Fig. 5
- Place the horns on the underside of the elevators and
secure each with two 1.8 Ø x 10 mm self-tapping screws
and a spreader plate.
Fig. 6
- Attach the horns to the underside of the ailerons in the
same way, noting the recesses for the bellcranks - see
arrow.
Fig. 7
- Glue the circular bellcrank bases in the recesses in the
wing panels.
Fig. 8
- Place the bellcranks over the bases and secure them with
the 2.6 Ø x 6 mm self-tapping screws. Check that the
bellcranks rotate freely and smoothly.
Fig. 9
- The wing panels can now be glued to the fuselage. Hold
the wings in the correct position until the glue has set
hard.
Figs. 10 and 11
- Glue the tailplane panels to the fuselage, checking that
they are aligned with the wings as shown. Note that the
elevator horns must be on the underside.
Fig. 12
- Glue the fins in the appropriate recesses in the fuselage.
Check that they are positioned at exactly the same angle
(mirror-image).
Fig. 13
- The connectors attached to the individual servos are
marked as follows:
1 Aileron servo
2 Elevator servos
Assembly and operating instructions
F 18 Blue Angel
3 Speed controller
4 Nosewheel servo (rudder channel)
Fig. 14
- Connect the servos to the receiver in the appropriate
sequence (refer to your RC system instructions if you are
not sure).
Fig. 15
- Pierce two 3 mm Ø holes in the fuselage as shown. Run
the aerials attached to the 2.4 GHz receiver out of the
fuselage at an included angle of 90°, and secure them
with tape as shown. Read the instructions supplied with
the receiver.
- Fix the receiver in place in the rear fuselage compartment
using Velcro tape.
Fig. 16
- Solder the appropriate connectors to the wires attached
to the flight battery, and insulate each individual joint with
a heat-shrink sleeve.
Fig. 17
- Place the flight battery in the battery compartment, but
do not connect it at this stage.
Fig. 18
- Switch the transmitter on, and move the throttle stick to
the idle end-point. Connect the flight battery to the speed
controller.
- The servos should now be at neutral (centre).
Fig. 19
- Remove the rubber caps from the servo pushrods.
- Connect the aileron pushrods to the bellcranks and the
aileron horns. Note the position of the bellcranks, as
shown in the picture.
4
Fig. 20
- Connect the link pushrods to the bellcranks. Set the
ailerons to centre (neutral), and connect the link pushrods
to the servo pushrods using the pushrod connector.
Fig. 21
- Connect the elevator pushrods to the servos and the ele-
vator horns. If the control surfaces are not at centre when
the servos are at neutral, screw the clevises in or out on
the pushrods as required.
- Disconnect the flight battery from the speed controller,
then switch the transmitter off.
Fig. 22
- Glue the canopy to the fuselage.
Fig. 23
- If you wish to fit the dummy fueltanks, glue them to the
underside of the wings at this stage: mark the position on
the wings before installing the tanks.
Fig. 24
- The next step is to balance the model. Install the flight
battery, but do not connect it at this stage.
- Mark the Centre of Gravity (C.G.) on both sides of the
fuselage.
- Support the model at the marked points, and allow it to
hang freely. The CG is correct when the model balances
level, with the nose inclined slightly down.
- Adjust the position of the flight battery if necessary.
- Mark the battery location in the fuselage, so that you can
be confident of replacing it in the same position after
removing it.
- Pack pieces of scrap foam round the battery, so that it
cannot shift in flight and alter the model's balance.
No.
3258