JC's Planes and Projects
Hanger 9 CAP 232 (1/4 Scale)
Wingspan: 73 inches
Length: 67 inches
Weight: 12 lbs, 13 ounces using digital fish scale with 1-oz resolution. Accuracy is unknown. Preliminary CG check shows that the aircraft is slightly nose heavy. The RX battery will alleviate this if placed slightly aft of the CG.
Motor:
MVVS 1.6 gasoline engine with Bisson muffler and APC 17x8 prop. Ignition battery is 4.8 volt, 1200 mah.Radio: Futaba 8UAPS TX with Futaba R127DF 7-channel PPM RX. Elevator and rudder servos are Hitec 605. All other servos are Tower Hobbies or Hobbico standard ball bearing. TX power is 6 volt, 1100 mah nicad system.
Accessories: Dave Brown 3" Vortech spinner. Nyrod-activated micro-switch for throttle cut feature. Up-sized 3.25" Dubro light treaded tires. Sullivan tailwheel and bracket. Use of pinned nylon hinges for all control surfaces.
To-Do's: Fine tune and enjoy!
First Flight: 5/4/02
I purchased this ARF after hearing about the incredible sale that Horizon Hobbies was having. I acquired the ARF kit new for $200.00 plus shipping! I just could not pass up this deal. Upon receipt of the package I was impressed with the completeness of the kit. It included a pre-painted fiberglass cowl and wheel pants, all required control system hardware, fuel tank, main and tail wheels, and aluminum engine mounts.
The quality of the woodwork appeared excellent. The only disappointing aspect of the kit is the Ultracote covering. The ailerons and one of the wings were very "baggy" and loose. I did my best for more than an hour with a heat gun and only achieved fair results. The quality is certainly worse than I would have tolerated had I done it myself. I had never used Ultracote before and soon ran afoul of one of its bad characteristics - it's adhesive will let the covering "creep" or slip away from itself during shrinking. I had only been a Monokote user until this time and had never had this problem. This creeping behavior further prevented me from getting a nice tight covering job. The motto is "live and learn." If you want a first-rate finish on an ARF, strip off the covering and do it yourself.
I was never planning to enter this plane in the Toledo Show so I am living with the sub-standard covering. In fact, my goal was to build up a good-sized aerobatic aircraft and to get experience with one of the new small gasoline engines that had recently come onto the market. The engine I chose is the MVVS 1.6 gasoline engine. I have a web page devoted to my experience with the engine. You can read about it
here. The gasoline engine will be heavier than the recommended Saito 150 or 180, but I had read that this aircraft will require nose weight to balance when used with a glow engine. In fact, one magazine review indicated that 11-oz of lead were needed in the nose when a Saito 1.5 was used!Please select the link you would like to view below:
Construction and Engine Mounting
