AJ Aircraft 73 Laser 230z, Assembly Instructions Manual

Page 1: ...73 AJ Laser 230z Assembly Instructions ...

Page 2: ...ultra reliability Love the smell of burning gas in the morning We ve successfully tested the laser 230z with the DA 35 and the Valley View 40cc twin With a 16oz Fortitude tank you will see flight times approaching 15 minutes When using the Valley View twin it is recommended to add a second elevator servo for balance AJs personal pick for this 73 Laser 230z is the 8s electric setup ultra floaty and...

Page 3: ... not hesitate to contact us The safe operation of this model is your responsibility and yours alone If you are a beginner or have never flown a model of this size and power you should attempt it with the help of an experienced pilot This product should not be considered a toy but rather a sophisticated working model that functions much like a full scale airplane Because of its performance capabili...

Page 4: ...Pants 12 Fuselage 14 Elevator 16 Rudder 21 Push Pull Rudder Control 21 Pull Pull Rudder Control 22 Electric Motor 25 Gas Engine 27 Cowl Canopy 30 Radio Installation Setup 32 Before starting read through the entire set of instructions to familiarize yourself with the process If there s ever a question contact AJ Aircraft Inspect the packing material carefully for the rudder hinge pin ...

Page 5: ... to go gasoline DA 35 or Equivalent 35cc Standard sized metal geared throttle servo Ignition Shut Off Ignition Receiver Battery 16 oz Gasoline Safe Fuel Tank Gasoline Safe Fuel Line Fuel Dot Fuel Filter 2x 12 Servo Wire Extensions Prop suited for the engine you choose 20x8 20x9 3 76mm Spinner Aileron Servos o 2x 250 oz in Metal Geared Hitec HS 7955TG Recommended o 2x 12 Servo Wire Extensions in wi...

Page 6: ...n Metal Geared Hitec HS 7955TG Recommended o 1 5 Servo Arm for 3D Aerobatics Or a heavy duty servo arms for sport flying o 24 servo wire extensions 1 or 2 Radio System o 5 or 6 channel full range radio system o Power Switch o Receiver Battery o Vibration padding for receiver and receiver battery Tools Blue Painters Masking Tape Thin CA Glue 30 Minute Epoxy Polyurethane Glue Gorilla Glue Denatured ...

Page 7: ...d temporarily secure it out of the way Do not pull it out of the wing Use a trim iron to seal the bottom surface of the wing around the servo pocket Fold the cut covering under the wing sheeting and attach it to the inside edge of the pocket At 200 220 F 93 104 C the adhesive on UltraCote becomes active allowing the covering to be attached to the model While 220 will fully bond the covering to the...

Page 8: ... individually then as an assembly The fit should be snug Check the alignment of the control horn to the hinge center line The linkage hole in the control horn should be aligned with the hinge centerline With the control horn in position apply painter s masking tape around the control horn base Put the tape up to the base edge Not under or over it Assemble a rod end to the control horn using a supp...

Page 9: ...se a pin to help push some epoxy in Apply epoxy to the control horn assembly and insert it into the aileron slots Wipe away excess epoxy using a paper towel soaked with denatured alcohol Use an upward rolling motion as you wipe the excess epoxy to lift it from the surface This helps reduce smearing the epoxy Check the alignment along the hinge line as you did when you test fit the control horn Rep...

Page 10: ...ty clip Pre drill for the servo mounting screws using a 1 16 drill bit Install the servo with the wood screws that came with your servos Remove the screws and servo Apply a drop of thin CA glue into each mounting screw hole This will harden the wood around the screws and provide a more secure installation Allow the CA glue to dry before reinstalling the servo Reinstall the servo Assemble a connect...

Page 11: ...ting holes in each part and trim away the covering The wing tips have a blind nut installed beneath the covering Use a hobby knife to trim away the covering Use the holes in a spacer plate to help locate the holes in the wing tip Assemble the spacer plate and the side force generator to the wing with the supplied screws and washers ...

Page 12: ... it is directional We suggest using a piece of white covering or clear packing tape to hold the filler block in position Install the landing gear cuffs with the holes towards the bottom of the airplane Use a flat blade screw driver with a gentle twist to help slide the cuff over the landing gear Secure the cuffs using 4 Phillips head screws from the landing gear hardware package You may also choos...

Page 13: ...ast when assembling you airplane They may get in the way while handling during other assembly steps There are 6 blind nuts provided and 6 blind nuts used in this kit Notice that there are 2 different sizes Take the time to match up blind nuts to machine screws before proceeding to ensure you do not get them mixed up Two blind nuts will be used on the canopy and 4 blind nuts will be used on the whe...

Page 14: ...heel onto the axel Add the wheel collar and tighten the set screw Ensure it rotates freely Put the wheel and axel into the wheel pant then put the axel threads through the landing gear Get the wheel pant mounting screws started but don t fully tighten Add the nylon locknut to the axel and tighten Make sure you can still get to the wheel collar set screw Finish by tightening the wheel pant mounting...

Page 15: ...e the mounting holes for the wing and trim away the covering There will be 2 holes for wing alignment pins 1 hole for the wing bolt and a slot to pass the servo wire through Shine a flashlight through the fuselage to highlight the holes if you have trouble locating them Carefully locate the horizontal stabilizer pocket Use a trim iron to seal the covering around the edges of the pocket before trim...

Page 16: ...enter it side to side using a tape measure Install and center the main wing tube Look at the plane from the back forward to make sure that the horizontal stabilizer is parallel with the wing tube Notice that the horizontal stabilizer is tapered which may obscure the actual alignment If the stabilizer is not aligned use shims or sand inside the pocket until it s parallel Push the horizontal stabili...

Page 17: ...on to bond the covering in the area the control horn will sit Trim the covering away to expose the slots Test fit the control horn halves in the slot individually then as an assembly The fit should be snug Check the alignment of the control horn to the hinge center line as you did with the wing The linkage hole in the control horn should be aligned with the hinge centerline With the control horn i...

Page 18: ... from the surface This helps reduce smearing the epoxy Check the alignment along the hinge line as you did when you test fit the control horn Reposition as needed Allow the epoxy to partially cure Peel away the masking tape after the epoxy is securely holding the control horn in place and still soft enough to easily remove the tape Set aside and let the epoxy fully cure Repeat on second elevator h...

Page 19: ... between the elevator joiner plate and the fuselage Hold half of the elevator aligned to the leading edge of the stabilizer and ensure the opposite elevator half is also aligned Sand or shim the elevator joiner plate until both halves are aligned to at the leading edge of the stabilizer Practice assembling the elevator hinges and jointer plate together without glue so things go smoothly when you g...

Page 20: ...nter plate through the fuselage then into the elevator half Add epoxy to the joiner slot and glue to the hinge holes of the second elevator half then slide it onto the hinges and jointer plate Push both elevator halves into position and wipe away any epoxy that has squeezed out Watch for glue expanding around the hinges and wipe away with alcohol as needed Move the elevator up and down to make sur...

Page 21: ...e servo Connect the elevator servo to a receiver and power supply Turn on your transmitter Set trim and sub trim to zero Install a servo arm on the servo approximately perpendicular to the servo side Use the transmitter s sub trim to make it perpendicular Reinstall the servo Assemble a connecting rod and ball link and to elevator ball link Check the length of the assembly to the servo arm with the...

Page 22: ...r the push pull system shown at the top of this picture are longer then the pull pull control horns The rudder is built with control horn slots for the push pull control system and the pull pull control system The blue painter s tape indicates the control horn locations The push pull control horn slots are located near the bottom of the rudder The picture below shows a mockup of the rudder push pu...

Page 23: ...did for the ailerons and elevator Test fit the control horns mask off the area surrounding the control horns and use a fresh knife blade and cut the covering as you did with the ailerons and elevator Use sand paper to roughen up the control horns so the epoxy will adhere better Assembly the control horns with a ball link and brass cable eye Thread the cable eyes about half way into the ball link T...

Page 24: ...hin CA glue into each mounting screw hole This will harden the wood around the screws and provide a more secure installation Allow the CA glue to dry before reinstalling the servo Connect the rudder servo to a receiver and power supply Turn on you transmitter Set trim and sub trim to zero Install a servo arm on the servo approximately perpendicular to the servo side Use the transmitter s sub trim ...

Page 25: ... the ball links to the rudder control horn Tape the rudder in position aligned to the vertical stabilizer With the servo powered up and centered repeat the crimping process on the rudder end of the cable Before you crimp the crush sleeves make sure the cable is not looped around the cable eye at the servo end Pull the cable snug You don t need to make the cable a guitar string tight Remove the tap...

Page 26: ...or box Drill 3 16 4 5mm holes through the firewall Then use a 4mm bolt and washer to draw blind nuts into the back of the firewall Use 4mm bolts and washers to secure the motor box to the fire wall Apply removable thread locker to the bolts during assembly Install nylon lock nuts to the back of the firewall to prevent bolts from backing out Use an X mount with a mounting bolt circle of 75mm to mou...

Page 27: ...t in the center of the cowl Use nylon zip ties to secure the ESC to the bottom or side of the motor box We recommend putting a small piece of foam between the ESC and motor box to dampen vibrations Place hook and loop tape to the battery tray and your battery Loop hook and loop straps around the battery We recommend using at least a 1 strap if you intend to do high G 3D maneuvers Use the balsa she...

Page 28: ...holes then temporarily mount your engine standoff and the engine A DLE35RA is shown Bolt the engine standoff to the firewall from the back The distance between the prop backer plate and the firewall should be 6 3 160mm This will provide space between the spinner and the cowl Check for clearance between the firewall and the carburetor This distance should be noted in your engine s manual If you don...

Page 29: ...n assembly by bending the longest copper tube as a vent line Bend it a little at a time to prevent collapsing the tube Slide on the smaller stopper pressure plate with the tapped hole in it Slide on the rubber stopper Then slide on the larger pressure plate Insert the 2 remaining copper tubes for a fill line and the carburetor supply line Loosely add the machine screw to hold the assembly together...

Page 30: ...loop straps running through the slots on the plywood tray We recommend using at least a 1 strap if you intend to do high G 3D maneuvers Use the balsa sheet and 2mm screws to cover the exhaust tunnel if you do use canister style exhaust The tunnel can be left open and the fuselage bottom venting can be installed to allow for additional engine cooling airflow If you plan on using canister style exha...

Page 31: ... the cowl You can also use a pen to mark the hole locations on the cowl Remove the cowl and use a 3 32 drill to open up the pin holes Or drill at the marked locations Use 3mm wood screws to mount the cowl Apply thin CA glue to the mounting tabs and screw holes Allow plenty of time for the CA glue to dry before reinstalling the cowl There are 6 blind nuts provided and 6 blind nuts used in this kit ...

Page 32: ...Rev 2 0 www AJ Aircraft com Page 31 Enlarge the hole in the canopy to receive the blind nuts Use a washer and machine screw to draw the blind nut into the canopy tab Secure the canopy to the fuselage ...

Page 33: ...CG fly left or right at about 3 4 to full throttle and pull to a 45 degree up line Roll inverted and let go of the elevator stick A correct nose heavy CG will slowly arc to the level A neutral CG should nearly hold the up line And a tail heavy CG will steepen the up line While the final setup is of personal preference these are some general guidelines to make your first flight a success Enjoy your...