Advertisement
Composite-ARF YAK 55SP (3m span)
General Tips:
We recommend that you follow the order of construction shown in this manual for the fuselage,
as it makes access to everything easier and saves time in the end. The wings and stabs can be
done at almost any point, and only need servos installing anyway.
The first thing to do is protect the finished paint on the outside of the model from scratches and
dents during building - so cover your work table with a piece of soft carpet, cloth or bubble-plas-
tic. The best way to stop small spots of glue getting stuck to the outside of the fuselage is to give
the whole model 2 good coats of clear car wax first, but of course you must be sure to remove
this 100% completely before adding any decals or markings. Additionally you can cover the
majority of the fuselage with the bubble-plastic used to pack your model for shipping, fixed with
paper masking tape, which also protects it very well.
When sanding any areas of the inside of the fuselage to prepare the surface for gluing some-
thing onto it, do NOT sand right through the layer of glasscloth on the inside foam sandwich !
It is only necessary to rough up the surface, with 60/80 grit or equivalent, and wipe off any dust
with alcohol (or similar) before gluing to make a perfect joint.
Before starting construction it is a good idea to check inside the fuselage for any loose glass
fibres that could cut your hands, and a quick scuff over any of these with a coarse Scotchbrite
pad will remove them.
Note: It is very important to prepare the inside of the fuselage properly, by roughing up and
cleaning the surface, before gluing any parts to it.
Landing Gear
The 1st job is to fit the landing gear legs, and
you can leave these in place if you wish to
protect the bottom of the fuselage during
assembly and gear installation.
The Composite-ARF landing gear for the Yaks
consists of 45 deg laminated carbon fibre and
fibreglass cloth and a huge number of rovings
inside, all made under vacuum and heat-
cured. However it is still light weight, and
retains enough flexibility to take the shock out
of any imperfect landings.
The legs are fitted through the glassfibre sleeves that are installed at the factory, and bolted to
the composite plywood bulk-heads and plates as shown here with the M6 x 20mm bolts and
large washers. The spacer blocks on the underside of the plywood mounting plate are factory-
installed.
The carbon legs should be quite a tight fit in the fibreglass sleeves, but if they are too tight you
may need to scrape the joining seam with a sharp knife for a smooth fit. Both main legs are iden-
tical, and can be used either side.
Building Instructions
(above) The main parts used to assemble the
Landing Gear.
10
techsupport@composite-arf.com
Advertisement
