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Phoenix R/C Aerobatic Glider Assembly And Operation Manual

Rocket launched r/c aerobatic glider
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Phoenix
™
Rocket Launched
R/C Aerobatic
Glider
Assembly and Operation
Manual
© 1991 AeroTech Inc.

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Summary of Contents for Phoenix R/C Aerobatic Glider

  • Page 1 Phoenix ™ Rocket Launched R/C Aerobatic Glider Assembly and Operation Manual © 1991 AeroTech Inc.

  • Page 2: Table Of Contents

    Las Vegas, NV 89104 (703) 435-0750 (702) 641-2301 (800) 752-8018 Phoenix, AeroTech, Reloadable Motor System, RMS, Mantis, Interlock, White Lightning, BlackJack, BP4d and Easy Ref- erence are trademarks of Aerotech Inc. All other trademarks are property of their respective owners.

  • Page 3: Introduction

    Just like it is a good idea to Phoenix is the culmination of many years of flight and design experience with model air- keep your hand out of a spinning prop, Phoenix should be launched only from its launcher, and planes, model rockets and with rocket gliders.

  • Page 4: About Phoenix

    With Phoenix’s high thrust to weight ments! Second, by moving the servos into the ratio (5:1 for Phoenix versus 1.5 to 1 for a hot wings, closer to the ailerons, the result is stiffer power plane), Phoenix’s motor thrust line had...

  • Page 5: Before You Begin Construction

    Before You Begin Construction If you never read the instructions: Phoenix is a new and exciting category in model aviation, and you have probably never built and flown anything quite like it before. We really want you to be suc-...

  • Page 6: Before You Begin Construction

    Adhesives cost of a system. Just remember that you only VERYONE has their own preferences about need a vacuum of about 3 psi for the Phoenix which glue to use for which job. Through- wings. out the instructions, we make suggestions...
  • Page 7 Do not try to apply the skins tional nose weight. If your Phoenix comes out with a standard epoxy glue because it will be nose heavy, try not to add weight to the tail, difficult to keep the weight down.

  • Page 8: Wing Construction

    Phoenix Wing Construction EGIN construction with the wing. We pre- fer to build both wings at the same time, however, you can build them individually if you wish. Locate the 10 pieces of ⁄ " x 3" x 24" balsa for the wing skins.
  • Page 9 Phoenix Wing Construction HEN the glue is dry, examine the wing skins. Generally, you will find that one side is smoother and more even than the other. This will be the outside of the skin. Mark the inside with a felt tip pen so you won’t get it mixed up later.
  • Page 10 Phoenix Wing Construction SING a felt tip pen, layout the position of ⁄ " fiberglass reinforcing tape on the inside of the wing skins. The location of the tape is shown on the plans. The exact posi- tion is not too critical.
  • Page 11 Phoenix Wing Construction OSITION the fiberglass tape on the skins in the wet resin. Make sure that you apply the trailing edge tape to the lower left skin and to the lower right skin. The aft edge of the trailing edge tape should be even with the edge of the skin.
  • Page 12 Phoenix Wing Construction OW, apply pressure to the wing to hold everything together while the epoxy cures. If you are using a vacuum bag, insert the wings and finish sealing the bag. Set the entire bag assembly on the appropriate foam cradles, and align the wings in the cradles.
  • Page 13 Phoenix Wing Construction OW THAT you have this nice straight, strong piece of balsa and foam, we need to turn it into a wing. First, trim the balsa skins flush with the root and tip ends of the foam cores. This does not have to be a particularly neat job, since we will be trimming them again later.
  • Page 14 HE LEADING edge is probably the most critical part of the Phoenix wing shape. The leading edge shape was designed to give the best balance of low drag on launch and good glide performance.
  • Page 15 Phoenix Wing Construction NCE THE leading edge shape is close, start checking things with the die cut templates. The exact locations of the tem- plates are shown on the plans; however, they will still give you a good idea of the proper shape for several inches each side of the proper location.

  • Page 16: Install Aileron Servos

    Phoenix Wing Construction RIM the two ⁄ " x ⁄ " x 9" balsa strips to fit in the aileron cutout as shown. Glue in place. Glue one of the die cut W-1 pieces on each end of the cutout as shown.
  • Page 17 CG. The resulting offset between the Join wing halves thrust line and the CG will cause Phoenix to loop as it leaves the launcher. If you change the dihedral, you will have to change the thrust line to compensate. This will take a lot of...

  • Page 18: Tail Construction

    Phoenix Wing and Tail Construction UT the hinge slots. We like to start the slot with a knife, and then enlarge it with an X-acto #26 saw blade. Sand the aileron leading edge to the “V” shape shown on the plans after the slots are cut.

  • Page 19: Fuselage Construction

    Phoenix Fuselage Construction HERE are 8 pieces of ⁄ " square by 30" balsa in the kit. Pick out the two straight- est and stiffest ones and save them for use as pushrods. Remove the F-5 pod sides from the die cut plywood sheet.
  • Page 20 Phoenix Fuselage Construction HE other F-2 is the top of the tailboom. Trim the front and back to the length shown on the plans. Glue it in place. Check the entire boom one more time to make sure everything is straight and square before the glue dries.
  • Page 21 Phoenix Fuselage Construction LUE the pod sides to the pre-cut hard balsa nose block. Note that the nose block is flush with the top and front of the pod sides. Assemble everything together upside down on a flat surface as shown.
  • Page 22 Phoenix Fuselage Construction HEN the glue is dry, determine where to install the F-6 bulkhead. Its position is set by the size of the rudder and elevator ser- vos you are using. Remember to allow for the servo mount rails. Cut the hole for the servo leads in F-6.

  • Page 23: Final Assembly

    Phoenix Final Assembly LUE the the two F-9 aft wing mounts together, using epoxy or thick CA glue. When cured, glue them into the fuselage as shown on the plans. Note that they are about ⁄ " above the top of the wing. Use epoxy, and apply a fillet along the entire joint.
  • Page 24 Install aft wing mount Enlarge hole in F-9’s Install blind nut HE motor alignment on Phoenix is very critical. To install the motor mount accu- rately, you need to build a jig. Remove the J-1 and two J-2 parts from the die cut plywood sheet and clean up the edges.
  • Page 25 Phoenix Final Assembly AREFULLY layout and draw a centerline on the bottom of the tailboom. Remove the two F-10 motor spacers from the ⁄ " die cut balsa sheets. Bevel the aft ends until they will fit together as shown, and glue in place.
  • Page 26 Phoenix Final Assembly HE upper surface wing skins need to be trimmed away to clear the motor mount tube. Place the wing in position on the fuse- lage, and approximately mark the area to be removed. Begin trimming with a knife. The final shaping can be done with the motor cas- ing wrapped in sandpaper as shown.

  • Page 27: Assemble Pushrods

    Attach elevator horn The small size of the Phoenix tail boom makes it difficult to use a normal clevis to connect to the horns. Instead we use a Cover the control surfaces Z bend.
  • Page 28 Phoenix Final Assembly OUNT the wing to the fuselage. Check the roll axis alignment of stabilizer and the wing. Sand the top of the boom until the tail is level. Glue the tail in place. Make sure the elevator hinge line is perpendicular to the boom centerline.

  • Page 29: Launcher Assembly

    Phoenix Launcher Assembly EMOVE all launcher parts from the die cut plywood sheets. Be careful when removing the eight L-2 parts, since the area around the slots is fragile. It is a good idea to use a knife to remove the parts from the sheets.
  • Page 30 Phoenix Launcher Assembly LUE an L-3 on top of each L-2 stack. You might want to sand the edge of each L-3 nearest the rods before you glue them since it will be difficult to sand later. Fill the slots in the L-2’s with epoxy. Microbal- loons can be used to thicken the epoxy to keep it from running.
  • Page 31 Phoenix Launcher Assembly EVEL the ends of part L-5 and the two L- 6’s as shown on the plans. Clean up the other edges with sandpaper. Glue L-5 and the two L-6 ‘s onto one of the sides as shown. Check to see that everything is square before the glue sets.
  • Page 32 Mantis base, a set of plans is provided in Appendix E. SSEMBLE the entire launcher and your Phoenix. Set the Phoenix in the launcher, and center it carefully. Glue the L-7 parts in place on top of the launcher as shown on the plans.

  • Page 33: Finishing

    Finishing cover the bottom surface. There is no wing HE main thing to remember when finishing your Phoenix is to keep it light! All of our servo access hatch except for the covering prototypes have been covered with iron-on itself. If you need to remove a servo, just cut plastic film coverings.
  • Page 34 - should be launch than it does for glide. Just like any other airplane, it requires a different elevator in your electrical launch system for Phoenix, setting to fly fast than it needs to fly slow. You regardless of what you use.
  • Page 35 Some trans- Preflight Inspection mitters designed for competition sailplanes t is a good idea to give your Phoenix a thor- have this as a standard adjustment. On a ough inspection before your first flight. The power plane transmitter, we typically will mix a CG should be in the range shown on the plans.
  • Page 36 It will probably take At the end of the first second, Phoenix will be you a few flights to get your Phoenix fully at 50 feet altitude moving at 60 mph.
  • Page 37 With both of these motors, you have to fly Phoenix so your line of sight is not obscured Thanks again for choosing Phoenix! by the motor’s smoke trail.

  • Page 38: Appendix A: Safety

    Phoenix Appendix A: Safety OFFICIAL AMA SAFETY CODE JANUARY 1, 1992 Model flying MUST be in accordance with this Code in In any case, models using rocket motors as a primary order for AMA Liability Protection to apply. means of propulsion are limited to a maximum weight of 3.3 pounds and a G series motor.
  • Page 39 Phoenix Appendix A: Safety Rocket Glider Safety Code In addition to the normal AMA Safety Code, a motor shall be remotely controlled and electri- Radio Control Rocket Glider (RG)must be flown cally operated. It shall contain a launching in accordance with the following: switch that will return to the "off"...

  • Page 40: Appendix B:about Rocket Motors

    You do not have to know any of this to level and a burn time. By specially shaping the fly Phoenix, but we thought that some of you propellant, we can get a motor that has extra would be interested.
  • Page 41 A typical Phoenix Phoenix motor in a conventional model rocket. will reach about a 1000 foot altitude on a G12.

  • Page 42: Appendix C: Parts Layout

    Phoenix Appendix C: Parts Layout Die cut plastic leading edge templates 1 per kit Die cut plywood 1/8" x 8" x 24" 1 per kit scrap Die cut plywood 1/8" x 8" x 24" 1 per kit F-11 F-10 Die cut balsa 3/32" x 3" x 30" 2 per kit F-12 Tail surface and fuselage parts.

  • Page 43: Appendix D: Parts List

    Phoenix Appendix D: Parts List Sheet and strip balsa wing skins 1/16 x 3 x 24 in. Tail sheets 3/16 x 3 x 30 in. Tail boom die cut sheets 3/32 x 3 x 30 in. leading edge 3/16 x .4 x 24 in.

  • Page 44: Appendix E: Launcher Base

    Phoenix Appendix E: Launcher Base 2 x 4 Launcher Base Not to scale Assemble all parts with Attach Launch tower wood screws and glue to base with wood screws Materials: 8 feet of 2 x 4 lumber wood screws wood glue (TiteBond or equiv.)

  • Page 45: Appendix F: Suppliers

    Epoxy and Vacuum Bagging Supplies: Both of these companies can supply vacuum pumps and low viscosity epoxys for apply- ing the Phoenix wing skins. They each have a low cost vacuum bagging starter set with pump, plumbing, and vacuum bag material.
  • Page 46 1955 South Palm St. Suite 15 Las Vegas, NV 89104 (800) 752-8018 (702) 641-2301 Made and Printed in the U.S.A. V 1.1...

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