Your RC Companion Freewing Mig-21 80mm, Build Instructions

Page 1: ...Build Companion Freewing Mig 21 80mm Presented by Brad Miser Your RC CompanionTM yourrccompanion com yourrccompanion indy rr com Version 1 0 ...

Page 2: ...Prepare the Wings Configure Ailerons and Flaps 25 Prepare the Wings Check Retracts and Install Electric Brakes 27 Prepare the Wings Cover the Strobe Wire Add Orientation Stripes and Protect the Wing Tips 36 Prepare the Front Fuselage Section 39 Prepare the Front Fuselage Section Replace Battery Connectors Add Anti spark Connector and Install Current and Voltage Sensors 39 Prepare the Front Fuselag...

Page 3: ...mpanion Freewing Mig 21 80mm Copyright 2016 by Brad Miser Install Fuselage and Components 90 Configure the Wires Receiver Sensors and Controllers in the Battery Compartment and Re install the Battery Tray 99 Prepare for Flight 107 ...

Page 4: ...h product reviews Documents videos and other information are available on the Your RC Companion website located at www yourrcccompanion com You can download documents and access other information provided for free However if you find the information to be valuable and wish to do so please send donations via PayPal to yourrccompanion indy rr com Communication with the Your RC Companion community is...

Page 5: ...ing it When the build process is simple you won t find a lot of detail in this document your experience and the included manual will be enough When something requires more information you ll find more detailed steps I describe the steps to make a number of modifications to improve the maintainability performance durability or flying characteristics of the model The details for the upgrades modific...

Page 6: ...tom of the left wing and left horizontal stabilizer Ø Top Flite Trim MonoKote Neon Green I purchased the trim sheets here http www3 towerhobbies com cgi bin wti0095p FVSEARCH 3Cb 3Emono 3C 2Fb 3Ekote trim sheet Wing and horizontal tip protection Ø Mod Podge Waterbase Sealer Glue and Finish I purchased this glue here https www amazon com gp product B00CI1U5NQ ref oh_aui_detailpage_o06_s00 ie UTF8 p...

Page 7: ...may not encounter the same issues I did or you may encounter others with your model that I didn t find on mine When I build I first prepare each section of the plane all the way to setting trims and range of motion of control surfaces when possible before assembling the plane as I find it easier to work on the sections before they are assembled It also enables me to test each servo control surface...

Page 8: ...n when you switch over to the radio I used an 8 channel receiver with this plane with the following channels 1 Throttle 2 Ailerons 3 Elevator 4 Rudder 5 Landing gear and landing lights lights are on any time gear is down 6 Flaps 7 Nose gear steering and strobe lights power only for strobe lights as they are always on 8 Brakes I added telemetry for battery pack voltage cell voltage and current The ...

Page 9: ... modified the vertical stabilizer by adding a red strobe light to the left side of the vertical stabilizer and a green strobe to the right side Quality Issues Red star decal on left side of vertical stabilizer was partially covering the servo pocket area where the servo arm moves If you aren t installing the strobe lights skip steps 2 21 ...

Page 10: ...you are installing the lights expose the area just in front of the servo so that you can route the light s wire to the channel through which the rudder servo s wire passes If you aren t installing the lights you just need to remove enough so that the servo arm can move freely 2 Mark the location of strobe light I placed mine just below the top section of the vertical stabilizer I wanted to mount i...

Page 11: ...the wire to run from the servo pocket to the channel through which the servo wire runs out the bottom of the vertical stabilizer 5 Use a hobby knife to rough cut the area in which you will mount the light 6 Use a hobby knife to cut the channel for the light s wire 7 Use a Dremel tool and router bit and router attachment if you have one to finalize the light mounting area ...

Page 12: ...g Mig 21 80mm Copyright 2016 by Brad Miser Page 8 8 Test fit the light in the mounting hole until the top of the led base is about even with the surface of the foam If it isn t continue working on the hole until the light fits down into the foam ...

Page 13: ...he right side of the stabilizer you don t need a wire channel on this side because you can route the wire for this side through the stabilizer to join the wire on the other side 10 Back on the first side cut a channel for the wire to run past the servo and create an opening down into the channel through which the rudder servo wire passes You need to ...

Page 14: ...h the foam a bit to reach the existing channel 11 Run a piece of wire through the rudder servo wire channel to the area you cut for the light wire so that you can pull the light wire down through the servo wire s channel 12 Solder positive and negative power wires onto each light if you want to be able to turn ...

Page 15: ... from the strobe on the right side to the left side 14 Solder the wires from the right and left side lights to a single wire that runs down the stabilizer you should make this wire the same length as or a bit longer than the rudder servo wire so it reaches to where your receiver will be mounted 15 Use the wire puller you inserted earlier to pull the power wire into the channel through which the ru...

Page 16: ...uild Companion Freewing Mig 21 80mm Copyright 2016 by Brad Miser Page 12 17 Glue the lights in position 18 Route the power wires into the channel you made earlier 19 Replace the decal over the area from which you removed it ...

Page 17: ...ight with the same tape or covering I use a hole punch for paper to create the hole around the led 22 Repair the star decal I used red MonoKote trim which was a very close match While the star doesn t look quite right because part of an arm is missing that was better for me than trying to reposition the entire decal because that would have messed up the underlying paint 23 Cover the light on the o...

Page 18: ...ion com Build Companion Freewing Mig 21 80mm Copyright 2016 by Brad Miser Page 14 24 Install the rudder pushrod center the rudder attach the keeper on the pushrod and set the range of rudder movement per the manual ...

Page 19: ...tion you prepare the rear section of the fuselage by installing the horizontal stabilizers and configuring the elevators I modified my model by adding orientation stripes and I covered the tips of the stabilizer and elevators with Mod Podge glue to protect against scuffs Quality Issues Servo arms not centered and no provision for accessing the arm or screw to re center them ...

Page 20: ...ttach the horizontal stabilizers to the rear section of the fuselage using the four screws as specified in the manual 2 Connect the elevator servos to the receiver and center all trims and subtrims 3 If a servo arm isn t centered as it wasn t on my model cut an access area so you can reach the arm s screw with a screwdriver you will also need to remove foam above the servo arm so that you can remo...

Page 21: ...osition it as close to being in the center position as possible and replace the screw holding it on the servo 5 Repeat the process for the other servo arm if needed It was only needed on one of the servos on my model 6 Install the control rods for the elevators center the elevators and adjust their range of motion per the manual ...

Page 22: ... stabilizer and elevator I used neon green as I have found this color to be very visible from the ground in many types of conditions I intentionally used a contrasting orientation to the existing color scheme to make them stand out even more 2 Apply orientation stripes to the left horizontal stabilizer and elevator I used neon yellow because this is a good contrast to the green 3 Liberally coat th...

Page 23: ...ccompanion com Build Companion Freewing Mig 21 80mm Copyright 2016 by Brad Miser Page 19 4 Do the same for the left side Once dry the Mod Podge is virtually invisible and provides a nice shell over the foam ...

Page 24: ...ifications are installing strobe lights red on the underside of the left wing and green on the underside of the right wing and electric brakes adding orientation stripes and protecting the wing tips if needed Quality Issues None noted Prepare the Wings Install Strobe Lights 1 Decide where you will place the light I placed mine just past the end of the aileron aligned with one of the panel lines so...

Page 25: ...by knife and Dremel to create the mounting location for the light 3 Use a hobby knife and Dremel to create a channel for the light s wire running from the light to the servo pocket 4 Continue working the mounting hole until the light sits down into the wing so that only the led s base sticks above the foam ...

Page 26: ... Page 22 5 Continue to create the channel and test fit the wire until it fits into the wing between the light and the servo pocket 6 Continue the channel for the light s wire around the servo pocket 7 Once past the servo widen the existing channel through which the aileron servo s wire ...

Page 27: ...n again when the wire is installed 8 Solder the wire to the light like the vertical stabilizer I only use the positive and negative leads because I want the lights on all the time the plane has power 9 Route the wire in the channel you created I use clear tape to secure the wire in the channel 10 Make sure the wire doesn t interfere with the motion of the aileron servo arm 11 Route the wire the re...

Page 28: ...2016 by Brad Miser Page 24 12 Test the light and if it works glue it into the wing Covering the light and wire is described in the section Prepare the Wings Cover the Strobe Wire Add Orientation Stripes and Protect the Wing Tips 13 Repeat these steps for the other wing ...

Page 29: ...ervo to the receiver and power up the radio 2 Check the center position of the servo arm adjust if necessary it wasn t on my model 3 Install the aileron control rod in the aileron servo arm and adjust the clevis so that the aileron is in the neutral position 4 Press the clevis onto the ball connector 5 Install the rod keeper 6 Repeat steps 1 through 5 for the flap ...

Page 30: ...eck the range of motion of the aileron to ensure the servo isn t binding and you get at least the range of motion shown in the manual 8 Check the range of motion of the flap to ensure there is no binding and you achieve the range of motion shown in the manual 9 Repeat these steps for the other wing ...

Page 31: ... times to ensure it is operating properly 3 Pull on the retract to make sure it is firmly installed in the wing sometimes an insufficient amount of glue is used on the mounts and the retract will pop out of the wing when you land If the retract comes loose re glue the mount into the wing If you aren t going to install electric brakes repeat steps 1 through 3 on the other wing and skip the rest of ...

Page 32: ...rrccompanion com Build Companion Freewing Mig 21 80mm Copyright 2016 by Brad Miser Page 28 4 Use a 1 5 mm hex wrench to remove the set screw holding the axle in the strut 5 Remove the stock axle and wheel ...

Page 33: ...y replace the set screw with an M3 socket cap screw I do this because the set screws round out very easily and are difficult to remove when that happens In other locations you must use a set screw but at least the screw holding the axle won t round out It doesn t look as nice but is a good tradeoff for me ...

Page 34: ...he JP brakes instead of the Dr Mad Thrust brakes are the same as shown here 8 Remove the two screws holding the gear door to the strut and remove the door 9 Remove a small amount of foam from the wheel well where the head of the axle on the brakes comes into contact when the gear is retracted the axle head on the brakes I used protruded just far enough to jam the retract when it was in the retract...

Page 35: ...e landing gear several times to make sure it operates freely If it binds when retracted and won t extend you may need to remove more material from the wheel well until it retracts and extends freely 11 Mark the axle where it protrudes from the strut so you can cut off the part of the axle that protrudes from the strut ...

Page 36: ...by Brad Miser Page 32 12 Remove the wheel from the strut 13 Use a cut off wheel to cut off the excess axle 14 Re install the wheel on the strut make sure the flat spot on the axle aligns with the set screw 15 Re install the gear door using the two screws you removed earlier ...

Page 37: ... the gear door and secure it with tape the goal is to align the wire to match up with the groove at the based of the retract when the retract is retracted 17 Cut a channel for the brake wire just outside of the base of the retract part of the channel is in the plastic retract mount so you can use a Dremel tool to route that part of the ...

Page 38: ...t but when I tried to route the wire in the existing retract cutout the wire was getting pinched when the retract was in the retracted position 18 Route the brake wire in the channel you created I used clear tape to secure the wire in the channel 19 Retract the landing gear and make sure the brake wire is not getting pinched by the gear door and that the wire isn t preventing the retract and gear ...

Page 39: ...of the brake wire using the existing channel and secure all the wires in place with some clear tape If you are careful you can add the two additional wires brake and strobe light in the existing channel without widening it 21 Repeat these steps to test the retract and install the wheel and brake on the other wing ...

Page 40: ...e Wings Cover the Strobe Wire Add Orientation Stripes and Protect the Wing Tips 1 Cut a piece of tape or trim to cover the strobe light I used a piece of painted tape I had from another plane that was a reasonable match to the grey not exact but close enough 2 Apply the tape or trim over the strobe light ...

Page 41: ... Miser Page 37 3 Apply tape or trim over the wire channel you cut for the strobe light s wire 4 Apply orientation stripes to the outer part of the wing Note I m not using the external wing tanks that are included with the model so I covered over the tank mounting slot on the wing ...

Page 42: ...n Freewing Mig 21 80mm Copyright 2016 by Brad Miser Page 38 5 If the tape or trim you used for orientation stripes doesn t cover the wing tip apply Mod Podge to the tip to protect it from scuffing 6 Repeat these steps for the other wing ...

Page 43: ...tors Add Anti spark Connector and Install Current and Voltage Sensors If you use the stock EC 5s connectors you aren t using an anti spark connector and you aren t adding telemetry skip this section I use Anderson Powerpole connectors so I replaced the stock EC 5 connectors with those if you use a different type of connector you can use similar steps to replace the stock connectors with yours I al...

Page 44: ...he ESC so that enough sticks out from the ESC side so you can install connectors and you have enough on the battery side to install two set of battery connectors along with the anti spark connector 2 Slide the current sensor over the positive power wire ensuring the direction arrow on the sensor points toward the ESC ...

Page 45: ...2016 by Brad Miser Page 41 3 Slide the current sensor back into the fuselage to keep it out of the way you will mount it in later steps 4 If you installed electric brakes connect the positive power wire from the brake controller to the positive power wire from the ESC ...

Page 46: ...m Build Companion Freewing Mig 21 80mm Copyright 2016 by Brad Miser Page 42 5 Install the connector on the positive wire from the ESC and the brake controller 6 Install the plastic shell on the positive wire from the ESC ...

Page 47: ...rough 6 to attach the negative lead from the ESC to the negative lead from the brake controller and then install the negative connector finish the connector by sliding the shells together This completes the ESC side of the power supply lines 8 Cut the stock EC 5 connectors from the battery side of the power leads ...

Page 48: ... on both ends refer to step 13 if you don t want to replace the negative wire as described in that step you ll need to shorten one of the positive wires so the length of the positive side is the same as the negative side 13 Cut a new negative wire using 12 gauge wire you need to cut a new segment to make the lengths of the positive and negative sides equal adding the anti spark connector increases...

Page 49: ... a tie wrap or other method to ensure the two sets of connectors can t come apart 17 Connect the current sensor to the voltage sensor using the provided wire 18 Connect the voltage sensor to the smart port on the receiver 19 Install a balance lead extension to the voltage sensor this makes it easier to connect the balance lead from the battery pack to the sensor ...

Page 50: ...ry tray makes it much easier to route the wires from the rear of the plane to the receiver You can also temporarily install the receiver so you can check servo movement as you install the various sections on the plane 1 Remove the two screws holding the battery tray in the plane 2 Remove the tray from the plane to expose the area where you will route the wires coming from the rear of the fuselage ...

Page 51: ...e inputs on the receiver Since I prefer the nose gear steering to be on its own channel so I can have a separate trim for it and disable it when the gear is retracted I connected the nose gear servo directly to the servo Prepare the Front Fuselage Section Test EDF and Telemetry and Calibrate the Throttle Check the function of the power system confirm telemetry is working if installed and calibrate...

Page 52: ...t the throttle to the receiver 2 Power up the transmitter 3 Connect a flight pack battery to the ESC and listen to ensure you hear the correct number of tones indicating the number of cells in the pack you connected 6 if you are using a 6S pack 4 Connect the voltage telemetry if installed to the battery ...

Page 53: ...direction by checking that air is coming out the rear of the fuselage section If it isn t the ESC is likely connected to the EDF incorrectly and you will need to swap two of the three connections 7 Check the telemetry displays on the radio to make sure you are getting data from the sensors you are using such as current and voltage 8 Disconnect the battery pack and power down the transmitter 9 Powe...

Page 54: ...g You should hear the normal binding and number of battery cell tones This means the throttle is calibrated 12 Disconnect the battery and power down the transmitter Prepare the Front Fuselage Section Install Stobe Lights I added a white strobe light to the top of the fuselage behind the latch for the canopy this light is set to a slow pulse mode I added a two light set to the bottom of the fuselag...

Page 55: ...51 1 Determine where you want the light to be placed 2 Mark the location of the light 3 Use a hobby knife to rough cut the opening for the light I use the knife to trace the outline of the light and then make sections across the area I then hold the knife horizontally to cut out the sections ...

Page 56: ...ight in the mounting location and continue to work the mounting area until the light fits into it 5 Install a router bit on a Dremel tool and attach the router attachment if you have one Set the depth so that it the led on the light will project above the top of the fuselage while the circuit board is below it ...

Page 57: ...ion Freewing Mig 21 80mm Copyright 2016 by Brad Miser Page 53 6 Use the Dremel to deepen the hole so the light fits into it properly 7 Test fit the light into the mounting position 8 Repeat steps 6 and 7 until the light fits properly ...

Page 58: ...ht 2016 by Brad Miser Page 54 9 Make a hole to pass the light s wire into the fuselage 10 Solder the wire on the light I apply a small amount of liquid electrical tape over the soldered area and wires to protect the area and give the connections additional strength ...

Page 59: ... hole you created and temporarily mount the light in the mounting hole 12 Connect the light to power and test it 13 If it works correctly glue it in place 14 Prepare a covering for the light I used a piece of black trim sheet cut to approximately 1 5 in x 2 in I used a paper hole punch to create the opening for the light ...

Page 60: ...imple rectangle which looks fine to me but you may want to use something more elaborate or something less obvious such as a color that matches the existing color 16 Repeat steps 1 through 15 to mount the light on the bottom of the fuselage I installed a double light with a white strobe and a solid red light just behind the nose gear wheel well ...

Page 61: ...ral potential mounting locations and options on the MiG such as attaching them to the nose gear strut as they are on a number of planes but decided to just go with a somewhat inelegant but very simple approach by mounting them into the fuselage directly in front of the nose gear wheel well While this is a very easy installation location and makes good use of the lights they are always visible whic...

Page 62: ... light this should tightly fit the mounting tab on the light and should be deep enough so that the body of the light rests on the fuselage I rough cut the hole with a hobby knife and then used a small Dremel routing bit to finish it 4 Test fit the light and continue to work on the mounting hole until the light fits properly ...

Page 63: ... 80mm Copyright 2016 by Brad Miser Page 59 5 Repeat steps 1 through 4 for the other light 6 Cut an opening in the plastic wheel well cover through which you can pass the light s wire 7 Route the wire into the wheel well and into the battery compartment ...

Page 64: ...er to the gear channel on the receiver I used a y connector and connect the lights to the light controller lower the gear and make sure the lights come on and are positioned where you want them to be 10 If the lights work properly and are where you want them to be glue them in place make sure you glue the tab in the mounting hole and the light case to the fuselage ...

Page 65: ...ig 21 80mm Copyright 2016 by Brad Miser Page 61 11 Use tape to secure the light wires to the inside of the wheel well so they don t interfere with the nose gear 12 Raise the nose gear and make sure the light wires don t interfere with its operation ...

Page 66: ...the Front Fuselage Section Connect the rear fuselage section to the front section by gluing them together Quality Issues None 1 Test fit the rear fuselage section onto the front section to ensure the two parts fit together evenly and that they align correctly If not sand the front end of the rear section until they fit correctly ...

Page 67: ... 2016 by Brad Miser Page 63 2 If possible position the front section of the fuselage standing up vertically so gravity will hold the rear section onto the front section while the glue dries 3 Glue the rear section of the fuselage onto the front section and let it dry ...

Page 68: ... Build Companion Freewing Mig 21 80mm Copyright 2016 by Brad Miser Page 64 4 Insert the wire puller provided with the plane through the channel at the top of the fuselage 5 Attach one of the servo wires to the wire puller ...

Page 69: ...uild Companion Freewing Mig 21 80mm Copyright 2016 by Brad Miser Page 65 6 Pull the wire puller and servo wire to the front of the fuselage 7 Repeat steps 5 and 6 to bring the other servo wire into the front of the fuselage ...

Page 70: ...d Miser Page 66 8 Plug the elevator servos into the blue junction box 9 Test the elevators to make sure they work properly if you configured the elevators as described in an earlier section there shouldn t be any problems but it is a good idea to check them here too just in case ...

Page 71: ...Mig 21 80mm Copyright 2016 by Brad Miser Page 67 10 Put some tape over the elevator servo wires so they remain in the channel at the top of the fuselage This will prevent the wires from interfering with the installation of the vertical stabilizer ...

Page 72: ...ertical stabilizer on the rear section of the fuselage Quality Issues None 1 Insert the wire puller provided with the model at the front of the fuselage through the channel at the top of the fuselage until the end with the loop extends into the vertical stabilizer mounting location 2 Put the connector on the rudder servo wire into the loop on the wire puller ...

Page 73: ...Miser Page 69 3 At the front of the fuselage pull the wire puller forward until the end of the rudder servo wire is in the battery compartment 4 If you installed strobe lights on the vertical stabilizer use the wire puller to pull the strobe light wire into the battery compartment ...

Page 74: ...elage while you set the vertical stabilizer down into its mounting location on the fuselage Make sure the wires don t get pinched by the vertical stabilizer so keep pulling the wires from the front to avoid slack 6 Seat the vertical stabilizer all the down in its mount so the holes for the screws in the mounting tabs on the fuselage align with the holes in the vertical stabilizer ...

Page 75: ...yourrccompanion com Build Companion Freewing Mig 21 80mm Copyright 2016 by Brad Miser Page 71 7 Plug the rudder servo wire into the blue junction box 8 Test the rudder to make sure it works correctly ...

Page 76: ...yourrccompanion com Build Companion Freewing Mig 21 80mm Copyright 2016 by Brad Miser Page 72 9 Secure the vertical stabilizer in place with four screws two on each side ...

Page 77: ...ver make sure the tape is securely mounted so it or the cover doesn t come loose and get sucked into the fan of course you need to practice the same caution if you glue the clear plastic covers on At this point you should decide if you are going to use the method I did or go with manual s recommendation to remove the louver If you use the manual s method you need to carefully cut out and remove th...

Page 78: ...d Miser Page 74 Quality Issues The manual calls for removal of the louver over the cheat hole However removing it could cause damage to the fuselage I used an alternate method by removing the EDF access cover and EDF instead 1 Remove the two screws holding the EDF access cover on ...

Page 79: ...ss cover 3 Remove the four screws holding the EDF in place 4 Lift the EDF out of its mounting area to make sure it is loose so you can move it out of the way to route wires from the wings into the channel at the top of the fuselage Later in this process I needed to move the EDF completely out of the way and ended up ...

Page 80: ...th red and yellow tape so I would connect them correctly later Separate the wires at the bullet connectors and remove the EDF unit from the plane 5 Insert the longer and larger wing spar through the forward spar hole 6 Insert the shorter wing spar into the rear spar hole 7 Fold the wires from the wing back on the bottom of the wing to keep them out of the way while being easy to access for routing...

Page 81: ... fuselage insert the wire puller in the channel at the top of the fuselage with the loop end pointing to the rear of the plane Make sure the loop end of the puller points toward the bottom of the fuselage so it will be easier to grab where it emerges into the EDF area 10 Keep pushing the wire puller until it emerges into the EDF area at the rear of the fuselage 11 Pull the wire puller so you can e...

Page 82: ... Push one of the wires from the wing into the opening on the fuselage 13 Reach inside the fuselage you can move the EDF as needed and pull the wire back towards the wire puller make sure it is above the spar and not wrapped around it 14 Place the connector from the wing s wire onto the wire puller ...

Page 83: ...lage until the servo wire appears Continue pulling on the wire until the slack is gone so that the wire is as far out as it will go 16 Remove the servo wire from the wire puller 17 Repeat steps 9 through 16 until you have pulled all of the wires from the wing to the front of the fuselage you should have wires for the aileron flap landing gear brake if ...

Page 84: ...er all the wires from the wing at the front of the fuselage and gently pull them while you push the wing onto the plastic two mounting points until it fits up against the fuselage and the screw holes align with the holes in the plastic mounting points As you push the wing on gently pull on the wires from the front of the fuselage to ensure no wires get caught between the wing and fuselage 19 Locat...

Page 85: ...iser Page 81 20 Screw the two wing mounting screws into the wing mounting points on the fuselage 21 Repeat steps 7 through 20 to install the other wing being careful to route all its wires to the front of the fuselage and to ensure wires are not pinched between the wing and fuselage ...

Page 86: ...res from both wings into the blue junction box and connect the brake wires if installed from both wings to the brake controller 23 Test the function of the ailerons flaps retracts and brakes Correct any issues you find if you followed previous steps and configured all these items before installing the wings there shouldn t be any problems ...

Page 87: ...ls on the inside of the fuselage This was the point at which the EDF was too much in the way so I disconnected and removed it from the plane but it would have been better to remove it after removing the screws that hold it in place back in step 4 25 Check to see if you will be able to glue the clear plastic channel cover over the channel to ...

Page 88: ... Make sure you use enough glue to keep the cover in place but not so much that it gets all over the wires and glues them in place Ideally the wires will be able to slide in and out of the channel without removing the cover should you need to fix or replace something on the wing later 26 If you aren t able to glue the covers apply tape to the edges of the plastic cover Note there is a specific cove...

Page 89: ... screwdriver and use that to position the cover over the channel 28 When in position I used a piece of wood to press the cover into place while gently removing the screwdriver Then I used the wood to press the tape down to make sure it was firmly attached and ran over all the edges to ensure that were no edges that might get lifted up by the airflow ...

Page 90: ...16 by Brad Miser Page 86 29 Double check the installation to make sure the tape is firmly pressed to the side of the fuselage and no edges are raised enough to get air under them 30 Repeat steps 24 through 29 for the other side In this case I just used tape and left the ...

Page 91: ...uite as smooth with just the tape as it is with the cover And the wire may stick to the tape so if I have to remove the wires are some point I may have to remove the tape too whereas the wires should just slide out behind the plastic guard I think taping the cover is a better solution 31 If you completely removed the EDF reconnect it to the ESC ensuring the connections are the same as before you r...

Page 92: ... If desired cut a 3 5 in by 5 5 in section of mesh screen to cover the louver to limit the chance of ingesting rocks or other debris that can damage the fan I ve had several planes with large cheater holes on the bottom and have lost fans due to debris getting sucked into the fan through the cheater hole Covering the cheater hole with mesh helps reduce ...

Page 93: ...pening you might want to use two pieces and overlap them slightly to reduce the size of the openings 35 Test fit the mesh over the louver Trim as needed so the mesh covers the openings while leaving enough space so you can tape the edges of the mesh to the plastic louver without taping on the paint If you tape on the painted foam surface and later have to remove the mesh it will also remove the pa...

Page 94: ...ks as I didn t plan to fly with them I prefer the slick look of the plane without them Quality Issues None 1 Locate the bottom fin 2 Place the front end of the fin in the slot on the bottom of the fuselage It is a tight fit so work it into the slot slowly so you don t damage the foam 3 On my model the rear slot was too tight so I use a flat head screwdriver to widen the slot slightly until the rea...

Page 95: ...mpanion Freewing Mig 21 80mm Copyright 2016 by Brad Miser Page 91 4 Continue working the fin into the two slots until it won t go any further 5 Use a screw to attach the fin to the plastic mount point 6 Locate the two wing fences ...

Page 96: ...Mig 21 80mm Copyright 2016 by Brad Miser Page 92 7 Locate the slot to mount the fence on the wing 8 Line up the notch on the fence with the corresponding tab in the slot on the wing place a little glue on the wing fence and insert it into the slot ...

Page 97: ...ig 21 80mm Copyright 2016 by Brad Miser Page 93 9 Repeat steps 7 and 8 to mount the fence on the other wing 10 Locate the plastic piece that mounts right behind the latch for the cockpit 11 Glue the plastic part into the slot on top of the fuselage ...

Page 98: ... Build Companion Freewing Mig 21 80mm Copyright 2016 by Brad Miser Page 94 12 Locate the silver antenna 13 Locate the antenna mounting slot on the right side of the model just above the numbers on the side of the fuselage ...

Page 99: ...the pitot tube onto the remaining carbon tube on mine it was a very tight fit so I didn t glue it 16 Insert the carbon rod onto the metal rod on the front of the fuselage This was also a very tight fit so I didn t glue it Also I wanted to be able to remove the assembly as I might take if off when I transport the plane because it sticks out so far it will make transportation more difficult and will...

Page 100: ...t 2016 by Brad Miser Page 96 17 Locate the nose cone 18 Insert the rod sticking out of the base of the nose cone into the hole in the center of the fuselage I put a small amount of glue on the rod and used a screwing motion to get the nose cone installed all the way ...

Page 101: ... by Brad Miser Page 97 19 Locate the two fins 20 Use a sharp hobby knife to cut a slit into the fin mounting area on the fuselage the slit can be very narrow because the fins are thin plastic The slit needs to be deep enough so the fin fits all the way against the fuselage ...

Page 102: ...mm Copyright 2016 by Brad Miser Page 98 21 Test fit the fin into the slot If it doesn t fit all the way against the fuselage continue expanding the slit until it does Then glue the fin in place 22 Repeat steps 20 and 21 to install the fin on the other side ...

Page 103: ...rake controller telemetry sensors and landing light controller making sure they don t interfere with the range of battery mounting locations I expect to use Once I know where the components will be mounted I start mounting components and routing wires It is usually an iterative process requiring adjustments to both along the way Fortunately there is a lot of room to work in this model unlike many ...

Page 104: ...ind the battery compartment It fit tightly enough that I didn t need to tape it in place but I used a piece of double sided tape anyway just to be sure it wouldn t come loose 3 I mounted the current sensor on the side of the fuselage using double sided tape I placed it far enough back that it wouldn t interfere with moving the battery back as far as needed ...

Page 105: ... I collected the five wires for the strobe lights and soldered them to a single set of wires with a servo connector on the end This can be connected to any channel since I m only using it for power no control wire I used a y connector inserted into the channel I use for the brakes 6 I mounted the landing light controller at the front of the compartment on the shelf above the nose gear The controll...

Page 106: ... y connector with the landing light controller I had some extra wire that I tie wrapped and secured next to the landing light wires 9 I tie wrapped the main bundle of servos wires to make it easier to route them under the battery tray 10 Route the servo wires in the channel under the battery tray 11 I put tape over the channel where the cut outs for the battery strap are This keeps the wires in th...

Page 107: ...to the compartment Make sure the wires run in the channel and don t get pinched by the tray when you screw it down Make sure there is slack in the wires at the rear of the tray so you can slide the battery to the rear to achieve correct cg 14 Test fit a battery on the tray to make sure you can get it in and out easily and that the wires at the rear of the tray don t interfere with pushing the batt...

Page 108: ...1 80mm Copyright 2016 by Brad Miser Page 104 15 Remove the battery tray 16 I installed self adhesive silicon onto the tray to keep the battery from slipping instead of using the anti slip material provided with the model 17 Re install the battery tray ...

Page 109: ... by Brad Miser Page 105 18 Install the receiver I used double sided tape 19 Install the voltage sensor I used double sided tape to mount it to the inner fuselage wall 20 Secure the receiver s antennas I mounted one vertically on one side and horizontally on the other side ...

Page 110: ...the battery tray initially but I used the two additional screws that came with the model to increase the number of screws to four 22 Install a battery and connect it to the ESC and sensors Make sure nothing interferes with the battery going in or coming out Also make sure you can move the battery toward the front or rear to adjust cg ...

Page 111: ...in the manual 2 Mount the battery you will use and check the cg 3 Adjust the position of the battery until the plane balances correctly I balanced the plane upside down with the gear retracted the nose gear moves forward when extended It s generally safer to start with the cg at the recommended location which is typically a bit nose heavy After you fly the plane you can further adjust the battery ...

Page 112: ...manual I usually set them for the maximum amount of movement I create three flight modes One has full range of motion and relatively high expo 30 40 The second has about 60 75 of the range of motion with less expo 20 30 The third has about 50 of the range of motion and about the same expo as the second flight mode I usually do the initial takeoff with the middle flight mode and adjust from there a...