Table of Contents
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Assembly and Setup Manual
Specifications
Wingspan
Overall Length
Wing Area
Flying Weight
Intended Use
Indoor/Outdoor
Revised 2016-10-19
Cherokee 24
24"
18.3"
2
133.9 in
3.9oz / 111g
Recommended Power System
ESC
Motor
Servo
RX
Battery
180 to 300mAh 2S 7.4V 25C LiPo (or similar)
10A Brushless
40 to 50 watt out runner (14g)
4x 3.6g Sub-Micro
6-Channel (4-ch minimum)
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Table of Contents
Related Manuals for Sawn Craft Cherokee 24
Summary of Contents for Sawn Craft Cherokee 24
- Page 1 Cherokee 24 Assembly and Setup Manual Specifications Recommended Power System Wingspan 24” 10A Brushless Overall Length 18.3” Motor 40 to 50 watt out runner (14g) Wing Area 133.9 in Servo 4x 3.6g Sub-Micro Flying Weight 3.9oz / 111g...
- Page 2 Thank you from Sawn Craft. Thank you for purchasing the Sawn Craft Cherokee 24 aircraft kit, the fourth model in our Front Yard Fighters series! This model is a slight departure from the warbirds that make up the rest of the FYF line, but the build and performance are very much the same as the rest of the series. Like the full‐scale Cherokee, in your hands is a remarkably versatile airplane designed to deliver a pleasure cruiser with an incredible look in the air. The lightweight and resilient EPP and carbon construction makes it possible for you to experience a wide performance envelope. This means that no matter how you like to fly, you’ll enjoy both stability and maneuverability without any sacrifice in precision or control feel. Your Sawn Craft Cherokee 24 aircraft kit represents the benchmark of indoor flight performance and aerobatic versatility. All you have to do next is read and apply the information presented in this instruction manual. I sincerely hope that you enjoy your model as much as we do! If you have any troubles with these instructions or in the setup of your model feel free to contact us and we will provide you with the service you expect from a hobbyist‐owned and operated business. Jonathan Sawn Owner, Sawn Craft Jonathan@Sawn‐Craft.com ...
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Page 3: Table Of Contents
Table of Contents 1 Introduction 1 1.1 Style Conventions 1 1.2 Required Tools & Supplies 1 1.3 Required Parts for Completion 2 1.4 Included Parts Description 3 2 Assembly Instructions 4 2.1 Parts Sheet Removal 4 2.2 Cutting Control Surface Bevels 5 2.3 Horizontal Component Assembly 6 2.4 Vertical Component Assembly 8 2.5 Landing Gear Assembly 9 2.6 Servo EZ Connector Assembly & Installation 12 2.7 Wing Servo Installation 13 2.8 Upper Vertical Fuselage Installation 14 ... -
Page 4: 1 Introduction
Sawn Craft Cherokee 24 Manual 10/17/16 1 Introduction The contents of this manual assume the operator will have the following prerequisites: • Understanding of all appropriate safety procedures and requirements • The ability to follow written procedures and possess basic hobby building skills 1.1 Style Conventions Below are the important style conventions that will be used throughout the guide. Note: Key points or hints for success will be formatted in this manner. Warning: Any area that poses either a physical hazard or the danger will be formatted in this manner. Arrows inform where to click or to perform the specified operation. 1 Circled items inform of items of interest for the specified operation. Circled items will typically be accompanied by text further identifying the region of interest. 1.2 Required Tools & Supplies The list below contains all of the required tools and supplies that are required for the assembly and tuning of this model. • • Clean, flat work surface (building board) CA adhesive • • #11 hobby knife or other razor knife 3M Blenderm Tape • with spare blades Masking tape ... -
Page 5: Required Parts For Completion
If you would like to view larger images or print out your own version of this manual it is available 24/7 on Sawn Craft's website. Visit the Support tab, or use this link to get there: http://sawn-craft.com/p/support ... -
Page 6: Included Parts Description
Sawn Craft Cherokee 24 Manual 10/17/16 1.4 Included Parts Description Please inspect your kit and ensure that all listed parts are present and undamaged. If you find missing parts or signs of damage please contact Support@Sawn‐Craft.com for assistance. 22.75” Carbon Strip (Not Pictured) 3mm & 6mm EPP Motor Spacers Rudder Elevator Wing (2 each) Aileron (2 each) 3mm EPP Gussets (2 each long, 2 each short) Lower Vertical Fuselage Horizontal Fuselage Upper Vertical Fuselage Small Parts Bag: (Pictured at right) 25mm Wheel (3 each) Plywood Motor Mount 8.5” Carbon Strip Plywood Control Horns (4 each) 5” Carbon Rod (2 each) Wire Control Rods (4 each) 5.5” Carbon Rod Micro Linkage Stoppers (4 each) 3.5” 1/16” Wire k.10 24” Landing Gear Binding Thread 3 b c h d a f g e ... -
Page 7: 2 Assembly Instructions
Sawn Craft Cherokee 24 Manual 10/17/16 2 Assembly Instructions 2.1 Parts Sheet Removal • Parts Required: o Kit Parts Sheets Using a sharp hobby knife carefully cut the foam parts out of the sheets. The small tabs holding the parts into the sheet can sometimes be tricky to find so if you have trouble removing a part from the sheet keep looking for that last tab. Once out of the sheet, you may choose to clean up the remaining tab on the foam pieces with a hobby knife and some sandpaper. Find and mark with masking tape the bottom of the horizontal fuselage, bottom of the wing halves, bottom of the ailerons, and bottom of the elevator. The bottom of these components will have a slot milled for carbon strips. Find and mark with masking tape the LEFT side of the rudder and the LEFT side of upper component of the vertical fuselage. These labels will help to assure the beveled hinge cuts are on the correct side of the foam. 4 Milled spar slot ... -
Page 8: Cutting Control Surface Bevels
Sawn Craft Cherokee 24 Manual 10/17/16 2.2 Cutting Control Surface Bevels • Parts Required: o Horizontal Fuselage o Aileron (2x) o Rudder Bevel the hinged control surfaces, using steel rulers and fresh single‐edge razor blades. Set a 12‐ inch or longer metal ruler backing at the edge of your workbench. Lay the foam part to be beveled on the ruler, aligning the edge of the ruled and the edge of the foam nearest to you. Lay a second steel ruler facing down far enough back to expose enough foam to allow a 45 degree slice to be removed. Cut the foam with the single‐edge razor blade held against both rulers. Angling the blade makes a smoother cut. Both ailerons will be beveled on their leading edges, ensuring that they are mirror images of each other. The rudder will be beveled on its leading edge, but the bevel should be cut out of the right side of the part. Place the rudder with its left side down on the table and cut the bevel from the right side. The rear of the horizontal fuselage will be beveled on the bottom side of the part. Place the fuselage with its top side down on the table and cut the bevel from the bottom side. EPP foam dulls blades surprisingly fast, so be prepared to change to a fresh blade when you 5 detect snagging or excess drag as you make your cuts! ... -
Page 9: Horizontal Component Assembly
Sawn Craft Cherokee 24 Manual 10/17/16 2.3 Horizontal Component Assembly • Parts Required: o Wing (2 each) o Aileron (2 each) o Horizontal Fuselage o Elevator o 8.5” Carbon Strip o 22.75” Carbon Strip Assemble and glue the horizontal components. Test fit all part without glue to check fit before gluing. Work over waxed paper to keep from gluing the model to the building surface. ‐ Pin the horizontal fuselage component to the building surface. ‐ Glue in the 8.5” carbon strip elevator spar into the elevator. ‐ Glue the wing halves in place. Wipe off excess glue. ‐ Run a bead of glue along the spar slot and press the 22.75” carbon strip spar into place. Wipe off any glue that has squeezed out of the slot. Wipe off all glue outside of foam joints. This glue does not add any strength, but it does add 6 weight which will negatively affect the flight characteristics of the model. ... - Page 10 Sawn Craft Cherokee 24 Manual 10/17/16 Measure the leading edge of the elevator and make a small mark at the midpoint. Do the same for the trailing edge of the horizontal fuselage. Make glue hinges. Pin to the building board each of the hinged parts, with bevel cut down against the building board. Locate the parts with the mating surfaces gently touching, ensuring that the parts are centered or otherwise aligned correctly, depending on the surface. Run the smallest possible bead of foam glue along each seam. Run a finger along each seam to push the glue between the mating parts. Blot up excess glue with a paper towel. Let dry at sufficiently for the glue to fully cure. Leaving the parts overnight is ideal for the strongest and most true bond. 7 BUILDING TIP: It helps to use some weight to hold the parts in alignment while the glue is curing if you choose not to use pins. ...
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Page 11: Vertical Component Assembly
Sawn Craft Cherokee 24 Manual 10/17/16 2.4 Vertical Component Assembly • Parts Required: o Main Assembly o Top Vertical Fuselage o Rudder o Bottom Vertical Fuselage o Plywood Firewall o Plywood Control Horns o 3mm & 6mm Motor Spacers Create a glue hinge between the top vertical fuselage and the rudder, just like you did with the other control surfaces in the last step. There should be about a 1/16” gap between the top of the vertical fuselage and the bottom of the rudder. Glue the control horn to the left side of the rudder. Set this assembly aside while the glue cures. Flip the main assembly so that the bottom is facing up. Run a bead of glue down the center of the horizontal fuselage and attach the lower vertical fuselage, ensuring that all of the front of the pieces line up. Apply glue into the control horn slots in the elevator and ailerons and insert the control horns all the way so that the bottom of the horn touches the table. 8 While the glue is curing on that part, take your chosen motor and mount it to the plywood firewall using the screws that came with your servos. Next, using the included 3mm and 6mm motor spacers, determine how many and what combination of spacers you will need to ensure that the prop clears the front of the model. You can use the vertical top fuselage for this determination. If you are using the Sawn Craft FYF Completion kit, you will only need to use one of the 6mm motor spacers ... -
Page 12: Landing Gear Assembly
Sawn Craft Cherokee 24 Manual 10/17/16 2.5 Landing Gear Assembly • Parts Required: o Main Assembly o 5” Carbon Rod (2 each) o 5.5” Carbon Rod o 3.5” 1/16” Steel Rod o 25mm Wheel (3 each) o 24” Thread o Unused Servo Horns Install two 5” carbon fiber rods for landing gear, aligning one end of the rod with the milled circle on the bottom of the horizontal fuselage while both rods cross through the slot in the bottom vertical fuselage. Use plenty of glue to secure the rod ends both on the ends and in the slot. Install the 5.5” axle to complete the landing gear. Slide the wheels on the remaining carbon fiber rod and make sure they spin freely. If too snug fit, chamfer or slightly taper the axel rod ends with sandpaper to allow the wheels and hubs to go easily onto the axle. Tape one end of the axle in place and bind the other side with the black thread provided in the kit. Remove the tape and bind the other side. Note that the axle should be arranged between the angled components to be as parallel to the spar as possible, to that the plane rolls as straight as possible when taxiing. Adjust the axle for even overhang on each side and for parallel to the wing 9 so that the plane sits level. Secure the thread binding with a drop if CA glue on each side. Trim any excess carbon rod from the diagonal if necessary. ... - Page 13 Sawn Craft Cherokee 24 Manual 10/17/16 Bend the 3.5” 1/16” steel rod according to the figure below. Note that this diagram, when printed in booklet form as included in your kit, should be very close to 1:1 scale. 10 ...
- Page 14 Sawn Craft Cherokee 24 Manual 10/17/16 Apply a generous bead of glue into the nose gear slot that is milled in the bottom vertical fuselage. Insert the bent wire landing gear strut into the slot fully and align such that the axle portion of the strut is parallel to the wing spar. If this is not parallel, the front wheel will not be pointing straight and the aircraft will turn while taxiing. When the glue has cured a bit, add additional glue to the outside of both sides of the slot and wipe into the foam with your finger to strengthen the area. It is suggested to allow the glue to fully cure before proceeding to the next step. 11 Slide the wheel on and hold it in place with a plastic hub made from the center portion of a servo arm from a micro servo. Allow a little side‐to‐side play for easy rolling and secure the hubs with a drop of foam glue. ...
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Page 15: Servo Ez Connector Assembly & Installation
Sawn Craft Cherokee 24 Manual 10/17/16 2.6 Servo EZ Connector Assembly & Installation • Parts Required: o 4x 3.6g Servos o 4x Dubro EZ Connector Pieces (Disk, Connector, & Screw) Using your receiver or a servo tester, electronically center all of the servos. Once centered, disconnect them from the power. Select the servo horns that you plan to use and assemble the Dubro EZ Connectors on each horn as shown in the photo below. The correct order of components for all servos when assembled is (from the top of the servo): Screw, Connector, Servo Horn, & Disk. For more control surface throw you will want to use the furthest hole on the servo horn from the servo. You may need to open the hole in the servo horn to allow the EZ connector to pass through. 12 Install the servo horns onto the servos and secure with the included screws. Note that two of the servos will be installed with the horn facing up when the servo label is showing as it sits on the table and two will be installed with the horn facing up when the servo label is not showing. ... -
Page 16: Wing Servo Installation
Sawn Craft Cherokee 24 Manual 10/17/16 2.7 Wing Servo Installation • Parts Required: o Main Assembly o 2x Servo Assembly o 2x Wire Control Rods Using Foam‐Tac, glue the wing servos to the wing between the spar and leading edge ensuring to align the hole in the EZ Connector with the control horn on the ailerons. Make sure that the servo is mounted such that the horn rotates as close to perfectly straight in the front/back direction as possible. 13 Once the glue has cured, run the wire from the right aileron servo through the hole in the lower vertical fuselage. Install the Z‐bend end of each control rod into the hole in the control horn. Gently deflect the ailerons toward the top of the airframe and insert the straight end of the control rod into the hole that is in the EZ Connector. Leave the EZ Connector screw loose for now. BUILDER'S TIP: Bend T‐pins into Z‐bend shape in order to use them to hold components and other large areas securely. ... -
Page 17: Upper Vertical Fuselage Installation
Sawn Craft Cherokee 24 Manual 10/17/16 2.8 Upper Vertical Fuselage Installation • Parts Required: o Main Assembly o Upper Vertical Fuselage Assembly o Firewall & Spacer Assembly Glue the upper vertical fuselage component in place and hold in position with T‐pins until the glue dries. Apply a bead of glue to the rudder hinge below the elevator. Wipe off excess glue to save weight. 14 Glue the firewall and spacer assembly to the front of the airframe, making sure that you use sufficient glue to create a strong bond as this is a high stress area. Try to keep glue out of the hole in the assembly as the motor shaft will need to spin in this area. ... -
Page 18: Electronics Installation
Sawn Craft Cherokee 24 Manual 10/17/16 2.9 Electronics Installation • Parts Required: o 50W Motor o 10A ESC o 4+ channel Receiver o 2x 3.6g Servos o 2x ~8” servo extensions The power and radio components you select to install in your Front Yard Fighters kit will likely be similar to the below photo. Don’t forget that you can buy the Front Yard Fighter Completion Kit that includes all of the necessary electronics to get your kit in the air without having to piece them together yourself. 15 1) Since we mount the rudder and elevator servos in the tail, servo extensions will be needed to connect to the receiver which is to be located near the front of the plane. If you install a four‐ channel receiver, you'll need a Y‐cable to drive the ailerons from one receiver channel. If you install a six‐channel receiver, a Y‐cable is not needed, as the aileron servos can plug directly in to AIL and AUX channels on the receiver, and are mixed in the transmitter. 2) If your rudder and elevator servos fit in the pre‐cut slots, great! If they are larger, carefully trim away a little foam with a sharp hobby knife. We want a snug fit of the rear servos in their foam slots, to minimize the amount of glue needed to secure them in place. ... - Page 19 Sawn Craft Cherokee 24 Manual 10/17/16 BUILDER'S TIP: Make sure the servo cable and the servo extension cable are taped or glued down so they can withstand some bumping and bruising. This will make your life easier as it prevents the connectors from coming apart after an impact. 3) Locate the receiver near the nose and fix in place with a spot of glue or Velcro. Make sure you locate it so the plugs are accessible. 16 4) Solder the ESC and motor wires together and add the correct battery connector to the ESC, ensuring that the motor spins in the correct direction. Once all of the connections are made, attach the motor to the firewall such that the wires point down and to the left side of the plane. Run the ESC radio connector wire to the receiver by passing it through the slot in the lower vertical fuselage. Tuck the excess wire through the hole provided to make a neat wiring installation. Secure the ESC with a spot of glue or Velcro. ...
- Page 20 Sawn Craft Cherokee 24 Manual 10/17/16 BUILDER'S TIP: to work on the underside of the plane after the upper vertical fuselage is installed, set the plane on a pair of same‐size boxes. 17 Attach a strip of the opposite side of Velcro™ hook and loop tape to the underside of the horizontal fuselage component than you use on your batteries. Make it longer that the battery to allow fine adjustment to the plane's center of gravity. Attach the opposing hook and loop tape to battery packs to hold them in place when in use. ...
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Page 21: Gusset Installation
Sawn Craft Cherokee 24 Manual 10/17/16 2.10 Gusset Installation • Parts Required: o Main Assembly o 3mm EPP Gussets (2 long, 2 short) BUILDING TIP: The wires from the rudder and elevator servos will be concealed neatly under the fuselage side braces. Lay the left long 3mm EPP gusset along the upper fuselage sides aligning the front of the gusset with the front of the fuselage. Aim for a 45 degree angle between vertical and horizontal fuselages. Trim excess gusset in line with the elevator hinge. You also will notice that your rudder servo horn doesn't clear the gusset. You will need to cut an approximately 1" long by .5" tall window in the gusset for the horn to clear fully. Once satisfied with the fit, use foam glue and t‐ pins to secure the gusset until the glue is cured. You can now connect the rudder control rod to the servo. You will want to bend the control rod as shown in the bottom right photo. Trim Here 18 Repeat the same steps for the right long gusset, but do not cut the window since there isn't a servo on that side. Repeat the installation process with the small gussets on the underside of the assembly, aligned to the front of the fuselage. ... -
Page 22: Painting/Decorating
Sawn Craft Cherokee 24 Manual 10/17/16 2.11 Painting/Decorating • Parts Required: o Main Assembly o Paint, markers, decals, etc. One of the beauties of this aircraft is that you have the opportunity to finish it with the look that you desire. We recommend purchasing the painted version of our kits for the fastest and easiest way to a great looking model. If you chose to decorate your model yourself, water‐based paints have been used with success in the past as have permanent markers. Prior to using any paints or markers, test on a scrap piece of foam to ensure that it doesn’t damage the foam. Remember that any weight you add to the airframe will affect its performance so keep heavy applications of paint and decals to a minimum. You would be surprised at how quickly the weight from paint adds up! Our personal and demo models are painted using an airbrush then panel lines are added using a straight‐edge ruler or various objects around the workshop and a Sharpie marker to trace around them. 19 ... -
Page 23: 3 Setup And Tuning
Sawn Craft Cherokee 24 Manual 10/17/16 3 Setup and Tuning 3.1 Center of Gravity Probably no other step is as important to having a sweet‐flying airplane as locating the fore‐and‐aft balance point, CG, center of gravity in the correct spot. Too far forward makes for sluggish performance. Too far back makes for a twitchy and hard to control airplane. The starting CG for Sawn‐Craft Front Yard Fighters is at 0.25” in front of the carbon fiber blade wing spar. Ace‐of‐the‐base pilots can move it further back for more agile responsiveness to control inputs and to facilitate hovering maneuvers, while pilots looking for more stable performance can move the CG further than 0.25” from the spar. 3.2 Radio Setup & Mixing Depending on the transmitter and receiver that you are using to control your model you may find that you need to do some special setup to make the control surfaces work properly. Aircraft Setup Reference Transmitter Wing Mode Mix 1 Mix 2 Notes 20 Spektrum DX6i DualAile N/A N/A Differential: ~12% if desired Spektrum DX7s Dual Aileron & DX8 ... -
Page 24: Control Throws And Expo
Sawn Craft Cherokee 24 Manual 10/17/16 3.3 Control Throws & Expo By altering the amount of control throw the surfaces have you can fine‐tune the handling and performance. Below are the recommended settings as tested that will provide a successful flying experience. Throws are measured at the point farthest from the hinge. After a few familiarization flights, modify to suit your personal taste. Control Surface Low Rate Throw Low Rate Expo High Rate Throw High Rate Expo Elevator 3/4in / 19mm (50%) 20% 1.25in / 32mm (100%) 30% Rudder 1/2in / 13mm (50%) 20% 1in / 25mm (100%) 30% Aileron 1in / 50mm (50%) 25% 1.5in / 38mm (100%) 40% 3.4 Launching/Take-Off Launching this aircraft is very simple and is easy to do. Simply hold the airplane by the vertical fuselage in one hand with your radio in the other. Advance the throttle to full and gently push the aircraft forward, releasing it with wings level and a slightly up attitude. Since this model has landing gear, rise 21 off ground take‐offs are possible on smooth surfaces. Advance the throttle and allow the model to gain enough speed to fly before trying to use the elevator to pitch up as premature elevator application may ... -
Page 25: Repairs & Spare Parts
Sawn Craft Cherokee 24 Manual 10/17/16 3.6 Repairs & Spare Parts Due to this models extremely light weight, it is surprisingly durable! If a part of the model is damaged it can typically be repaired using small pieces of 3M Blenderm tape or by gluing using Beacon Foam Tac. If a part is damaged beyond repair, simply send us an email at Support@Sawn‐Craft.com as we have replacement parts for purchase. 22 ...
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