PREVIOUS: The "Rebel KF" Trainer

Put the tail on a cutting board, and, using a ruler as a cutting guide, cut the rudder loose. This cut should be done at about a 45 degree angle. Now, make another 45 degree cut on the tail. On one side put a length of packing tape for use as a hinge. Put another length along the other side, carefully placing the tape within the angled cuts. Do the same for the rear wing and elevator.

Making sure to glue the horizontal stabilizer / elevator on so it is aligned properly. Before the glue hardens place the fuselage, bottom down on a flat surface. Measure each horizontal stabilizer / elevator tip to assure they are both the same and level. The tail requires a mount of it's own (Figure 10). Glue this to the fuselage first, trim the edges as necessary.

Glue on the tail so it is squared up with the elevator assembly. Control horns can be attached (Figure 11) at this time (or before mounting if you prefer). Servos are mounted to the servo tray and glued in the fuselage.

Control rods are next. You will have to cut exit holes for the rods to reach the control horns. The top of the rear fuselage is now attached, but allowing for a hatch for servo access (Figure 12).

The wing will require that the wing saddles be doubled, so glue them on now (Figure 13). These are also used to keep the rubber band sticks from breaking through.

Poke holes in the sides, and insert these sticks (Figure 14). Dowels, scewers, c/f rods, are all suitable.

The wing set has what is refered to as a modified K-F (Kline-Fogelman) airfoil. It has good slow-flyer aerodynamic benefits over that of a flat plate (non-airfoil) wing set, so it is used here. It also adds strength to the length of the wing, ideal for a trainer. Glue on the KF panels to the bottom of each wing, aligning their leading edges (Figure 15).

Take one wing half, top facing down, and cut an angle on its root end, using a ruler to ensure a straight cut. The ruler is set along the root edge, and the cut is angled inwards a bit. This is for the wing's dihedral angle, when the halves are joined. Shoot for an angle of about 10 degrees or so.

Now put the wing halves together, both facing down, and place a strip of clear packing tape over the center. Flip the wing set over, and insert glue into the center to join them. Quickly, lift one wing half up and place an object about four inches tall under it's tip. This gives about two inches of dihedral per side(Figure 16). Once the glue is set, wrap clear tape around the center to add strength between the wings.

Glue scrap card material to both the leading and trailing edges of the wing's center (refer back to figure 14). These are to keep the rubber bands from tearing through the foam when the wing set is banded to the fuselage.

With using the 2408-21/ESC combo, the center of balance is at about 33 percent back from the leading edge of the root of the wing. The lipo battery used was an 11.1v 3-cell 1000 mah pack, carried in the cabin area, near the balance point. I glued the craddles into the fuselage, making sure the plane maintains it's proper balance point when the battery is installed.

On the test model, landing gear had not yet been mounted for it's maiden flight. Use four to six rubber bands to hold the wing on. Test the motor system to see if all works well. Check the rudder and elevator movement. When viewed from behind the plane, the rudder should move left when you move the stick left, and vice versa. The elevator should move UP, when you pull the stick DOWN.

Do the maiden flight on a calm day. Smile as she leaves your hands. Ikarus would be proud.

Specifications

Have questions? Ask the author about this plane in this thread at RCGroups.com.