By coordinating rudder deflection with the aileron (rudder moving in the same direction), you prevent the nose from skidding to the left. Adverse yaw is thus prevented; banks and corrections, even rolls, will be smooth and axial, and you will feel more connected to the plane.

When a loop-or any maneuver related to one-is performed in a crosswind, the airplane will drift sideways with the wind during the slower portion of the loop. This drift will generally happen as the plane rounds over the top of the loop. Consequently, a loop that was entered on a parallel flight path with the runway will exit downwind-no longer tracking parallel. If you don’t use the rudder, you will have to do a number of corrections afterwards to reestablish the preferred parallel track taken at the start of the loop.

To correct cross-wing drift, apply rudder in the opposite direction the wind is blowing. For example, if the crosswind will blow the plane to the left, a right-rudder wind correction would prevent it. Ailerons are for keeping the wings level before and during a loop. Don’t try to correct wind drift by creating a new [wing] deviation using aileron; sideways wind drift is a function of yaw, not roll.

The post Rudder: Use it to Fly Better! appeared first on Model Airplane News.

Here’s some tips to make the job quick and easy! A little bit of effort really brings these micro RC WW1 warbirds to life!

Here’s what you need: Some foam safe paint, fine tipped brushes, a bit of water, a paper plate and some napkins.

1. To make the job a bit easier, spear the poor aviator with a hobby knife so you can hold and adjust him while you paint. The first color to apply is the skin tone on the face. Use white, red and a dash of brown to get the tone you like. Mix the colors on the paper plate and use a semi broad brush to apply the paint. Neatness doesn’t count here, just slap it on and let dry.

2. Mix up a light brown color (brown and white) and apply to the leather flying helmet areas! You have to be a little more careful now, don’t get any on the face. Let dry and apply a second coat to give a nice even cover.

3. Now add a little black to the brown and add the leather flying jacket. Be sure not to get any on the shoulder straps which should remain white. Now add some black to the goggle lenses, and a little silver on the shoulder strap buckles and around the goggle frames. With the dark brown add some detail on the leather helmet (seams and the goggle band,) and with some dark dark brown (more black) add some shadow lowlights around the collar and on the sides of the straps. A little dab of silver in the middle of the goggle lenese makes him look like a pilot instead of the Cyclops from the X-Men! A small bit of darker redish flesh tone hints at the lips. Don’t use bright red unless you are painting Amelia Earhart!

4. Add a dab of foam safe glue to the base and glue him into place in the cockpit! Job’s done and you’re ready to look for that dastardly Snoopy in his Sopwith Doghouse! Go get ’em Baron!

The post Tips for Painting Micro Pilot Figures appeared first on Model Airplane News.

This 1/3-scale kit includes the front of the engine as well as four cylinder back halves as well as induction intake pipes, cylinder heads and valve rocker details all resin casted in white. Overall this kit is nicely detailed with lots to look at but it does need to be painted before installing it in your airplane. Being 33% scale it fits all sorts of Fokker designs including Glenn Torrance Models, Ron Weiss and Balsa USA kits.

Prep work

After removing the engine cowling, I placed the main engine piece over the Zenoah GT-80 to check the fit. It fits nicely over the front housing and propeller hub, and I added some stick on foam strips to make a snug fit. I also painted the bottom of the engine compartment area black to add some depth behind the engine.

As with all resin cast parts, before you can paint the engine, you have to wash all the parts in warm soapy water. I used dish detergent in an old pot and an worn out toothbrush to really give it a good scrubbing. If you do not do this important step, your paint will easily chip and peel off.

Be sure to really get into all the nooks and crannies with a good scrubbing to remove any mold release material that may still be on the parts.

After washing the parts I use a covering heat gun and speed the drying process. Now is a good time to also remove any rough edges and flashing left over from molding the parts. Fine sandpaper and a sharp X-Acto blade does a good job.

To get a good glue joint between the parts, I sand the parts with a belt-sander to produce a smooth flat surface between any mating parts. This includes the front and backs of the cylinders, and the tops of the cylinders and the cylinder heads.

For this project, I used the new ZAP “Brush-On” CA adhesive and applied the glue with the built-in brush applicator. It is very easy to apply a nice thin layer and avoid drips and excess adhesive dripping over the edges.

Here the back halves have been glued in place. Some fit perfectly while others need a little trimming to produce a smooth and flat surface. It is important to match up the cooling fins on the sides of the cylinders.

Once the surfaces have been sanded flat, GLue on the cylinder heads and then the rocker arm details. Medium CA works best for a good bond and for filling in seams.

Once the cylinder heads have been glued in place. You have to add the induction intake tubes. You can either trim the tubes to fit between the cylinders or you can trim away a little cylinder material to produce the clearance so the tube ends can be glued flat to the backside of the engine case. A Robart grinding bit makes quick work of the job. Here you can also see the foam strips I added to the center opening to fit around the model’s engine.

After the parts are all glued together I couldn’t help but put the engine in place and see how it would look with the cowl in place. The fit is perfect.

Aging with Paint

The process of making a model part look real, is to detail it layer by layer and do the same thing as is done with scale pilot figures. You start with a base coat, apply highlights and undertones and avoid solid colors. The steps are as follows.

Since the back of the engine has to painted too, I start with the back and check the coverage of the base flat black paint. I used flat black primer from Krylon applied with a rattle can. Be sure to spray square to the cylinders so you get the black in between and deep into the cooling fins. Also shown here is the lifter tubes I added made from brass wire and glued to the backs of the lifter arm details.

Once the back is dry, paint the front of the engine as well. be sure to cover all the parts and recesses, you don’t want to see any white.

Once the base flat black undertone has dried, spray on the silver base coat. Do this at a shallow angle to the engine to minimize the amount of silver that gets in between the cooling fins, then let dry.

Here’s one of my tricks so to speak. I then apply a light mist of Master Modeler “Burnishing” Aluminum over the Krylon silver. I mist onto all the smooth larger areas and then when dry, I use an old tee shirt to buff the parts to a smooth, new appearance. The is done to the engine case and the bottoms of the induction tubes. The difference is subtle but noticeable.

Again, I placed the engine on the Triplane to get a feel for how the engine is starting to look. The rest of the detailing is mostly done on the lower 4 cylinders that will be visible below the cowling face plate.

I now take Master Modeler flat black and thin it with mineral spirits for form a thin wash and I just paint it on and wipe it off over and over until I get the look I am after. You want it to fill recesses and seams and build up slowly with less color on the outer surfaces. This really brings out the fine details like the bold heads around the engine case and the spring details around the lifter arms. You can also add a wash of light brown to add oil residue here and there.

You really can’t make a mistake. If you apply too much, just wash it away with more mineral spirits before it dries. Next since this is a German rotary engine, it differs from the LeRhone engine in that that the induction tubes were made of steel and not brass or copper. So, they heated up a lot and produced a black and worn look that I reproduce with gloss black, flat black and Rub-N-Buf silver paste. Again, no solid black paint coats. Apply thin washes and scrub the parts with your brush. Flow it on and let it dry then flow on more. In a few areas like around the neck, apply blotches of glossy black to make it look baked on. Also add more black washes around the base of the cylinder and around the bolt heads.

The post Install a Scale WW1 Engine appeared first on Model Airplane News.

The kit comes complete in one larger box and it contains everything you need to build the machine.

Lets take a closer look.

All the well packaged parts are German-made and they are of the highest quality.The system when fully assembled and running is well suited for producing all sorts of model aircraft parts with the highest quality and tolerances. The 2/420 along with its optional accessories, is perfect for making parts from wood (balsa, lite-ply, plywood and other hardwoods), various plastics and foam such as polystyrene, Styrofoam, EPS, Depron, Selitron, ABS, polyethylene, polypropylene (EPP), PVC, Lexan, Polyamide, Plexiglas, as well as fiberglass and Carbon Fiber sheet material. It is also perfectly suited for machining non-ferrous metals like aluminum, brass and copper.

All the parts and pieces required except for the spindle (power head) are included. Being a 3D milling machine, the system includes all the moving parts for the X, Y, and Z axis gantries including stepping motors, lead screws, and precision-machined tracks made from extruded aluminum channel. All the hardware is top notch and includes all the screws, nuts, washers, bearings, bushings and track rollers. The frame panels, gantry uprights and the end plates are all made of thick, powered-coated aluminum and all the fastener holes come machined into the parts. All the electronics including the main control circuit board, limit switches and wire harnesses are also part of the package. The main work surface is made from 3/8-inch laminated medium-density fiberboard (MDF) which slides easily into place for quick replacement.

There’s no soldering required and all the wiring easily plugs into place on the main control board which screws into place.

All Stepcraft CNC systems come with the required “CNCDrive” motion control program on a CD, as well as a nicely-illustrated assembly manual. The manual shows every step in detail and calls out all of the required parts and hardware for each task. Stepcraft also provides online tutorial videos which are divided into separate steps corresponding with those in the printed assembly manual.

Combining all of this with the company’s excellent Connecticut-based customer service makes putting together one of the Stepcraft kits very easy. In total, I was able to build the 2/420 desktop CNC system in about 8 to 10 hours, but I was also taking photos along the way. The tasks for the assembly are made very easy as the instructions are very well illustrated and all the hardware and parts are well identified and easy to find as everything is well packaged. The instruction booklet also identifies every single piece in the first 6 pages so you see what each piece is and where it goes.

The frames, end plates, guide tracks and the stepping motors all fit together amazingly well and there are only a hand full of tools required.

Being a 3-axis milling system, there are three stepping motors, one for each axis. The frames, end plates and gantry uprights are sturdy machined aluminum that comes powered coated for protection.

The lead screws that are attached to each motor are precision made and they mate to the lead screw nuts that are attached to each moving part.

The Tracks are made from precision-made extruded aluminum and they provide smooth travel.

The first part you assemble is this Z-X Combination plate which supports the vertical Z-axis track and connects it to the X-axis cross track.

Here is the vertical Z-axis track and stepping motor attached to the X-axis cross track.

Spindle Choices

Shown on the Stepcraft website, there are several choices for spindles that you can ordered with the 2/420 system. For this review I chose the Kress 800W spindle. Priced at $309.00 the Kress 800 FME is a milling and grinding motor with full wave electronics providing consistent power and speed control. It has a soft start-up and start-current limitation, carbon brushes and a stainless steel motor flange with dual bearing for high speed milling performance. Other spindle choices are the Dremel 4000, Dewalt DWP611 Trim Router, and the 500 watt Stepcraft HF-500  brushless DC spindle. When you order your spindle, the kit comes with the proper tool holder bracket to fit your spindle of choice.

What to do with the Stepcraft CNC?

We will be continuing to add posts to the MAN website with additional information and photos on the assembly of the kit and the use of the CNC desktop system. I will be producing RC airplane parts from plywood, carbon fiber and G-10 filled Fiberglass Glass sheet material, including step by step details for using the required software to produce the tools paths and making the G-code to operate the system.

The post Desktop CNC — DIY System for RC Modelers appeared first on Model Airplane News.

To perform the “wheels down” tail-slide, simply apply full up-elevator when the model begins to slide back. This will make the model fall with the wheels pointing towards the ground. If you want to perform the “wheels up” tail-slide, apply full down-elevator when the airplane begins sliding back; this allows the airplane to fall over with its wheels pointing toward the sky. In competition aerobatics, the distance that the airplane must fall backwards must only be a visible amount. Also, when the aircraft slides backwards, it will often “pendulum” past the vertical after falling through. This “pendulum” effect is completely normal and should not be considered a downgrade.

While this may seem like a fairly simple maneuver to execute, it takes a lot of practice to perform consistently. Also, different factors exist that will make this maneuver more challenging to perform. For example, if wind is present, it becomes more difficult for the model to slide backwards while holding the vertical up-line. The model may want to angle itself into the wind. If you find that after performing this maneuver a few times, you’re having difficulty getting the aircraft to slide back, you may need to move the center of gravity back (make the model more “tail heavy”). However, always remember to add tail weight in moderation, as an extremely tail-heavy model can become very unstable in conventional flight.

DOWN TO BUSINESS
The tail-slide shown here is a wheels-down version and is being performed parallel to the runway, from left to right.

1. While flying parallel to the runway and making sure that your wings are level, increase the throttle to full power. If your airplane does not have a great power-to-weight ratio, pull into the º loop gently to establish the vertical up-line.
2. The length of the vertical up-line is entirely up to the pilot. However, keep in mind that larger maneuvers often look better than smaller ones. Also, the length of up-line varies depending on your aircraft’s size. Regardless, keep in mind that you may need to apply various rudder corrections to keep the model tracking on a perfectly vertical up-line.
3. Begin pulling the throttle back until the airplane comes to a stop. If the airplane is on a perfectly vertical up-line, the aircraft will begin to fall backwards. With the “wheels-down” tailslide, you apply full up-elevator to guide the model’s tail back and away from the vertical down-line. After the aircraft rotates its nose will fall forward. When it nears the vertical down-line, release all elevator input.
4. The length of the vertical down-line should to be the same length as the vertical up-line.
5. To exit the maneuver, begin the final º inside loop by applying up-elevator and make sure that its radius is the same as the entry radius. As the model nears horizontal upright flight, increase power to keep the airspeed constant.

Even though the fundamentals of performing the tail-slide are fairly easy, depending on the wind conditions, this maneuver can be challenging. Don’t become discouraged if you cannot perform this maneuver during your first few attempts. Always practice, and if you still find difficult to perform, gradually add some tail weight and take a closer look at your aircraft’s control setup. Until next time, safe flying and always remember to have fun!

The post Master the Tail-Slide appeared first on Model Airplane News.

This removable engine attachment technique allows unlimited access for maintenance and inspection for all your internal engine support sub-systems.

The fully detailed how to article is in the April 2018 issue of MAN

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First flown in St. Margarethen, Austria by Peter (Peda) Pfeffer, this amazing scale B-17  has a 19 foot wingspan and is 14 feet long. Built from CDScaleDesigns plans, the Flying Fortress is powered by ...

The post Giant 19-Foot Flying Fortress appeared first on Model Airplane News.

  
2 This is a crucial setup check and should be done before any linkages are hooked up. Does the control surface move in the correct direction relative to the transmitter’s stick input? Start with one servo and place the servo arm on the spline. Don’t concern yourself with whether it is exactly 90 degrees to the case. Turn on your transmitter and receiver and move the stick (top) that corresponds with that channel. If you see that the arm is moving in the wrong direction required for the correct control surface movement (middle), use the servo reversing menu and hit select “norm” to “rev” so the servo responds in the correct direction (bottom). Now go one by one through the remaining servos and correct their directions if necessary.

   
3 First, all servos should be centered with the transmitter sticks and the control trim levers centered, then place the servo arm on the spline (mechanical portion). Move the arm’s position on the spline to get it as close to 90 degrees to the servo case as possible then, if necessary, use the sub-trim menu to adjust the arm’s position. Do the mechanical adjustments first; don’t rely on the subtrim function only. This can affect the servo’s overall control throws and end points.
For most elevator, rudder and aileron servos, the servo arm should be at a 90-degree angle to the case.

4 Because the servo placement is usually pre-determined in an ARF, you need to mechanically (i.e. no programming) set the control linkage at 90 degrees to the servo arm. Determining which hole to use in the servo arm is simple: if you want more throw on the control linkage, place it in the hole farthest from the servo’s center; closer if less throw is desired. Different size models will have various linkage setup requirements, so consult the instruction manual for the proper linkage setup. With the linkage disconnected to the servo’s arm, there shouldn’t be any binding when you move it by hand.

  
5 The control surface’s linkage connection depends on the type and size model you’re flying. If you want to achieve maximum surface deflection, connect the clevis to the control horn using the hole closest to the surface. For large-scale and 3D airplanes, connect the linkage to the outermost hole (farthest from the surface) for maximum leverage; this also helps to prevent flutter. This photo (below left) shows threaded rods for control horns with plastic connectors to which the clevises attach. Note that they are at the end of the rod rather than close to the surface. It is usually best to have a straight line from the pushrod linkage’s fuselage exit to the hole in the surface’s control arm/horn. Sometimes a slight bend in the rod (top right) after it exits the fuselage is needed to relieve servo and linkage binding.

The post 5 Great Servo Installation Tips appeared first on Model Airplane News.

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Don’t touch OPP (other people’s planes) without permission.

Follow the club’s noise/time regulations.

Always return the tools you borrow (or bring your own!).

Clean up after yourself.

Announce when you’re taking off, landing, etc.

Be patient, especially to newcomers at the field who have a million questions.

The post Flying Field Etiquette appeared first on Model Airplane News.