Dream-Flight Alula Evo Instruction Manual
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Dream-Flight Alula Evo Instruction Manual

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INSTRUCTION MANUAL
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Summary of Contents for Dream-Flight Alula Evo

  • Page 1 INSTRUCTION MANUAL dream-flight ®...
  • Page 2 Alula About the This design, inspired by the local red-tailed hawks that frequent the sky above our workshop, is in reality a very functional glider. Often overlooked is the forward swept wing configuration utilized by many birds during soaring flight. This configuration is perfect for a hawk flying slow, tight circles to stay within small, near ground thermals while searching for its next meal.
  • Page 4 IMPORTANT! READ BEFORE PROCEEDING: ►The Alula R/C glider is not a toy; a certain amount of experience and practice is required to safely fly this model. We recommend consulting an experienced R/C pilot before attempting to fly this glider. With proper instruction, learning to fly R/C gliders can be a safe and extremely rewarding activity.

  • Page 5: Table Of Contents

    TABLE OF CONTENTS TOPIC Kit Contents: Parts List and Diagram Items Required for Completion (not included with kit) Radio Gear Building Supplies (Adhesives & Tools) Preparing Parts for Assembly Installing Carbon-Fiber Spars Attaching Control Horns Trimming Plastic Belly Skid Installing Radio Gear, Programming Transmitter/ Controller Attaching Wings to Body Installing Antenna Installing Pushrods...
  • Page 6 KIT CONTENTS Parts List and Diagram PART DESCRIPTION MANUFACTURED IN Center Wing Section With Embedded Carbon Spar, i.e. Fuselage (ARCEL foam) Right Wing Panel (ARCEL foam) Left Wing Panel (ARCEL foam) Fin, i.e. Vertical Stabilizer (ARCEL foam) Plastic Belly Skid (PVC) Carbon-Fiber Wing Spars, 12.9 in (327 mm) Carbon-Fiber Pushrods, 4.5 in (115 mm) Black Nylon Wing Joiner Tubes, 1.75 in (45 mm)

  • Page 7: Items Required For Completion (Not Included With Kit)

    ITEMS REQUIRED FOR COMPLETION (not included with kit) Radio Gear: Radio transmitter with Elevon or V-tail mixing and adjustable rates (i.e. control throws) (Hitec Neon single stick radio with ATV upgrade is a good entry-level transmitter) 2 x sub-Micro Servos, less than 7 grams each (Blue-Bird BMS-306BB, or similar weight/size servos) Sub-micro Receiver (Mikro5 receiver for economy and minimal weight) Rechargeable 4.8V Battery Pack for Receiver...

  • Page 8: Preparing Parts For Assembly

    ALULA BUILDING INSTRUCTIONS ↓ 1) Preparing Parts for Assembly: Remove parts from box. Flash 2) Locate foam wings (Parts B and C). Using fine sandpaper (220-320 grit), sand away any excess foam “flash” that has squeezed past perimeters of parts during the molding process.

  • Page 9: Installing Carbon-Fiber Spars

    6) Installing Carbon-Fiber Spars: Locate two rectangular carbon-fiber spars (F). A spar will be glued into each 1mm wide channel provided on bottom surface of each wing panel. 7) Using back end of a ball point pen or pencil, firmly press carbon spar into provided channel so that it is slightly recessed.

  • Page 10: Attaching Control Horns

    13) Attaching Control Horns: Locate two black lightweight flex control horns (J). Notice provided locator depression on bottom of each foam control surface. Control horns will be attached at these prescribed locations. With round coupler portion facing wing spar, press control horn barbs through foam until fit is tight (no pre-drilling is necessary).

  • Page 11: Trimming Plastic Belly Skid

    18) Trimming Plastic Belly Skid: Locate plastic belly skid (E). Using curved nail scissors (or Lexan scissors), first trim flange surrounding base of part. Then trim part to slightly oversized, using molded cut line as a guide. If you have difficulty seeing the cut line, use a fine-point Sharpie marker to “enhance”...
  • Page 12 24) Installing Radio Gear: Gather the following items: -Two Sub-micro Servos (i.e. Blue-Bird BMS-306BB) -Fully Charged 4.8V Receiver Battery (i.e. Dream-Flight 4.8V 300mAh NiMH pack) -Sub-micro Receiver of choice -Transmitter (battery fully charged) 25) If your servos do not include a single-arm...
  • Page 13 29) Temporarily press servo arms onto servos and lay back into place. Place fuselage section, bottom side up and nose pointing away from you, on the table as shown in Figure 9. 30) To achieve correct servo rotation, check the following and refer to Figure 9: Pull back (down) on transmitter joystick (Glider nose up): ►Both control arms on servos rotate toward tail of glider (towards you).
  • Page 14 31) Thread servo wires through provided channels in center fuselage section. Pull wires through to take up any slack. See Figure 10. If your servo fits loosely, add small shims of cardboard or balsa to tighten fit. Apply tape over servos to hold them securely. Figure 10.

  • Page 15: Attaching Wings To Body

    35) Attaching Wings to Body: 1-Piece Option: Slide wing (B or C) onto fuselage (A) by aligning black plastic wing joiner tube with round carbon-fiber spar. Turn glider over and press parts firmly together to close gap. Using masking tape, temporarily secure pieces tightly together. See Figure 12. Turn glider upside down and apply supplied plastic tape (K) along bottom joint in two pieces as shown.

  • Page 16: Installing Antenna

    36) Installing Antenna: Depending on your receiver type and antennae wire length, you may want to: A. Let antenna wire fly freely beyond the rear of the glider. B. Tape antenna wire in place alongside fuselage body toward fin. C. Embed long antenna in wing (for 1-Piece wing only). See Figure 13 on the next page. This is the most aerodynamic installation: 1.
  • Page 17 1. Poke hole through fuselage into receiver cavity. 2. Cut slit from hole to spar channel. 3. Tuck antenna into slit. 4. Tape antenna in spar channel and beyond (If desired) Figure 13. “ C” Long Antenna Installation (1-Piece Wing Only) -12-...

  • Page 18: Installing Pushrods

    37) Installing Pushrods: Locate two 115 mm (4.5 in) carbon-fiber pushrods (G) and two lightweight pushrod links (I). Using instant glue, attach a lightweight pushrod link to one end of each pushrod. See Figure 14. Allow glue to cure for a few minutes before proceeding.
  • Page 19 39) Double check to make sure control surfaces remain in neutral positions and then apply one drop of instant glue to secure each pushrod to corresponding control horn as shown in Figure 16 below. Allow glue to cure 10 minutes before moving glider. Once cured, gently remove temporary masking tape securing control surfaces.

  • Page 20: Applying Grip Tape To Wingtip For Side-Arm Launch Method

    40) Applying Grip Tape to Wingtip for Side-Arm Launch Method: Locate grip tape (L). Using a hobby knife or razor blade, cut grip tape in half into two equal pieces. 41) If you are right-handed, grip left wing-tip as if launching, with thumb on top and index finger on bottom along carbon spar.

  • Page 21: Balancing The Alula

    42) Balancing the Alula: Ensure battery and receiver are installed in their final locations. Temporarily attach belly skid (E) using masking tape. Slide fin into place and secure with a bit of tape. Make sure servo wires lay flush within their recesses.
  • Page 22 45) To achieve correct balance, it will be necessary to add weight alongside battery in provided recesses. Small coins or pieces of lead work well. See Figure 21. Correct balance is achieved when glider balances in a level position on pen tips. If required, you may install additional weight beneath battery or in receiver compartment;...

  • Page 23: Setting Control Rates

    Setting Control Rates: Ensure glider is fully assembled. Turn on transmitter first, then glider by plugging battery directly into receiver via access hole in belly skid. Verify that control surfaces are centered in neutral trim position. 49) Check for proper control surface movement. (Refer to Step 30 to check for proper servo rotation.) 50) In Step 27, the transmitter’s elevator and aileron rates were set to 20% and 60%, respectively.

  • Page 24: Side-Arm Launch

    52) Pre-Flight Check: Ensure all batteries are charged. 53) Check balance of glider one last time using location determined in Steps 43-44. Make adjustments to balance weight if necessary. 54) Turn on transmitter, then glider. 55) Check control surfaces for proper movement; below is a good way to remember proper control surface movements for two-channel flying wings.
  • Page 25 62) Side-Arm Launch: Always launch into the wind; your launches will be higher and less effort will be required. Below are a few tips on side-arm launching the Alula: ►Grasp the wingtip at the spar, with thumb on top and …...
  • Page 26 Optional 3-Piece Wing Add-on Kit for Alula: ►Keep high-strength magnets away from electronics! Inspect interior of aluminum coupler around set screw. Using supplied hex key, back out set screw so that black plastic joiner tube (H) can slide through freely. Slide coupler onto tube and center.
  • Page 27 Figure 27. Installing Magnets in Wings and Fuselage IMPORTANT! INSTALL MAGNETS IN OUTER WING PANELS WITH MARKS FACING OUTWARD! (i.e. marks showing) IMPORTANT! INSTALL MAGNETS IN CENTER WING SECTION (FUSELAGE) WITH MARKS FACING INWARD! (i.e. mark not exposed) Install one magnet in each of remaining recesses of outer wing panels. Set both outer wing panels aside, magnets facing up, to allow adhesive to fully cure for one hour.

  • Page 28: Fine-Tuning Your Alula For Optimum Flight Performance

    Fine Tuning Your Alula for Optimum Flight Performance As is often the case with plank-style flying wings, small fine tuning adjustments can transform a plane that flies "Good" into a plane that flies "Great!" Several of the tests require more advanced flying skills, so beginner flyers should consult an experienced pilot for assistance during this process.
  • Page 29 3. ADJUST ELEVATOR RATES At the same time you are working on the CG, you'll probably find that your elevator rates need adjusting. This is especially so if you move the CG back a bit, as this will make your plane more sensitive to pitch inputs. The easiest way to test elevator rates is the Loop Test: o In decent lift, an Alula with proper CG and elevator rates should be able to do a nice, reasonably tight loop after building airspeed in a dive.
  • Page 30 ►ALWAYS check with other pilots present to check for a conflicting radio frequency before turning on your transmitter and attempting to fly. ►Treat the land and its occupants with the utmost of respect. ►Fly glider a safe distance away from any individuals present. ►Have fun and enjoy the sun and wind! Slope Soaring, also known as ridge soaring, may be one of the easiest and most rewarding ways to experience the thrills of R/C soaring flight.
  • Page 31 NOTES A place to write down your favorite control settings, lay out a color scheme for your new glider, or record anything else you like! -26-...
  • Page 32 Thank you for your support of our business and we wish you happy soaring! Please visit our website to read more about our products. Michael Richter – owner/designer ©2005-2012 Dream-Flight. All Rights Reserved. March 2012...

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