to 80 inch/ in ounce range, such as Hitec HS-475HB, HS-545BB,
or HS-635BB or the Airtronics
®
94731Z, 94738Z or 94743Z servos.
For the rudder servo we have used and can recommend that you
consider using an after-market reinforced plastic servo arm such
as the Du-Bro "Super Strength" products. These output arms are
available to fit any brand of servo. They are quite strong and work
extremely well with this model.
The Du-Bro output arms are
molded from considerably stronger material and have held up very
well in our prototypes.
You will also need three 6" servo extensions and one standard
Y-harness cord or 6" double link extension for the ailerons. In
addition, you’ll also need one 12" servo extension for the aft
mounted elevator servo. These after-market items can usually be
obtained from either the manufacturer/distributor of your particular
radio system or from aftermarket suppliers, such as Maxx Products
in Lake Zurich, Illinois.
Last, because the Sun Dancer 50 uses a total of 5 servos, we
suggest that you consider the use a larger capacity airborne
battery pack. A battery pack in the 1000+mAh range will provide
ample time to safely fly at least five or six flights during any given
flying session.
This is a reasonable amount of time for most
modelers. Naturally, a larger pack provides more flight time but
remember that larger can also equate too heavier.
We also
suggest that you routinely use an Expanded Scale Voltmeter (ESV)
at the field to check the charge condition of your batteries. This
common piece of field equipment can save your model!
ENGINES & PROPELLERS:
The Sun Dancer 50 has been flown with a variety of engines, both
2 and 4-stroke. As everyone knows, there is no substitute for
power and the engine sizes recommended for this model all
provide good power margins.
The practical range runs from
2-stroke engines in the .46 to .53 sizes and 4-stroke engines in the
.56 to .72 displacements. Naturally, the larger engines in this range
make more power and will fly the Sun Dancer 50 with more
authority than the smaller engines. It is simply a matter of how you
want to fly the airplane. You also need to choose a propeller size
that is suitable for your particular engine, based on the
manufacturer’s recommendations.
After flying the model and
gaining experience, you can experiment with different propellers to
find the optimum combination for your engine and airplane.
The Sun Dancer 50 was designed from the start for glow engines
and provides ample room inside the cowling to comfortably fit most
of the popular engines that are available in both 2 and 4-stroke
types.
COVERING MATERIAL:
Your Sun Dancer 50 has been professionally covered with SIG
AEROKOTE
®
. If you live in a drier climate, you may notice that
some wrinkles might develop after removing the covered parts
from their plastic bags. If that is the case, there is no need to be
alarmed. The covering is not defective. This is normal and has and
nothing to do with the covering material or how it was applied.
Balsawood takes on or loses ambient humidity. Your Sun Dancer
50 was manufactured in a relatively humid region of the world. The
wood was therefore holding some humidity at the time the parts
were covered and bagged. When these parts are removed from
their bags and subjected to drier conditions, the wood quickly loses
moisture and the covering may appear loose. This also explains
why most iron-on coverings stay tight in the summer only to loosen
a little in drier winter conditions.
1
INTRODUCTION
Congratulations on the purchase of the SIG Sun Dancer 50 ARF
kit! Properly assembled, powered, and flown, the Sun Dancer 50
will quickly become one of your favorite models. The construction
of this ARF kit has been extremely well engineered, providing an
airframe that is both light and strong. Of course, this translates
to outstanding flight characteristics when powered with the
recommend engine sizes.
The Sun Dancer 50 has excellent
take-off and landing characteristics, as well as remarkable
aerobatic capabilities. The airframe has been carefully designed to
provide you with a model that has a true "zeroed out" feel in the air.
This characteristic tends to provide a great deal of confidence
when performing those wild aerobatic maneuvers.
The engine choice for your Sun Dancer 50 is important. The
airplane will fly and fly well on good running .46 ball-bearing
engines. As your choice of engines increases in displacement and
power, obviously the airplane will respond accordingly. The largest
and most powerful engine we have flown in this model is the potent
YS .63 four-stroke. This engine, swinging an APC 12 X 6, provides
the Sun Dancer 50 with an outrageous amount of power, making
it definitely a "throttle management" type model.
We do not
recommend engines any larger or more powerful than the YS .63
for this model - it simply is not necessary.
We highly recommend that you follow the following assembly
instructions carefully.
We also suggest that you take the time
to inventory the contents of your kit, using the included parts
information. Finally, the Sun Dancer 50 ARF is not recommended
for beginning R/C pilots. If this is your first R/C model, we urge you
to seek and use experienced help in both assembling and flying
this airplane.
Engine Note: Due to the large number of useable engines for this
model, we simply cannot cover every possible engine installation.
However, the large volume of space provided inside the cowling
should make it easy to mount virtually any engine within the
suggested size range.
RADIO EQUIPMENT:
We highly recommend the use of a modern computer radio for this
model. Such radio systems allow you to easily set-up and adjust
each channel and in addition, pre-program flight control functions
to suit your individual flying style. Four channels are required to fly
your Sun Dancer 50 - rudder, elevator, ailerons, and throttle.
The Sun Dancer 50 requires a total of five servos - ailerons (2),
elevator (1), rudder (1), and throttle (1).
Standard 40 to 50
inch/ounce servos will work well for this model.
However, for
better precision, you can upgrade to ball bearing servos in the 60
