Fokker Dr.1 Triplane

Fokker Dr.1 Triplane
1/12 Scale Parkflyer
Specifications:
Wing Span:
Wing Area:
Length:
Motor:
Propellor:
Battery:
Weight:
Wing Loading:
Channels:
Radio:
23”
260 sq.in.
18”
GWS IPS DX-A, [CD-ROM]
GWS 9x7, [8x4HD, 7x3.5HD]
8-cell, 350mAh Nimh, 2-3cell 340mAh Lipo
6 - 8oz
3.3 - 4.5 oz/sq. ft.
3 – Rudder/Elevator/Throttle
GWS Pico or equiv., 2A brushed [10A BL ESC]
dV Flight Technologies
Dr.1 Assembly Instructions, © 04/06/05
Check www.dVflighttech.com for updates
Introduction
Thank you for purchasing the Fokker Dr.1 Triplane by dV Flight Technologies! Since it's a fullysheeted model this kit builds quite fast. The original concept was to make a quick-building scale WWI
warbird that would be flyable with the typical GWS radio/motor package as used in their Tigermoth,
Picostik, etc. Through several design iterations and countless test flights this was accomplished. If
you already have such a radio/motor system you may only need to upgrade your battery to an 8-cell
Nimh or 2-cell Li-Poly to complete the package.
The outline is taken directly from 3-views. The cowl has been lengthened slightly to better hide the
IPS motor system and the wing chord has been adjusted for better flight characteristics. I left off the
bottom sheeting of the fuselage to save weight. Chances are, you won't notice it missing while you're
flying but if this bothers you just cover this area with something light like Solite.
It has been designed around Zepron/Depron foam sheeting which is tough and flexible, and easy to
form. It also has a nice smooth surface which is ready for paint. ie. there isn't the typical wood grain
that requires filling or covering. The natural bright white color makes a great base for your color
scheme. In fact, I didn't need to paint my prototype at all. Since I modeled it after Walt Redfern's fullsize replica I only needed to decorate the model with a few iron crosses and stripes.
A unique feature of this model is the method of fastening the wings and struts with magnets. First
shown to me by Martin Hunter, these little rare-earth magnets are very strong and provide a very
convenient way to fasten any removable item on a model airplane. I found it useful to be able to
remove the wings to get at the radio system and the magnets make disassembly a snap. A terrific
side benefit is that the magnets will let go if the wings are torqued sideways off the fuselage if your
landings go awry. A crash, or crash-landing usually results in little or no damage; just a wing or two to
snap back onto the fuselage.
The motor and battery specs list the minimum-level components required to achieve successful flight.
This setup and finished weight results in a very satisfying, though somewhat mild-mannered parkflyer.
It's power-to-weight ratio could be termed "scale-like". (No 45° climbouts are going to happen!) Of
course, everything gets better with more power and less weight. I have flown the machine on the IPS
RXC-A dual motor, GWS 10x8 prop, and 8C-370mAh Nimh battery and performance shot up
noticeably. I fly now with a Kokam 3S1P 340mAh Li-Poly battery, CD-ROM conversion motor, and
GWS 7x3.5HD prop and enjoy 1:1 power-to-weight!
This kit is an intermediate-level build. It is not the typical mass-produced foamie that goes together by
gluing the left side to the right side. Most parts are keyed into their neighbors with the typical laser-cut
tabs and slots or are aligned with a jig, but attention must be paid to achieve overall alignment of
airframe and wings (and there are a lot of them!).
The pilot will require intermediate-level skill. The Triplane has few bad habits, but it is a more
sophisticated airplane than a typical "Slow-stick". The wings have no inherent dihedral and bow
upwards only slightly when flying to provide a small amount of roll stability. The elevator is very
powerful, yet the large drag component from the three wings means that the model slows down very
quickly if the pilot is heavy-handed. Likewise, the rudder is very powerful and is more than enough to
turn the model very quickly. If the rudder is set up with too much throw the model can very easily be
over-controlled into the ground. (don't ask me how I know that J) All of this is not meant to scare you
off; just some advice to respect the model's flying characteristics. Review the videos at
dVflighttech.com and you will see the Triplane is a pretty smooth flyer when guided by gentle thumbs.
Good luck and enjoy your Fokker Dr.1 Triplane! I would like to hear of your flying experiences.
Please contact me with any questions or comments at [email protected]
Regards,
Gary Villette
Kit Contents:
Full-size CAD plan sheet
Illustrated Instruction Manual
1/8” laser-cut balsa internal fuselage parts (firewall, formers, battery box, etc)
1/8” laser-cut Depron/Zepron foam wings, tail, and fuselage sheeting
laser-cut wing alignment jig
vac-formed cowling
18 – rare earth magnets for mounting wings & struts
1/8” pre-cut strut dowels
.080” carbon tail skid
pre-formed music wire landing gear struts
1/32” music wire pushrods
Laser-cut control horns
Wheel retainers
1-1/2” wheels
Profile pilot artwork
cockpit coaming material
Rubber bands, cowl screws, heat shrink tubing, velcro
Hardware/Equipment required to complete the kit:
Micro radio components (eg. GWS Pico servos and receiver)
GWS IPS DX-A motor/gearbox
GWS 9x7 prop
Pushrod connectors (eg. Dubro Mini E/Z Connectors)
Hinge tape (crystal clear "Scotch" tape works well)
Filament tape
Other items/tools required:
Building board
Wax paper
Foam-safe cyano glue
Low-tack masking tape
Baking soda or balsa dust for glue joint filler
Razor or X-Acto knife
Fine grit sandpaper
Foam safe paint such as Design Master Color Tool aerosol
Decal material such as Monokote trim strip
Sharp scissors
Glue Stick
Double-sided tape
Before you begin:
Review this instruction manual completely
Familiarize yourself with the components in the kit by identifying them as you read through.
Only remove parts from their carrier sheets when you need them.
Test fit all parts before gluing them together.
Cover your work area and plans with wax paper to prevent gluing the model to it.
Balsa parts are laser-etched for identification. Since the foam carrier sheets can't be marked this
way, you will find outlines at the back of this manual to allow you to identify the foam parts.
Likewise, the various dowel pieces and landing gear wire components are identified.
General building tips:
The fuselage top and side sheets are glued to the firewall and F1, which are curved parts.
To minimize the stresses on these glue joints these sheet parts should be pre-bent to approximate
their finished shape. Do this by rolling the parts over a large dowel, a curved countertop edge, or
simply by working the parts gently with your fingers. The sheets will develop creases on the inside
surface but the outside surface should remain smooth.
Foam-safe cyano glue is recommended throughout. It is REQUIRED for gluing the foam parts!
Regular cyano will melt foam. The motor/battery assembly may be glued with regular cyano but
take care to work well away from any foam parts and make sure it has fully cured before adding this
assembly to the rest of the aircraft.
Some glue joints will benefit from additional filleting due to the higher stresses experienced during
landings. These joints include the firewall edges, landing gear mount, and all magnets glued into
foam. They should be reinforced by putting a small (1/8”) fillet of baking soda or balsa dust along
the joint and then saturating the fillet with foam-safe cyano.
When gluing the magnets to balsa surfaces it helps to roughen the surface of the magnet by
swiping it with sandpaper.
Further notes on the magnets:
I’ve made extensive use of magnets in the design of this model. This is a personal preference that
stems from my larger-modeling days when wings had to be removable just to fit the model in the
car! A great feature of the magnets is that they let go during those less-than-perfect landings
(cartwheels). This model has flown full-throttle into the ground in a knife-edge attitude and
sustained very minor damage because all the wings just blew off. Another plane flew “through”
mine and its landing gear pulled my top wing off…20 feet over the field. I glided straight ahead to a
controlled landing on the two lower wings! I simply picked up the top wing, snapped it back on the
struts and continued my flight.
Take the normal precautions when handling these powerful magnets. Keep them away from your
servos, motors, diskettes, credit cards, and anything else that is magnetically sensitive.
It’s quite possible to eliminate all of the magnets and make most of these joints permanent.
This model uses 18 magnets and 8 of these are devoted to holding the struts in place. The
prototype model started life with the struts fastened to all the wings with short lengths of silicone
tubing pressed through the foam. This actually worked just fine but I found the magnets resulted in
a cleaner joint. If you resort to glue, you could mount the top wing to the cabane struts and midwing
permanently. If you mount the servos inverted and tape the ESC and Rx to the battery
compartment you could also glue the midwing to the fuselage. Then use your favourite method to
attach the lower wing to the fuselage.
Addendum:
4-8-05
Lower wing brace:
The kit now includes a 15” length of 1/8” hardwood dowel. This is meant to stiffen the lower wing and will prevent excessive
wing flex during aggressive maneuvering or when flying with heavier/faster motor battery equipment. Your kit may not have the
corresponding notch in the wing leading edge. If it doesn’t, simply cut a straight 1/8” deep notch (almost the full span of the wing)
in the leading edge of the lower wing to fit the dowel. Glue it, or simply tape it, in place, checking to make sure the wing is not
warped in the process.
Landing gear wing:
Step 11 shows scrap foam “packing” under the landing gear wing but above the axle.
The packing should really be BELOW the axle to allow the wing to rest on the axle.
Control horns:
The full-size assembly plans show Dubro hardware for the control horns and for fastening the landing gear wing. The tail control
horns are now laser-cut plywood. The landing gear attachment has been simplified.
Cowling:
The cowling is coated with a release agent left over from the vacuum-forming process.
This part should be washed in soapy water and thoroughly rinsed before applying paint.
Paint:
Not all foam-safe paints are created equal.
TEST your paint on scrap foam left over from the kit to make sure it is compatible.
Assembly
1. Begin by removing the Firewall, Motor Mount Plate , and Battery Box parts from their wooden carrier sheets.
Assemble the motor/battery group together and verify their fit.
At this point, decide which way to install the Motor Mount Plate.
As shown below, it positions a GWS single IPS motor, such as a DX-A in the correct position.
If you plan to install a IPS-D dual motor, such as a RXC-A, invert the plate to put the vertically-aligned
Motor Stick slot in position. CDROM motors may be mounted in several different ways, so use your
favourite method and choose a stick orientation to suit.
Trim the Motor Stick to fit your motor and offset thrust, but DO NOT glue the Motor Stick at this time.
When satisfied, apply cyano glue to all parts except the Motor Stick.
Battery Box Top Plate
Battery Box Side (2)
Firewall
Motor Mount Plate
Motor Stick
Trim the Motor Stick to
fit your motor gearbox socket.
Also, trim as necessary to position
the stick with approximately
1 down thrust and 1 right thrust
before gluing.
Motor Stick shown for reference only.
Final alignment and gluing will be done after the fuselage is finished.
2. Look at the fuselage Side Panels and decide which will be the left side and which will be the right side.
One side of the sheeting may have a smoother finish, so use the smooth side for the outside of your model.
(This goes for the fuselage top sheets, Stabilizer, and Elevators, too.)
Bevel the inside tail ends of the Side Panels to reduce the finished thickness of the rudder hinge area to 1/8".
Curl the Side Panels to match the curve of the firewall. This curl should flatten out by the time it reaches the F1 station.
Glue Formers F1 and F2 to the Side Panels and glue the Side Panels together at the tail.
Ensure the top edges of the Side Panels are parallel and the Formers are square with the fuselage centerline.
Use low-tack masking tape to hold parts in position while letting the glue dry thoroughly.
Glue both Side Panels to the Firewall at once to keep the fuselage straight.
Hold the Side Panels in place on the Firewall with low-tack masking tape while the glue dries.
Glue the Landing Gear Mount to the Side Panels and the Battery Box.
Laminate the 3 Low Wing Mount (LWM) Plates and glue them into F1.
Let this assembly cure thoroughly.
Low Wing Mount Plates (3)
Side Panel
Former F2
Former F1
Landing Gear Mount
3. Add Stabilizer, Tail Gusset, Tail Skid Support, and Tail Skid.
Note the location of the Stabilizer on the plan top view.
The notch in the trailing edge of the Stabilizer fits over the
notches near the rear of the Side Panels to ensure the
Stab. is centered and positioned ahead of the rudder hinge.
Form the Fuselage Rear Top into shape to match F1.
Wrap the Fuselage Rear Top over F1 and trim and sand the
edges to fit the Side Panels and F2.
As you fit the Top, ensure the fuselage is straight.
Bevel the side edges of the top sheet to
make a neat joint with the fuselage sides.
The Fuselage Rear Top should fit neatly up
against the leading edge of the Stabilizer.
Apply a thin bead of glue to the
fuselage sides, F1, F2 and the
Stabilizer and hold the side
edges down with low-tack
masking tape until the glue dries.
While waiting for the glue to dry,
glue the clear plastic tubes
to the Landing Gear Mount and to the Firewall.
Wrap these two joints with filament tape.
Stabilizer
Fuselage Rear Top
Tail Gusset
Tail Skid
Support
Tail Skid
Clear plastic tubes
4. Trim the fuselage if necessary so that the lower wing is parallel to the fuselage top edges near the cockpit.
This ensures that the wing is set at 0-0 incidence.
Some trimming may be necessary to properly fit the wing's curvature.
Glue the Low Wing Strip to the back of the Landing Gear Mount to hold the wing leading edge in position
against the fuselage lower wing saddle.
Match wing to this edge
Glue this magnet to LWM plates
Glue this magnet into wing
Low Wing Strip
5. Press a magnet into the center hole in the wing and attach another magnet on top.
Separate the two magnets with a small piece of wax paper to stop cyano from gluing them together later.
Position the wing onto the fuselage and make sure the leading edge is square to the fuselage.
Mark this position, then lift the wing and put a drop of cyano on the Low Wing Mount plates.
Replace the wing, glueing the top magnet to the laminated LWM plates.
Before the glue cures, adjust the angle of the magnets in the wing as required to ensure a good glue bond
to the LWM plates.
When satisfied, glue the lower magnet into the wing.
After the glue is thoroughly cured, carefully remove the wing by separating the magnets using a
wooden blade (sand the end of a popsicle stick to a knife edge) or non-magnetic stainless steel knife blade.
Try not to pull on the wing as this will put undue stress on the magnet/wing glue joint.
If you are careful you may be able to slide the wing out sideways as the magnets shear apart relatively
easily.
Inspect the glue joints on the magnets and reinforce if necessary.
When satisfied, replace the wing on the model.
6. Glue the Cabane Mount to the Midwing.
The wing's leading edge should be flush with the front edge of the webbing between the rails of the Mount.
The Mount fits between the two tabs on the wing's leading edge.
This ensures proper placement of the wing on the fuselage.
Glue 2 magnets to the Cabane Mount with cyano in the position printed on the Mount.
Position the Midwing on the fuselage with the Cabane Mount touching the firewall.
Trim the fuselage, if necessary, to bring the Midwing into alignment with the lower wing (o-o incidence).
Ensure the leading edges of the wings are parallel with each other.
Hold the Midwing in this position with tape or rubber bands.
Glue the Midwing Anchor Strip (MWAS) to the firewall to hold the Cabane Mount in position.
Don't glue the Mount to the Firewall!
Remove the lower wing and attach another magnet to each magnet on the Cabane Mount.
Remember to put a layer of wax paper between the magnets.
Trim and fit the Midwing Mount to contact the magnets and fit snug against the fuselage sides.
Glue the Midwing Mount to the lower magnets and fuselage sides.
Wait until the glue is thoroughly cured, then carefully remove the Midwing by separating the magnets.
Midwing
Cabane Mount
Midwing
Mount
Midwing Anchor Strip
(MWAS)
Magnets
Wing LE meets
Mount webbing
Side view of Midwing showing Cabane Mount glued
to the underside and leading edge of wing.
Reinforce this area with plenty of cyano and baking soda.
Magnets are glued underneath the Midwing Mount.
Wing tabs
locate Mount
Underside view
of Midwing
7. Replace the midwing and roll the Fuselage Top (cabane area) to shape and fit it to the fuselage.
Carefully sand a sharp bevel under the edges that contact the Midwing to make a clean joint.
Fine tune the curves at the front and rear edges to match the Firewall and Rear Top sheet.
Glue in place to the wing only!
Tweak the shape of the sheeting around the cockpit hole to make a good fit.
Allow the glue to dry thoroughly.
Reach in through the cockpit cutout with your wooden or stainless blade
and carefully separate the magnets, releasing the wing from the fuselage.
Sand a bevel under
these two edges to
fit the Midwing neatly
8. Glue the Top Wing Jig parts together,
making sure the assembly is square and parallel.
When the glue joints are dry, mount the jig
to the center of the Midwing with rubber bands.
Trim the lower edges to fit the Midwing if necessary.
The leading and trailing edges of the Midwing should line up
with the straight edges at the front and rear of the jig so the
lower edges of the jig are at zero degrees incidence.
This sets the top wing at 2 degrees.
Lower edge of wing contacts edge of jig
Upper edge of wing contacts edge of jig
9. Glue a pair of magnets to the Top Wing Mount in the positions printed on the Mount.
Attach a second pair of magnets (interleved with wax paper) to these and press the upper magnets through the
2 middle holes in the top wing.
Angle the Mount so that it is approximately at zero incidence (not really critical) and glue the upper magnets into
the top wing. Be careful not to glue the lower magnets as well!
Top Wing Mount
Cabane struts (4)
Magnets
10. Attach the Top Wing Jig to the Midwing with rubber bands.
Then mount the top wing to the jig with rubber bands.
Now, attach this assembly to the fuselage. The magnets should provide a firm grip.
Make sure the leading edges of the wings are parallel and that the top wing is centered left/right over the Midwing.
Mount the lower wing on the fuselage and sight through the interplane strut holes on all three wings.
This is not super-critical because the interplane struts are flexible, but the closer the better as it will line up the
wing stagger and ensure the leading edges are parallel.
When satisfied with top wing alignment, mark its position on the jig and carefully remove the Midwing/jig/Top Wing
assembly from the fuselage (ie don't remove any rubber bands).
Flip the wing assembly over and you should be able to visualize the angles of the cabane struts as they will pass
through the Cabane mount holes and meet the corners of the Top Wing Mount.
Double-check that the Top Wing has not shifted on the jig.
Use a small drill bit or sharp toothpick to pierce the fuselage top sheeting for the struts.
Insert and glue the cabane struts to the Top Wing Mount and the Cabane Mount.
Reinforce these joints and let them dry thoroughly before disassembling.
When the glue has completely cured remove the rubber bands and carefully separate the magnets.
Hint: It's easier to separate these magnets by slipping them apart sideways.
Reinforce the magnet glue joints.
11. Assemble the landing gear wires as shown and fasten them together with 1/8" heatshrink tubing.
The front struts are longer so be careful not to make two “left” sides.
Mount this assembly into the tubing on the fuselage and secure it there with rubber bands stretched along the tubing.
Check that the longer landing gear struts are in front and that you've left enough axle length outside the struts
for mounting the wheels and retainers.
The heat shrink tubing is flexible enough to let you adjust the assembly to align the axle with the fuselage.
When everything looks good wick some cyano into the heatshrink.
Cut and groove some scrap foam to make gussets that fit vertically into the "v" of the landing gear struts and
extend 1/4" below the axle. Glue these in place.
Mount the Landing Gear Wing on the axle with tape and set up the wing incidence to be parallel to the lower wing.
Pack under the L/G Wing with scrap foam and glue this foam to the gusset, creating a wing saddle.
Alternatively, omit the gussets and saddle packing and simply tape the wing onto the axle and adjust for
proper incidence before each flight. Crude but effective!
Wheel retainer
Plastic tubing
spacer, if req'd
Landing Gear Wing
Bind wire parts
with 1/8" heat shrink
tubing
Saddle
Packing
Set up incidence on the landing gear wing and
"pack" under the wingtip with scrap foam.
Glue the scrap to the gusset, not the wing.
Gusset
Gusset
12. Interplane strut assembly:
Glue a magnet to one end of each of the interplane strut dowels and shrink 1/4" heatshrink tubing over the
joints to reinforce them.
Wick cyano under the heatshrink.
Assemble all wings to the fuselage and push a 1" length of silicone tubing through the Midwing strut holes.
If necessary, you can tighten the fit of the silicone tubing in the Midwing by putting a small patch of clear
tape over the hole (under the wing) and piercing this tape to make a smaller hole.
Insert the interplane struts into the tubing.
The longer struts are the upper struts.
Insert magnets into the top and bottom wings to mate with the interplane strut magnets.
Remember to put a patch of wax paper between each pair of magnets so they don't get glued together!
With all magnets connected inspect for warps and misalignment and tweak the magnets and silicone
tubing as necessary.
When satisfied that everything is aligned, carefully glue the wing magnets into the wings.
Adjust wing alignment by moving the struts up or down inside the tubing and moving the midwing up and
down on the silicone tubing.
Magnet glued
into upper wing
Magnet glued
to upper strut
1/4" Heatshrink tubing
joins magnet to strut
Leave ~3/8" gap
between the dowels.
Silicone tubing
pressed into Midwing
Paper fairing
Lower strut is shorter
Magnet glued
into lower wing
Magnet glued to
lower strut
Cut out the strut fairings from the supplied cardstock and wrap the
struts with an airfoil-shaped fairing.
Trial fit each fairing, making sure the midwing is in the desired position on the silicone tubing.
Trim the ends of the fairings for a tight fit against the wings so they will remain in trim in flight.
Use double-sided tape or "glue stick" to bond the trailing edges.
Colour the fairings with a marking pen.
Wrap paper around the
strut and glue the trailing
edge together
13. Re-confirm the Motor Stick offset angles relative to the fuselage (1 down, 1 right) and glue into place.
Remove the Cowl Rings from their carrier sheet and laminate them together.
Glue these to the firewall to properly position the cowling.
Trim excess plastic from the cowling. (See plan sheet for shape.)
Fasten the cowling with #2 screws.
#2 Screws (3)
Cowl rings (3)
Motor Stick is glued into position.
Battery Box Top Plate
Velcro
loop material
Battery Box
Side
Battery Box
Hatch
Velcro
hook material
Velcro
loop material
14. With the Battery Hatch in place, hinge it to one side of the box with a 2" length of Velcro "loop" material.
Stick a 1/2" patch of Velcro "loop" material onto the other Box side and finish by overlaying this patch
and the Hatch with length of Velcro "hook" material.
15. Final assembly and fiddly bits:
Laminate the two servo trays together and cut out press-fit holes for the servos.
Trim the servo tray to fit snug between the fuselage sides and glue in place.
Glue the two elevator halves together using the Elevator Joiner Dowel, then hinge this assembly to the stabilizer
with hinge tape. Trial fit the elevators and joiner on the stabilizer and trim as required.
You will have to remove some material from the fuselage sides to clear the elevator joiner.
Space the elevator 1/32" from the stabilizer to allow for free hinge motion.
Hinge the rudder with tape or your own favourite hinges; again, spacing the rudder 1/32" away from the fuselage edge.
This hinge is quite short so take care that it is firm, not sloppy.
Check for warps and tweak the wings to remove any.
Lightly sand the edges of the wings and tail round. This is not absolutely necessary but will improve the flying qualities.
Paint lightly with brush-on water-based enamel or foam-safe aerosol.
Masking may be done with low-tack masking tape.
Templates are provided on the last page for cutting out decals or masks for the WWI Iron Cross markings.
These decals may be cut out of Solite or Monokote Trim Strip.
Cut the foam rod lengthwise about 1/2-way through and then cut it into two equal lengths.
Press these over the front and rear edges of the cockpit to form a coaming and glue into place.
Glue your favourite pilot profile graphic (check our web site for more free downloads) to a piece of foam sheet
and trim the foam around the graphic, leaving a flat bottom edge for gluing.
Two sample pilot foam profiles and their matching graphics are provided.
Glue the pilot mounting plate into the cockpit area and glue on the profile pilot.
Fabricate machine guns in light cardstock, light balsa and/or your favourite light materials. (Remember to keep it light)
Install receiver and ESC on the fuselage sides under the midwing, or on the firewall, with double-sided tape or Velcro.
Run the antenna away from any servo or power wires.
Install the servos, rudder and elevator horns, and pushrods.
Adjust the battery position for proper balance and secure it in place by blocking in the battery compartment with foam.
Mount the motor/gearbox onto the Motor Stick and route the motor wires under the lower edge of the Firewall.
Set up the control throws initially to 1/2" travel each way.
Charge up your batteries and go flying!
Flying:
I recommend that you test fly this model over tall grass with the landing gear removed. This reduces the weight
and a lot of drag, allowing for more forgiving trim flights. Trimming a multiwing aircraft requires a little more
attention to details like wing incidence and warps than a monoplane. Remember, if the wings are out of alignment
they will be fighting each other, creating a lot of drag. Thanks to Depron/Zepron's flexibility, minor adjustments
can be made by tweaking the trailing edges of the wings to correct small incidence problems or add a
little washout, if desired.
The landing gear wing tends to get knocked off or moved out of alignment when flying from grass.
When replacing this wing, take particular care that it is at the same incidence as the lower wing.
At the recommended balance point and all flying controls neutralized the Triplane should ROG on pavement
almost hands off. There is a lot of lift but also a lot of drag from the 4 wings so the power-off glide is pretty steep.
Beautiful landings are possible by maintaining a little power during the final approach. If flying from grass you
will have to hand-launch as the little landing gear wing will drag in the grass. Landings in grass are best done
as slow as possible to avoid a nose-over (keep in mind nose-overs are scale maneuvers for this aircraft!).
I set up my radio to give the recommended throws at 50% rates. Then I switch to 100% rate on the elevator for
the landing approach and flare to a stall just above the grass for the slowest zero-rollout landing.
Also, because of high drag, I’ve found I have to enter loops from a dive using the basic GWS DX-A motor/gear.
Turns can be very tight, just like the full-size version. Start out with very mild throw on the rudder (no more than
½” each way) as it is very powerful and you can over-control the model easily.
Parts Identification
Fuselage Top (Rear)
Tail Skid
Support
Tail Gusset
Motor Stick
3/16" X 5/16" Basswood
Cabane strut
holes
approx. location
Fuselage Top
(Cabane area)
Bevel under these edges
to fit Midwing
Pilot Mounting Plate
Top Wing Jig
2 req'd
Trim to fit Midwing so that these two points
are in line with the top edges of the Midwing
Top Wing Jig Brace
2 req'd
Cabane Strut Dowel, 4 req'd
Upper Interplane Strut Dowel, 2 REQ'D
Lower Interplane Strut Dowel, 2 REQ'D
Elevator Joiner Dowel
Axle
.047 dia.
Servo Tray
cut servo holes to suit
Rear Langing
Gear Wire
.047 dia. 2 req'd
Front Landing
Gear Wire
.047 dia. 2 req'd
"Iron Cross" Templates
Make 4 large crosses for the wings,
2 small crosses for the rudder,
and 2 small crosses for the fuselage.
Pilot Profile
Alternate Pilot Profile