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A few tips to ensure success and airframe longevity
1.
We are very pleased with the level of craftsmanship displayed by the builders
in our factory. Through many grueling test flights containing maneuvers
that no aircraft should be subjected to, our prototypes have remained rigid
and completely airworthy. However, it is impossible for us to inspect every
glue joint in the aircraft. Take a few minutes and apply some medium CA to
high stress areas such as servo mounting trays, landing gear blocks, the
intersection of the wing root rib and wing sheeting, anti rotation pins, etc. A
few minutes spent here inspecting the joints and applying glue where needed
is time well spent
2.
Having survived the journey half way around the world while experiencing
several climate changes, it is not uncommon for a few wrinkles to develop in
the covering. Fear not! These are not manufacturing defects, and are easily
removed with a little bit of heat. Use a 100% cotton tee-shirt and your heat
gun and heat the covering while gently rubbing the covering onto the wood
with the t-shirt. Be careful not to use too much heat as the covering may
shrink too much and begin to lift at the edges. Take your time, and a
beautiful, paint like finish is attainable.
3.
By the time the aircraft arrives at your door step it will have been handled by
a lot of people. Occasionally there are small dings or imperfections on some
of the surfaces. A neat trick to restore these imperfections to original
condition is to use a very fine tipped hypodermic needle to inject a drop of
water under the covering material and into the ding in the wood. Apply heat
to the area with a sealing iron and the imperfection will disappear. Deeper
marks may require that this process be repeated a couple of times to achieve
the desired result, but you will be surprised at how well this technique works.
4.
DO NOT SKIMP ON SERVOS! These aircraft are equipped with very large
control surfaces that deflect over 45 degrees. A lot of servo power is required
to prevent flutter and to maintain the required deflection for maneuvers. We
absolutely recommend the use of high torque METAL GEAR servos. We
have had great success with the Hitec HS-5955 servos in our prototypes. We
recommend this servo or the JR 8611A or new 8711 for all flight surfaces.
5.
Use a high quality epoxy for installing the composite control horns and
hinges. We highly recommend the use of Pacer Z-Poxy 30 minute formula.
We have used this glue for many years with zero failures.
