pieces. The sanding started next.

REN board, which is a tooling epoxy.

I cut the basic circle to shape on my band saw. Since it was too big to turn on my lathe, I used my milling machine—with the cutting tool clamped in a vise—to shape the curved lip. The REN material is easy to machine and sands to a perfectly smooth surface. The remainder of the cowl’s build was tricky. The later Marks of the Beaufighter, including the MK X that I was building, have blisters on the cowl to accommodate larger engine cylinders. After some experimentation, I found that the best way to make them was to use thin sheet aluminum for the panel and use a punch and die to form the individual blisters. Again, this was for the plug, so all parts pulled from the molds would have these blisters on them. I chose not to include the cowl flaps on the plug because I planned to make them out of aluminum sheet and have them fixed partially open.

The cowl is a cylindrical shape, so the lip and aluminum sheet with all the blisters was glued to a plywood form.

Figuring out where to place the parting planes for the cowl was the next challenge. The result was that I ended up with a five-piece mold for the cowls. The mold pieces bolt together so the entire cowl can be laid up as one part.

CARBURETOR INTAKES The large carburetor air intake scoops on top of the cowls were a problem to mold. In fact, I did not follow my advice regarding no

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Using the existing forward fuselage shape, the radome plug was sanded to shape. After fiberglassing, sanding and polishing, the plug was used to make a fiberglass mold.

negative angles! Not surprisingly, the first mold became trapped on its plug.

Scratch building doesn’t always go as smoothly as you would like. I ended up making a second three-part mold.

The lesson is, live and learn.

CANOPY AND CUPOLA

The canopy and cupola plugs were next.

Shaping them out of foam, as I did for the nacelles, was not an option. That is because they needed to withstand the intense heat and pressure of the vacuum-forming process.

So, for the canopy, I glued together a number of slabs of REN board then carved the plug to shape.

The cupola, on the other hand, had to be molded to fit over the back of the fuselage. I temporarily taped a thin sheet of acetate to the fuselage then added Bondo in layers to build it up to the correct shape. After a lot of filling and sanding I had the cupola plug ready for vacuum forming.

CAST PARTS

Finally, the cast parts were tackled.

These included the static propeller blades and hubs, along with the dummy engines.

As with the other parts, plugs were made in the shape of the finished parts. Then silicone was poured over the part as a way to make a flexible mold. Negative angles are not nearly as critical with this type of mold, and you should know that minute details are faithfully

reproduced. I used a product called OoMoo® silicone rubber. It is available from SmoothOn.com.

They also stock other, more durable silicone products but for limited runs like mine, OoMoo is adequate. I also use their 305 urethane casting resin for making the final parts. The 305 is a two-part mix by volume that has the consistency of water, but it cures in 30 minutes, forming a strong, solid part.

SYNOPSIS

Making the tooling for the molded parts on the Beaufighter was definitely a large part of “eating the elephant one bite at a time.” As with any scale subject, there are areas of the model that must be either carved from balsa blocks, or molded out of fiberglass. The beauty of the fiberglass route is that after the initial tooling is complete, fabricating duplicate replacement parts is fast and easy.

Next time we’ll look at how I designed and fabricated the landing gear, which will include the mains and tailwheel. They were a project in and of themselves, which took me a year to complete. And because the landing gears are constructed of metal, I had to change my design/build methods from the wood of the airframe, and of the molded resin parts, to those of brazing and machining.

I’ll end by saying this: Don’t let anyone try to tell you that scratch building isn’t challenging.

RC-SF.COM

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BY Jeff Troy

COVERINGTHE DALLAIRE SPORTSTER IT IS NOT A STRETCH TO SAY THIS IS FUN!

These are the materials you’ll need to cover your model.

1

I

n my last installment, I showed you how I prepare my stickand former models for covering with fabric. My example for the covering procedure is the 108-in.

Dallaire Sportster, manufactured by my longtime friend Bill Shive at Shive Specialties. The model’s airframe components have been sanded, filled where necessary and sanded again.

They are now ready for the covering process.

MATERIALS

Despite the fact that this material has been out of production for several years, I’m using Super Coverite to cover my Dallaire. Similar materials are available though. Some of my favorites are Stits Poly-Lite from Chip Mull at F&M Enterprises, 34

RC SPORT FLYER — OCTOBER 2013

Koverall from the Sig Manufacturing Company and Solartex. Stits and Koverall have no adhesive applied, so using either of these fabrics will require you to coat the airframe with the recommended adhesive wherever the covering will come into contact with it.

Solartex is a popular brand that is available in a variety of colors and tones, and it already has an effective adhesive coating on its back. Coverite 21st Century Fabric is primed, painted and sealed fabric that doesn’t require treatment of any kind before or after application, although I find that it works best on models with reasonably rigid structure. Regardless of the fabric you choose, the application methods I use will work well for you if you have done the

model’s preparation work properly.

Because my Dallaire Sportster will be covered with fabric, it won’t be subject to the usual problems associated with film-over-film trimming. I will cover the entire airframe with raw Coverite, which has more of a translucent, white tone than anything else. The model’s trim colors will be red and blue, and I might be tempted to throw a little yellow into the mix. Down the road, two or three installments from now, I will apply the red, blue, and yellow trim pieces directly over the white base.

If you’re an ARF/RTF pilot who has never covered an airplane before, don’t be intimidated by the job ahead of you. It isn’t difficult, and when it comes to applying fabric instead of

COVERING THE DALLAIRE SPORTSTER

2

3 The Dallaire Sportster’s wing will not be covered in this installment, but it should be used as a guide to cut the four pieces of fabric that will be used to cover it. Doing this will let you properly apportion the remainder of the roll to cover the remaining parts of the model.

4

Here are two of the four fabric sheets needed to cover the wing.

Rough cutting is fine for now, and be sure to allow at least 2-4 inches of excess material all around.

5 After the wing covering is cut from the roll, cut the fabric for the smaller components. Always allow for excess material around all perimeters.

polyester or polypropylene film, it’s even easier. Fabrics have excellent shrink rates, they go around corners easier than most plastic films, and most fabrics can be lifted and repositioned if you make an error and think you might be getting into trouble.

STRETCH

Whether you cover your models with film or fabric, the one rule to guide you is that the primary concern is stretch, not shrink. All heat-shrink materials must eventually be called upon to shrink to some degree, but if they are applied with a pulling-andstretching technique as opposed to a loose application, the end result may FOLLOW US ON TWITTER @RCSPORTFLYER

Tack cloths, also called tack rags, are available in paint stores, hardware stores and better hobby shops. They are offered under several brand names by several companies, and all of them work fine for modeling use.

be tighter, longer lasting and resistant to loosening under the rays of the sun.

Why do so many covering jobs get loose when the airplane is at rest on the airfield? Because heat makes things expand, not shrink. Sure, heatshrink coverings will initially shrink when hit with an iron or a heat gun, but if they are loosely applied and shrunk to tighten, heat from the sun will do its work and the covering will begin to “bag” again, loosening enough to wrinkle, blister and sag.

If you pull and stretch the material over the airframe before touching an iron to the covering, you will prevent all those exposure-related problems—and the covering will stay

neat and tight. Put into its simplest, most easily understood example: imagine that you are covering your new model with a large section of a rubber balloon or a big piece of Playtex Glove material. Pull and stretch as you apply the covering, and most of the shrinking work will be done before it starts.

IRONS

Several different hobby covering irons are offered in the marketplace.

I prefer the 21st Century Iron from Coverite. This iron has a computercontrolled thermostat that holds the shoe temperature to +/- 3 degrees of the temperature indicated on its dial.

The dial reads in actual (Fahrenheit) RC-SF.COM

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6

7 Before applying covering, vacuum the component thoroughly, then gently wipe the component with the tack cloth to remove any surface dust or debris.

8

9 Gently pull and stretch the material toward the opposite corner— corner two—where the leading edge meets the tip of the fin, then iron down another small portion of material while it is still being stretched in front of the iron.

degrees rather than nearly useless one to five numerals, and the dial is located in the handle instead of on the shoe to prevent burning your fingers when it’s rotated.

I worked in product development for Coverite during the ‘90s. One of my projects was designing the shoe for this iron. The result of my work is a shoe with no hard edges on its sole.

The lack of hard edges prevents the shoe from denting soft balsa when its direction changes back and forth during the iron-down process. There is a hard edge, too, but it is only available by flipping the iron upsidedown. Once inverted, you can use that hard edge on the tip of the shoe to seal the covering joints between 36

My “four corners” method of covering will have you covering like a pro in no time, and your covering will stay tighter longer, even when exposed to a hot summer sun. Start by ironing down a small section of fabric at the joint of the trailing edge and root. I’ll call that corner one.

RC SPORT FLYER — OCTOBER 2013

Corner three is next. That’s the one where the leading edge meets the root. Pull and stretch the material tight, then iron it down at corner three.

fins and stabilizers, stabilizers and fuselage sides, and any other areas that might require a sharp angle to seal the covering. Further, the sides of the shoe are gradually rounded, and this aids in sealing convex curves like wing fillets, fin fillets and other places where a flat shoe simply can’t do the job correctly.

You should always follow the manufacturer’s temperature guidelines when using iron-on materials. They will be suggested somewhere in the instructions that come with each roll of whatever covering you buy. Each covering works somewhat differently than another, so there is no such premise as “one temperature fits all” when

it comes to aeromodeling films and fabrics. I apply Super Coverite at 270–300 degrees Fahrenheit, and that has always worked very well for me.

KNIFE

In addition to a high-quality hobby iron, you’ll need a #1 hobby knife handle and several new #11 hobby blades. Excel Hobby Blades offers an excellent line of knives, blades, and hobby tools that can rock your world. The blades are sharp and stay that way longer than many others I’ve used, and the selection of sizes and shapes is extremely broad.

Excel also offers a selection of metal straight-edges in different lengths, which can be use useful for

COVERING THE DALLAIRE SPORTSTER

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11 Now do corner four—where the tip meets the trailing edge.

What’s the result? Four small touches with the iron and your covering is fairly tight—and you haven’t even tried to seal the edges or shrink it yet.

12

Use my “divide-by-half” method to seal the covering along each edge of the component. Starting with the trailing edge, divide its length in half and iron down a small length of the fabric to the trailing edge.

13 Do the same with the leading edge. Divide by half, pull the material tight, and iron it down at the halfway point.

certain procedures when covering a model airplane.

TACK RAG

One of the most beneficial but most often overlooked items when working with iron-on covering materials is a tack cloth, or tack rag.

This is a simple square of lightweight cheesecloth, embedded with a sticky compound that picks up dust and other unseen debris when the cloth is used to wipe a surface. One light pass over a sheeted wing, stabilizer or other surface will ensure that no dust specks or other hidden enemies will be trapped under the covering to cause unsightly lumps and bumps that can mar an otherwise perfect job.

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Now divide the half by half and iron it down. It is important that you use the divide-by-half method because it helps with getting a good result.

If you have followed my preparation methods given in the previous installment, your airframe components should be sanded smooth, with any blemishes removed or repaired, and the parts all vacuumed to remove any sanding dust.

The final step in preparation before starting the covering procedure is to wipe down each component with the tack cloth. Don’t bother wiping all the components at once because dust can accumulate more quickly than you might expect. It’s best to wipe down each component immediately before you cover it. Then you’ll move on to the next, etc.

VERTICAL FIN

Common practice is to cover the largest components first, then cover the smaller components with the leftover pieces of material. In the case of the Dallaire, I cut the largest pieces of covering for the wing panels, ensuring that I could handle the rest of the model with the leftover material on the 15-ft roll.

The wing is the perfect component for demonstrating the methods I use for covering, but because the wing has undercamber and the bottom of an undercamber wing must be covered before the top, I will begin the lesson with one of the smaller components—the vertical fin.

This is my “four corners” covering RC-SF.COM

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14

15 Continue to divide the halves by halves, ironing that material down to the edges as you go. It doesn’t take long before an entire edge is sealed, and if done properly, it will seal without wrinkles or gathers of any kind.

16

17 Wow! Four corners and divide by half. The fin is covered with few if any wrinkles, and is now ready for trimming of the overlaps.

method, and it has served me—and many others—well for decades. Cut a piece of material slightly oversize— by approximately one to two inches around its perimeter—with the grain of the fabric running from root to tip rather than leading edge to trailing edge. With your iron set to the recommended temperature for the material you’re working with, iron down approximately one square inch of the material where the trailing edge meets the root. You can call that “corner one.”

Now pull and stretch the material to corner two, which is the opposite corner, the one where the leading edge meets the tip of the fin. When it’s stretched tight, but not tight 38

With the leading edge sealed, use the divide-by-half method to seal the fabric at the root, trailing edge and tip.

RC SPORT FLYER — OCTOBER 2013

Cut the material to allow it to fold down at the corners without wrinkling. Instead of making perfect, 90-degree cuts, you might try 75–80-degree cuts, which will cause the covering to overlap slightly and prevent fuel or grime seepage that could affect bare wood.

enough to distort the framework, touch the iron to the material and iron it down at corner two.

Corner three is where the leading edge meets the root. Pull the material tight and iron it down at that corner, then do the same at corner four where the tip of the fin meets the trailing edge. Now, look at what you have. With only four touches of the iron, the fin is essentially covered and the covering is fairly tight and nearly wrinkle-free, even though it has not been sealed around the edges or heated with the iron to shrink it.

Sealing the edges is next, but if you start at one end and work toward the other, you will push the material toward the other end,

where it will eventually gather into a wrinkled mess by the time you reach the end. You can prevent this by using my “divide by half ” method, simply by touching the iron at the center of the edge and sealing approximately one inch of the covering there, always remembering to pull and stretch the material tight before applying pressure with the iron. Starting with the trailing edge, do exactly that— divide the distance between the root and tip by half, and pull, stretch and touch the iron to seal roughly one inch of the material.

Next, divide the half by half, pulling the fabric and touching the iron to the covering at the halfway points between the root and the

COVERING THE DALLAIRE SPORTSTER

18

19 Trim the excess overhanging material by making a starter cut with your hobby knife. Just cut enough material to let you get a grip on it, which prevents the material from walking as you make your edge cut with the knife in your other hand.

20

Use the leading edge as a guide to get a perfectly straight, freehand cut. Hold the starter edge, and lean the blade slightly outward from the leading edge as you pull the knife along the length of the fin.

The width of the overlap is determined by the blade’s angle.

21 After trimming, seal the edges along the entire perimeter of the part. This will prepare it for mating to the other side’s covering material.

ironed-down covering at the middle of the trailing edge, and the tip and the middle of the trailing edge.

Continue to divide the halves by halves until the entire length of the trailing edge is sealed. Repeat the divide-by-half method for the leading edge, then the root, and finally, the tip. Now, take a step back from the workbench and look at what you’ve done. The fin is covered, the edges are ironed down, and the covering is tight—and you still haven’t had to shrink it to get it there.

TRIMMING

So here you are—all kinds of beaming proud with a covered component in front of you, but you FOLLOW US ON TWITTER @RCSPORTFLYER

Cover the opposite side of the components before shrinking the first side. Shrinking one side before the other could cause bowing or warping if the structures are less than sturdy and rigid.

still have a dilemma facing you. The overhanging edges of the covering have not been trimmed away, and how do you do that when you can’t get a straightedge anywhere near the edges to guide your cuts? Well, guess what! You have straightedges to guide you right there on your component: the leading edge, the trailing edge and the root edge, and although it isn’t straight, the curved tip can guide your knife blade around it as neatly as a French curve.

Beginning with the trailing edge, start a cut in the overhang with the tip of your knife blade, then grab the end of the material with your thumb and forefinger. With your other hand, slip the tip of the blade into the

starter cut you made, lean the blade into the trailing edge as you would with any straightedge, and use the trailing edge as a straightedge as you pull the knife along the trailing edge to cut away the overhang. Works, doesn’t it? Now do the same for the leading edge, root and tip.

One thing to remember with edge trimming is that the edge of one side of the covering must always overlap the edge of the covering on the opposite side. If you start with the right face of the vertical fin, as I have done, the right-side edges must be trimmed so that they extend just past the centerline of the fin when they are ironed down. Then, when you cover the left side of the fin, the RC-SF.COM

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22

23 Shrink the covering by gliding the iron gently over the surface.

Little-to-no pressure is needed. It’s all about using the heat of the iron to draw the material tightly against the underlying structure.

After shrinking, apply pressure from the iron over the ribs, spars and center-section sheeting. The objective here is to seal the fabric securely to everything it touches, just as a full-scale airplane’s aluminum skin is riveted to the ribs and spars underneath it.

left-side edges must be trimmed to extend past the centerline so that they overlap the right-side edges, creating something of a fist-in-hand effect.

SEALING

Depending upon the size and shape of the model you’re covering, you can seal the covering’s edges using my divide-by-half method or by simply ironing down the edges as you go. The wider the overhang, the more careful you will have to be about preventing wrinkles as you iron it down. When you’ve finished with the fin, continue by covering one side of the rudder, horizontal stabilizer and the two elevator panels.

With one side of each of your model’s secondary airframe components covered, don’t be tempted to shrink the covering.

Shrinking one side of a component when a sturdy fabric covering is used could cause unwanted bowing or warping of delicate structures.

Instead, use the four corners, divide-by-half, and straightedge trimming techniques to cover the opposite sides of these components, remembering that the seams on the edges must always overlap. Bare wood should never be exposed.

SHRINKING

The final step is shrinking, and with fabric, a heat gun is rarely needed or used. If you’ve followed 40

RC SPORT FLYER — OCTOBER 2013

24 Here are the covered empennage components of the Dallaire Sportster, tightened, sealed to the structure, and ready for trim colors, which will be applied directly over the raw-white covering.

my application methods correctly, the covering will already be very close to tight, so very little effort will be required to finish the job.

Shrinking the fabric is all about a light touch with the iron, gently gliding it over the surface of the material in circular motions, and never applying unnecessary pressure. Once the material is tight all around, it must be sealed to any parts of the structure that come into contact with the covering.

When full-scale airplanes are skinned with aluminum, the skin is generally riveted to everything it touches: not just the leading and trailing edges, but the ribs and spars,

too. In a fabric-covered, full-scale airplane, the covering is sometimes sewn to the underlying structure or secured with adhesive. Regardless of the method used, there is little strength in the skin unless it is fastened to everything with which it comes in contact. The same principle must be followed in our model coverings.

Iron the covering down to each spar, every rib, and any sheeting or tip blocks that contact the covering. Use however much pressure is required to make a tight seal, and remember that fabric is thicker and heavier than film, so you might have to hold the iron in one place longer to allow

COVERING THE DALLAIRE SPORTSTER the adhesive to melt and grab. You might even have to follow the iron by pressing down gently with a soft cloth, holding the material down to the surface until the adhesive cools.

NEXT

Well, that’s it for another installment. My Dallaire Sportster’s empennage components are covered and ready for trim colors and sealing.

In the next installment, I will show you the method I use to cover the Dallaire’s undercamber wing. I think you’ll enjoy that one; it’s far easier than you might think.

Many of the techniques I describe in this “Building Model Airplanes” series for RC Sport Flyer have been demonstrated in previous installments. If you are enjoying the series, and find your building skills improving from the information presented, please consider having back issues on hand for reference— just in case you want a refresher or may have missed something along the

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way. Back issues can be ordered from the publisher, and subscriptions to the magazine are available at $24.95 for 12 issues.

Building model airplanes is fun, and there’s no feeling more rewarding than stepping back from an ongoing project, looking at what you’ve accomplished and mulling over the “you” that’s become a built-in part of the model. This is art, my friends, and your skills are developing.

References Coverite Bestrc.com

Sig Manufacturing Company Sigmfg.com

See You @ Warbirds Over The Rockies

Solartex balsausa.com

warbirdsovertherockies.com

Excel Hobby Blades excelhobbyblades.com F&M Enterprises Stits.com Shive Specialties pennvalleyhobbycenter.com

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er & rt Fly n o p S RC iatio d by: ft Assoc e r o s a Spon ure Aircr at Mini

ore For M tion and a Inform istration: eg om Pre-R irdflyer.c rb rc-wa e: Phon 7-0831 96 509-

BY Robert J. Caso

EASY MOLD MAKING IT’S A PROCESS THAT WILL SAVE YOU TIME AND MONEY

I

f you have never done a traditional mold, it is a timeconsuming process that requires numerous expensive materials and sequential procedures that must be followed to the letter. By a “traditional mold,” I am referring to a fiberglass-filled, female mold made of either polyester or epoxy gel coat as its matrix. For these, a “plug” is made first, which is a solid representation of the part that is to be produced, and the mold is then formed around this, often in halves. Then, using epoxy and fiberglass cloth, a part is formed inside the mold. The number of components comprising a mold are generally referred to as numbers of parts—molds made in halves are thusly referred to as two-part molds.

For more complete information on how to make traditional molds, see the September 2012 issue of RC-SF. Glass/gel-coat molds are very durable and can be used for the

production of many parts. Sometimes, however, I have no intention of making multiple parts from a mold and just need a one-off part for a particular model. Moreover, many kits or ARFs come with formed plastic parts that would be better made out of fiberglass for durability reasons.

For such parts, I have made vacuumformed plastic molds to serve as the basis to make fiberglass parts for a model, doing so with great results.

The procedures that I describe here are generally for the production of a single-part mold. I have not attempted a two-part plastic mold, although, with a bit of ingenuity, I am sure this could be done. The one downtick here is that you will need a way to produce a vacuum-formed part. Nevertheless, the time it takes to make the required vacuum table might be less than that needed to make a traditional mold. Keep in mind, too, that there are model accessory companies that can do the vacuum forming for you. If you try to make a fiberglass part directly from a vacuum-formed piece found in a kit, the resulting part will be out of

1

2 A plastic forming was made over the kit’s vacuum-formed nose piece, thus yielding a mold for a fiberglass part.

42

specification by at least the thickness of the plastic. So, I have resorted to vacuum forming over an already vacuum-formed kit part to make a mold of the original forming. The kit part, in essence, becomes the plug for a new mold.

An issue that must be addressed first is that vacuum-formed parts to be copied are rather flimsy and will most likely be crushed or deformed under vacuum pressure during the “forming over” process. A way to support them is to first wax to the internals of the forming and then fill it with Durham’s Water Putty, a plasterlike material. I have not tried this, but I bet that spray insulation foam would work also. The weight of the Water Putty could deform the part from the inside while it sets, so consider temporarily supporting the outside of the part. Remember though, it is the outside of the part that you need, so don’t do anything permanent. Tape or temporary balsa supports are good ideas for this process.

Once the plastic plug is internally supported, apply synthetic automotive grease to the outside of the plug

RC SPORT FLYER — OCTOBER 2013

The nose has now been cast with a fiberglass lay up and tack glued to a plywood ring bolted on the prop shaft.

EASY MOLD MAKING

3

4 The baseplate for sides had to be split diagonally and bent to match the cowl’s upper and lower panels.

to prevent the new forming from sticking to the plug. Any depressions in the forming that you want to reproduce accurately, such as an indentation for a propeller shaft, should have small holes drilled in them through to the table to allow the plastic to form completely. I usually use .030-in. ABS plastic for the new mold.

Once the plastic forming is made over the plug, the mold is just about ready. After degreasing the mold, I usually first give the inside a wet sanding with 600-grit sandpaper and then apply mold-parting wax. After buffing this off, I then apply PVA mold release agent—when it is dry, the mold is ready for the fiberglass lay up.

Depending upon how sturdy the new plastic mold is, be careful handling it during the lay up procedure and

A test fit of the sides; once the correct angles were set, the diagonal split was tacked back together with CA glue.

even when laying the mold back on the table with the wet fiberglass in it. Sometimes, just the weight of the glass can distort the mold enough to result in a deformed part.

Furthermore, since the plastic mold is not very durable, you may only have two or three tries to get the fiberglass part right.

For some parts, the vacuumforming step can be omitted entirely.

The cowl for my 66-in.-wingspan Tiger Moth is comprised of singlepart molds. These were taken from an out-of-production kit’s vacuumformed parts, molds that I’d made from plugs that I fabricated, and one that I made from a curved sheet of plastic. The upper part of the Moth’s cowl, if you take a good look at it, is really nothing more than a half-coneshaped panel that mates up with the

5

nose piece. For this, I fabricated a trio of horseshoe-shaped frames set on a ply base and then I simply glued in a curved piece of plastic sheet that connects all the frames, thus forming a concave half cone. From here, it was a simple matter to lay up the fiberglass inside the half cone.

The cockpit hatches were done in a similar fashion.

The kit did not include plastic formings for the two side panels.

So I made plugs for these starting with pieces of lite-plywood sheets, which were cut to match the opening on each side of the cowl. The top, bottom and forward edges of each side panel had to be flat and straight to mate up with the rest of the cowl, but its aft section has a shallow bulge outward. A further complication was that the upper and lower edges of

6 The underside of the plug had to be supported with balsa strips since the base of the plug is no longer flat.

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Polyurethane foam was applied and sanded level with the ribs and then 2-oz-weight fiberglass cloth was laminated on top of this.

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7

8 Body filler was then applied and sanded smooth after which the scale side scoop was added. Below this part is the plug for the oil tank.

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Here are the right and left vacuum-formed molds taken from the side plugs. Mold release is applied before making the fiberglass parts.

10 This is the mold for the conical upper part of the cowl. Due to its shape, no plug was needed for this.

the side panel are not in the same plane, the lower having a steeper angle as it tapers into the nose.

To deal with this, I lightly slit each plywood plate diagonally and then bent it so that the plate’s straight

Another view shows the framework being made from balsa and plywood. It is critical to support the edges to keep them straight.

edges aligned with those of the rest of the cowl. Once I had it right, I ran glue in the slit to lock in the angle.

From there, I affixed a curved former on the aft end of the plywood plate and attached blocks of polyurethane

After sanding and filling, the cowls are then primed. Wash the parts first with soap and water to remove the mold release.

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RC SPORT FLYER — OCTOBER 2013

foam. All this was sanded to shape.

Then I glassed the plug and finished it with auto body filler and primer. I then vacuum-formed over the two side panel plugs to yield my plastic mold as described above.

After I was done with all five fiberglass parts, I had the challenge of mating them to the airframe so that the cowl would be properly oriented and centered over the propeller shaft. I also had to make the cowl removable and make provisions for access to the flight battery. As it turns out, this was fairly easy to do, if not very quick. Since the nose piece had to be located accurately, I made a concentric ring that could be bolted up to the motor, and which also had another ring to locate the nose piece. I tack glued the nose piece to this and then it was a relatively

EASY MOLD MAKING

13

12 Cockpit hatches for the Tiger Moth were made in a fashion similar to the cowl’s upper nose piece. No plug was required.

simple matter to add the rest of the pieces since they all had to terminate at the nose. I used fiberglass cloth and plywood to mount the coneshaped piece to the nose and also installed plywood mounts that would hold this assembly in place once the concentric ring was removed. I then mated up the removable chin piece, using 1/8-in. locating dowels,

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Again, a balsa and plywood framework provide a rigid shape. I affixed balsa to the curved area to better support the plastic sheet.

plywood plates and magnets. Similar arrangements were made for the two removable side panels.

If you’re replicating kit parts from a yet unbuilt kit, one last comment here is to first make sure the plastic parts that the kit provides fit the finished model. Do this before building the model so adjustments can be made during the build because

it is much easier to make changes at that point. Compare the parts to the plans or to where the parts will be mounted, such as the firewall.

Usable molds and the resulting fiberglass parts can be made using these methods in an evening. So, give this a try on your next model.

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BY Andrew

BY GeneGibbs Cope

E-POWER

THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN VOLTAGE, CURRENT AND RESISTANCE IS FUNDAMENTAL

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The new electric power systems guides that are now available at gibbsguides. com have become very popular. You’ll want to have a look to see if they might be of aid to your model flying.

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RC SPORT FLYER — OCTOBER 2013

elcome to RC Sport Flyer magazine’s new column.

The magazine’s editor, Wil Byers, asked me if I’d be interested in writing a column, a request I was delighted to accept.

I’ll start by introducing myself.

My name is Andrew Gibbs. I’m 48 years old and I’ve been building and flying model airplanes for about 42 of those years. I started flying electricpowered models around 1977. It began a fascination with e-powered models. My fleet consists mostly of e-powered models. However, I enjoy sport, scale and unorthodox types. I live in the UK where there is a very active e-powered model airplane community.

As well as being an enthusiastic modeler, I’m passionate about all things aeronautical. I became a fullscale airplane pilot in 1990. Since then I’ve flown a variety of airplanes

This is a photograph of me, Andrew Gibbs, enjoying a nice relaxing day before going flying. Any day at the airfield is better than any day at the office, right?

E-POWER

All electrically conductive materials have a resistance to the flow of electric current, including the materials from which batteries are made. This means that the battery, as well as being the source of the voltage that drives a current around a circuit, also imposes its own resistance to the flow of electricity.

John Swain is shown here looking happy with his Stolac. This shot shows its covering quality. The contrast between the grey and white provides a strong horizontal line. This detail allows the model’s flight attitude to be easily judged while it is in flight. I might well emulate this detail on my own models.

The lower part of the nacelle provides a convenient home for the flap servo to be hidden.

Notice the direct linkage to the flap’s control horn.

Cooling air enters through the center section intakes and is fed to the ESCs before being fed to the nacelle. Then it flows back to the motor and finally out through a vent at the rear of the nacelle.

This tank of water serves to illustrate the concept of electrical voltage, which can be likened to water pressure at the outlet.

The higher the water level is, the greater the pressure of water (in our case battery voltage) within the tank. The tank’s volume represents battery capacity. The flow rate of water represents current.

from single-seat, wood-and-fabric, open-cockpit homebuilt aircraft through to airliners. I’m also the name behind the electric-modelaircraft, information-products website gibbsguides.com.

for discussion, with a friendly, approachable feel to it. However, to do this I need to know what subjects you would like to see discussed. So please write.

THE COLUMN

Each month I plan to introduce and discuss an inspirational model.

For this first month, it is John Swain’s Stoltac design. The name is an abbreviation of Short Takeoff and Landing Tactical Aircraft. The model’s wingspan is 72 inches and it has an 11-in. chord. So it’s got plenty of wing area at 5-1/2 sq ft, or 792 square

This column is meant to inform and entertain. I recently wrote three detailed guides on the subject of electric power systems for model aircraft. These have become very popular, and I’ll be using material from these guides in each issue. I’d also like my column to be a forum FOLLOW US ON TWITTER @RCSPORTFLYER

MODEL OF THE MONTH

inches. It has a weight of 9-1/2 lb, so the wing loading works out at just under 28 oz/ft2.

The model uses a pair of EMax BL2826 motors. They turn 12 x 6 slow-fly-type propellers. Each motor gets power from a 3S 5300-mAh LiPo battery. Two 50-amp electronic speed controllers are used, one for each motor. The motors have a Kv of 850 (rpm per volt). The propellers therefore turn at about 8000 rpm at full throttle. At this power setting, the motors draw about 38 amps, which equates to about 840 watts.

This means that the power loading RC-SF.COM

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of the model—the ratio of power to weight—is around 88 watts per pound. For a model of this type, that’s quite respectable.

The batteries have enough capacity to provide up to about 30 minutes of flight. John reports a 10-minute flight uses about 1500– 2000 mAh from the pack. Each motor is drawing about nine to twelve amps, which is equivalent to about 100–135 watts of input power. This equates to an average in-flight current draw of

between 21 and 28 watts per pound.

The Stoltac has a number of interesting design details. First, John’s Stoltac uses differential aileron movement; i.e., more up aileron travel than down. So any possibility of adverse yaw and/or tip stalling is minimized.

Another design detail is its large flaps. John’s model typically uses 20 degrees of flap for takeoff and 40 degrees for landing. The flaps are the Fowler type, with a slot between the The Stoltac’s flaps are shown here deployed to about 20 degrees, which is the takeoff position that John likes to use for this model.

flap and the wing’s trailing edge. The flaps can also deploy to 80 degrees, which provides a large increase in drag. This allows the model to do steep descents, but without gaining too much airspeed.

John chose a white and gray Navy scheme for his model, which I think gives the model an attractive and purposeful appearance. Thanks for sharing details of your wonderful model, John!

You can find more about this model in the articles section of my website.

UNDERSTANDING ELECTRIC POWER SYSTEMS – PART 1

As I mentioned, one of the aims of this column is to promote an understanding of electric power The flaps are set to 80 degrees. In this position they create a lot of drag, which then allows the airplane to make very steep approaches but keep its airspeed low so as to not stress the airframe.

The Stoltac’s flaps are shown in this photo deployed to 40 degrees. At settings above 20 degrees, a slot between the flap and the wing opens up to allow the flap to be ‘blown’ by the propellers.

The flap’s hinges are ball bearings at each end. In spite of the low-friction bearings, the flaps require lots of servo power.

Each motor provides 4-1/4 pounds of static thrust.

This represents a substantial proportion of the model’s 9-1/2 pounds. So it’s no surprise that John reports that short takeoffs are possible. Each motor is propped so that it draws 38 amps although they are rated at 60.

The design of the Stoltac’s nose is intended to represent a radar installation. It helps to give the model its military appearance. The canopy serves as a battery hatch.

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E-POWER John’s Stoltac enjoys a simple and effective color scheme. The contrasting grays of the painted nacelles and film-covered wing work nicely. The model is covered in Profilm, while the nacelles are painted.

systems. This will be an ongoing discussion. To do so effectively I’ll start with a foundation. With this in mind, let’s have a look first at some of the basic electricity principles that apply to electric-powered model airplanes. The electrical engineering principles used in a modeling context are quite simple and fun to discuss. I prefer explanations that don’t involve lots of math. However, it is necessary to include some math, but I promise to keep simple and to an absolute minimum.

Let’s start with the terms we will be using later:

CONDUCTORS AND INSULATORS

termed a battery; i.e., NiCad, NiMH, LiPo, LiFe, Li-Ion, etc. The battery provides a useful starting point for defining electrical terms.

VOLTAGE

To help make life simple, we can liken the current flow of electricity to that of water flowing in a hose.

The amount of voltage can be likened to the outlet pressure at the base of a water tank. The size of the water tank represents the flight battery.

When the tank is filled to point “X” the resulting head of water represents six volts of electrical pressure at the outlet pipe. A full

tank, with a greater head of water, would then represent a higher pressure of 12 volts. A practical example of this is an automobile battery where six two-volt cells are joined together in series internally to form a 12-volt battery. Voltage is also sometimes called electrical potential. This is because voltage represents the potential for current to flow, provided an electrical circuit is available.

Note that this water analogy is offered to help you understand the concepts of voltage and current. In reality, a complete electric circuit must be formed for electricity to flow. Note too that the unit of measure for voltage is V.

CURRENT

Electric current is measured in amperes, which we can abbreviate to amps or just A in our representations.

Current may be likened to the quantity of water flowing through the outlet piper with the time being measured in hours. For example, a flow of one gallon per hour could represent a current of one ampere.

If the outlet pipe were larger, and an increased amount of water at the rate of two gallons per hour were to flow through the pipe, this

All materials may be classified as to whether or not they conduct electricity. Those that do, such as most metals, are called conductors, while those that don’t, such as most plastics and ceramics, are termed insulators.

BATTERIES

A chemical/mechanical machine designed to store electrical energy is This model has a distinctive, purposeful appearance. The airplane also has some interesting construction details. John showed some out-of-the-box designing.

For example, the wing ribs are made of 1-in (25 mm) blue foam rather than the more conventional and costly choice of balsa. It was also used for the flaps.

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E-POWER higher rate of flow would represent a current of two amps.

With respect to current, our unit of measure will be amps or A. Low Current If the current flowing in a circuit is smaller than one amp, it is typically referred to in terms of milliamps (mA). One milliampere is equivalent to 1/1000th of an amp. To put that into perspective with respect to amperes, 500 milliamps is equivalent to the value of 500/1000 of an amp, or one half amp.

NEXT MONTH

That’s it for this month. Next time, we’ll be discussing another inspirational model. We’ll also continue our discussion of the fundamentals of electricity. Then my focus will be on resistance, which is a physical property of all electric circuits. It has particular relevance when considering electric-poweredmodel power systems.

I’d like to emphasize that the content of my future columns will be shaped by your input. So please,

Another interesting element of the design is the T-tail, which puts it up and out of the propeller was as well as getting out harms way of ground objects.

let me hear from you. Let me know what you’d like to read and see.

Also, please feel free to share your models—in this case at least one high-quality photograph is needed, as well as the details of the model. In

the meantime, you can enjoy learning more about electric flight by reading the articles available at gibbsguides. com. There’s even a free e-zine! Until next time… andrew@gibbsguides.com

THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN Kv AND RPM The term Kv defines the speed an electric motor will turn for each volt applied to its inputs. This is with respect to its no-load condition, i.e., without a propeller.

For example, a motor with a Kv of 600 that has one volt applied to its inputs will turn at 600 rpm. The same motor, that has 10 volts applied to its inputs will rotate at 6,000 rpm.

In practice, when a propeller is fitted to the motor, the actual rpm will be somewhat less. Typically a motor will achieve

approximately 85 percent of its no load speed though. Intuitively, the larger the propeller the slower the motor will turn.

The Stoltac motors have a Kv of 850 and are fed by a battery supplying approximately 11 volts. The rpm they achieve may be worked out using a bit of math: actual rpm = motor Kv times battery voltage x 0.85.

That is: rpm = (850 x 11) x 0.85 = 7,947 rpm, which can be a rounded number.

VOLTS, AMPS AND WATTS The power (P) of a motor is measured in watts (W). The equation for calculating power is: P = V × A. So a motor that draws 25 amps at 10 volts delivers 250 watts.

In the case of the Stoltac, each of the two motors draws 38

amps from an 11-volt battery, so power equals 38 x 11 = 418.

This can be rounded up to 420 watts. The two motors therefore consume a total of 840 watts.

POWER LOADING The power loading, or power-to-weight ratio, is a useful indicator of airplane performance. The power loading is found by simply working out the ratio of the model’s power versus its weight. For example, a model weighing two pounds that is 50

RC SPORT FLYER — OCTOBER 2013

powered by a 200-watt motor system has a power loading of 100 watts per pound.

John’s Stoltac weighs 9-1/2 lb and has 840 watts of power. Its power loading is therefore: 840 ÷ 9.5 = 88 watts per pound.

BY Daniel Holman

AEROBATICS PART 7 LEARNING THE BASICS PREPARES YOU FOR REAL 3D PILOTING Flying in high winds adds a new dimension to aerobatic flying. If you practice in it, it can make you a better pilot. In this photo, I am flying my Extreme Flight 60” Extra 300EXP at a walking speed into the wind.

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hether my airplane is flying on its wing, fuselage or propeller, aerobatics continues to

thrill me.

In Aerobatics Part 6 I explained how to make an airplane’s flight precise when flown in windy conditions. I also covered some precision aerobatic maneuvers. I cannot stress enough the importance of having a good piloting foundation in precision aerobatics before you advance into 3D and Extreme Aerobatics (XA) style flying.

Although I have not written about every precision aerobatic maneuver in detail yet, I’ve given you the fundamental steps and foundational principles that, when applied, will make you an excellent precision aerobatic pilot.

In this, and later installments of my how-to series, I will continue to explain and expound on different precision aerobatic maneuvers.

Starting in this issue, I will also begin to cover some of the basic principles of 3D flight.

First, however, I will cover two more precision aerobatic maneuvers that you will find in all classes of International Miniature Aerobatic Club (IMAC) and pattern flying.

I encourage all of you aspiring aerobatic pilots to get involved with competitions in either of these categories because competition will help you hone your piloting skills.

After this aerobatics article, I will have gone over every maneuver 52

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Wind Slowly and gently release the rudder and throttle inputs as the airplane’s flight path nears a vertical down-line.

At this point, airspeed is low and lots of wind correction is required.

As the airspeed increases, the airplane requires less wind correction.

About 40 percent throttle is required when pivoing the airplane over the top of the hammerhead.

As the airplane slows, it loses its wind penetration ability and requires a larger amount of wind correction.

When at a high airspeed, the required wind correction is minimal.

AEROBATICS PART 7 that you will find flown in the lower classes of competition.

HAMMERHEAD STALL

The Hammerhead stall is a relatively simple maneuver, yet widely used, even in the Advanced and Unlimited classes of aerobatics.

As with all precision aerobatic maneuvers, the entry and exit is just as important as the maneuver itself.

In every aerobatic sequence, the Hammerhead stall is preceded by some kind of vertical up-line. Flying the up-line, the airplane must travel absolutely vertically—regardless of the wind speed or direction.

This often necessitates crabbing the airplane into the wind as we discussed in the last issue. After establishing the vertical line and reaching desired altitude, the pilot must slow the airplane gently. During its deceleration, the pilot must never cut the throttle all the way, which will help avoid having it deviate from its vertical line.

Depending on the airplane, I generally bring the throttle back to about 40 percent to slow the airplane down until it is almost stopped. A common misconception is that the airplane actually stops in this maneuver. The reality is that the airplane must never quite stop—only one wingtip does. As the airplane nears a stop, I input full rudder in the required turn direction and hold a small amount of throttle throughout the airplane’s rotation. Right before the airplane is pointed straight down, I gently, and relatively slowly, release the rudder input. As soon as the airplane’s flight path has locked into a perfectly vertical down-line, I gently bring the throttle back to idle to keep the down-line as slow as possible. The reason that I wait to cut the throttle until the airplane has established its down-line is to avoid fishtailing. You see, without a little bit of air flowing over the airplane’s vertical stabilizer, it will often tail wag when the rudder is neutralized.

Always make sure that your airplane’s entry and exit radiuses are congruent.

That is how you should pilot your model through the basic Hammerhead stall.

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Now let’s look at a few of the specific points of this maneuver.

The direction in which the airplane will pivot mut always be determined by the wind direction.

Even in the Unlimited IMAC class, the direction of the Hammerhead is not specified because the airplane should always pivot into the wind.

A Hammerhead executed correctly when the airplane is flying with the wind should be scored just as high as one done into the wind. However, it is much more difficult to do with the wind because of the weathervane factor. As soon as the airplane is at a near-zero airspeed and pointed with the wind, the control surfaces become almost nonresponsive and the wind tries to blow the airplane’s tail around. For this reason, you must plan this maneuver relative to the wind to ensure that the wind will benefit the airplane’s flight path.

A rule of thumb that makes finding the right pivot direction easier is that in a crosswind, the airplane will never pivot 180 degrees. Instead, you must crab the airplane with its nose into the wind on its up-line, and you must keep its nose into the wind to some extent on its down-line. If you are preparing to do a hammerhead stall in which you will need to pivot the airplane past 180 degrees to adequately correct for wind, you have the airplane going the wrong direction. Also keep in mind that the wind correction required at the top of both vertical lines will be more than at the bottom because of the airplane’s low airspeed.

This diagram shows the IMAC spin broken down into its respective parts. Notice how the nose comes up just a few degrees before the stall break. The airplane must drop a wing in the stall to initiate the spin correctly.

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The inverted harrier is a widely used 3D maneuver, and is fun for pilots to fly.

Having good harrier skills will enable you to safely fly in tighter spaces and keep the airplane in close to you.

Correctly performing a hammerhead stall in a crosswind is relatively easy. Alternately, when the wind is blowing perpendicular to the airplane’s wings, wind correction is slightly more complicated. This is because the airplane must crab into the wind on its pitch axis, while it must rotate around its yaw axis.

The way of overcoming this is the same whether up or down elevator control is required relative to wind correction. Note that right before the airplane comes to a stop on its up-line, the pitch-crabbing is at its most extreme with the airplane’s nose pointed into the wind. As soon as the rudder control is applied, the airplane has a tendency to roll slightly in the same direction. Because of this, cross-controlling of the rudder and ailerons is necessary. In this situation, if the airplane is truly at its right, stalled airspeed to perform a hammerhead, the aileron input will always be opposite that of the rudder input. As is the case with the rudder, gently feed this input in and out to keep the maneuver fluid.

SPINS

Obviously there are a multitude of spins that pilots like to do with their airplanes. There is only one used in precision competition flying, the precision spin. The precision spin is about showing a pilot’s ability to enter and exit one precisely.

This spin must be entered from the airplane’s level flight, and at a safe altitude. The airplane’s airspeed is slowed until the aircraft stalls.

The airplane’s nose may be pitched up ever so slightly, but you need to know that the rules provide for a one point deduction for every 10 degrees that the airplane’s pitch deviates from level. Even so, to show a controlled break, most pilots pitch the airplane up a few degrees right before it stalls. In the more advanced classes of IMAC, the spin direction is pre-determined, but in the lower classes the direction of the spin can go either way.

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In order for the spin to be entered correctly, the airplane must exhibit a stall where one wing drops first. As soon as the wing drops, the same direction of rudder and aileron are inputted as well as up elevator control. (For a negative spin, down elevator is used, along with the opposite directions for rudder and aileron control.) At this point, the airplane will continue to spin until you command it to recover.

Recovery from a spin requires that all controls are neutralized abruptly; and, depending on the airplane, some down elevator is usually needed to

Here you can see a standard upright harrier. Many pilots land their 3D airplanes from this attitude, but I avoid doing so to reduce airframe stress. This is, however, a very good way to set up your model for a landing in a tight space.

point the nose onto a vertical downline.

Proper timing is crucial in this maneuver when the spin direction is pre-determined. This is because you must make the correct wing stall first.

If the airplane is forced into the spin before it exhibits a complete stall, the maneuver is scored as a zero. At the same time, if the wrong wing stalls first, a significant point deduction will

AEROBATICS PART 7

This shows the rudder and ailerons in cross control.

At this point, if a large left-rudder input is given, the airplane will fall off to that side unless the left rudder is accompanied by a small amount of left aileron.

Remember the controls are used in the same direction for an inverted harrier, and opposite for an upright harrier.

follow because the spin will start in the wrong rotation direction. Most well-designed aerobatic airplanes will stall straight forward. Consequently, they require rudder input at the exact time the airplane stalls in order to drop the right wing. Because of this, you need to know when your airplane is going to stall, before it does, so that you can input the controls at the perfect time.

3D THE HARRIER

I am sure that many of you have been waiting for me to start explaining 3D maneuvers. Well, here we go.

3D is best defined as flying an airplane beyond its stall point. As I talked about in previous issues, making the airplane flop around the sky as fast as your thumbs can move is not necessarily real 3D. Pilots often don’t realize that many of the basic 3D maneuvers are simply regular aerobatic maneuvers flown slowly. It the case of 3D the airplane relies on the propeller to lift it while exhibiting a high positive angle of attack.

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The harrier is the first maneuver that should be mastered when learning 3D, just as learning to fly a straight line is the first step to becoming a good precision aerobatic pilot. A harrier in its true sense is simply a straight line flown beyond the airplane’s point of stall and at a high angle of attack. This maneuver can be flown upright or inverted and in different patterns. However, it is not mastered until you can fly a perfectly straight line and control where the airplane travels through the maneuver.

A couple months ago I wrote an in-depth article about using control groups. Control groups are used extensively in 3D, and the harrier requires two.

The first control group is the elevator and throttle. When in harrier flight, it is not the elevator that controls altitude, but the throttle. At the same time, the elevator is what controls the airplane’s angle of attack, and the airspeed that it determines.

These two controls must be used together at all times. Once the desired angle of attack is achieved,

the elevator and throttle should oppose each other in the sense that when the throttle is increased, the elevator control is ever so slightly relaxed. This is because the higher the throttle setting, the more effective the elevator. In the same way, the throttle should always be increased when the elevator is decreased.

The second control group used in a harrier includes the rudder and ailerons. When in a harrier, the rudder is used to steer the flight path, but because of the positive angle of attack in which the airplane is flying, the rudder, if used by itself, will cause the airplane to fall off to the side. Because of this, the ailerons and rudder must be used together. A rule of thumb that must be kept in mind is that when performing an upright harrier, the rudder and ailerons are always used in the opposite direction while in an inverted harrier, the two controls are used in the same direction when right side up. When correcting for a wind gust, or changing the airplane’s flight path, the controls will vary and don’t always follow this pattern.

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AEROBATICS PART 7

Final Print size: 6’ x 3’

There were throttle and elevator control groups used for flying this harrier. The airplane is stalled and is relying on the propeller’s lift carrying the airplane’s weight. Adding elevator control will stall the airplane deeper. Remember that the throttle controls the altitude while the elevator controls the airspeed.

However, when holding a straight line in a harrier attitude, the above technique always holds true.

One more thing that I will mention about learning the harrier is that most pilots learning this maneuver make a big mistake when they get into trouble. I see many guys try to over-control the airplane instead of climbing out with power.

The primary reason for this mistake is that the pilots do not recognize that the throttle setting determines altitude and not the elevator control.

So, if you should make a mistake

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when flying a harrier and need to get out of it, unless the nose is pointed down, throttle up for altitude before moving the other controls.

The harrier is one of the most popular 3D maneuvers, and I am sure you will enjoy learning it. Practice it with a foamy or on the simulator first. Then give it a try with your aerobatic airplane. Flying the airplane three mistakes high is not a bad idea either for the first few attempts at a maneuver. As soon as you get it, bring your airplane right down over the runway and let it slowly “walk” down

the runway while the cameras flash.

You’ll enjoy the fun of it.

OVERVIEW

At this point in my series, I’ve covered pretty much every maneuver that you should know before getting started in IMAC competition flying.

I’ll continue to discuss precision flying in future issues. I’ll also be writing about 3D and extreme aerobatics.

It only gets better guys! Keep tearing up the skies and practicing as much as possible.

1815 South Research Loop Tucson, Arizona 85710 Phone: (520) 722-0607 E-mail: info@desertaircraft.com Web Site: desertaircraft.com

DA-200

Price $2795

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DA-150

Price $1395

Displacement: 9.15 ci (150 cc) Output: 16.5 hp Weight: 7.96 lb (3.61 kilos) Length: 7.67 in. (195 mm) Warranty: Three year

DA-100L

Price $999

Displacement: 6.10 ci (100 cc) Output: 9.8 hp Weight: 5.57 lb (2.53 kilos) Length: 6.5 in. (162.5 mm) Warranty: Three year

DA-50-R

Price $595

Displacement: 3.05 ci (50 cc) Output: 5.0 hp Weight: 2.94 lb (1.33 kilos) Length: 6.7 (170 mm) Warranty: Three year

DA-170

Price $1695

Displacement: 10.48 ci (171.8 cc) Output: 18 hp Weight: 8.05 lb (3.56 kilos) Length: 7.67 in. (195 mm) Warranty: Three year

DA-120

Price $1199

Displacement: 7.4 ci (121 cc) Output: 11 hp Weight: 4.95 lb (2.25 kilos) Length: 6.25 in. (159 mm) Warranty: Three year

DA-85

Price $795

Displacement: 5.24 ci (85.9 cc) Output: 8.5 hp Weight: 4.3 lb (1.95 kilos) Length: 5.9 in. (150 mm) Warranty: Three year

BY Wendel Hoestler

PIPER PA-28

LOW-WING, LIGHT AIRCRAFT FOR THE BUILDER

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RC SPORT FLYER — OCTOBER 2013

PIPER PA-28

P

iper PA-28 Cherokees are light aircraft designed for flight training, air taxi and private pilot flying. The PA-28 is built

by Piper Aircraft.

The Piper PA-28s are all-metal, single-engine, piston-powered, low-wing and tricycle landing gear aircraft. The first PA-28 received its type certification from the Federal Aviation Administration in 1960. PA28s remains in production today.

Piper has created variations of the Cherokee by installing engines ranging from 140 to 300Â hp, providing turbocharging, offering fixed or retractable landing gear, fixed-pitch or constant-speed propellers, and

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stretching the fuselage. The larger, six-seat version is designated the PA32 Saratoga.

Wendell’s plan recreates the PA-28 version of the Piper. It is

designed to be powered by a 38 to 62-cc engine. This plan comes as two sheets, which are detailed such that even the beginner builder can have success creating this model.

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Why Pay a Dollar for just 4 Screws?

We have the hardware you need at a fraction of retail!

Order today at:

www.rtlfasteners.com or call 800-239-6010

708 Battlefield Blvd South #107 Chesapeake, VA 23322

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RC SPORT FLYER — OCTOBER 2013

PIPER PA-28

Model Specifications

Full-Scale Specifications

Scale

30 percent

Wingspan

30.0 ft

Wingspan

108 in.

Length

23.3 ft

Length

83.88 in.

Height

7.3 ft

Wing area

2052 in.2

Wing area

160 sq ft²

Weight

22 – 26 lb

Airfoil

NACA 652-415

Power

38 – 62 cc

Empty weight

1201 lb

Loaded weight

2150 lb

Max. takeoff weight

2150 lb

Power plant

Lycoming O-320-E2A 150 hp

Propeller diameter

74 in.

Max speed

123 knots

Cruise speed

108 knots

Stall speed

47 knots

Rate of climb

660 ft/min

Distributor Wendell Hostetler 545 Jerome Dr Orrville, OH 44667 Phone: 330-682-8896 hostetlersplans.com FOLLOW US ON TWITTER @RCSPORTFLYER

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BY Max Keppler

HELI-MAX 1SQ V•CAM

YOU ARE GOING TO FLIP SHOOTING VIDEO WITH THIS LITTLE QUAD

I

f you’ve been wanting to do a little drone flying to capture video around the house, the new HeliMax® 1SQ V•CAM multi-rotor quadcopter may just be your perfect pick. This little quad comes ready to fly, including a built-in digital camera that shoots jpeg images at 96 dots per inch, and that captures video that is 1280 x 720 pixels at 30 frames per second.

What makes this quadcopter so much fun is that it is small! It weighs just over an ounce and has four snappy little coreless brushed motors that let it zip around the room. It also employees Heli-Max’s TAGS-FX Sensor Fusion stabilization system that makes the quad easy to fly and helps you get good-quality, in-air video when you are doing aroundthe-house surveillance.

It is small but provides BIG fun in terms of flying, taking photos and shooting video.

WHAT YOU GET

• 1SQ V•CAM with micro digital camera • 6-channel 2.4-GHz SLT 640 Tx w/ “AA” batteries • 1S 250-mAh LiPo battery • USB LiPo battery charger • Extra set of (4) rotor blades • 2 Gig Micro SD Card • Card reader • Screwdriver

FEATURES

• TAGS-FX Sensor Fusion stabilization system • On-board, micro, digital video camera • 3D aerobatic Auto-FLIP feature

Everything you will need to fly the Heli-Max 1SQ V•CAM is included in the RTF package. You only need to charge the battery and it is ready to fly.

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HELI-MAX 1SQ V-CAM • On-board, micro, snap-shot, digital picture camera • Tx-R SLT auto-define programming • LED lights (white and red) on each of the motor pods

SET UP

Getting the 1SQ V•CAM quadcopter ready to fly is unbelievably easy. You’ll start by plugging the battery into its USB charger. Then you’ll plug the charger into a USB port on your computer, cell phone charger or even a cigarette lighter USB charge port.

You’ll know the battery is charging when the red charge light comes on.

The charge will be complete when the red light starts to flash slowly.

It is easy. However, know that a charge may take as much as an hour to complete, although we never had to wait that long for a charge to complete.

If you plan to take video on the maiden flight, you’ll need to install the SD card into the camera module.

That too is easy to do; just push the SD card into the slot until it clicks into place.

Once you have the SD card in place, you’ll push the battery into its holder. Then you’ll install the four “AA” batteries in the TX460 transmitter. Note that the transmitter comes set in mode two control. The manual explains how to change the control mode if needed.

One mode makes the 1SQ easier to

Shown above is everything that comes in the RTF package for the quad. You even get an extra set of blades and a USB interface for the SD card.

This photo gives you a good look at what the guts of the Heli-Max 1SQ V•CAM look like. There is lots and lots of “brain power” packed into the microprocessor on this quad.

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Here you can see where the SD card plugs into the bottom of the quad, as well as the camera. The battery holder sits just above the camera mount and the battery slides in from the back.

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Charging the 1S 250-mAh LiPo battery is as easy as plugging the charger into a computer, cell phone, or other USB port. The charger charges at the rate of one C.

SURVEILLANCE FLYING

fly, with the other making it agile and aggressive. To change between modes you simply press down on the right control stick quickly. The transmitter displays its low-rate control when the LCD screen displays a half ellipse and the Tx emits a single, low-pitch beep.

When the Tx is operating in high-rate mode a complete ellipse is displayed and the Tx will emit a single, highpitched beep.

The Heli-Max 1SQ V•CAM has a gyro with adjustable sensitivity too.

To change its sensitivity you must press and hold the right control stick down until the transmitter emits a slow beeping sound. You then adjust the gyro’s sensitivity with the left control stick by moving it up or down to set the percentage, which will be shown on the LCD screen. A higher value makes the 1SQ V•CAM fly more aggressively, a lower value less so. We have ours set at 40 percent.

The Heli-Max 1SQ V•CAM has a flip mode built into the transmitter’s programming. It is pretty cool. You simply press and hold the flip button and then quickly move the right stick in the direction you want the quad to flip. The quad needs upward momentum to maintain its position during the flip, so have it climbing when you hit the flip button.

The video mode is what I like! It is easy to use too. All you do is press 64

RC SPORT FLYER — OCTOBER 2013

the video button once, and then again to start taking video. The LED on the side of the V•CAM will flash when the quad is capturing video. To turn off the video you simply press the button again, then the LED will glow steady.

The 1SQ takes still pictures too.

To take pictures press the picture button on the back of the transmitter one time to initiate that mode.

Press the picture button again to take a picture. The LED will flash momentarily when a picture is taken.

When the flashing stops the camera is ready to take another picture.

Note that you can switch between video and picture at any time but you must press the appropriate button to enter the respective mode.

For me this is where the fun really began. Once I had my Heli-Max 1SQ V•CAM in level flight I started capturing video with it. I flew it around the family room, down the stairs, into the TV room and then around my office. I did not try any flips in the house because I did not feel like there was enough room. So after a few minutes of flying in the house I recharged the battery pack again and took it outside.

Even in the light breeze of about five miles per hour I was amazed by how well the 1SQ V•CAM flew outdoors. It responded to the turbulence but I was able to hover it pretty well.

Then it was time to try the flip function. To do so, I added a bit of power so that the quad was climbing and then hit the flip button while adding some right stick. WOW! This little quad will roll over like a dog wanting a bone. I must say you need to be on top of the controls because it took me a couple of tries before I could return it to level flight without landing it in the grass after the flip.

While I was flying it outside I snapped a few still photos too. It is pretty fun to know you can shoot video and take photos with this little quad. I don’t know if the starlings much like it buzzing their home however.

I measured the hover time with

As you can see, the video camera is mounted just under the PCB board of the quad where it can capture video unobstructed. It is adjustble too.

HELI-MAX 1SQ V-CAM

Specifications Size

125-mm (diagonal—motor center to motor center)

Motors

20 x7 coreless brushed (4)

Empty weight

32.9 g (1.16 oz)

Weight RTF

40.6 g (1.43 oz)

Blade length

56 mm (2.20 in.)

Length

143 mm (5.62 in.)

Height

41 mm (1.61 in.)

Width

145 mm (5.70 in.)

Price

$129.99

Camera Specs

the LiPo battery charged to its maximum. The quad delivers fiveminute-and-20-second flights pretty consistently. If you are flying it aggressively the flight time drops to about four minutes and change. My advice to you is to buy a couple of extra battery packs. In so doing, you can have one on charge while you are powering your quad with the others.

I’ll end by saying that the Heli-

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Your Heli-Max 1SQ V•CAM comes with four LED lights, one on each leg. There are two white up front and two red on the back, so you can fly it in the dark.

Max 1SQ V•CAM is priced at just $129.99, which is a buy considering the technology packed into this little machine. An extra battery is only $5.49. So if you spend $150 you can fly this quad for hours on end—loads of fun!

Memory

Accepts up to 32 Gig Micro SD card

Size

40 X 20 X 8 mm (L, W, H)

Codec video

Motion jpg, 1280 x 720, 30 fps, file extension .avi

Codec audio

PCM S16 LE, mono

Still image capture

1280 x 720, 96 dpi jpg

Distributor Great Planes P.O. Box 9021 Champaign, IL 61821 Phone: 800-637-7660 Greatplanes.com

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BY Wil Byers

APPRENTICE S 15e AN AIRPLANE THAT MAKES IT SAFE TO BE A BEGINNER

The Apprentice S 15e ARF comes with everything you’ll need to get into flying RC, including the transmitter and the LiPo battery that will power the airplane.

S

AFE™ stands for Sensor Assisted Flight Envelope. SAFE technology is implemented in the control system of the new Apprentice® S 15e RTF (ready to fly) airplane. As such, the Apprentice S 15e is one of the best trainer/sport airplanes available to RC pilots today.

This new technology makes the Apprentice S 15e extremely easy to fly, even for the first-time RC pilot.

At the heart of this new control

technology is a sensor system that implements spatial awareness as a way to provide flight envelop protection. As a result, the control system acts like a basic autopilot

In the air the Apprentice S 15e looks every bit the part of a regular sport airplane, but its SAFE system separates it from every other model in its category.

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APPRENTICE S 15E RTF

This is how your Apprentice S will come from E-flite.

It is nearly ready to fly. You need only add the battery, tail surfaces and attach the wings.

to counter the effects of thermals, wind and gusts. The beginner pilot, therefore, feels more in control of the airplane because the flight performance is smooth, yet responsive. SAFE also provides multiple levels of flight control, so depending on the pilot’s skill level the level of control can be adjusted. Moreover, the Apprentice S’s SAFE technology implements a “panic” mode so that if the pilot gets into trouble they can simply hit a switch to have their model returned to level flight. This is simply amazing in-flight performance you’ve yet to experience. It can be used as an outstanding training aid for any pilot new to RC or wanting to better their piloting.

Another superb feature of the Apprentice S package is its level of completeness.

The model is made of durable Z-Foam™ material, so it comes nearly ready to fly. It takes only minutes to attach the wing to

All around the Apprentice S 15e is an attractive, well-designed model for the beginner or intermediate pilot. It makes an excellent trainer!

the fuselage with rubber bands. You’ll attach the tail and install the landing gear; the modeler needs do only these few basic assembly functions, charge the battery and do a range test, and the model is ready to fly.

Also, you’ll like the fact that the Apprentice S is powered by a

As with the rudder, the elevator’s pushrod and its linkages are tight and slop free. We found the elevator control to be very good.

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The rudder’s control linkage is well designed so there is no slop or free-play in its control. This means a nice, tight control feel for the pilot.

brushless, outrunner-type electric motor system. That means it is so quiet that you can fly it at most any park or RC airfield.

The motor system provides enough power to let an experienced pilot fly it through loops, rolls, hammerhead stalls and even do a bit of inverted flying.

While we did not get them for our review model, you can even buy a set of molded foam floats for the Apprentice S that will turn it into a great flying floatplane.

An 840 Kv brushless outrunner motor powers the model. It gets power from a 3S 3200-mAh LiPo battery that runs through a 30-amp ESC.

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The Apprentice S 15e’s wing is designed with stall resistant wingtips, which add to this model’s design as a good trainer aircraft.

The wings’ servos drive straight into the ailerons as is shown here. Again, the linkages are tight fitting, so the roll response of the model is good.

NEEDED TO COMPLETE • Pilot • 12-volt DC source

IN FLIGHT

Rather than test this model ourselves, which inevitably has biases built in by our point of view, I decided to enlist the support of a beginner RC pilot. Our test pilot is a young woman who wants a career in aerospace/ aeronautical engineering. Her name is Alyssa Peña.

Alyssa had a couple of hours of RC flight training on a flight simulator before this test, but had no prior experience flying an RC airplane. She was the perfect pick for testing the in-flight performance of our Apprentice S 15e’s SAFE technology.

I met Alyssa at our RC airfield at 8 a.m. in the morning. There was little wind, bright sunshine and clear blue skies. The LiPo battery was charged, so we performed a radio range check.

Then I explained all the control functions and had her verify that the control surfaces were moving in the right direction. Once she had verified that the controls were working as they must, I taxied the airplane onto the runway and lined it up for takeoff.

Rather than let Alyssa attempt a takeoff, I did that for her. Once the 68

RC SPORT FLYER — OCTOBER 2013

Look at the wing design closely and you can see the specially designed wing sections that help prolong the wing’s stall.

model was at an altitude of about 100 feet I handed the transmitter over to Alyssa.

Before doing so, I had set the transmitter to its SAFE flight model zero position, which is the position designed for beginner pilots. In this zero position Alyssa did well. What we found is that in the zero position the airplane will pretty much go in the direction it is pointed— wings and pitch level. The pilot must override this flight mode to make the model turn, with the pitch control being much less sensitive than it

APPRENTICE S 15E RTF would be if SAFE were not operating.

A couple of times I assisted Alyssa with getting the model flying in the right direction, but she was very much in control of the model.

Next we switched the Apprentice 15e to its flight mode one position.

In this position the model is more sensitive to the pilot’s control commands, however, it is still under the control of the SAFE system. What we found is that in this mode Alyssa did well. SAFE gave her just enough added control that she was able to fly the model quite successfully; albeit, again there were a few times when I took over control of the model, with her feeling my command inputs.

Finally, we switched the SAFE system to its position two, which is designed for the experienced pilot.

In this mode Alyssa had success.

That said, I had to take control of the airplane much more often to avoid having the aircraft diverge in a direction that she did not want it going, and flying straight legs was much more of a challenge for her.

While we did not use the “panic” mode during this flight, I tried it on a subsequent flight. Suffice it to say it is pretty amazing. Pretty much no matter the attitude of the airplane, if the transmitter is put into its panic mode, the SAFE system takes over and will return the airplane to a stable flight path—it must be high enough in the air to avoid hitting anything on the ground though.

PANIC RECOVERY • • •

1

Pilot loses control of the aircraft in any flight mode.

2

3

Pilot pulls and holds the Panic Recovery switch and returns all other controls to their neutral position. The aircraft will roll wings level and pull out of a dive...

...once the aircraft is flying straight and level, the pilot releases the Panic Recovery switch and continues a gentle climb to a safe altitude.

IMPORTANT: Aircraft will recover to a safer attitude even if sticks are held.

Some control input is still used with panic activated.

Here is 17-year-old Alyssa getting instruction from the old man! She is doing absolutely excellent at piloting the model thanks to the SAFE sytstem that is built into the Apprentice S’s controls.

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Immediate recovery to a safe flying attitude Return all transmitter controls to neutral for the quickest recovery This mode is intended to provide the pilot with the confidence to continue to improve their flight skills

With a little help from me, Alyssa was even able to land the new Apprentice S on her first trip to the RC airfield. She needed a little help managing airspeed, but was otherwise in control.

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The 15-size outrunner motor delivers plenty of power from good climb performance and maneuvering such that the airplane can even do mild aerobatics.

ASSEMBLY You are going to need less than an hour to assemble this airplane. I recommend you read the E-flite instruction manual well before you start the build though. It is filled with useful information about assemblying the model, but also about how to fly an RC airplane, so don’t overlook what is a valuable resource to your future RC success. Reading the manual from cover to cover should not take you more than an hour, even if you study the very well-done illustrations.

There are really only three steps to assemblying this model: installing the landing gear, attaching the tail surfaces and attaching the wing. The transmitter is preprogrammed, so there is no need to worry about that step. You will need to attach the linkages and plug in the servo leads too. I’d estimate the assembly time at something under one hour, and that includes putting the 3200-mAh LiPo battery on charge.

The landing gear simply plugs into the fuselage and the nose gear’s steering arm. It will should take no more than 10 minutes to

do. Be certain to tighten the set screw for the nose gear well.

The vertical fin mates to the horizontal stabilizer and then they are held in place by two screws. You’ll need to attach the pushrods to their respective control horns and push the clevise’s keepers into place. Again, this is a 10-minute job, and very easy to do.

The left and right wing panels assemble by simply pushing them together, with a couple strips of double-sided tape making the bond between them. You need to add the plastic leading edge and trailing edge strips, but you can do that in about five minutes.

About the only thing left to do is put the “AA” batteries in the Spektrum DX5e transmitter and charge the airplane’s LiPo battery.

You must perform a complete control check before you fly the model. Make certain that the AS3X is active as well. Also, I recommend that you enlist the help of an experienced pilot for your first few flights of the Apprentice S 15e. I good instructor will save you time and money learning to fly RC. Control throws Low

High

Ailerons

0.71 in. (18mm) 0.91 in. (23mm)

Elevator

0.71 in. (18mm) 0.91 in. (23mm)

Rudder

1.10 in. (28mm) 1.35 in. (35mm) Center of Gravity 3-1/8 in (79.0mm) back from the leading edge of wing

The color scheme that E-flite has put on the Apprentice S makes it quite easy to see in the air, even at a distance when you need good model orientation.

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APPRENTICE S 15E RTF

Here the Apprentice is captured taking off. It will climb at this angle for about as long as you dare. Ours got to about 100 feet in about 15 seconds or so.

DEBRIEF

In our opinion the Apprentice 15e SAFE airplane is an absolutely excellent trainer and sport airplane.

The SAFE technology provides a level of assisted control that will help any beginner pilot advance in the hobby by helping them learn the basics of RC flying.

SAFE’s “panic” is almost guaranteed to save an airplane for the pilot that loses orientation or has the model’s flight path disturbed by a gust of wind or a thermal. It is as smiple

Have a look at the smile on Alyssa’s face after she completes her first successful flight. This is what RC is all about—having fun piloting the airplane around the sky and landing it successfully.

as hitting the panic button and then waiting while SAFE returns the model to a controllable flight attitude. All you’ll need is enough altitude for the model so that it can maneuver out of the dangerous attitude it has gotten into. SAFE will right the situation without the pilot’s help.

When you consider that the Apprentice S 15e sells for only $299.99 it is a bargain, this is especially so because it comes with transmitter, charger and battery. Also, the E-flite’s instruction manual is

truly a beginner pilots aid. Then too, you won’t spend hours building the model. Instead, you will be at the RC airfield flying this great little airplane with your friends. That makes it pretty cool too.

Specifications Wingspan

59.0 in. (1500mm)

Length

42.5 in. (1080mm)

Wing area

515 in.2 (33.2 dm 2)

Weight

49.0 oz (1390 g)

Motor

15-size outrunner

Transmitter

Spektrum DX5e transmitter

Propeller

11 x 8 electric

ESC

30-amp brushless

Battery

3S 11.1V 3200-mAh LiPo

Charger

2–3S LiPo balancing 0.5–3.0 amp

Controls

Ailerons, elevator, rudder, throttle & SAFE

Pilot age

14 years

Experience

Beginner

Environment

Outdoor

Assembly

≥1 Hour

Distributor Alyssa shows off the new Apprentice S 15e, which comes with transmitter, charger and LiPo battery. You get everything you need in one box to start flying RC.

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In SAFE flight mode three the airplane performs as any sport airplane because the SAFE system is not controlling the model. In mode one and two it is a huge pilot aid.

Horizon Hobby 4105 Fieldstone Road Champaign, IL 61822 Phone: 217-352-1913 horizonhobby.com

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BY Devin Troy

FUN CUB

IT’S ABOUT FLYING A FUN, COOL LITTLE AIRPLANE

T

he FunCub by Multiplex is an extremely well-executed model with looks, features and performance made to deliver.

It’s one thing for an airplane to fly well, but it’s another for an airplane to impress, and that is exactly what the FunCub does. This model provides the pilot with an assembly process easy enough for beginners to complete while learning a few

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assembly tricks, yet detailed enough to keep pros from getting bored.

Once you get to the RC airfield, this airplane is ready to make every pilot its biggest fan.

KIT CONTENTS

A large portion of what you need to create your FunCub is already included in the kit. In the box you’ll find the fuselage, two

MULTIPLEX/HITEC RCD FUNCUB wing components and two tail components. Two Tiny-S servos are already installed in the fuselage, as well as four Nano-S servos in the wing. The ailerons and flaps are ready to use with linkages, and the linkages for the rudder and elevator have been installed as well. The brushless motor and brushless controller are also installed, which saves a lot of effort on the builder’s part.

The propeller, motor and spinner, landing gear, and tail wheel unit are all included, as are the many decals, necessary hardware and manual.

FLIGHT TESTING

Thanks to the gigantic wheels on the FunCub, ground takeoffs are no trouble. It’s always easiest to do these on a paved surface or very closely mown grass. One of the claims of the Multiplex FunCub is its ability to take off from surfaces that have not even been mown. At the RC airfield,

These are the parts and pieces that will come in your Hitec RC / Multiplex Fun Cub. You’ll need a receiver and a transmitter too.

A hobby knife and ruler produce precision cutouts for the decals, which are included in the FunCub kit package.

I start my decal application by removing just a small portion of the paper backing.

Place the decal where you want it before pressing down the exposed adhesive to make the bond to the airplane’s the surface. Done right you will not get any bubbles.

When applying larger graphics, spraying the surface with glass cleaner will make it easier to get rid of air bubbles as well as fix any alignment mistakes.

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It’s important to take your time smoothing the decal as you peel away the backing, especially with the larger ones.

Using a paper towel, apply pressure and push out any air bubbles from under the decal.

Here, I’m removing the air bubbles from another large decal, and wiping the surface clean with a paper towel. Any water that remains under the decal will evaporate in a few hours.

Using the separation seam between the fuselage and the hatch cover as a guide, use a hobby knife to cut the decals so that the hatch is functional.

the grass was mown, so takeoffs from the runway were a breeze. If you do decide to hand-launch your Fun Cub, although you shouldn’t have to, always have the throttle up to at least half-power and have the FunCub pointed directly into the wind.

Once in the air, the FunCub did nothing but impress me. I had to trim the controls a bit, but that’s an expected process with any new model on its first flight. Besides that, there wasn’t a single control issue in flight. One of the major selling points of this aircraft is its docile flight characteristics. Turns are completely effortless, and in straight flight I even took my thumb off the aileron/elevator stick and watched as the FunCub kept on going, no problems to be seen. Even with its controls set to high rate this model still had a smooth, easy-to-control maneuverability about it, never 74

RC SPORT FLYER — OCTOBER 2013

seeming overpowered or stubborn.

But don’t let that fool you into thinking this airplane could get boring. If anything, its good behavior makes it that much easier to whip out some awesome intermediate aerobatics. Loops and rolls are second nature, and, with a little down pressure just to keep it stable, it does fly inverted. I’m not the best aerobatic pilot, with most of my reviews written for beginner pilots, but it was plain even to me that my FunCub can handle most any go-to maneuver that could be expected of a non-3D model.

The flaps are a bonus feature!

I’ve had some experience with flaps on gliders, and that’s almost what the FunCub transforms into when you activate its flaps. Right before lowering the flaps, I would cut the throttle slightly. Then immediately once I lowered them, I would give

down elevator control to decrease its tendency to pitch up. This is easy enough to do, but if you don’t want to have to worry about the down elevator, you can always add flap-toelevator mixing, if your transmitter has that feature. Using that control mix enables you to pre-set the necessary down-elevator when the flaps are lowered, which reduces the stress of compensating for flaps settings. Its flight with the flaps is really cool. I had the throttle backed off almost completely most of the time, producing a flight speed that was slow and graceful, showing off the Cub lines and easy feel of the FunCub. You must be careful not to stall the model when it is in the super-slow flight speeds. Experiment with its stall speed at altitude, and you soon get a feel for how slow you can fly it.

It is rare that I don’t have a

MULTIPLEX/HITEC RCD FUNCUB

When mixing epoxy, create two lines of equal length to make sure you’re working with equal amounts of both components.

Use a balsa stick or a small length of dowel to apply epoxy to the part you will be gluing.

T-pins are a great way to set your epoxied pieces in place so they don’t move while the glue is setting.

Rubbing alcohol can remove any excess epoxy that oozes out when you squeeze the two pieces together.

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This shows the vertical fin getting secured with T-pins to the empennage as I wait for the epoxy resin to cure.

Bob Smith Industries’ (BSI) IC-LOC Blue is applied to the wheel collar set screws to prevent their loosening later.

Use the included hex wrench to tighten the set screw in each collar and secure the wheel. The stub end will fit better inside the tire.

The undercarriage easily fits into the three tabs in the factoryinstalled mounting plate.

RC SPORT FLYER — OCTOBER 2013

MULTIPLEX/HITEC RCD FUNCUB complaint after I’ve flown a model, but that was exactly the case here.

My only regret is that the LiPo battery didn’t have more capacity.

The FunCub is an ideal trainer airplane, and is a worry-free sport

model that is sure to be appreciated even by the most experienced pilots.

Getting it ready for the maiden flight takes a little time, but the process is really quite easy, and nothing is easier than the way the FunCub flies. I was

very impressed by the quality of this kit. Multiplex has done a superb job designing and building their FunCub. I certainly recommend it as a part of your collection. The FunCub is sure to become your favorite.

A single retaining screw holds the undercarriage securely in place on the FunCub’s fuselage. It is quick and easy to fasten the gear in place and it makes for a durable connection.

The molded-in cylinder heads, valve covers and pipes can be painted for an added touch of realism. I used acrylic craft paints for the heads and pipes, and Testor’s Model Master enamel for the valve covers.

Great Planes’ AccuThrow Surface Deflection Meter enables you to get the precise throw adjustments called for in the manual.

I mounted the Hitec receiver in the recess for the wing wires. There is ample space for all the wiring inside the FunCub fuselage.

The 3S LiPo battery fits inside the hatch easily, where it is secured with hook-and-loop material. Notice the ESC is fastened to the side of the fuselage, also with hook-and-loop material.

The two sections of wing slide together easily for a secure fit. Note how I cut the left-side window graphic to separate when the panels are pulled apart.

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Channel (5) of the Hitec Optic 6 Sport radio was used to operate the flaps, so I had to flip one of the flap servos in the wing. I pried out the servo with a screwdriver, flipped it around and hot glued it back into the recess.

My FunCub’s enginge and exhaust pipe details were handpainted by me. Adding these little details makes for a bit more of scale-like appearance, which adds fun no matter how you look at it.

Control throws

Center of Gravity It was set to 3.15 in. aft of the wing’s leading edge at the root.

ASSEMBLY The decals are where I chose to start my FunCub’s build. They are not die-cut, so I used a hobby knife and ruler to cut them out individually, leaving an approximately 1/8-in. perimeter. On the window decals, the trimming had to be even closer as they had to go into tightly-fitted recessed spaces in the fuselage. Now there are two methods to choose from when applying decals. The first and most basic is the simple peel and stick. You take an edge of the decal and peel back just a small portion of the backing, either folding it back or ripping it off. I suggest folding it back as that produces a tab for you to hold on to during the later peeling. Once the area to receive the decal has been wiped clean with rubbing alcohol, you place the decal, rub down the exposed adhesive section and slowly peel back the remaining backing, smoothing the decal down as you go. This method is sufficient, especially for experienced builders and for smaller decals. However, I suggest a second method for the larger decals included in this kit. Every step of their application is the same, only before you place the decal, you spray glass cleaner to cover the model’s surface. Then once the decal is adhered, you rub the decal with a paper towel to remove any air bubbles, using firm pressure and short, outward strokes. The glass cleaner makes this process smooth and easy, and leaves no trace once the process is complete. This is a great trick that enables beginners to achieve advanced results, and pros to get the job done hassle-free. There are a lot of decals in this kit, but they are well designed, accentuating the lines of the FunCub rather than cluttering it. However, this does mean you should set aside an hour or two for the cutting and application process.

With the FunCub decked out in decals, the next step is to assemble the tail. There are two components that must be

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RC SPORT FLYER — OCTOBER 2013

Aileron

.87 in.

Elevator

1.0 in.

Rudder

1.0 in.

I set the transmitter’s dual rates to 65%, and the exponential at 35% for high rate and 25% for low.

attached: the tailplane and then the fin. I always check the fit before I actually mix the adhesive to ensure everything is good to go, and if necessary make the proper minor trims to guarantee a solid fit. To glue these pieces into place, I used 5M Quik-Cure Epoxy. This epoxy comes in two parts in separate bottles—when they are mixed the actual adhesive is created. To guarantee you get equal parts of both components, I suggest squeezing out two lines of equal length rather than two puddles. This allows you to get a better look at how much epoxy you are actually contributing from each bottle. Once lined up, mix the two together, being sure to take your time and fully incorporate them.

I use a little wooden dowel, and then roll it in the mixed epoxy to spread it on the pieces I’m gluing together. I try to stay away from the very edges because I do not want the epoxy to ooze out when I push the pieces together. However, if you run into that problem, simply wipe it away with a paper towel and some rubbing alcohol. With both my model’s tailplane and fuselage epoxied, I connected them and secured the bond with a few T-pins. After giving the epoxy ample time to cure, I did the same for the fin.

The next step in my FunCub assembly was its undercarriage, or landing gear. I put a collet on each axle and set them in place with two of the tiny grubscrews, making use of Bob Smith Industries’ IC-LOC Blue to secure their fit. The wheels went on next and were secured by two additional collets and grubscrews; make sure to adjust the spacing as needed to get the best fit and friction-free running for the wheels. With the undercarriage assembled, you can fit it into the allotted space under the fuselage, where it is held in place by a single retaining screw.

With everything relatively assembled, I decided to do an extra

MULTIPLEX/HITEC RCD FUNCUB

Specifications Wingspan

55 in.

Wing Area

589 sq in.

Wing Loading

9.8 oz/ft2

Fuselage Length

39 in.

Airfoil

Flat bottom

Weight

40 oz

Motor

Brushless

Battery

3S 2200-mAh LiPo

Servos

Tiny-S (2) Nano-S (4)

Controls

Aileron, rudder, throttle and flaps (optional)

Price

$119.98 (towerhobbies. com)

Distributor

Me and my completed Multiplex FunCub are ready to take the maiden flight.

step that isn’t required but adds a nice finesse to the FunCub’s appearance. There are molded motors and pipes on both sides of the nose, and while these can be left the white of the fuselage, they’re shown painted on the box. I’m an artist who loves to paint, so of course my FunCub was not going to be complete until I had put that finishing touch on it. I chose black for the pipes, grey for the heads, and a metallic copper for the valve covers, all of which I hand painted with a small paintbrush. The finished result had lots of contrast and shine and really took the product to the next level.

The basic assembly of my Fun Club was complete, so it was onto move the electric components. Multiplex has everything ready to hook up to the receiver, only I ran into a snag because my battery packs typically use E-flite™ EC3 type connectors. This was a painless switch, though, simply requiring me to remove the Multiplex connector from the electronic speed controller and solder an E-flite EC3 connector onto the wires. Then I installed a Hitec® Optic 6 Sport’s Optima 6 six-channel receiver into the fuselage and plugged the wires in properly: ailerons in channel one, elevator in channel two, throttle in channel three, rudder in channel four and flaps in channel five. The transmitter manual suggests channel six for flaps, but that is in order to make use of the flaperon feature. I wanted to put the flaps on a single switch instead, so I put them on the retract channel.

While the kit came with four servo extension wires to plug in for ailerons and flaps, I chose to make use of Y-harnesses; this way I wouldn’t have to label the extensions and plugging in at the airfield would be much faster and easier. Since the flap servos are closer to the center of the wing than the aileron servos, their leads are longer. To help the ailerons reach, I put the ailerons

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Hitec RCD 12115 Paine Street Poway, CA 92064 Phone: 858-748-6948 hitecrcd.com

on a Y-harness and put an extension on channel one of the receiver. The flap servos were left alone, and a Y-harness was put into channel five, the retract channel. This way when I get to the airfield, the two leads off the retract channel plug into the Y-harness, and the Y-harness from the ailerons simply plugs into the single extension.

Once everything was plugged into the receiver, I connected the battery pack and performed the bind process between the transmitter and receiver. In checking the controls, I found the elevator and rudder both needed to be reversed, and the flaps were operating in different directions rather than in tandem.

The flaps were a simple fix: I broke one of the flap servos free of the wing with a screwdriver, flipped it around and glued it back into the recess with a hot glue gun. The elevator and rudder were reversed without any physical alterations, because I could reverse those channels with the programming in the Optic 6 Sport transmitter.

The Optic 6 Sport also enabled me to set the proper control surface throws, dual rates and exponential. Using my Great Planes® AccuThrow™, I set the throws according to the manual.

To balance the FunCub you can do a simple hand check by balancing the airplane on your fingertips, but I always like to use my Great Planes CG Machine™ to get the most accurate balance possible. You can fix minor imbalances by sliding the flight battery forward or backward accordingly. For bigger balance problems you can add stick-on weights to the nose or tail. Once your airplane is balanced, you can take a proud look. Then make your way to the airfield, because you’re ready to perform your FunCub’s maiden flight.

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BY Wil Byers

CARBON-Z SPLENDOR

™ ™

TAKE CONTROL OF THIS F3A AIRPLANE TO REALIZE SPLENDID PERFORMANCE

E-flite’s Splendor looks splendid either upright or inverted. It will let you experience F3A pattern flying, but without you needing to spend thousands of dollars for a full-on competition machine.

Jill shows you just how clean the lines of the Splendor are, as well as how long its tail moment is, which makes for its superb tracking ability and handling.

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RC SPORT FLYER — OCTOBER 2013

F

rom the moment I first laid eyes on this airplane, I’ve been wanting to review it. I make no apologies for it. I’ve wanted to fly a pattern airplane for a long time.

However, whenever I’ve priced what it would take to get me into a real F3A competition airplane I’ve thought twice about it. This is especially so because I’ve not had the desire to get into competition F3A flying.

Rather, I’ve just wanted to fly an F3A airplane to do graceful aerobatics like what I’ve seen Quique Somenzini fly with his F3A models.

It is kind of like an artist painting sequences in the air to see topnotch F3A pilots putting their models through their routines. Moreover, to see one of these machines fly a slow roll down the flight line just a few feet off the ground is amazing. It is like the airplane is preprogrammed not to move off its heading.

So, when E-flite® introduced this

E-FLITE CARBON-Z™ SPLENDOR™

This shot of Jill with the Splendor gives you an idea of just how long the model is relative to her.

new Carbon-Z™ version of their Splendor™ electricpowered F3A airplane, I wanted to get one to test my piloting skills flying F3A—or it after a fashion.

What makes this model special though is its AS3X® technology that is built into the Spektrum™AR635 2.4GHz receiver system. AS3X makes it possible for even an intermediate pilot like me to have a lot of fun flying this airplane, without sacrificing the feel of rock-solid stability and unmatched performance that the BL50 outrunner motor delivers.

Moreover this model comes almost ready to fly—and I mean almost ready. You will not spend more than an hour getting it ready to fly. It simply falls together. For me that means

This shot was taken just after takeoff. Notice that I’m holding a bit of up elevator control because I had the battery about a 1/2 in. too far forward.

The Carbon-Z Splendor comes with a pilot in its cockpit, which makes for a nice finishing touch.

a lot in light of the fact that my model building/assembly time is extremely limited.

Most importantly though I wanted to do the test report on this airplane as a way to see what it would be like to fly F3A, especially since this would be my first time at the controls of such a model. I’ll

As you can see the elevator control servo and linkage is designed to provide positive, slop-free control. It will take you less than five minutes to hook up the controls to both the elevator and the rudder.

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Here you see the rudder’s control servo and linkage is also designed to provide positive, slop-free control.

Notice that the tail wheel is driven through the rudder’s plastic hinge. It works very well.

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81

It seems that Quique designed this model as he would have one of his competition airplanes by the looks of these linkages to the ailerons.

Here is how your Splendor will come packaged from the factory. All parts of the airplane are protected well against damage during shipping.

This gives you another look at how the ailerons’ servos drive the ailerons through their control horns.

Look closely at how the 6S LiPo pack is installed in this fuselage. Notice how it is back against the foam stop as a way to get the model’s center of gravity set.

The E-flite Carbon-Z Splendor comes with its paint scheme done by the factory, including the lettering and E-flite logo.

NEEDED TO COMPLETE

underscore this by telling you that there have been many times when I wanted to beg some stick time on a friend’s F3A machine, but I knew he had lots of money invested. Crashing his model might just put an end to a long-standing friendship. Also, I’d seen the glimmer in many an eye of F3A pattern pilots when they talked about the experience of flying F3A machines. So, I wanted to see if flying an F3A airplane would really live up to all the things I’d heard about them.

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RC SPORT FLYER — OCTOBER 2013

KIT CONTENTS

• Fuselage (injection-molded foam that comes prepainted) • Wings w/ joiner (pre-painted) • Empennage • Landing gear • BL50 brushless outrunner motor, 525 Kv • 60-amp Pro Switch-mode BEC ESC (V2) • (4) 26 g digital MG mini servos • Spektrum AR635, 6-channel AS3X Sport receiver.

• Battery 3200-mAh 22.2-V 6S 30C LiPo battery • Charger 6-cell LiPo (balancing) • Transmitter Spektrum 2.4-GHz w/ DSM2/ DSMX technology w/ adjustable expo and dual rates.

F3A FLYING

Let me get right to the point. The Splendor does live up to all the hype about F3A flying. You will likely not pry this airplane out of my cold, dead hands. It is that much fun to fly.

I want to emphasize for you that I’m 63 years old. I’m absolutely an intermediate pilot when you compare me to the likes of a someone like Quique Somenzini. Add to that, I’ve been mostly a glider pilot; albeit,

E-FLITE CARBON-Z™ SPLENDOR™ The BL-50 outrunner motor spins a 14 x 7-in. electric propeller. The manual recommends you set the flight timer for six minutes.

The design lines of this model are clean, so it will carve huge maneuvers in the sky, and even deliver some 3D.

Notice the up elevator control I was using to get the model off the closemown grass runway. Pavement will make takeoffs easier.

I’ve got literally hundreds of hours of slope soaring logged—some in big-wind conditions. What you should take away from this is that the Splendor is an F3A airplane you too can fly and have a ton of fun doing so. If you are an older pilot, the AS3X systems will give you the confidence to start flying pattern with this model. If you are a younger pilot who is advancing in the hobby, the Splendor will let you get started in F3A without spending a fortune to do so.

Activating AS3X is as easy as turning on the model, advancing the throttle to 25 percent, then pulling the throttle stick back to its lowest position. AS3X will help you keep control of the airplane by responding FOLLOW US ON TWITTER @RCSPORTFLYER

automatically to changes in the airplane’s flight attitudes, such as you might experience from a thermal gust or wind.

I flew the model both with and without AS3X. I can tell you that this model is an absolute joy to fly. It goes where you fly it. It rolls well and quite fast without AS3X active—with AS3X you get a more tame control feel. What I found most enjoyable about this model is that it has that highperformance, high-energy glider feel to it. It delivers huge loops, straight rolls, has good rudder control and superb elevator response.

Landing the Splendor is

Look closely at the elevator. There is almost no down elevator control needed for trimmed flight when the model is inverted. I LIKE IT!

RC-SF.COM

83

super fun. You simply set up your pattern on the downwind leg, turn it onto the base leg as you are pulling back the power, and then you turn it onto final. On final, I was pulling the power all the way back and gliding the model in for a landing. Just before it gets into ground effect you’ll want to start bleeding speed with up elevator control until it touches down—three point landings are actually pretty easy too.

CONCLUSION

If you too have been wanting to experience the fun of flying an F3A pattern airplane, I recommend this model highly. At a price of just $349.99, plus the cost of a 6S LiPo pack, you’ll have a model that will give you hours of enjoyment flying loops, rolls, wing overs, spins Chandelles, etc.

From spinner to the rudder’s trailing edge, this model has clean lines, even the landing gear is nicely done.

Here you can see how the fuselage has cooling holes molded into its sides as a way to keep air flowing over the motor, ESC and battery.

Specifications Wingspan

54.5 in. (1380 mm)

Length

56.7 in. (1440 mm)

Wing area

645 in.2 (41.5 dm2)

Motor

BL50 outrunner, 525 Kv

Propeller

14 x7 electric

Spinner

2.7 in. (68mm)

ESC

60-amp Pro Switch-Mode BEC

Servos

(4) 26 g digital MG Mini

Receiver

Spektrum™ AR635

Battery

6S 30C 3200-mAh LiPo

Approx. flying Duration

5-7 minutes

Pilot level

Intermediate

Price

$349.99

Distributor Horizon Hobby 4105 Fieldstone Road Champaign, IL 61822 Phone: 217-352-1913 horizonhobby.com

84

RC SPORT FLYER — OCTOBER 2013

E-FLITE CARBON-Z™ SPLENDOR™

To land the Splendor you’ll just pull the power back and let the airspeed bleed off until the model settles into ground effect. Then you’ll just fly it onto the runway.

I want to emphasize that this airplane is designed to be flown by pilots of all ages and skill levels. I know if I can fly it you can too. You’ll delight in showing your RC friends how you can fly it through a pattern sequence. Even if you can’t do a complete routine, this airplane will let you hone your skills until you can.

Note too that the 70-page manual has many helpful tips on how to fly pattern maneuvers.

I’ll end this review saying your time and money will be well spent on this E-flite Carbon-Z Splendor.

As you can see here I have the power pulled back all the way. Then I’m just letting it settle to a three-point landing. Even intermediate-skilled pilots will enjoy flying F3A pattern with this model.

Control throws Low

Servo Travels High

Ailerons

80% up/down, 15% expo 100% up/down, 15% expo

Elevator

75% up/down, 15% expo 100% up/down, 15% expo

Rudder

60% right/left, 10% expo 100% right/left, 20% expo

CAUTION

When flying above 50% of the top air speed in level flight, only use F3A mode. Flying at these speeds in 3D mode will result in strong oscillations that could damage the aircraft. Use care when switching between F3A and 3D modes.

Throttle 100% Aileron 125% Elevator 125% Rudder 125% Channel 5 100% Center of Gravity 5.91 in. (150mm) from leading edge at wing root

ASSEMBLY Getting your Splendor ready for flight is a piece of cake. You must install the landing gear, fit the wing to the fuselage, attach the elevators, contect the controls to their respective control horns and install the battery. You’ll need to bind your model’s radio receiver to a Spektrum DSM2®/DSMX® transmitter too, but then that is quick and easy.

I won’t go into the details of assemblying the model because the manual does an excellent job of explaining the step-by-step procedure.

For the 6S battery packs I put hook-n-loop material on the bottom of the battery. The battery is held in place with this material as well as the hook-n-loop straps. Make certain the battery is fastened in the airplane tightly so that it cannot shift forward or aft in flight or up and down. You must also know that the 6S 3200-mAh E-flite LiPo battery pack is positioned all the way back in the fuselage to its foam stop on my Splendor. I had to do this to get the model’s center of gravity set as per the manual.

Even so, at this position I feel that my model is just a touch nose FOLLOW US ON TWITTER @RCSPORTFLYER

heavy. I plan to put a bit of weight in the tail to move the model’s center of gravity back a bit more because I have about eight clicks of up trim set in the Spektrum DX-18 transmitter I use for control to get the model into trim flight. Even then I’m holding back a bit on the up elevator control in upright flight—inverted is in almost perfect trim.

Also, you will be happy to know that at e-fliterc.com there are programming templates for your Spektrum DX transmitters that you can download. They make programming a DX transmitter as easy as a download and an upload to the Tx. It could not be easier. Obviously, you’ll want to tweak the program settings to your flying preference, but E-flite’s templates are a superb starting point for getting this model ready to fly.

Note too that I set my model’s controls with recommended throws, exponential settings and control rates. I don’t know if these are Quique’s recommendations, but for me they were nearly perfect, which is to say the model did not need any control adjustments after I flew it.

RC-SF.COM

85

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RC SPORT FLYER — OCTOBER 2013

THEMystery AIRPLANE

WIN

A FREE SPORT FLYER HAT

Give us the name of this glider to WIN! SUBMISSION INFORMATION Please e-mail your response to support@rc-sf.com or mail a letter to Kiona Publishing ATTN: RC-SF 18-10 Contest P.O. Box 4250 W Richland, WA 99353 Submissions must be received by 10/20/2013

ANSWER

Last month’s Mystery airplane was the Gloster GA.5 Javelin. We hope you enter to be a winner in this month’s Mystery Airplane contest.

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Specifications: Wingspan: 47.2 in Weight: 3.1 lb Length: 42.5 in

Features: Motor: WB3720 600Kv Brushless Outrunner ESC: 50-amp WE50A Prop: 12x8 3-Blade RC Functions: 4 Channels Ailerons, Elevator, Throttle & Rudder

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SPECIFICATIONS

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Not only does this inaugural 60-size aerobat embody everything you’d expect from an idolized biplane based on the brutish Hangar 9® 100cc version, it’s been engineered to harness every benefit modern electric performance has to offer. Its lasercut construction is extra light in ways only conceivable with a smooth outrunner, yet strong enough to perform hardcore 3D with pro-level precision. When combined with the new E-flite Power 60 470Kv outrunner, thrust and acceleration rival that of its heritage. Assembly at the field is as simple as installing four screws and four pins—so you get the biplane experience without the fuss. Go beyond the 60-size bipe of your dreams and equip this new animal with the Spektrum™ AR635 6-channel AS3X® Sport receiver. You’ll get the expert Giant-Scale feel in a practical electric package born to rule the aerobatics jungle.

EFL9000

> High power-to-weight ratio with 3D agility > Two-piece, plug-in wings with carbon joiner tube > Ready to mount the higher power E-flite Power 60, 470Kv motor (sold separately) > Large magnetic nose hatch provides ample access to battery and electronics > Independent and simple direct-link servo installation > Large control surfaces with double-beveled hinge lines > Genuine Hangar 9 UltraCote® covering > Pre-painted fiberglass cowling, wheel pants, and aluminum landing gear 57.0 in (145 cm)

1100 sq in (71.0 sq dm) 8.90–9.55 lb (4.05–4.35 kg)

VISIT

Your Local Retailer

CLICK

horizonhobby.com

CALL

1.800.338.4639

57.5 in (146 cm)

To learn more about the Beast 60 or to find an E-flite dealer near you, visit E-fliteRC.com.

SERIOUS FUN.®

© 2013 Horizon Hobby, Inc. E-flite, Hangar 9, AS3X, UltraCote, Serious Fun and the Horizon Hobby logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of Horizon Hobby, Inc. The Spektrum trademark is used with permission of Bachmann Industries, Inc. BEAST® and its design are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Kevin Kimball, used under license to Horizon Hobby, Inc. 39700

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