Your kit contains the following items Pre- cut parts Propeller rigging and rubber Sandpaper Covering sheet The SkyFox offers great glide performance in a rubber powered plane due to its built up wing. With a simple body section and tailplane, this plane can be built relatively simply. It also features a unique covering techniques where the film is supplied as a tube. Virtually no gluing is required as the film is heated and shrinks to for a firm fit around the wing. This plane is a great project for the beginner to intermediate builder. Additional Items You May Need * Foam safe glue * Wood Glue * Masking Tape * Cling Wrap * Hobby Knife * Pliers
Refer to these pages as you follow this manual. When you see a part written in bold in the build instructions below, refer back to these pages to see which part it is. Leave the parts in the sheets until they are needed. Main Body Former Wings Main Spars Wings Leading Edge Spars Wing Mounts Wings Trailing Edge Spars Ribs Centre Rib Wing Mount Boxing Wing Main Spar Joiners Tailplane Wing Boxing Vertical Stabiliser Wing Tips Capping Wing Tip Cornices Rubber Hook Tailplane Mount Propeller Assembly Propeller Wing Brace Wing Mount Pegs Rubber bands Rubber
Getting Started For best results you will need a flat surface to work on. It s preferable to have a flat piece of corkboard or sheet of Depron foam so you will be able to pin parts down if needed. (image for illustration purpose only no plans supplied with this kit) It s a good idea to put a layer of cling wrap over the work surface. It s easier to get your wing frame parts unstuck from the cling wrap than from other materials. Tape the cling wrap sheet to the work surface ensuring it is completely flat and free from wrinkles. The Wing Sections Lay the Wing Main Spar on the work surface and glue in place the 2 Ribs in the slots furthermost toward each end. Ensure these are level and the Wing Main Spar is vertical and allow it to dry. Make sure the ribs form a 90 degree angle with the Wing Main Spar. Alternate to the other wing and do the same. Note: Check that the rib direction on each wing is correct so you are making one left wing and one right wing. Once the first two ribs have dried, continue to glue all the other ribs in place making sure they are also level and parallel to each other.
When gluing in he leading and trailing edges, press them down from the top to slot in the ribs. Glue in place the Wings Leading Edge Spar ensuring that the end with the notch in it is attached to the outermost rib. Allow to dry before continuing. Glue in place the Wings Trailing Edge Spar in the same way as above and allow to dry before continuing. Glue in place the Wing Tips Capping pieces with the thicker end toward the leading edge of the wings. Glue in place the Wing Main Spar Joiners on either side of one of the wing s main spars. Ensure the top and bottom of the joiner pieces is flush with the top and bottom of the Wing Main Spar.
Sand the Wings Leading Edge Spar and the Wings Trailing Edge Spar at a slight angle so they fit flush together. Slide in the other Wing s Main Spar and check that the trailing edge strips and leading edge strips from each wing meet flush in the middle. Finally, glue in place the other wing at the Wing Main Spar Joiner location. Ensure the Wing Main Spar Joiners are flush with the top and bottom of the Wing Main Spar. Once The joint is dried, glue the leading and trailing edge spars together. Use some masking tape to keep them lined up while the glue dries. Glue in the Centre Rib forward and aft pieces. This goes directly on the centre line of the Wing Main Spar Joiners. Ensure it is vertical and in line top and bottom with the V in the joiners. Then glue in place the Wing Tip Cornice pieces. These are glued in the trailing edge corner of the wing tips. Glue in place the Wing Boxing pieces which cover the top of the wings.
Sand the Wing Boxing pieces to smooth and round off the leading and trailing edges. The wing covering sheet is made from heat shrinkable plastic. Cut the sleeve in half to make 2 sleeves. Next slide one sleeve over one of the wings. Glue it to the wood at the wing root using a foam safe glue. Make sure you leave the excess film protruding from the end of the wing. When you heat this film to shrink it the part left over on the end will shrink down leaving a small amount to be trimmed off later. Use a hair dryer to gently and evenly heat the covering all over. Start with the hair dryer about 30cm away and move closer as needed to allow the covering to shrink. Work a little on one side and then turn over and work on the other side alternating to tighten both sides simultaneously. The finished product should look like this. After shrinking and trimming the film, use foam safe glue to attach the end pieces to the Wing Tips Capping. Foam safe glue is used because of it s tackiness which helps it adhere to the film. We recommend using UHU Expanded Polystyrene glue. As an alternative you could use a craft glue stick. Pull the film tight (but not over tight) and allow it to dry. 110mm Next start work on the fuselage. Measure back 110mm from the front of the Main Body Former and glue in place the Wing Mounts on either side.
Then glue in the Wing Mount Pegs and Wing Brace. Finally, glue in place the Wing Mount Boxing pieces for and aft. Propeller Assembly Take the pin and feed it through the Propeller Assembly as shown. Put the propeller on so the rounded part of the hub is toward the back (touching the Propeller Assembly). Use some fine tipped pliers to bend the end of the shaft over as shown. Attach the Propeller Assembly to the front of the Main Body Former. Gluing is optional.
Attach the Rubber Hook to the aft end of the Main Body Former leaving about 1cm of the former protruding. It should be a very firm fit, however, you may glue it in place if needed. Push on the Tailplane Mount to the aft end of the Main Body Former. Glue the vertical stabiliser in place on the tailplane. Use something square to keep it upright while drying. Use some sandpaper to scruff up the top surface of the Tailplane Mount to allow the glue to bond easily to it. Use foam safe glue such as UHU Por Expanded Polystyrene to attach the tailplane to the Tailplane Mount. Foam glue us used because unlike wood glue, the foam glue dries tacky and gives the best adhesion to the plastic. Loop the rubber back and forth around the Prop Hook and the Rubber Hook. The two ends can be tied in a knot. Try to adjust the length so the rubber loom doesn t hang down more than this. A piece of cardboard this shape can be cut from a flat sheet and taped to the edge of a table to be used as a balance point test station.
Rubber bands are attached in an X pattern to the pegs. The point of Balance should be 28mm from the leading edge of the wing. You may need to remove the tailplane and trim one centimetre at a time off the main body former to achieve the correct balance point. However don t trim more than a few centimetres off. If needed add more weight to the nose. Balanced! Test glide without winding up the rubber first. Further adjustments can be made by further shortening the main body former, or adding a shim under the leading or trailing edge of the wing.
If needed these lines can be cut through with a hobby knife and the tail surfaces wetted to make them flexible so the elevators or rudder can be bent to the desired position. After test gliding, start to test fly with the propeller wound up. Start with 1/3 knots and progress to ½ and finally a full row of knots. Double knotting is not recommended as it will eventually lead to the rubber breaking. Spare rubber can be purchased on the MicronWings website. See a test flight video on Youtube (Link) Copyright MicronWings 2015: All rights reserved. This manual is for personal use only. No unauthorized copying or digital distributing permitted without permission from MicronWings.