BTE Reaction 54 Building Instructions
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BTE Reaction 54 Building Instructions

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INSTRUCTION BOOK

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  • Page 1 INSTRUCTION BOOK...

  • Page 2: Table Of Contents

    8622 E EVANS CREEK ROAD TURBINE INSTALLATION ROGUE RIVER, OR 97537 RETRACT INSTALLATION Information: 541-582-1708 RADIO INSTALLATION Orders: 800-557-4470 PRE-FLIGHT SETUP www.btemodels.com FLYING TIPS RECOMMENDED EQUIPMENT Questions? Call BTE or email OPTIONAL ACCESSORIES bruce@btemodels.com 2-VIEW DRAWING AND SPECS COMPLETE PARTS LIST...
  • Page 3 Thank you for selecting the Reaction 54 kit from BTE! The R54 is an entry-level R/C turbine model utilizing traditional wood construction. A lot of effort has gone into the engineering of this kit to make it an enjoyable and satisfying project from the first drop of glue to the first landing. It has always been a goal of BTE to produce kits that are just as pleasurable to build as they are to fly.

  • Page 4: Introduction

    A neoprene pad is provided to cushion the front of the tank in an impact. The BTE prototype model has been thoroughly flight tested and has proven itself to be a robust, well-behaved design that does what it is supposed to do, and does it well.
  • Page 5 IS a turbine-powered model that can achieve high speeds and high in-flight air loads. I encourage you to take your time with the construction, build it straight, and build it strong. Every effort has been made at BTE to produce wood parts that fit well, but ultimately, the quality of the finished product is up to you.
  • Page 6 Once these time-consuming tasks are done, you'll be ready to fly through the assembly of the wing panels with minimal delay. Let's roll... Optional - If you plan on building your R54 with open rib bays, skip to the next step. If you plan on sheeting ...

  • Page 7: Wing Subassemblies

    WING SUBASSEMBLIES, continued... Wheel Well Separate the lite-ply  Frame wheel well floors from the wheel well frames using a scroll saw or hobby knife to cut at the dotted LITE-PLY SHEAR WEB lines shown in the photo at left. The lite-ply shear web at ...
  • Page 8 It cannot be stressed highly enough that a flat building board is essential to building a warp-free wing. If you haven't done it lately, take the time to check your board with a long straight edge and make any tweaks that may be needed to make it perfectly flat. It's time well spent! Start by pinning the bottom main spar assembly to the ...

  • Page 9: Wing Panels

    WING PANELS, continued... Glue in the root rib, W-1, this time using the 87º corner of  the shear web/dihedral gauge. Slide the dihedral gauge back and forth as you glue to make sure the W-1 rib is angled properly along its entire length.
  • Page 10 WING PANELS, continued... Select one of the leading edge sheets you assembled earlier, and trim it to fit. Start at the wingtip end, cutting  away a wedge that matches the angle of W-14. Now, hold the rear edge of the sheet flush with the rear edge of the spar, mark the sheet at each end where it contacts the LE, and make the cut using the marks as a guide.
  • Page 11 WING PANELS, continued... Block sand any irregularities off the bottom of the wing, then pin it upside-down to the building board. Pin it  firmly at the trailing edge so the TE sheeting is flat against the building board. The front portion of the wing needs to be supported near the main spar.
  • Page 12 R54 kit, but it IS provided in the optional Retract Package available from BTE. Note 2: If you do not have your retract units at this time, you can still do this step using the Robart Bolt Pattern Template provided in the kit.

  • Page 13: Wing Panel Details

    WING PANEL DETAILS, continued... Carve and sand the wingtip to a pleasing round shape.  You can protect the surrounding sheeting by masking off a portion of your sanding block with paper and tape. The wing hatches that you cut out earlier need to be ...
  • Page 14 Clear your bench! You need some room to maneuver when you join these big wing panels. The center wing joint is obviously a critical part of the structure. Take your time and use plenty of epoxy.  Cut away the slots for the dihedral braces in ribs W-1, W-2, and W-3. Make a rough cut with an X-Acto knife and smooth up the edges of the slots with a thin sanding stick.

  • Page 15: Joining The Wing Panels

    The tail feathers are simple, all-sheet surfaces that build fast and easy. You can build these parts any time during construction. They will come in handy during fuselage construction when you are routing the pushrods, so let's get them done now and set them aside for later. ...
  • Page 16 TAIL SURFACES, continued...  Now let's build the horizontal stabilizer (stab). Pin and glue the three STAB-3 pieces over the plan, followed by the STAB-2 piece and the two STAB-1 pieces. Allow to dry.  Remove the stab from the board, and trim the corners off the most forward STAB-3 to match the angle of the stab LE.
  • Page 17 (or weeks). Doing this will help relieve some of the curliness.  Add 4-40 blind nuts (included with the BTE retract package) to the front of F-2 for the nose wheel retract unit. The retract should be centered Align Parts left-to-right and the top flanges should be in line with the top of F-2.

  • Page 18: Fuselage Subassemblies

    FUSELAGE SUBASSEMBLIES, continued...  Cut the boat tail jig into two pieces, again using a knife. Tape the pieces back together. Eventually, the rear piece will be glued permanently into the structure, and the front piece will be removed.  Prepare your lite-ply receiver shelf to suit your planned radio installation, which may differ from what is shown here.
  • Page 19 Now let's have some fun. The basic framework of the fuselage goes together fairly quickly. Pretty soon you will be putting on the wing and taping on the tail and making jet noises in your workshop…  Trial fit the lite-ply fuselage doublers to the fuselage side. It is very important that both doublers are positioned identically on their respective sides.

  • Page 20: Fuselage Construction

    FUSELAGE CONSTRUCTION, continued...  Tack glue F-5 and F-6 to one of the fuselage sides, using a triangle to make sure they are perpendicular. Now add the lite-ply fuel tank compartment top (big rectangle) along with the opposite fuselage side. Tack glue the parts, check the fuselage alignment over the plans, then glue them all firmly.
  • Page 21 FUSELAGE CONSTRUCTION, continued...  Glue two pieces of 3/32" balsa sheet, 1-1/2" wide, to the bottom 10" of the fuselage as shown in the photo. These are the areas where the two fin posts make contact. For now, it helps to leave the rest of the 1¼"...
  • Page 22 Time to put the big chunks together. Like any airplane, the alignment between the wing and the tail and the fuselage is extremely important and ultimately affects the flight characteristics. Misalignments become even more noticeable the faster an airplane flies, so it's particularly important with jet models. ...

  • Page 23: Wing And Tail Mounting

    WING AND TAIL MOUNTING, continued...  Re-drill the holes in the wing with a 1/4" drill bit. Aluminum 1/4-20 x 3" screws and nylon washers are provided in the kit for the wing bolts. The aluminum screws can be shortened to 2-1/2" if you wish, but be careful to keep the threads intact.
  • Page 24 Technically, the linkages for the elevator and rudder in this design are push-pull cables, but for the sake of simplicity, I will refer to them as pushrods. They do, after all, serve the same purpose as a rigid rod, but their flexibility makes them easy to install. Make sure your elevator and rudder servos are in place. ...

  • Page 25: Tail Pushrods

    TAIL PUSHRODS, continued...  Add the fin to the top of the stab with the rudder taped in place. Temporarily tape the rudder control horn to the rudder in the position shown on the plans (see Sheet 5). The angled orientation of the horn is required to match the angle of the pushrod as it emerges from the stabilizer.
  • Page 26 You can save Built yourself some work and order From Plywood, a fully-assembled sander from Balsa, PVC Pipe, and BTE for only $14.95 . Some 80-grit Sandpaper...

  • Page 27: Finishing The Fuselage

    Best of all, it's inexpensive and Also add two small scraps of wood under the top sheeting on either side available from BTE! See Appendix B. of the tongue to keep the hatch centered on the fuselage.  Finish off the rear hatch by imbedding the little 1/32" plywood tab.
  • Page 28 Congratulations, your airframe is now complete! Covering - I recommend using a high-quality plastic film covering like Monokote or Ultracoat. BTE offers full-size templates for the color scheme used on the prototype if you wish to duplicate it. Plan your overlaps and seams so they are all facing rearward to avoid any chance of lifting during flight.
  • Page 29 Either way works fine, so if it seems more natural to have the clunk aft, go ahead and install it that way. Header Tank - The UAT is my header of choice for this model. With a UAT, the total fuel capacity of the Reaction 54 is 64 oz.

  • Page 30: Fuel System Installation

    FUEL SYSTEM INSTALLATION, continued... Fuel System Installation Tips and Notes Use kerosene-compatible tubing for your vent line, such as Tygon. The vent line can be routed anywhere you  wish. My preference is to route it to the bottom of the fuselage ahead of the wing. Keep in mind that the vent line also serves as the overflow line when fueling.
  • Page 31 This will be a brief overview of the turbine installation on the Reaction 54. You really need to consult the instructions that came with your turbine for detailed information on hooking up your turbine. Turbine Mount - BTE offers several types of aluminum mounting brackets for this model. The RAM-style bracket is the smallest and lightest, but requires a set of straps and tabs like the ones shown in the photo below (straps and tabs available from DreamworksRC.com).

  • Page 32: Turbine Installation

      New for 2014 - BTE now offers Robart electric retracts for the R54. They are identical to the pneumatics offered in previous years except the air cylinders have been replaced with electric actuators. Follow the installation guidelines provided with the Robart package. Note: The W-7 wing ribs will need a notch to clear the longer electric actuators.

  • Page 33: Retract Installation

    In turbine models, neatness counts! Pay attention to the details and you will be rewarded with jet that is reliable and easy to maintain. Receiver - Position the receiver in the nose to help with nose weight and to separate it from the ECU. Wrap it in foam rubber, not for vibration protection but for crash protection.

  • Page 34: Radio Installation

    BALANCE Your R54 must balance in the range shown on the plans, with the UAT full of fuel (since it is behind the CG) and the gear retracted. Do not exceed the rear limit! In general, it easiest to balance the R54 upside down. Most likely, you will need to add some lead to the nose.

  • Page 35: Pre-Flight Setup

    When you taxi back, be sure to get one last whiff of that sweet aroma of jet exhaust before shutting down. I sincerely hope you enjoy the Reaction 54, both at the building board and at the field. Be sure to send me a photo of...

  • Page 36: Flying Tips

    Engines The Reaction 54 is designed for tubines in what is commonly known as the "12-lb. Class". The BTE prototype models have been thoroughly tested with a RAM 500 which puts out 11+ pounds of thrust and a PST J600R which puts out 14 lbs.

  • Page 37: Recommended Equipment

    Weight JetCat P60-SE Germany 13 lb. 50,000 - 165,000 3.25” 1.87 lb. Comments: "Undersize" turbine that is light and powerful. Gas start. Great runner, great support. BTE Combo Deal! JetCat P-70 35,000 - 123,000 Germany 17.5 lb. 3.7” 2.6 lb.
  • Page 38 There may be other suitable retracts out there, but these have proven their durability from pavement and grass fields alike.. Robart quality and value is second to none. Pneumatic retracts are still available in limited supply - call BTE for price.

  • Page 39: Optional Accessories

    Root Chord 24 inches Tip Chord 15.5 inches Mean Aero. Chord 19.7 inches CG Range at MAC 25% - 30% Root Airfoil BTE 13.8% thick Tip Airfoil BTE 13.4% thick Washout 1/2º LE Radius 3/8 inch Constant Overall Length 80 inches Stabilizer Span 31.4 inches...

  • Page 40: 2-View Drawing And Specs

    Appendix D: REACTION 54 COMPLETE PARTS LIST Some parts may be stuck together with a spray adhesive used in manufacturing. They should be easy to pry apart. Sand them lightly to remove residue. BALSA STICKS FUSELAGE PARTS BAG 4 3/32 x 3/8 x 36...

  • Page 41: Complete Parts List

    REACTION 54 PARTS LIST - CONTINUED MACHINED BALSA FUSELAGE PARTS HARDWARE 2 1/4 x 4 x 36 Balsa SIDE-1 (notched, left and right) 12 #2 x 3/8 Truss Head Steel Sheet Metal Screw (wing hatches) 2 1/4 x 1 x 10...

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