RE: GP Lancair ES Pictures
Hi guys,
Well, after having my kit for nearly four years and moving it internationally TWICE, I finally got around to assembling it!! I flew it this morning for the first time and must say that it is everything that I'd heard it would be. Only one click of aileron trim and one of elevator, and we were set.... Nicest ARF I've built or flown (although the E-Flite Extra 260 is a pretty close second!). Having said that, mine had some minor marks in the glass where the formers were glued in, and also a bit of crazing on the wing fairing. One flap was twisted slightly and I needed to adjust it slightly up to offset the rolling moment it would have given me (obviously I got it pretty close as it only needed one click of trim to fine tune)
Mostly, I assembled my Lancair as per instructions, but I deviated in the following areas:-
1. Used an OS 75AX. This fitted exactly the same as the 61FX would have and I could use the Top Flite in-cowl muffler too! Heaps of power and such a nice engine to start and run - typical OS of course.
2. Sandwiched carbon fibre between the wing joiners. I didn't use fibreglass on the centre section as I didn't want to mess with the covering material and have to find the same colour to match the original. Just lazy, but I don't plan on giving this model too much of a workout.
3. Used Hitec wing servos for the ailerons and mounted them on hardwood blocks that I epoxied directly to the balsa top sheeting. I didn't fully trust myself to use the heatshrink and glue method, and in any case wanted to have less hassle when I went to remove them for another future project.
4 Used a Robart nosegear instead of the supplied item. It is much more robust in it's looks, but the yoke is much thinner (and therefore more scale-like) than the Sierra item. I have to admit though, that our rough field caused me a small problem, in that my lovely Robart strut absorbed the holes nicely but the steering arm snapped off instead. No damage to the strut or servo so I'm very lucky I guess, but the arm was very weak nevertheless and quite disappointing. I'll be talking to the Robart folks to see what they can do for me....
5. I don't like stick-on registrations and scale details, so I drew my own on my computer with CorelDraw and made them into waterslide decals. At the same time I gave it an Australian identity - yes, of course I'm biased. Although I didn't go all out, it has an oil filler door on the top of the cowl, fuel caps, and a few personal logos as if it were an owner-flown business aircraft.
6. I fitted a remote plug lead so I could minimize the holes in the cowl. It works fine and keeps my hands away from the prop - even better.
7 . Because the 75 was 5 ounces heavier than the 61FX, I filled the tail tube with lead shot to ensure the Lancair balanced as per instructions.
Things to watch for:-
1. Take care when mounting the engine. I accepted the recommended position for the mount, but didn't drill the holes for the engine until I'd dry-fitted the cowl. The spacing from cowl to spinner can then be correctly set. In my case, I accepted a slight lateral misalignment. If I'd been really pedantic, I would have relocated the mount slightly to the left (looking forward from the cockpit).
2. When the wing was first mounted to the fuselage, my flaps were hitting the lower fuselage fairing and not fully retracting. This gave me a slight chatter from the servo and of course it didn't look right. I had to trim the innermost corner of the flaps to let them clear this area. The other option was to use a dremel to grind away the fibreglass, but that would be more messy than necessary.
As I said, the model flies very well, is quite stable and looks great. Additionally, mine has NO trim change with flaps, which quite surprised me. Although I've only got the one flight to judge by, I'm very happy with it and feel that - barring mishaps - I'll be enjoying this model for some time to come.