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WARRANTY

Great Planes

®

Model Manufacturing Co. box guarantees this kit to be free from defects in both material and workmanship at the date of purchase.

This warranty does not cover any component parts damaged by use or modification. In no case shall Great Planes’ liability exceed the original cost
of the purchased kit. 
Further, Great Planes reserves the right to change or modify this warranty without notice.

In that Great Planes has no control over the final assembly or material used for final assembly, no liability shall be assumed nor accepted for any
damage resulting from the use by the user of the final user-assembled product. By the act of using the user-assembled product, the user accepts all
resulting liability.

If the buyer is not prepared to accept the liability associated with the use of this product, the buyer is advised to return this kit immediately
in new and unused condition to the place of purchase.

To make a warranty claim send the defective part or item to Hobby Services at the address below:

Hobby Services

3002 N. Apollo Dr. Suite 1

Champaign IL 61822

USA

Include a letter stating your name, return shipping address, as much contact information as possible (daytime telephone number, fax number, e-mail
address), a detailed description of the problem and a photocopy of the purchase receipt. Upon receipt of the package the problem will be evaluated as
quickly as possible.

READ THROUGH THIS MANUAL BEFORE STARTING
CONSTRUCTION.

IT CONTAINS IMPORTANT

INSTRUCTIONS AND WARNINGS CONCERNING THE
ASSEMBLY AND USE OF THIS MODEL.

GPMZ0289 for GPMA0220 V1.0

Entire Contents © Copyright 2003 Printed in USA

Champaign, IL

(217) 398-8970, Ext. 5

[email protected]

INSTRUCTION MANUAL

Wingspan: 60 in [1525mm] 
Wing Area: 635 sq in [41 dm

2

Weight: 4.5–5.25 lb [2040–2350 g]
Wing Loading: 16-19 oz/sq ft [50–57 g/dm

2

Length: 46.5 in [1185mm] 
Radio: 4-channel, 4 servos
Engine: .40-.50 cu in [6.5–8.0cc] two-stroke,

.40-.52 cu in [6.5–8.5cc] four-stroke

USA

MADE IN 

Summary of Contents for Rapture 40

Page 1: ...ew and unused condition to the place of purchase To make a warranty claim send the defective part or item to Hobby Services at the address below Hobby Services 3002 N Apollo Dr Suite 1 Champaign IL 61822 USA Include a letter stating your name return shipping address as much contact information as possible daytime telephone number fax number e mail address a detailed description of the problem and ...

Page 2: ...built a model from a kit For the latest technical updates or manual corrections to the Rapture 40 visit the Great Planes web site at www greatplanes com Open the Airplanes link then select the Rapture 40 If there is new technical information or changes to this model a tech notice box will appear in the upper left corner of the page 1 Your Rapture 40 should not be considered a toy but rather a soph...

Page 3: ...are provided in parentheses 40 50 cu in 6 5 8 0cc Two stroke or 40 52 cu in 6 5 8 5cc four stroke engine 4 channel Radio control system with four standard servos Suitable propeller and spare propellers 6 150mm Servo extension for aileron servo HCAM2701 for Futaba 1 4 6mm R C foam rubber HCAQ1000 8 oz 240cc Fuel tank GPMQ4103 3 900mm Standard silicone fuel tubing GPMQ4131 2 1 2 65mm Wheels GPMQ4223...

Page 4: ...vlar thread for stab alignment K SR4575 Switch Charge Jack Mounting Set GPMM1000 Rotary tool such as Dremel Moto Tool Servo horn drill HCAR0698 Dead Center Engine Mount Hole Locator GPMR8130 AccuThrow Deflection Gauge GPMR2405 Slot Machine 110V GPMR4010 CG Machine GPMR2400 Precision Magnetic Prop Balancer TOPQ5700 A flat building board that you can stick T pins into is required Most of the buildin...

Page 5: ...ive works best for that step the instructions will make a recommendation Whenever just epoxy is specified you may use either 30 minute or 45 minute epoxy or 6 minute epoxy When 30 minute epoxy is specified it is highly recommended that you use only 30 minute or 45 minute epoxy because you will need the working time and or the additional strength Photos and sketches are placed before the step they ...

Page 6: ...6 DIE CUT PATTERNS ...

Page 7: ... the building board over its location on the plan 4 Build the rest of the fin framework from a 1 4 x 1 2 x 36 6 4 x 13 x 914mm balsa stick and a 1 4 x 1 4 x 36 6 4 x 6 4 x 914mm balsa stick Use medium CA to glue the parts together and use T pins to hold them down as you go Hint The easiest most accurate way to cut the small sticks is to place the stick over the structure use a single edge razor bl...

Page 8: ...cks 4 Make both elevators from the remainder of the 1 4 x 1 1 2 x 36 6 4 x 38 x 914mm balsa sheet used to make the stab leading edge brace Do not cut the V on the leading edge until instructed to do so 1 Use a Great Planes Precision Hinge Marking Tool GPMR4005 to mark the centerline all the way down the leading edge of the rudder If you don t have a Hinge Marking Tool use a fine point ballpoint pe...

Page 9: ...e strip Snip off the corners so they go in easier 5 Test fit the rudder to the fin with the hinges Make adjustments where necessary for a good fit Hint Now that the rudder and fin are together temporarily this would be the perfect opportunity to align the tip of the fin and rudder by sanding them to match each other 6 Using the centerline as a guide refer to the plan to get the correct angle then ...

Page 10: ...arpened on the end or a hobby knife to cut a groove in both elevators to accommodate the joiner wire Use a hobby knife with a 11 blade to sharpen the inside of the tube by rolling it on a wood block The tube can be turned either by hand or by an electric drill After the hole has been cut the material will usually stick inside the tube The balsa plug can be removed with a wire or the next size smal...

Page 11: ...stick to make the wing jig Start with the left panel so yours looks like the photos the first time through 3 Position the left wing panel plan over your flat building board and cover it with Plan Protector or wax paper Refer to this photo for the following three steps 4 Pin the wing jig over its location on the plan with the ends protruding beyond the root and tip ribs The end with the 9 230mm pie...

Page 12: ...o keep the ribs vertical glue all the ribs except ribs R1 to the bottom spar Also be certain the ribs are contacting the wing jig as you go 10 Glue the top spar to the ribs again making sure the ribs remain vertical Don t forget to position the top spar to cancel out any warp that may have been in the bottom spar If any of the ribs lift from the wing jig use T pins to hold them down 11 Glue the di...

Page 13: ...e the leftover balsa shim to the spars or shear web 16 Lightly sand the front of the dowel plates to trim any ribs that may be protruding Refer to this photo for the following three steps 17 Glue the 3 8 x 3 4 x 30 2 4 x 19 x 760mm balsa wing trailing edge into position Note that the trailing edge should be centered vertically on all the ribs This means that the top and bottom of all the R3 ribs w...

Page 14: ...d the main spar 23 Drill a 20 or 5 32 4mm hole through the landing gear rail and the landing gear block 11 16 18mm from the end The wire is 5 32 4mm but using a 20 drill which is slightly larger than 5 32 4mm will make the gear a little easier to install and remove during construction 24 Use a hobby knife to round the edge of the hole to accommodate the bend in the gear 25 Slightly widen the groov...

Page 15: ...cut off the leading edge at the tip Sand the spars and sheeting even with end ribs Also sand the trailing edge to match the shape of the ribs 31 Using the partially cut guide lines on R1 cut the rest of the way through and remove the section of balsa between the spars 32 Test fit then glue together all the die cut 3 32 2 4mm balsa parts of the wing tip Be certain to make a right or a left tip depe...

Page 16: ... trailing edge to the wing The wing trailing edge should extend past the root end of the wing by approximately 1 32 0 8mm so the angle can be sanded to match R1 6 Sand the top bottom and end of the shaped wing trailing edge as necessary to blend with the rest of the wing 7 Prepare the other shaped wing trailing edge for the right wing and glue it into position the same way Note Be certain to cut t...

Page 17: ...easure the distance between the bottom of the other panel under the bottom spar at the tip The distance should be 2 3 8 60mm plus or minus 3 8 10mm If you are not able to achieve this measurement within the 3 8 10mm tolerance separate the wing halves and look for anything that may interfere with the fit such as glue blobs inside the wings where the joiner goes Note It is more important to have a g...

Page 18: ...specially the leading and trailing edges Do not disturb the wing until the epoxy has hardened Fit both landing gears at the same time 1 Remove all the masking tape Using the marks made earlier on the leading edge as a guide cut the slots in the bottom sheeting for both landing gears Test fit the gear Make adjustments where necessary 2 Temporarily mount the landing gear with four nylon landing gear...

Page 19: ... a left by making two mirrored assemblies 2 Place the bottom view of the fuselage plan over your flat building board and cover it with Plan Protector or wax paper 3 Glue the back of F1A to the front of F1B From now on this assembly will be referred to as the firewall 4 Drill 1 16 1 6mm holes through the punchmarks in F2B Drill 3 32 2 4mm holes through the punchmarks in the tank tray retainer TTR 5...

Page 20: ...hrottle pushrod will be drilled later 7 Pin the aft fuselage top upside down to the building board over its location on the plan You ll know it s upside down when the front aligns with the plan 8 Glue the die cut plywood formers F2 through F6 to the aft fuselage top Do your best to get the formers vertical but if they aren t perfect the notches in the fuselage sides will square em up anyway 9 Join...

Page 21: ...op of the firewall is fully contacting the fuselage top Also note that the right side of the firewall should be all the way back in the notch in the fuselage side and the left side of the firewall should be all the way forward in the notch in the fuselage side 16 After the epoxy from the previous step has hardened remove the clamps Test fit then glue the forward fuselage bottom into position Also ...

Page 22: ...lt plate to the bottom of the wing centered on the fuselage 7 Recheck the wing alignment Using the holes in the bolt plate as a guide drill 7 201 5mm or 13 64 holes through the wing and wing bolt plate in the fuselage Be certain to hold the drill perpendicular to the bottom of the wing 8 Remove the wing from the fuselage Thread the holes in the wing bolt plate with a 1 4 20 tap Add a few drops of ...

Page 23: ...l into position Be sure to leave a small space between the servos and the rails so the servos can be removed After the glue hardens remove the servos 6 Assemble the fuel tank not included according to the instructions that came with it Mount the fuel tank to the tank tray TT with a 64 rubber band and a sheet of 1 4 6 4mm R C foam rubber in between 7 Temporarily mount the tank tray in the fuselage ...

Page 24: ...centerline drawn down the firewall then tighten the screws Hint Some modelers prefer machine thread screws rather than sheet metal screws for mounting their engines If this is your preference drill 43 2 2mm holes and use a 4 40 tap to cut threads into the holes Mount the engine with four 4 40 x 1 25mm screws not included 4 lock washers and flat washers 14 If using the O S MAX 40 or 46 FX engine th...

Page 25: ... shown 4 Test fit and bend the sheet into position Trim the sheet as necessary so the top edge ends in the middle of the top middle stringer After the sheet has been cut to the correct size glue only the bottom edge to the fuselage 5 Apply medium or thick CA to the stringers and formers then bend the sheet down into position Hold tightly for a few seconds until the CA has hardened enough to hold o...

Page 26: ... the fuselage Place a weight on top of the stab to hold it down Stand approximately ten feet behind the model and view the alignment between the stab and wing If necessary shift the weight slightly to align the stab with the wing If shifting the weight doesn t do the trick remove the stab and carefully sand the stab saddle to get the stab in alignment with the wing 6 Place the stab over the stab p...

Page 27: ...x 460mm balsa block 12 Remove the stab from the fuselage Using a piece of leftover 1 4 x 1 1 2 6 4 x 38mm balsa as a fin spacer place the fillet blocks on the fuselage with the spacer in between where the fin would be Center the rear of the spacer between the fuselage sides and center the front on the top middle stringer Use a straightedge to make sure the spacer is centered Hold the spacer in pla...

Page 28: ...Mark the outline of the tail fillet blocks on both sides of the fin We ll be ready to start covering soon but first mount the tail gear 17 Cut a slot in the hinge block for the nylon tail gear bearing on the tail gear Insert the bearing 18 The same as was done with the ailerons and elevators drill a 3 32 2 4mm hole and cut a groove in the rudder for the tail gear wire Test fit the rudder Make adju...

Page 29: ...ide then the other side of the stabilizer first Apply the covering up to the lines you marked noting the sides of the fuselage Cut the front tip and back edges of the covering with a straightedge before sealing the edges down but leave a small handle that you can hold onto to remove wrinkles around the corner 2 Cover the top of both sides of the stab the same way then cover one side then the other...

Page 30: ...side then the other side of the bottom of the wing then cover one side then the other side of the top of the wing 4 Cover the ends then the top and bottom of the ailerons 5 The same as was done for the tail surfaces cut a strip of covering from all the hinge slots in the wing and ailerons 6 Cut the covering from the bottom of the wing over the landing gear rails and the notches for the straps 1 If...

Page 31: ...Apply 30 minute epoxy in the groove and in the hole in one of the ailerons for the torque rod Also apply epoxy to the aileron torque rod for the aileron you are installing Join the aileron to the wing and the torque rod Wipe away any epoxy that squeezes out 4 Adjust the aileron so there is a small gap between it and the wing just enough to see light through or to slip a piece of paper through Appl...

Page 32: ...horn to the elevator the same way Note that the horn must be as close to the edge of the elevator as possible so the screw does not interfere with the joiner wire 6 Place the elevator rudder and throttle servos on the servo rails in the fuselage Make three one arm servo arms by cutting off the unused arms If using Futaba servos use the shorter six arm servo arms instead of the four arm servo arms ...

Page 33: ...e wood screws that came with them Temporarily remove the screws then harden each screw hole with a few drops of thin CA Allow to fully harden 13 Install the fuel tank with the fuel lines This can be done by guiding extra long lines through the holes in the firewall Connect the lines to the tank then guide the tank into position while simultaneously drawing the lines out Cut the lines to the correc...

Page 34: ...old the foam in place with small rubber bands or tape Mount the receiver and battery to the trays with tape or Velcro 3 Mount the on off receiver battery switch to the side of the fuselage opposite the engine exhaust There are cut outs in the fuselage sides that should accommodate most types of switches The model shown in the manual uses the Great Planes Switch Charge Jack Mounting Set GPMM1000 Th...

Page 35: ...ste Acrylic paints found at craft and hobby stores are recommended because they are easy to use and clean up with water 3 If the cockpit was covered with iron on covering cut away the covering so the pilot can be glued to bare wood This is not necessary if the cockpit was painted Glue the pilot into position with medium CA or epoxy 4 Cut out the instrument panel decal and stick it into position on...

Page 36: ...in the transmitter to reverse the servos connected to those controls Be certain the control surfaces have remained centered Adjust if necessary Use a Great Planes AccuThrow or a ruler to accurately measure and set the control throw of each control surface as indicated in the chart that follows If your radio does not have dual rates we recommend setting the throws at the low rate setting More than ...

Page 37: ...on the back of the lead weight to permanently hold it in place Over time fuel and exhaust residue may soften the adhesive and cause the weight to fall off Use 2 wood screws RTV silicone or epoxy to permanently hold nose weight in place 4 IMPORTANT If you found it necessary to add any weight recheck the C G after the weight has been installed 1 With the wing level have an assistant help you lift th...

Page 38: ...nt holding the model using hand signals to show you what is happening If the control surfaces do not respond correctly do not fly Find and correct the problem first Look for loose servo connections or broken wires corroded wires on old servo connectors poor solder joints in your battery pack or a defective cell or a damaged receiver crystal from a previous crash Keep all engine fuel in a safe plac...

Page 39: ...ide the fuselage to keep tension off the solder joint inside the receiver 5 Balance the model laterally as explained in the instructions 6 Use thread locking compound to secure critical fasteners such as the set screws in the wheel collars and the screw in the screw lock pushrod connector 7 Add a drop of oil to the axles so the wheels will turn freely 8 Make sure all hinges are securely glued in p...

Page 40: ...itude when the model reaches the runway threshold modulating the throttle as necessary to maintain your glide path and airspeed If you are going to overshoot smoothly advance the throttle always ready on the right rudder to counteract torque and climb out to make another attempt When you re ready to make your landing flare and the model is a foot or so off the deck smoothly increase up elevator un...

Page 41: ...ormance of the 4YF and you ll see why it s the most popular 4 channel around Its FM technology is complemented with NiCds a charger easy access trims and a dual conversion 7 channel receiver Two LEDs instantly show battery power status The trainer system features a spring loaded toggle switch instead of a button so it s easy to hold on and automatically turns off when you release it The trainer ja...

Page 42: ...s letting your engine produce more power with less work Wood construction also makes Power Point props stiffer than nylon so they perform predictably throughout the full RPM range Their symmetric pitch reduces prop vibration and boosts thrust at any RPM a top choice for all fliers Great Planes AccuThrow Control Surface Deflection Meter One leading cause of crashes is flying an airplane with its co...

Page 43: ..._______________ Where Purchased _________________________ Date Construction Started __________________ Date Construction Finished _________________ Finished Weight __________________________ Date of First Flight ________________________ FLIGHT LOG ...

Page 44: ...TWO VIEW DRAWING Use copies of this page to plan your trim scheme ...

Page 45: ......

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