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02RCM February 2005

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02RCM February 2005

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gopal_svsemails8998
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aca) azi LAO ORTEL ONAN IROR Cs Lm LULL wn COU UU Be ie EINDECKER Bl MW-54'MK3) TURBOJEM KIT * CESSNA SKYLANE 182 ARF BANCHEE G-3D GLOW 8 E=3IDELECTRIC ARFs + FL-70 ENGINE REVIEW TE ENA 4 cK. One man's way to scratch-building oO Pe ee) ‘Mi The HITEC Annual ot ¥? USPS 509-190 ISSN 0033-6866 68 EVENT CLOCK (Club Project How-To| John Valentine REVIEWS 20 FL-70 ENGINE, REVIEW O'S. Engine Mfg. Co, Great Planes Model Dist Clarence Lee FEBRUARY 2005 VOLUME 42 NUMBER2 i 122 THE HITEC ANNUAL PARKING LOT RACE Event Report Mike Lee SECMMLUM 60 CESSNA SKYLANE 182ARF. Bomber For 4 Speed Hangar 9/tlorizon Hobby iP eT coed eon ea et 16 BANCHEE G-3D GLOW & ce | aon E-3D ELECTRIC ARFS Cermak ANN) reeperzc eon eros Joe Hass pe | Ug COLUMNS 3. FROM THE SHOP InFond Memory Of Jobn E. Brodbeck and Alvin L, Prather, Trade Shows, Flying Fun Jim Pearson 34 SCALE VIEWS Landing Patterns, Dulles Air Museum, This Month's Cover —testrestte Sk Bateries Enger I tenet dion thine feat RUC products. This beautiful giant scale WWI srplane asa ‘ringspan 10" ands poweredy a Zereab G23. RCM FWIW columnist, ery Smith, ol is mode forthe produ review tat eine om pg 6 fh ie ery aso ok be ‘cover photo uring hie digital Nikon D-70 camera with 24-em es, whl ood end and Fel ce meer. ‘Gry Spears, andl he contol. The photo wa taken at the Bir County Maal Avion Ch ld in Enron, Gera. FEATURES oe, 116 EINDECKER E1 KIT SR Bateries Seale ARF Jerry Smith ENGINE REVIEW SPECIFICATIONS Type: Single cylinder, 4-stroke cycle, ABC type (ABN), air cooled, glow ignition Bore: 27.7mm (1.090") ‘Stroke: 19.0mm 748") Displacement: 11.45cc (698 cu. in) Compression ratio: 8.63:1 Horsepower: 1.1@11,000 rpm Rpm range: 2,300-12,000 Weight: 16.48 oz. — w/mutfler 18.28 oz Manufacturer: 0.S. Engines Mfg. Co., ‘Osaka, Japan U.S. Distributor: Creat Planes Model Dist. Gol Cremeans It Street price: $189.09 oa HT @@,ece 20 ROM February 2005, I don't believe there is another model engine manufacturer in the world that introduces more new models or updates their existing engine line more often than O.S. A month seldom goes by in which we do not receive notification of, anew engine release. In the past year alone O'S. introduced three new R/C car engines, the Max 21 VZ-R Ver. II for race cars, the Max 21 VZ-B V-Spec for dune buggies, both of which were 2-strokes, and the FS 268-C Ver. II 4-stroke race car engine. On top of this they added the Max 37SZ-H and Max 50SX-H helicopter engines to their engine line-up, and most recently, the FL-70 4-stroke — our review engine for this month, Our most astute readers may note that 0.S.'s new 4-stroke carries the designation FL rather than FS, the first time O.S. has changed the designation ‘on their single cylinder 4-stroke engines since the introduction of their FS-60 back in 1976, which was the world's first mass produced 4-stroke glow ignition engine. The FS designation signified Four-Stroke, but, now only the F stands for four-stroke and the L for light, ic, the new FL-70 isa lightweight 4-stroke. Actually, the FL-70 weighs only a half ounce less than the 0.S. FS-70 Ultimate that we reviewed in the April’04 issue, but the FS-70 Ultimate ‘was already a light weight to begin with, with every effort having been taken to reduce its weight even to drilling six lightening holes inthe prop drive washer which the FL-70 does not have. In comparison to the original FS-70 Surpass II the new FL-70 weighs almost 3-1/2 02. oF 20% less. It was only last year that O introduced their FS-70 "Ultimat which replaced the FS-70 Surpass Il and is now their top of the line performance .70 cubic inch 4-stroke engine. The new FL-70 is aimed at a different market — those who have not yet experienced the fun of flying with a 4-stroke engine or those who are new to the sport of flying R/C aircraft which ‘was more or less the original intention of Shigeo Ogawa, who founded 0.S., when he introduced his FS-60. The FL-70 is to the O.S. 4-stroke line as their LA series is to their 2-stroke line: Piston, wristpin, and rod assembly. Ringless ABC type piston utilized. A first for 0.8. 4-stroke engines. Crankshaft, bearings, and prop drive assembly. Short rod pletured between front bearing and prop driver fits hole in erankshaft and slot in back of prop driver. Can easily bbe lost so should be secured with Loctite. See text. Combustion chamber side of head. Note ‘glow plug offset towards exhaust valve to Injection molded plastic backcover has Tetain heat for better idle, Head retained no screw "ears" and is secured by edge by only four cap screws. of screw heads. ricer: Ainbleed design carburetor tized though basic in sion, the carburetor performed very vvattatter moateation te tank plumbing. See text. bern! Rena ree te presets ‘tangs: One for rescuing va! (rear mene tngine crankcase vont Soe tant 4 wingspan: 6a” twing arec: 689 Sq. tn. cd Dea eure! street een Too windy to fly? try R/C Sailboats no helm of one of our selection of jachts or eacy to assemble Kit, Put yoursett ready to 1-32: Minutes rom bax 1 wate, this Big 32 inch yacht i ready to sail. Ineludes R/C. Multiple colors available. '5299.95 complete SOLING 1 M: Designated bythe AMYA as an offical one design novice rcing class boat $114.95 (kip (CUP SERIES: Ausiratia Il and Stars & Stripes areone meter semiscate versions ofthe famous America's Cup 12 meter racing yachs Kits $115.95 each Ameria! Ie Moro and Spirit of 92 ae exellent performing one meter lookalikes of several ofthe 1992 America’s Cup International 42 meter yachts 5145.95 (per kit) AMERIC! BEING LED BY SPIRIT MORE KITS AND ACCESSORIES AVAILABLE (OF 921992 STARS & STRIPES) Each kt includes precision molded Hi-Impaet plastic hl and components tsinmed for assembly incsted sails made from quality sllloth, elect ‘Bim, woods, complete hardware and easy to follow instructions wes Visusac wwnvictormodcioom — Viefor move provucts Faint snag 12280 WOODRUFF AVE, DOWNEY CA 80241 SucreSenmareatansiete’™* Phone S62 6091097 ¢ Fox a) 93-Tooa [ROM Fatrsery 2008, Valve train assembly. Camshaft supported by bronze bushings rather than ball bearings to help weight and cost reduction. ‘abasic engine selling for an economical price of less than $200.00, in turn, making a4-stroke engine in this size range available to many who did not want to go the extra bucks to give a 4-stroke engine a try, However, whereas the LA series 2-stroke utilizes sleeve bearings for crankshaft support, the FL-70 utilizes @ 28mm od. x 12mm id. double shielded ball bearing at the rear and a 17mm od. x 8mm id. double sealed ball bearing at the front. So, even with expensive double ball bearings supporting the crankshaft, how was O.S. able to hold the cost down to under $200.00. Let's take a look and see. The new FL-70 is the same physical size as the FS-70 Ultimate but utilizes completely new pressure die-cast aluminum crankcase and head castings. ‘The mounting bolt pattern also remains the same as the FS-70. However, rather than using miniature ball bearings to support the camshaft, bronze sleeve bearings are utilized. Although ball bearings might be considered desirable, i ‘must be taken into consideration that the camshaft rotates at only half the speed of the crankshaft, making bronze bushings perfectly adequate for this application The engine uses an injection molded, plastic backcover, but, what is unusual, is the elimination of "ears" on the backcover for the retaining screws. Instead, the backcover fits into the crankcase and the edges of four large diameter, flat head screws secure the bbackcover. A crankcase vent nipple has been cast as part of the backcover. Whereas all O.S. 4-strokes in the past utilized steel sleeves with a single ringed piston, the FL-70 now utilizes ABN piston/sleeve metallurgy, ie., a high silicon content aluminum piston running in a brass sleeve given O.S.'s special 2-stage, hard nickel plating, thus eliminating the need (and cost) of @ piston ring. Another cost-saving factor is the elimination of a bronze bushing at the connecting rod's wristpin end. Although the cost savings in material is very small, itis the labor and machine time involved in making and installing the bushing that is the cost-saving factor. We still like to see connecting rods bronze bushed at both the crankpin and wristpin ends, but can understand wily OS. eliminated the bushing, ZU eroa Ks! cre De ee) Thad We can fill your complete hobby needs in RIC Airplanes, Helicopters, Boats and Cars. MASTERCARD + VISA * NO SALES TAX IN NEW HAMPSHIRE 0.8. has chosen to use a basic air- bleed carburetor rather than the more commonly used 2-needle design. ‘Again, the air-bleed type being less costly to produce. O.S. also feels that the air-bleed type is easier and less complicated to adjust for the less experienced fliers than the 2-needle type. In operation we found the carburetor to work fine and the air- bleed adjustment screw to be set “right on" from the factory. The intake valve timing was within the normal range of what we usually find in the 4-stroke engines, opening 40° before TDC (top dead center) and closing 40° after BDC (bottom dead center) for an intake duration of 260°. The exhaust valve timing, however, opened late at 60° before BDC and closed early at 10° after ‘TDC for an exhaust duration of 150° and a short over-lap period when both valves are off their seats for 50°. This accomplished two things: by delaying the ‘opening there is a longer period for the combustion gases to expand before exiting the exhaust, theoretically helping the engine's low end torque. By closing carly, the over-lap period is shorter, allowing less air/fuel mixture to escape ‘out the still open exhaust. Again, this ‘benefits low end operation and helps the fuel economy. This proved out when in ‘comparison with the FS-70 Ultimate, the FS-70 Ultimate would turn the smaller prop sizes 300-400 rpm stronger. ‘However, when loaded down with the 13 x8 and 14 x 8 props, the FL-70 turned 200-300 stronger showing that its maximum torque and horsepower are occurring at lower rpm. It also did this ‘more economically, burning an ounce of fuel per minute, whereas the FS-70 Ultimate burned approximately one and ‘a quarter ounces per minute. ‘A check of the engine's full stroke compression ratio showed it to be on the low side at 8.63:1. The FS-70 Ultimate, as a comparison, had a compression ratio of 9.12:1. This was most likely done intentionally to tame any kickback ‘on starting tendency or prop throwing in the air ifrun too lean, as the 4-strokes have been known to do. We always measure the compression ratio of a 4-stroke engine full stroke as the compression stroke starts with the closing of the intake valve which is usually between 30° and 40° of crankshaft rotation which, in turn, amounts to a minimum of vertical piston travel as the crankshaft passes through bottom center. With a 2-stroke the compression ratio is measured with the closing of the exhaust port which is usually in the 70° to 80° range, resulting in considerably more vertical piston travel before the actual compression of the air/fuel mixture begins. SEND $2.00 FOR CATALOG OR $7.00 FOR CATALOG & VIDEO ROM February 2005, ‘The FL-70 uses @ somewhat different type of muffler fuel tank pressurizing system which O.S. refers to as the “Acropressure” system. The benefit of this system being more consistent fuel delivery regardless of the aircraft's attitude. Rather than a single pressure fitting as is normally used, the F-430 silencer has two fittings, one with a small i.d. opening and the other with a larger i.d. opening. The smaller i.d. fitting connects directly to the backcover crankcase vent fitting. The larger i.d. fitting connects to the fuel tank. However, O.S. diagrams this two ways in the instruction manual. The line can either go directly to the fuel tank vent ala standard practice, or connect toa "T" fitting that, in ‘um, connects to two tank vents — one at the top and the other a the bottom of the fuel tank. The latter system being the Aeropressure system. This evidently creates a more even pressure within the fuel tank during upright and inverted flight maneuvers. What is a bit puzzling is connecting the crankcase vent to the muffler via the second fitting. Muffler pressure is evidently slightly less than the ‘rankcase pressure, allowing the excess oil residue that collects inthe crankcase to vent into the muffler: During our testing we used a single tank pressure line. In operation we found the high speed needle valve mixture setting to be somewhat sensitive going from rich tolean in only three of four clicks. Disconnecting the vent line from the crankcase and plugging the second muffler fitting so that we were using conventional muffler pressure broadened the mixture adjustment range considerably to what we ‘would normally expect, The engine was given our standard 30-minute break-in period consisting of ix S-minute runs with cool down time in-between. OS. recommends that a fuel containing 5-15% nitromethane and at Teast 18% lubrication be used — either castor, synthetic or combination of both. ‘Our standard test fuel — 10% Omega — met these requirements and was used for ‘the testing with two additional ounces of castor oil added during the break-in, All propellers were Zingers. The tem- perature of the day was 72°F, the relative humidity 48%, and the barometric pressure 29.92" of mercury. 11 x8— 10,400 11x 10—9.200 12x6— 10,200 12x8—9,100 13x6—9,700 13x8—8,000 14x6—8,400 14x8—7,200 .S. recommends that an electric starter be used for starting, not so much. for safety reasons, but due to the engine not having a choking device. Because of this it is necessary for the engine to spin a few seconds to pressurize the fuel tank and supply fuel to the carburetor. However, we had no problems starting the engine by hand in the conventional manner, i.e., choking with our finger at full throttle ‘until fuel could be seen in the fuel line at the carburetor, reducing the throttle toa high idle, connecting the starting battery, and flipping the prop in the normal starting direction. Oftentimes, the 4-stokes will fire up easier using the "backward flip" starting method, however, we did not find this necessary. Although we had the engine idling as low as 2,250 rpm, 2,450 was more reliable with good acceleration and deceleration qualities. Being of ABN design, there was a tendency of the tight piston to "stick" if idled slower, particularly with the smaller prop sizes, With a little more running time and loosening of the piston we would expect the engine to have a lower idle speed. Heavier propellers such as the APC's would also be beneficial. If we were to fault any area of cost reduction it would be the method of prop drive washer retention. Those familiar with running model engines will know that there are three basic ways of retention — a split collet, flats milled on the crankshaft, and a Woodruff key, The FL-70 has a hole drilled through the crankshaft, through which a short length of 2.5mm (.098") 0.4. hardened steel rod is slipped, in turn, matching a slot cast in the backside of the prop drive washer. Actually a clever arrangement but one that lets the short rod fall out if the prop drive washer moves forward when removing the propeller. After having this happen on two occasions we solved the problem with a couple of drops of Bob Smith's IC-2000 instant glue. A more permanent fix would be a couple of drops of red Loctite #42 Thread Locker, but we didn't want to wait overnight for the Loctite to set. Overall, we were quite impressed with the engine's friendly operating characteristics and performance. If you have wanted to give 4-stroke power a try, but were held back due to the price being more than the hobby budget ‘would allow, the 0.5. FL-70 could well be the answer. Although O.S. has cut a few corners to market the engine at a very reasonable price, the quality is still typical OS., second tonone. > \ THOUSANDS SOLD Se 7 | mrss gel . pa a 4917610 LEARN NOSE-IN HOVER [ae |YOU CAN TEACH YOURSELF TO HOVER!) eee. arctic) hte ose feeccere settee ieeareenes ae siai herr) esiarepleteas faummumconsocten win NOSE:NHOVER tyeunest owt eae OEDRENK aves new eicoper or you TESTSTANDRR Stecnng neO wor x ting RADORLNVASE Serenata Te PyeaSerd nS ane eveneruNs The price of 1 or 2 crashes 1! MORE.INFO: Wow FACTORY DIRECT man et, 282 Hwy 47 Blo, Ni, 7002, USA Jrisoseee-tor, acest, wore Whiteman i Uk crs wi scvedstuton com * mga pilots + tel (50) 204-4170 fax 689) 224-2789 wovumngapiots.com E-mail maplotsepsrwcom www ono EEE) Never miss as day's flying because of low batteries. $ 44.99 PAC-MF0SO2 with a builtin field charger Functions as a regular power panel and as a field charger for your Tx (9.6V), Rx (4.8V or 6.0V) and glow starter (I.2V). Digital peak-detection, pulse-current charger for Rx (4.8V and 6.0 V). (Charges NiCd and Ni-Mh batteries. Winner R/C Hobbies ORDERS ONLY 600780010 NFORMATON 29614616 ‘ONLINE ORDER AND MORE INFORMATION AT www.winnerrc.com ‘ROM February 2005 27 — Landing Patterns Most major scale contests have finally recognized that the traffic pattern for a model should be typical forthe original aircraft and not limited toa canned standard pattern I think the problem began many years ago when someone introduced into the AMA rule book, a standard rectangular square cornered landing pattern which all contestants were required to follow if they were to receive credit fora landing pattern, The problem was that very few real aircraft ever used this type of pattern. It was confined to training fields, some general aviation airports, and to heavy bombers and transports in the military. Practically no military fighters or medium bombers ever flew this type of landing pattern and do not to this day. In WWII the standard tactical areraft pattern was called a 360 overhead, It was started with the aircraft or ima formation entering traffic on an initial hiss a typical 360 overhead traffic pattern as Hlown by jet lighters. This view fromthe approach straight down the runway. F1a0 plots mansal shows ino akeraft entering af pattem aude andmatingatevel When the first arraft reached a spot am through downwind rather than the climbing tur of ters. There are sieve where he intended to touch down, aa 0 cngres terres 1108 ats the pilot pitched out in a climbing turn, pulled the throttle back, and continued the climb until the aircraft speed was reduced to below the limit for dropping the landing gear. With the gear down, the aircraft continued the turn, descending as the speed dropped, Somewhere on the base leg the flaps were deployed and the turn continued to final and touch down. The hot-shot fighter ideal was to pull the throttle back toidle on pitch out and not touch it again until after touch down. This made for anice fast landing pattern, but with no room for error ifthe speed dropped too low. A too tight final turn at low speed was not good for longevity. With formation landings only the first aircraft would make the fast 360 approach. Each of the other aircraft would extend the pitch-out point down the runway and roll level fora more extended downwind to provide runway spacing between aircraft. All other features of the landing would be the same, The approach altitudes for tactical aircraft were supposed to be 7 mens standardized for each airfield, but in ao practice this might vary widely. {recall San eee rte eertaenctees ie Tynes ‘Museum's Udvar-Hazy Center at Washington Dulles International Airport. The huge Oe Ne ee niet ‘new bullding contains a number of alreraft that were formerly on display ot the fields it , but pil at time, downtown Air and Space Museum, plus other aircraft that were too large for inside _ being what they were, often ignored the splay at any other location. rules, Ihave movies of my B-26 Group ROM February 2005 SCALE VIEWS act Jonnson 34 GET YOUR JUICES FLOWING! | sFUELING SOLUTIONS: ‘CARBON FIBER PUSH RODS. Real Quotes from Real Modelers. "ths aplane was one ofthe most fun to Bul hat have ever bland Phove been bulking since 1986"-.J.W, from Calfonia "Te bul 34 planes ofl sizes - this i the best kt and best fying ‘tera ya" CH. rom litnols “Wat an acplanel It does Seana yg Baim. ard mover ‘rom Wyoming Much more mane » FLYIN KING. {tan had expected 0-15 291cte WB. fom, 5 10-9) 480 onda (5 Wgepan Bruce THarPe ENGINEER! ss = ar ECINS EBD ROLE OA — Quality- Minded Model Aire ‘www.btemodels.com 1-800-557-4470 * You-bulet it: $159.95 pls $10.00 sbpping i US. ‘Tisgerstandaré} Optional Taveel Assembly $12.95 a oe ‘A et our machines ar bit with the same high quality terials, Wood & Alsminam on he ‘04s ard lp Sop Mylan Ghies. The Nits are designed fr cuablty and hous of easy fig. ‘You ean by dct rom te manuacture to keep the price down! (Teach youre oh) AVIATIO cl ant i i aereretl Snes a SSHESs. Shia | aseree r Sr ee [ane oman AirFoil Aviation, Inc. {410.2575 PL, Loraine, 1.62949 « 24720384479 s Fax 217598-4373 Visi oor website for new products CAAA SEEL RSD siaeisess landing on return from a combat mission and the approach could not have been more than a hundred feet before pitching out inthe climbing turn. ‘When the AF became the USAF in 1947 and jet fighters were being introduced, we soon found that some changes were needed in the fighter Janding pattern. Jets, and particularly the swept wing jet fighters, did not take kindly to high "G" slow final turns. I can remember in the F-84F, that when below 600 pounds of fuel, you could not bank more than thirty degrees without flaming out, Not good for the hot-shot fast 360 approach. It was decided that with dive brakes, there was no longer a need to make a climbing turn to reduce speed before gear drop. Throttle back and dive brakes could do the trick in level flight. The upshot was that the official fighter traffic pattern was changed to a level approach and tur through downwind and the decent started when turning base leg. Traffic patterns were changed to an approach altitude of around 1500 feet. The downwind part of the turn was out farther, allowing for a more gentle lower "G" turn to final. This is the traffic pattern shown in the illustration from the F-100 dash one tech order (pilot’s manual). I believe that thisis the USAF jet fighter pattern still in use today. The 360 overhead landing pattern, either original or modified, is fairly easy to fly with our models. It has the added advantage of keeping the model closer to the pilot and makes it easier for the judges to see. It is not the pattern for Cub fliers, but itis appropriate for almost all military aircraft with less than four engines (well maybe not the C-47) There are other approach patterns typical of some aircraft that would not be too useful for our models. Instru- ‘ment landing patterns come to mind. ‘The tear drop jet fighter approach from high altitude is an example. Most of the action here would occur too far from the runway for either the pilot or judges to observe. The same goes for trying to simulate an IRS or GCA landing, Best we stick to those used for visual flight rules. After all, we are supposed to be able to see what is going on, Air Museum at Dulles In-between dodging Florida hurricanes I managed to visit the new Air Museum at Dulles Airport near Washington DC. This is one huge building, making it possible to put some very large aircraft on inside display. This was the first time I had seen the Mach 2 Comet up close and it turned out to be much larger than I had expected. The museum looks a bit crowded with planes hanging at various heights from ground level to the ceiling. Many overlap some of the larger aircraft, but there are three different levels for observation, so visibility is good. Talso managed a repeat visit to the Air and Space Museum in DC. A number of the exhibits had been rearranged since my last visit. One of the most interesting was the Wright Flyer now down at ground level where you can get a very close-up look at the Getails of construction. Interesting to see just how the wiring was set up to control wing warping. It took a good Took to figure out exactly how it worked, Asit turned out, I didn't actually dodge all the Florida hurricanes. Two CM ee one (479) 390-2479 FOE (479) 395-2008 owe: Monday Fiday 931m.t0' pm. CST of them made direct hits very close to where I live. No major damage to my place, but it is hard to do any model building, or article writing for that matter, when the electrical power is off for many days. As for model flying, I hope I don't forget how before the winds are out of here. I did plan to attend the Rally of Eagles up in the Florida Panhandle in October, but Hurricane Ivan did that one in They say that it will take a year to rebuild the Headquarters Hotel used for the Rally. Seale ARF for Practice Having designed and built my own scale models for many years, itis hard to admit that I have actually built an ARF. I do most of my Sunday flying and practice with sport models which reduces the wear and tear on competition scale models. Iran fresh out of Sunday fliers a while back ‘when T tried a roll with my Sig Cobra abit too close to the ground. A Hobby Lobby ad for a scale ARF of the ME 108 drew my attention, The size ‘was right, the price was right, and the model had retracts and flaps. T ordered from the Website, with delivery four days later. A week later Carbon Fiber for aa Tey Be a Re Ree eg ee Compared to traditional wood and fiberglass structures, carbon fiber + Increases and Sti + Reduces Welght - use much less carbon fiber for the same strength + Stabilizes Structure — never changes with temperature or humidity Available in a wide variety of forms: Woven & Unidirectional Fabric, Laminates, Plates, Sandwich Panels, Rods, Tubes and Rectangular Stock. Download a free catalog and see our complete line at www.cstsales.com. Materials tor EXTREME PERFORMANCE. The Composites Stone Ine. Tech Suppor 38 ROM Februar 2005 www.cstsales.com Order on-line or by phone 1-800-338-1278 : 661-823-0108 and the model was in the air. Tused the same engine that had been in the Sig Cobra (O.S. .91 4-stroke). ‘The ME 108 was used as a trainer by the Luftwaffe and it was such a nice flying airplane that it was put back in production after the War. The ARF version is very easy to fly and looks good in its Swiss Air Force finish. Problems with the kit, made by Graupner, were minor. The gas tank cap split on the first flight, the plastic spinner was a bit flimsy, and the mechanical retract struts bend a little too easily. I understand that this latter problem is common to many seale ARFs. Dave Platt's Vol. 4 Video Titled "Advanced Building Techniques," Dave's latest in his Black Art series of videos covers how he built the myriad parts for the incredibly detailed cockpits in his model of the Navy Kingfisher. The video also covers the completed models competition debut at the 2004 Toledo Show. I reviewed the DVD version of the video and found it most interesting all the way through. The video is available in both VHS and DVD formats from Dave Platt Models, Inc., 1306 Havre NW, Palm Bay, Florida 32907. Phone (321) 724-2144. Webs www.daveplattmodels.com Seale Modeling’ Bach Art Series DAVE PLAT?'S: “The Kingfisher & Dave Toledo Dave Platts latost video in his "Black Art” series covers the final techniques on how he made the fantastic cockpit details for his model of the Kingfisher float plane. 2 The push-pull elevator assembly with my drilled Futaba serve wheel. Carbon Predator I finally got my second Predator rebuilt in the new carbon layout. It took ‘me longer than planned because after I rebuilt the first one earlier in the summer I was simply enjoying flying it and didn't have the motivation to sit at my workbench and rebuild the second one. Couple the great flying with the fact that the Predator has been completely trouble-free and one tends to lose interest in anything but flying, Other than making sure the ball links on the tail control assembly don't wear too much, the Predator has been a "charge and fly helicopter.” The two obvious design changes between the original aluminum version and the carbon version are the push-pull elevator servo on the left side and the front mounted tal servo on the right side. These two differences also apply to the push-pull elevator and front mounted tail servo that I developed last summer. There are also many other hidden improvements that have been incorporated into the kits without any notice. It was a pleasant surprise building the carbon kits, as I discovered the improvements as I went. Last summer when I built my first Predator, | compiled a list of things that I thought should be improved on. This is no different from any other top of the line helicopter, there are always things that could be done better. The difference this time was that the ‘manufacturer was listening, ‘One of the improvements, heavy uty ball links, was incorporated very quickly, while other improvements, such as the clipped axle, took longer. While I would like my suggestions to be acted on immediately, so that I can have a perfect helicopter without any extra effort on my part, the realities of ‘mass production do not allow such speedy results, The Fury was improved on for many years to get to its current successful configuration and the Freya is in its second configuration ‘was my wish list that instigated most of the changes I am very pleased with the current product, Back to the push-pull elevator and the front tail rotor servo. These were two design changes that I implemented on my kits when I built them last summer. Peter Chao did my designs one The new front mounted tail servo arrangement. John Benario better. By moving the elevator servo to the left side he was able to mount the tail rotor servo where the elevator servo had been on the original non-push-pull set-up, which in turn produced a straighter pushrod run than I had on my version which had the tail rotor servo ‘opposite the throttle servo. 1 differed from the instructions slightly when I installed these two components. Century recommends their special aluminum servo arm for the elevator servo with holes at 20mm and 14mm which match the unusual layout of the elevator arm. I didn't have the Century arm and since I prefer plastic for servo arms, Tused my Enco mill to accurately drill a large Futaba wheel at 20mm for the lower pushrod and 14mm for the upper pushrod. Note the Futaba wheels have holes at 19.3mm, not 20mm, so both holes had to be drilled. Chalk up another cost savings from the mill On the tail rotor pushrod set-up I used the plastic Fury bellcranks that I had used on my own front tail servo ‘arrangement rather than the aluminum lever that the kit comes with, The Fury The machined bottom plate. Very nicely made. Should(?) be rashproof. FROM February 2005 ‘My homemade gyro mount. A lot of people have asked me where Imount the gyro. 44 PLATINUM POLYMER 242300 ra mansireL 9 yr ae 520 15 s2uPeoe tas wmsntsre ps goss 518.95 S2.P6s0 av wma ieeLY 9 aml ton $20.95 PaLPRB 7a tema 00 (tga) $27.95 ere mre a 5 “Aen nnn ra 7 9S san-128C Poutnemrenje tO $18.95, SS. etn Repco eeomes vee $19.95 z Mrhn atanrseiaawih etl PA 3:9 oman PoLtet Spel ens. 6 95 [New HiCell electric Might Ni-MH packs! ‘arpa tht rt mn ‘MOTOR PACKS w Sa70 RCs pec ibtamenanma tie sit iter ase saan He SANYO Reser Peeks w/ Comet! to Sum) hound smn st 48.voit70Umin ewsew sane xro=|s 9.950, {48 vot 1100mn so anes wc $13.50, {48 oll 1700manorsr Wee mewn) S10.95ee ‘Yauneciat 19s anatamen 2608 SAILYO Peach eee Sune te 1 volt 700mm qoreeFne unr) S TESS 5 volt 100m eqn Pac ween) 822950 Revolt 1650nm temtannesacien $222, SANYO 2300 AR ctv S25 ‘BATTERIES AMERICA 221.0 Parvo Fe, uctn, 53562. To order, call TOLL FREE: belloranks use larger bearings which have slightly less play than the smaller bearings in Century belleranks. If did not already have the Fury belleranks I ‘would have used the stock ones without any concer, ‘The carbon sideframes use a very nice milled aluminum bottom plate that fits into the lower frames versus the aluminum components which had a stamped bottom plate that bolted to the bottom of the lower frames. Because of this difference it took a different building technique to get the engine aligned properly. My goal is to have the clutch bell free enough so that when the blades are pushed forward the friction in the auto hub is enough to spin the clutch bell. It is difficult to achieve this degree of freedom with the Predator/Vigor clutch bell arrangement because the large bearing that supports the clutch bell has herent drag and the rigidity of the design exacerbates the effects of the slightest misalignment. (On my first attempt [didn't think the construction through and even though I did get everything smooth, after a day of flying the drive train had binding, I figured I had missed something ‘when I built the frames the first time so I took everything apart and assembled it a second time with shims everywhere. Lam not really sure why I thought I needed all the shims, but atthe time it seemed like a 00d idea. I got everything smooth, but after flying the binding came back. [took everything apart again and decided this time to think about what was going on before I wasted another day. It turned out that the mistake I made was in the sequence of tightening the sideframe bolts. I tightened the rear lower side- frames first, then the front lower sideframes and then installed the bottom plate. Tightening the front and rear portions independently essentially ‘guaranteed the front portion was not aligned with the rear portion. With the VINTAGE R/C PLANS PBY- “oA PLAN #105 RC. $3495 asecossnus, oo See thence = sireoesnrontion soars MANY MORE PLANS AVAILABLE CATALOGUE $2.00 (FOREIGN $3.00) 4 Ss rz VINTAGE R/C PLANS - Feo novscx, owen 1-800-308-4805) | viscid cate nove nan Tons aunty "wears wmncctagencplenscoin [RCM February 2005 front and rear portions not aligned, the frame assembly was twisted when the bottom plate was installed. The ability to bolt together in a misaligned condition is a result of the tolerances in all the bolt holes. This isa disadvantage of a stacked sideframe arrangement, to go along with the advantage of being much more rigid than a narrower flat sideframe design, ‘The trick was to bolt the upper frames securely so that the main shaft slides freely in its bearings and the clutch bell is set to the proper mesh with the main gear, but leave al the other bolts loose until the bottom plate is installed. Once the lower frames were secured to the bottom plate the remaining bolts were tightened. Using this method ensures thatthe front portion of the sideframe assembly is properly aligned with the rear portion and none of the frame components is stressed when the bottom plate is installed. Once the sideframe bolts are all tight, the engine and mount are secured so that the engine lines up with the clutch bell and start shaft. With the sideframes properly assembled the engine spacing to the mount is the remaining unknown. The Predator kits come with 0.020" (0.5mm) engine shims to space the ‘engine. In most cases 0.020" will be too large a step and itis very helpful to have 0.010" and even 0.005" shims so that the ‘engine can be lined up exactly with the clutch bell. Robbe makes 0.032" and 0.008" shims, or shims can be made from ‘brass using the shim punch, By assembling the sideframes as described here and using the finer shims it was possible to line the engine up accurately such that the clutch bell does spin when the blades are pushed forward and most importantly, remains that way. On my first Predator I spent many days before I got it right, but on my second kit I had the engine lined up very quickly since I knew the procedure. I remember when I built my Vigors years ago I had the same issues with lining the engine up and it took me a number of attempts before I got the engine alignment down. It is amazing how difficult it is to learn from one's experiences! OS. Pump C-Spec ‘After talking to Curtis at IRCHA Lam trying the O.S. pump with the 3-needle carb to compare the power to the pressure-Kline set-up. So far Ihave a few gallons through the pump engine. As I fly itmore Iwill report onit. If you're not flying you're not trying. I can be reached at: [email protected] * Perspective: As | write this I am sitting in our motor home at Triple Tree Model Airdrome near Woodruff, SC, awaiting the start of the Don Lowe Masters Contest. We are now feeling the aftereffects of Hurricane Jean that has followed the other hurricanes in devastating Florida and the southeastern states. We have a driving rain and 60 mile an hour winds at the moment. The surrounding areas have been warned of flash flooding. It's not likely to happen here with the drainage system Pat has created. We are hoping for clearing weather tomorrow (Tuesday) to dry things off to be ready for the event that begins on Thursday. Having been in the Adirondacks all summer we are humbled to have escaped serious harm to our property and life as experienced by so many in Florida and the coastal areas, which has been the experience of many modelers, especially in Punta Gorda and the panhandle areas, and of course, Pensacola. Ron and Betty Jo Chidgey had a tree fall on their home that destroyed most of it. Ron was the Chairman of F.3.A.Committee for 48 ROM February 2005 FLYING LOWE oon owe many years and competed in Pattern events in this country, He was one of the several judges who could not come to the Masters since they had to clear away debris and fix up their homes. Friends in the Orlando, FL, area experienced damage and the R/C World Club shelter was destroyed. We want to extend our most profound sympathy to those who have lost so ‘much from the storms. We have lived in Central Florida since 1981 without ever experiencing hurricanes in that area, but this year three hurricanes came across through Orlando. In spite of the hurricanes we are happy to have our health and have the Masters to look forward to, assuming things dry up here in South Carolina. This column will end with a report on the event which brings together many of the very best fliers from around the world to compete for significant cash prizes. ‘Why Competition? Wherever I gol am appalled by a great lack of enthusiasm, for modeling, competition. Most modelers are content to fly their sport aircraft and test their ‘DON LOWE MASTERS ‘TRIPLE TREE AFROOROME ‘woooRUFE se ability to get it in the air, fly it around doing a few maneuvers and then land it safely. A very small percentage of AMA members actually engage in formal model competition, yet the AMA ‘commits thousands of dollars annually to field world competition model teams. Many modelers who attend Fly-In Rallies say that they do it because they don't want to compete, and yet it, too, is a form of competition since each flier is proud of that model aircraft he/she created and wants the modeling world to be aware of our building and flying skill. Why else do we travel hundreds of miles to show it off in front of a large crowd of modeling enthusiasts? ‘Wouldn'tit be easier just to go out to the local flying site and hack around a litle while? Competition is strongly evident in every sport or activity that I can think f i] Welcome es 0 Triple Tree _ 4 ‘Mark Leseberg and the JR banner welcome the ‘competitors. 48 ROM February 2008 dissipate. of: golfing, tennis, racing of all kinds, and it goes on and on, even in business and product manufacturing. Competition is the impetus for product development and the ever- increasing sophistication in every aspect of our hobby. It is the spark driving the evolution of our radio control systems. The reason we now have unlimited choices in engines, control systems, batteries, even the aircraft themselves, has been the competition A good example is in our larger and more sophisticated aerobatic model designs and the required associated equipment to fly them, all due to the Tournament of Champ- ions that began in 1974 through the vision of Bill Bennett, then the Circus Circus Board Chairman, and Walt Schroeder, editor of Model Airplane News. Both of these gentlemen are now deceased This event was begun using the then existent Pattern competition aircraft. Their vision was to emulate Full Scale acrobatic competition aircraft. In time the TOC aircraft were scale models of those used by the Full Scale A fow of the competitors aircraft waiting for the morning fog to World Champ Christophe Paysant-Le Roux and! t »pho finished third behind QuiQue Somenzini (first) ‘and Jason Shulman (second). pilots. The process of this evolution was painful since we were always struggling to find engines, or develop them, for what was needed to power those increasingly larger aircraft. When the 90 size engine came along we had a big breakthrough. On its heels came the Tartan engines, modified engines, and now our chi unlimited! Why? Because industry saw a ‘demand to feed not only the needs of the competitors, but also the thousands of model fliers who wanted to be like their heroes, Such development is seen in every aspect of the hobby, for instance look at what has happened to the old Du- Bro Whirly Bird helicopter, and today, .90 powered and turbine powered machines that are incredibly acrobatic. What drove this develop- ment? Competition! Take a look at the very recent evolution of F3.A. aerobatic aircraft that were long the province of piston engines (2- and 4-stroke) and now are invaded by electric-powered aircraft of incredible performance. Why? Because they are quieter, have less vibration, and allow very sophisticated energy control for perfect maneuvers. Take a look at the proliferation of electric model aircraft ofall kinds created by the ‘demand for less noise to keep club flying 50 } Universal Fill Nozzle S ‘included | Fits any Standard 7Gallon Glow Fuel Bottle (ee your feria ane sit Fee ote fk ice, Also Available without Manual fuel pump. 56 jet powered flying boat. Real Pilot? ‘A flight simulator can be a boon for a beginning model pilot ... and your mistakes don't require re-building time or cost. I was very fortunate, because with a CFI (Certified Flight Instructor) for a brother, I not only got to play with big planes, we could set up flight plans with computer simulators that mimic actual full-scale flying. Being a "real pilot” can be exciting at first, but asa hobby," I find that model flying is, much more interesting. Long flights in big planes can actually become boring. At least on a commercial flight, you can get something to eat besides 2 cold “lunch... or go to the bathroom. I would certainly recommend that any model pilot with access to a flight simulator to make use of it, but there is quite a bit of difference between the performance of a model and a real plane. You won't see most planes doing 3D maneuvers, and for that reason, a modeler seeking a flight simulator to improve his model flying skills should shop for a model flight simulator so that the performance simulation can be comparable to what we experience with model flying. Another recommendation to beginning pilots is to make use of Shortly after WWI the British firm, Saunders Roe, designed and built this experimental BIG IS BEAUTIFUL access to model cars ... powered of course. Learning to drive one skillfully can teach that beginner how to make use of all transmitter controls except up and down. The really big help is steering, You learn “right from left,” not ‘only going but coming, and every pilot recalls the control problems with a ‘model coming at him. A beginner, once mastering a "road racer," only has to learn the "up and down" control to handle an airborne model. Learning time could easily be as short as an afternoon of flying. I see the young guys who started with electric racers solo in one day and soon out-fly a parent who has flown for many months. Safety "Chute" Another aspect of the modeling hobby is the joy of flying without the fear of a sudden "power off" condition that threatens bodily harm when in a full-size plane. I don't think that I could parachute out of a plane that had any control available to me ... even if it meant more harm to my person. Dumb as it sounds, many pilots have leapt from a stricken plane without a parachute. You usually read of such tales, ‘of a war-time pilot with a plane on fire. Curtiss F-Boat ‘Abig float with wings! The Glenn Gurtiss F-Boat was designed for Navy use. More in text. ROM February 2005, Ken Runestrand ————— ‘The choice was being burned alive or a leap to certain death. But would you believe that a few pilots have survived falls from altitude without a parachute? One, Lt. Col. I.M. Chissoy, a Russian, fell 23,000 ft. and survived, though badly injured. In another occurrence, a British bomber crewman, Fit. Sgt. Nicholas Alkemade, jumped from his blazing aircraft at 18,000 ft. without a parachute ... yet not only survived, he didn't get a single broken bone! How such things can happen, I don't know. It just wasnt their time, I guess. If your TV gets the Discovery Wings (DWINGS) channel, you may have caught the biggest parachute drop of all. In 1960, Capt. Joseph Kittinger of the USAF jumped from the gondola of a big helium balloon at a height of 102,200 ft. over New Mexico. He free fell for 4 minutes 38 seconds and reached a speed of mach .93, 620 mph! His automatic chute opened safely, but as I recall, he wasn't ready to go dancing. Chute! I got to thinking about this stuff for a simple reason. I think a model manufacturer has missed the boat. Why not a trainer with an extra channel transmitter that has a spring- loaded parachute that could recover a ‘model in trouble. There are a number of larger aircraft that have such a parachute available. A chute of sufficient size is "fired" out to deploy and safely land a plane with minimal damage. Such a design for models would probably need to be spring- launched, but I can see instances that such system needs to be more sophisticated than just that. [Fa plane is under full power when the chute is deplayed, it might not be effective or other damage may result. It could happen when you have a radio/battery problem. With that kind of problem, ‘you're probably going to lose the plane anyway. A chute activation system that ‘would cut engine power, apply some timely up elevator to force a stall, and then eject the parachute could be very useful in some instances. When a wing folds or there is a mechanical mal- function with the model, it sure would be nice to recover that “supreme effort” from a test flight, right? Flying "Floats" ‘Another DINGS episode referred to the plane shown in the photo. A jet powered flying boat that was meant to bea fighter, the SR/Ai was built by the Prop to rudder hinge line) Float Length (L) = 75% of fuselage. Tength Float Depth (0) = 10% xL. Float Width (W) = 11% xL. ‘Step Location= 5096 x Step Height = 1/2" to a/a" Model's C.G. at float step Correction: The line art drawing shown 0 the left was featured in my November colunn on Float Parameters; however, the specs wider the drawing were omitted Saunders-Roe Company shortly after ‘WWII, but being about 100 mph slower than landplane fighters, the experiment was abandoned. I was impressed with the looks of this design while researching my “library” for flying boats, seaplanes, and float plane information. My files also had information on the plane shown in the drawing. Itis the Curtiss F-Boat, a design intended to get the military interested in flying, and the Navy bought ‘many of them. Note how similar the design is to my mention of justenlarging a float and adding wings and tail surfaces. You might also note that flying boats tend to have the engines directly over or close to the Center of Gravity. Curtiss’ early efforts had a problem getting off the water when it was "glassy" Two If By Land, Three If By Sea ee oT Moon whee and calm. There is a tendency for float surfaces to almost bond with a smooth. water surface. Experiments by Curti resulted in the design of the "step" on floats/hulls that greatly enhanced their performance. Another interesting feature ‘that Curtiss came up with on the F-Boat ‘was what were called "anti-sway" surfaces. The drawing here shows one between ‘wing struts and hiding most ofthe engine. ‘Some were mounted atop the upper wing and they looked like "short fences.” Thave yet to understand their use or effectiveness ‘except to add "side area" tothe design. That "diamond" between and at the trailing edge of the wings, is a cable- operated control horn to the interplane control surface that Curtiss also came up with. They are what are known as ailerons today. The Wright Brothers viewed the controls as an infringement on their patents and ensuing legal battles lasted for years. I could never understand how a separate/movable surface could be compared to wing warping control While the Wrights continued to anguish cover the legal battles, Curtiss went on to bigger and better things that firmly established him in the aviation industry. It was a Curtiss built flying boat, the 1NC-4, that became the first plane to.cross the Atlantic Ocean. Curtiss built four NC's for the Navy to make the trans- Atlantic flight, but mishaps resulted in only the NC-4 completing the journey. I'm “journeyed” out for now, so see you right here next time. > ‘Modern commercial aviation really took off with the introduction ofthe venerable Ford Tii Motor. Be It by land oF by sea, these workhorses opened the shies to millions of people throughout the world, KAVAN's two unique Ford Ti Motor ARF aimplane kits Bring the excitement of these early transport to a park near you. If by land, KAVAN's Ford Tot Motor w/Wheels includes two Speed 260 ‘motors with K2 Gold Connectors (ples a free spinning prop in the nose) and wiring harness for a remarkable multi-engine 3channel experience. I by sea, KAVAN's Ford TH Motor w/Floats Includes three Speed 260 ‘motors whh K2 Gold. Connectors wht wiring harness for extra power 10 ‘ake off water sng ful, four channel operation, ‘Both models are made of pre-painted, rugged foam construction with ‘vacuum formed detail parts and include electric motors, APC props, decals, quality hardware and lly illustrated instructions to guide you step by step. 58 ROM February 2005 se sigmty.com, Kavan is distributed by: SIG Manufacturing Company, Inc. P.O. Box 520 * Montezuma, lowa 50171-0520 ‘Web Site: www.sigmfg.com * Phone: (641)623-5154 Hangar 9/Horizon Hobby CESSNA SKYLANE 182 he Cessna 182 is an evolutionary [ design that was first introduced ack in the mid 1950s, essentially asa tricycle gear version of the Cessna 180. Eventually named the "Skylane"; Cessna's 182 went on to become one of America's most popular and successful civil aviation designs. Production of the 182 ceased in 1985, but was resumed by By Bob Wallace Cessna in the mid 1990s, with the troduction of the model 182S. Almost 22,000 Cessna Skylane 182S have been built, and they continue to be a familiar sight at just about every airport in the country. Hangar 9's Almost Ready to Fly (ARF) Cessna 182 Skylane design is modeled after the most recent "S" model and is slightly less than 1/4 scale, yet it is still large enough to qualify for use at International Miniature Aircraft Association (IMAA) events. It is designed for use with 1.08 to 1.48 (2-stroke), 1.20 to 1.80 (4-stroke), and 23 to 38cc gasoline fueled engines, has a wingspan of 94-3/4", with 1246 sq. in. ‘of wing area, and its overall fuselage length is 76-3/4". Surprisingly, for a giant scale aircraft of this size, it is packaged in a relatively small carton that measures 18-1/4" (W) x 13" (H) x 56-1/2" (L). This carton is adorned with full color labeling that shows the finished model and lists its basic dimensions and specifications, along, with the basic kit contents. ‘Almost all present day ARFs involve little more than assembling completed sub assemblies and installing the ‘engine, fuel tank, radio equipment, and control linkages. Hangar 9's giant scale Cessna 182 Skylane certainly falls into that category and both the degree of prefabrication and quality of crafts- manship are very high. This is an all wood structure type aircraft that utilizes conventional construction techniques. AAs the component parts are finished and covered, itis difficult to completely assess the quality of craftsmanship put forth in building them. However, the areas where the internal structure is visible, and the manner in which the parts fit together, suggests that the ‘quality of workmanship in this ARF is, excellent. Each balsa sheeted wing panel is attached to the fuselage using a rugged tubular aluminum main center spar, with 1/4-20 nylon bolt that is installed from within the fuselage cockpit area to hold the wing in place. The use of individual wing panels, rather than a one piece ‘wing, makes transporting this aircraft to and from the flying field a much easier task. The Hangar 9 Cessna 182 is attractively finished with white UltraCote film type covering material and pressure sensitive trim colors and detailing, The ailerons, flaps, rudder, and elevator surfaces are pre-finished with corrugated sheet plastic surfaces that result in a scale-like appearance. There were a few wrinkles in the UltraCote covering on both wing panels and the fuselage of our test review model, but these were easily removed with a heat gun. The engine cowl, tail cone, and wheel pants are of molded fiberglass construction with a painted finish that perfectly matches the white UltraCote covering. This is a big plus, compared to the cheaper and more damage prone molded ABS plastic parts that are used on some RiCaircraf All component subassemblies are enclosed in vinyl bags, as are all of the related parts and hardware; and all are carefully packaged in sectioned off portions of the carton. A highly detailed 8-1/2" x 11", 52-page assembly manual is included that contains a basic parts inventory, lists of additional items and materials required for assembly of the aircraft, and step-by-step assembly instructions that are augmented with numerous assembly photographs. This manual is very well done, but not perfect, as it contains several errors and contra- dictions. The hardware and accessory packs are very extensive and include almost everything needed to complete this model. Rather than listing everything that is included, it is easier to mention the necessary items that are not. Other than adhesives, engine, and radio equipment; these items include: fuel tubing, filter and filler, a propeller, an ignition “kill” switch ifa gasoline enginc is to be used, and a 3-1/4" spinner. Assembly: Assembly of the wing panels consists of installing the aileron and flap hinges, servos and related link- ages, and wiring extensions. The very first page of the assembly manual (Section 1: Hinging the ailerons) contains a contradiction. Bight CA type hinges (four for each aileron) are specified, yet each wing panel and the ailerons are slotted for only three hinges. As the Cessna's ailerons are rather large (2-3/8" x 23-1/2"), I wondered whether three CA type hhinges were adequate, and the thought of using heavier duty pin type hinges or adding additional CA type hinges did enter my mind. I decided against this, as any deviation from the manufacturer's assembly instructions, or any structural modification made, no matter how small, would compromise the objec tivity of a product review test. The wing flaps are attached using heavier duty pinned type hinge points. Each aileron and flap requires an individual servo, and 24" extension leads are required for the aileron servos. ‘One aspect that I did not like is that the flaps require that a reversed servo, a reversing "Y" harness or JR "Match Box" be used, unless an 8 or more channel computer radio is utilized that allows the flaps to be set up using a programmable mix. As the flaps are supplied with the control horns in- stalled, it is not possible to simply reposition one of te flap servos to allow the linkages to be set up mechanically to ‘operate correctly with a standard "Y" harness, unless structural modifications are made. A Cermark (Gold Series) servo reverser was employed on our test aircraft to produce the correct flap servo movements. Several pages, or sections, of the assembly manual are redundant, as the assembly step being detailed and explained has already been done by the manufacturer. The painted, airfoil- shaped aluminum wing struts are supplied with pre-finished ends. The ‘mounting holes in the undersides of the wing panels and on the fuselage are already drilled, with 4-40 blind nuts installed, so that once the wing panels are installed, the wing struts need only to be drilled to fit. Molded ABS plastic strut fairings are supplied and the assembly instructions detail that these are to be epoxied to the wing panels and fuselage. This was done, although the urge to attach these fairings to the painted struts rather than the glossy UltraCote finished wing and fuselage surfaces was great. Installing the pre-finished horizontal stabilizer and vertical fin is an easy process of properly aligning them and gluing them in place with epoxy. The elevator and rudder servos are mounted on an installed plywood servo mounting plate located in the aft end of the fuselage, which has easy, open access, thanks to a pre-finished access hatch. The installation of the rudder and elevators revealed what was, in my opinion, the most serious assembly flaws or shortcomings associated with this aircraft. The rudder control horn is a pre-bent music wire torque rod type that is installed into a predrilled hole in the rudder. As supplied, this torque rod is rather short to the point where the internal plywood fuselage structure had to be cut and channeled to allow sufficient clearance for the rudder control rod to operate with sufficient clearance (see photo). ‘A more serious problem was the pre-bent music wire type elevator control horn that simply did not fit as supplied! The steel control horn arm is welded, or brazed to the "U" shaped wire coupler in an off center position to allow for the control rod linkage to be installed alongside the rudder torque rod within the fuselage. Both of the pre-finished elevators were pre-drilled by the manufacturer to accept the coupler/control horn. But when installed, the control horn arm lined up against the side of the fuselage rather than within the open area, as shown in the assembly manual photographs (see photo). This problem was further compounded by the fact that the supplied elevator coupler control horn was an item that was made specifically 64 RCM February 2008 for use on this particular aircraft, and not a readily available hobby shop accessory item! My solution to this problem was to Grill another control horn coupler hole further in on one elevator, to allow the control horn arm to be positioned in the proper location within the fuselage Using a Dremel cut off wheel, I then cut the right angle bend off of the opposite side of the control horn coupler just beyond the bend. A new right angle bend was made out of scrap music wire of the same diameter, to extend the point of the angle bend on that side of the coupler to fit the existing hole in the opposite elevator. After grinding random flat spots and irregularities on both the existing coupler wire, inward from the point where the original angle bend had been cut off, and on the ‘mating end of the new right angle piece of music wire, 2 piece of brass tubing ‘was slid over both of these pieces then silver soldered together. Not a perfect corrective fix, but my reasoning was that even if the silver soldered joint should ever fail, reduced elevator control would still be maintained via the unmodified portion of the supplied elevator control horn coupler. I do not know if this problem was simply the case of an incorrectly fabricated elevator control horn coupler, or perhaps one that was fabricated to fit another type aircraft, being accidentally included in the hardware package of our test review aircraft, or if this is a widespread problem. If t is a common problem, it isa serious one. ‘The rudder and elevators, and the vertical fin and horizontal stabilizer are supplied with neatly cut slots to accept CA type hinges. Speaking of CA, our Hangar 9 Cessna 182 Skylane was assembled using Zap CA adhe- sives, Z-Poxy epoxies, and their related accessory products, exclusively. These fine adhesive products performed very wel The main landing gear legs are rugged pre-formed and painted aluminum, which are bolted in place from within the fuselage. The painted and detail-trimmed fiberglass whee! pants are finished and drilled, ready for installation, This is another area where an entire page of the assembly manual (Section 13, page 32) is devoted to an assembly step that has already been completed by the manufacturer. The supplied wheels are installed using the hardware pack axle bolts that are provided with lock nuts. Unfortunately, the threaded portion of these axle bolts isa bit short and this prevents the entire locking portion of the lock nuts from gripping onto the threads. Zap Z-42 thread locker was used on these nuts as well as on all of the other landing gear mounting bolts. The wheels are held in place within the wheel pants, using set screw type wheel collars. In Searching through the hardware pack supplied with our Skylane, it was discovered that none of the wheel collar set screws were included. The nose gear assembly is a conventional music wire type that is equipped with a shock absorbing coil spring, The nose gear mounting bracket and steering arm are high quality, rugged, aluminum units. The steerable nose gear assembly is bolted to the engine compartment bulkhead, via pre- drilled holes that have been equipped with blind nuts by the manufacturer. The engine is mounted to a square box that extends forward from the engine compartment bulkhead. This box also houses the fuel tank and throttle servo. A set of adjustable, aluminum engine ‘mounts are included with the Skylane for use with glow engines, and these mounts will accept a variety of 2 and 4-stroke engine types. Ifa gasoline engine is to be installed, itis bolted directly to the face of the box. The assembly manual shows a Zenoah G-26 engine installation. The molded and painted fiberglass engine cowl is supplied with pre-drilled holes that match perfectly with the blind nut equipped mounting blocks within the engine compartment. The only work required on the engine cowl is to cut the necessary engine clearance, cooling, and access openings to accommodate the engine that is to be utilized. The supplied fuel tank has a 500ce capacity (16.9 0z.), and is compatible with both ¢glow fuel and gasoline, One of the Skylane’s nicest features. that the cockpit area is pre-finished with a nice sprayed-on fleck-type finish, and cockpit detailing com- ponents such as seats and a finished instrument panel housing are included. All radio system component parts positioned in the cockpit area are hidden from view beneath a pre- finished, removable, floor plate. A molded and tinted windshield is included, along with a molded rear window, and side windows, all of which are tinted. Despite their curves, the molded windshield and rear window need only to be trimmed to produce an excellent fit. Zap Formula ‘560 canopy glue was used to install all of the window pieces on our test aircraft, and this specialized type of

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