6mmFlyRC F-18 Hornet, Instruction Manual

Page 1: ...ng 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 6mmFlyRC for a full refund While this kit has been flight tested for nor...

Page 2: ... and motor mounts The majority of construction should use a lightweight and quick drying adhesive such as CA UHU Creativ or 3M 77 I personally use 3M 77 and UHU Creativ picture at left for the majority of construction Begin by cutting out all of the paper parts templates with scissors trimming them to within approximately 1 8 of the lines Then test fit all of the templates onto the foam sheet tryi...

Page 3: ...m strip doublers at the corners which are just as strong and can be sanded to a more rounded shape After the glue has dried glue the three fuselage bulkheads to one of the fuselage sides at the locations shown making sure they are perpendicular 2 Next glue the two fuselage sides together Set the fuselage sides upright and flat on the workbench apply glue to the edge of the bulkheads and push the s...

Page 4: ...hape Start by tracing the top outline of the nosecone onto the foam and cut to shape with a long knife or saw Begin with coarse sandpaper 100 grit to rough out the basic shape then move to a finer sandpaper 220 grit to do the final shaping End with 320 grit sandpaper to do the final polish sanding and provide a very smooth surface 4 Carve the canopy to shape using the same procedure as the nosecon...

Page 5: ...ur hands to the curves required note the foam will spring back some so the initial bends need to be slightly more that what s required If you bend the foam too much don t worry about it it s easy to reheat the foam and take the bend back out To judge how much curvature is required for each piece simply hold it up next to the part it attaches to and keep bending it until it matches fairly closely 6...

Page 6: ... piece Apply glue 5 minute epoxy recommended to the bottom edges of the forward fuselage sides and to the free aft ends of the forward fuselage sides Then temporarily tape the two free aft ends of the forward fuselage together Make sure everything is properly aligned then press the forward fuselage down onto the aft fuselage on a flat surface Adjust the taped ends of the forward fuselage as requir...

Page 7: ... and let it cure Check the fit of the elevator servo used at this time before you install the motor mount and trim or shim the foam as required for a tight fit 10 Glue in the aft motor mount 5 min epoxy recommended making sure it is aligned with the centerline drawn on the aft fuselage bottom After the glue is cured sand all of the bottom fuselage corners round ...

Page 8: ... motor mount slightly to reposition the bearing and allow the carbon rod to turn freely don t worry about creating gaps here since we ll use epoxy to glue this tube in and it will fill in the gaps Once everything fits and the carbon rod turns freely apply 5 minute epoxy around each of the three aluminum tubes to glue them in place Note the carbon rod should still be inside the bearings to hold the...

Page 9: ...sand the fuselage sides and or stabilator ends as required so that they don t rub 13 Now install the elevator servo The servo should fit very tightly and 3M Satin tape or glue can be used to hold it in place Make a pushrod from 1 32 music wire and install it Z bends are recommended at both ends After the pushrod is installed get everything aligned Center the servo arm vertically Center the stabila...

Page 10: ...gin by making a rudder servo mount from scrap foam see the plans I reinforced this foam piece it with 1 16 here for rigidity The rudder mount and servo are then installed in the center fuselage underneath the wing Sullivan flexible cable pushrods are installed to each rudder and are attached to the fuselage sides Dubro Micro EZ connectors are used at the servo to allow easy adjustments The rudder ...

Page 11: ...later Plug the elevator and rudder servo leads into the receiver You will also need to make a wire extension to connect the battery in the forward fuselage to the ESC in the aft fuselage Solder the connector of choice to the ESC end and plug that in to the ESC and then run the wires forward to the battery compartment through the pre cut holes in the bulkhead However don t solder the battery connec...

Page 12: ...free from the wing Then cut a 45 degree bevel in the leading edge of the flaperon using a ruler and a hobby knife Hinge the flaperon to the wing using your hinge of choice I used 3M Satin tape on top and bottom running full span 18 Next glue the wing to the top of the fuselage using 5 minute epoxy taking care to make sure it is perfectly aligned with the fuselage Glue the balsa missile rails to th...

Page 13: ... alignment 20 Next the aft fuselage top is installed As before this piece should be pre formed with a heat gun to the proper curvature before installation Note this piece is slightly oversized in length to allow trimming it to an exact fit on the model Also note that if installing rudders the slots for the rudder pushrods are cut before this piece is installed Glue the piece in place ...

Page 14: ...degree bevel into the bottom of each vertical tail make sure to make left and ride side mirror images I just eyeballed this with a hobby knife and sanding block and got close enough Check the fit of the vertical tails on the fuselage and trim as necessary Then glue the vertical tails on with 5 minute epoxy sliding the plywood tail supports into the pre cut slits in the vertical tails If installing...

Page 15: ...round At this point go ahead and sand all remaining fuselage corners round 24 Cut an access hatch in the turtledeck above the receiver compartment to allow access to the receiver and rudder servo if installed At this point also glue in the 3mm Depron inlet splitters at the front of each inlet these are for aesthetics only I also recommend applying a single strip of 3M Satin tape around the wing an...

Page 16: ...o that only protrudes and glue into place After the glue dries push the canopy onto the airplane so that the protruding ends poke holes into the forward bulkhead Then glue the Velcro mounts to the fuselage sides as shown on the plans and attach the matching Velcro pieces to the mounts and to the canopy 26 Cut holes in the fuselage to fit the flaperon servos tightly and then install the flaperon se...

Page 17: ...ward fuselage to see where it needs to be to provide the correct center of gravity The prototype model required the battery all the way forward but no other ballast was required After the battery location has been determined apply a strip of Velcro to the centerline of the fuselage and to the battery This will allow easily adjusting the center of gravity later Trim the wiring extension to the spee...

Page 18: ...t craft stores applied with either a brush or airbrush Remember to wipe the foam with rubbing alcohol before painting to remove any grease or dirt Rough areas such as the canopy and nosecone should be filled with standard wall spackling compound thinned with water which fills the holes and can be sanded to a very smooth finish with minimal weight gain ...

Page 19: ...Page 19 Additional Photos Here are some additional photos of the prototype F 18 Park Jet to illustrate how the finished model should look ...

Page 20: ... at launch which could cause the model to roll left immediately after you throw it Slowly add throttle soon after launch and after the model has gained some speed and altitude retract the flaps if desired When flying in small fields the flaps can be left at 10 degrees throughout the flight which will allow the model to fly slower and turn tighter If you re flying in a larger field and want faster ...

Page 21: ...16 hole for pivot bearing tubes Nosecone top view template trace outline on top of nosecone to assist in carving it to shape Cut notch to fit motor used 1 4 x 5 16 balsa wingtip missle rails Cut slot to fit wing spar 3 8 foam strip 2 layers 3 8 foam strip 2 layers 3 8 foam strip Cut slot for strake Cut slot for strake Fwd Fuselage Sides make 2 Vertical tail supports make 4 from 1 32 plywood Flaper...

Page 22: ...s measured at root trailing edge Stabilators 1 0 Ailerons 1 25 Flaps 0 up 1 25 down Use 40 exponential rates on elevator and ailerons Use a heat gun to gently bend the foam in the aft fuselage to pre form it to the shapes shown RECOMMENDED POWER SYSTEMS Brushed GWS EPS 350C with C gearing 5 3 1 8x6 GWS Slowflyer prop 1200 mAh 11 1V lithium polymer battery 10 Amp speed control Brushless Himaxx 2015...

Page 23: ...ol horn and end stop drill out to fit carbon tube 5 25 Cut pocket in fuslelage side to mount flaperon servo Cut hatch for access to radio equipment 6 channel micro receiver 1 4 x 5 16 balsa missle rails 0 157 dia x 9 carbon tube pivoting inside three short pieces of 3 16 dia aluminum tubing Trim flaperons to clear vertical tails with up deflection Cut 45 deg bevel in flaperon leading edges and use...