Instructions for Fun Foam Critter 4/25/2007 BP Hobbies LLC 140 Ethel Road W Suite J Piscataway NJ,

Transcription

1 Instructions for Fun Foam Critter 4/25/2007 BP Hobbies LLC 140 Ethel Road W Suite J Piscataway NJ, Specifications: Wing Span: 20" Length: 20" Flying Weight: oz Controls: Rudder/Elevator/Throttle Requires: 2-6 to 9 gram micro servos 1-4 channel receiver 1 - Feigao L in 5.86:1 gearbox with 7 x 6 prop (or equivalent motor) 1-10A Brushless ESC (or equivalent for your motor) to 700mah 7.4V or 11.1V Lithium Polymer Pack Materials Required For Construction: Low temperature hot glue, foam-safe CA, or Epoxy Clear packing tape or other hinge tape Foam-safe acrylic paint or permanent markers Sandpaper Fuselage Main Wing Bamboo Skewer Pushrods Motor Stick Control Horns Firewall Mount Rudder Elevator Pushrod Ends First, layout all the parts. The kit contains foam parts, pushrods, control horns and motor mounts. Copyright (C) 2007, BP Hobbies LLC, All Rights Reserved 1

2 Main Wing Bottom Center Line Use a ruler to locate the mid-point of the trailing edge of the main wing and make a mark. Next, use a 90 degree square to draw a center line down the bottom of the fuselage from the midpoint of the trailing edge to the center of the leading edge. Trailing Edge Main Wing Top Do the same on the top of the wing, except draw the line only as long as the vertical fin. Center Line 45 Degree Bevel Using a sanding block, sand a 45 degree bevel in the leading edge of the elevator and rudder. Rudder Elevator Hinges Use clear tape to hinge the rudder to the vertical fin and the elevator to the main wing. Make sure both surfaces are free to move a full 45 degrees in both directions. While not required, It is best to use tape on both the top and bottom sides of the hinge, making sure the tape is pressed firmly into the bevel. You can use regular clear packing tape, but we prefer 3M Blenderm tape, also sold as Du-Bro Hinge Tape. Copyright (C) 2007, BP Hobbies LLC, All Rights Reserved 2

3 Notch Here 6" Fuselage Bamboo Skewer Turn the wing over and glue the bamboo skewer perpendicular to the center line 6" back from the leading edge of the wing. Notch the fuselage piece to clear the bamboo skewer, and glue it to the main wing along the centerline you previously drew. Locate the front of the fuselage (with the sharper angle) flush with the leading edge of the wing. Allow the glue to dry before proceeding. Glue the vertical fin to the top of the main wing using a square to ensure the fin is 90 degrees to the wing. Make sure the rudder and elevator have clearance to move. Allow the glue to dry before proceeding. 1" Control Horn Measure 1" from the vertical fin on the right side of the elevator and make a mark. Cut a slot in the elevator at this location to fit the control horn, making sure the holes in the control horn are directly over the hinge line. Insert the control horn from the bottom of the elevator (so the flat part is on the bottom, and the horn itself sticks up through the top) and glue. Copyright (C) 2007, BP Hobbies LLC, All Rights Reserved 3

4 Control Horn Mark 0.5" up from the bottom of the rudder and install the control horn on the rudder in a similar fashion. The horn should protrude on the left side of the rudder. Servo Pushrod Motor Stick Assemble your motor and glue it onto the motor stick. Glue the motor stick cetered onto the front of the fuselage with approximately 5 degrees of downthrust and 3 degrees of right thrust. To achieve the downthrust, either sand a beveled notch into the motor stick, or bevel the foam of the main wing to get 5 degrees downthrust. A firewall mount is also included if your motor cannot be stickmounted. Cut two pockets for your servos on either side of the front of the vertical fin. The output arms should be located just ahead of the front-most part of the vertical fin. Install the servos in the pockets and secure with hot-glue. Connect the pushrods to the control horns. We suggest using the outer hole on the rudder servo arm and the middle hole on the elevator servo arm. Use the innermost hole on control horns. Copyright (C) 2007, BP Hobbies LLC, All Rights Reserved 4

5 Speed Control Receiver Install your receiver and speed control in the locations shown in the diagram. Place them as far forward as your servo wires will allow. Secure them with hook-and-loop fastener or doublesided tape. Connect the servos to the proper channels, and route the antenna wire around the wing as shown in the pictures. Secure the antenna with tape. Receiver Connect the servos to the proper channels, and route the antenna wire around the wing as shown in the pictures. Secure the antenna with tape. Antenna Battery Mark the fuselage at 5 3/8" from the leading edge of the wing. This is your balance point (center of gravity). Hold the plane upside down at this point on the fuselage and trial position your battery until the plane balances level. When you have established the correct battery placement, secure the battery using hook and loop material. This will let you adjust the battery position to fine-tune your center of gravity. Copyright (C) 2007, BP Hobbies LLC, All Rights Reserved 5

6 Here is a suggested trim scheme for the Critter. The plane can be painted using water-based acrylic craft paints, colored with markers, or covered with self adhesive colored trim sheets such as Solartrim. Suggested Control Throws: Rudder: 1/2 left / 1/2 right Elevator: 3/8 up/ 3/8 down Increase throws as desired for more aerobatic flight, or reduce them for tamer flights. Before your first flight, test all flight controls for correct movement. Apply full throttle and toss the airplane firmly into the wind keeping the nose level. Be careful of the propeller! If you hold the airplane in your right hand and have the left hand on your throttle stick, you can toss the plane before applying power. Allow the plane to build up some speed before pulling gently back on the elevator and climbing out. Try not to turn until you have gained speed and altitude. Make sure to keep your speed up in turns to avoid stalls and loss of altitude. Happy flying! Copyright (C) 2007, BP Hobbies LLC, All Rights Reserved 6