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opjose -> RE: Low Wing Trainer 40 - Very Unhappy (3/23/2008 5:35:26 AM)
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quote:
ORIGINAL: jclstone
My first complaint started when I was mounting the control surfaces, they forgot 3 CA hinges.
This does happen quite often with ARF's no matter who from. They tend to come with too many or too few CA hinges.
I always have some extras on hand just in case.
quote:
ORIGINAL: jclstone
I mount it per the instructions ( I think, they are very vague) and the gear just folds over. There's no support keeping it vertical! So I drill holes and put the "L" portion into the holes to keep it straight.
No doubt the instructions are worthless.
What you did, is exactly what you are supposed to do.
quote:
ORIGINAL: jclstone
This is very chintzy.
Not really, even my H9 PTS does the same thing.
quote:
ORIGINAL: jclstone
Next I dry fit the wings. They don't fit! They're about 1/16th of an inch too wide. Why wouldn't you just make the wings fit?
As with most Asian ARF's you sand or adjust them as needed. Yup it's more work. But it's better to have more material which you can remove, than too little. You'll find that the servo mounts, etc. also often have to be sanded to make the servos fit... etc.
quote:
ORIGINAL: jclstone
They need to be trimmed I guess. So I trim them, looks terrible, but whatever at least they fit now.
Hmmm... were you trying to adjust the wing root?
Done properly they should look OK, but I don't quite understand where yours were off.
Where were they wide?
quote:
ORIGINAL: jclstone
Now I try to figure out how to bolt them on. It's pretty difficult to do when they don't give you any wing bolts. I drive to home depot and get some new bolts and blind nuts. Now, for some strange reason, I have to drill holes in the wings to bolt them on because there is nothing pre-drilled. I do that, and try my best to get them at a right angle to the fuselage, but I don't. Now I have crooked wings.
The bolts SHOULD have been provided, and it seems yours were missing.
Yes the wing bolt holes are frequently missing.
Some ARF manufacturers put them in and get it right MOST of the time, but even with H9 and Tower planes I've received these WAAY off.
My own preference is to get them exactly as you got your trainer, so I can align and adjust them myself for best fit.
If your wings are crooked, remove the blind nuts, epoxy in a dowel where you put in the nuts and try again.
quote:
ORIGINAL: jclstone
That right there won't make for a well flying plane so I'm extremely disappointed at this point. I bolt them on just for kicks.
You may want to try to fix this.
quote:
ORIGINAL: jclstone
There isn't enough clearance between the aileron servo and the and the receiver. I don't know where else to put the receiver.
You could put it behind the canopy. In effect just behind where a pilot would sit.
quote:
ORIGINAL: jclstone
My ailerons don't work.
Why?
quote:
ORIGINAL: jclstone
This is my third ARF and I've helped build 2 others. I have never seen one that required this much fabrication and guess work just to assemble.
Stick around, wait until you get into Gassers, etc. you have to build most of the internal trays and structures on many of those.
My Yak 50CC came with a single sheet, nothing else. The formers were in the fiberglass fuse, but no supports for radio, servos, etc.
quote:
ORIGINAL: jclstone
Nor have I ever had this many missing parts or this much frustration.
Sounds like someone screwed the pooch on the missing parts.
You could PM John here about this and he'll help you out.
quote:
ORIGINAL: jclstone
I can't get the wing straight without re-drilling or widening the holes and this will leave it with way too much slop.
Just redo the holes as I indicated. It's easier than it sounds.
quote:
ORIGINAL: jclstone
I've basically paid $70 plus $20 shipping for junk. Scrap wood.
Not if you fix it though.
quote:
ORIGINAL: jclstone
I could have gotten a much higher quality trainer from tower for the same price, maybe less.
The closest is the Kaos which is $109.00 w/o shipping.
Not a bad little plane, great flyer, but you'll run into a few of the same things, e.g. wings, etc.
quote:
ORIGINAL: jclstone
If I wanted the labor and fabrication of a kit plane I would have bought one, this is supposed to be an ARF.
ARF should be renamed, "almost ready to do the last 50% of the work on".
While it may seem frustrating, what you experienced is not unusual for an ARF.
I've put over 30+ ARF's together from varying manufacturers, and typically you do end up going over them a LOT and fixing things.
They are never "almost ready".
Even the "RTF's" should be renamed ARF's...
quote:
ORIGINAL: jclstone
I will never purchase from Nitro Planes again.
That's too bad, as there are some real gems there.
Some planes are better than others, and a few are really dynomite.
But likewise there are some "lemons" that need a lot of attention.
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