Great Planes GPMA1135 User Manual

SPECIFICATIONS

INSTRUCTION MANUAL

Wingspan: 26.5 in [675mm]

Length: 29.5 in [750mm]

Wing Area: 382 sq in

[24.6dm

2

]

Motor:

ElectriFly™
(28-22-1380) Brushless

Weight: 9–10 oz

Wing

Loading:

[255 –285g]

3.4–3.8 oz/sq ft
[10–12g/dm

2

Propeller: APC 9 r 4.7 (APCQ5010)

]

ESC: Electrifly™ SS-12

WARRANTY

Great Planes® Model Manufacturing Co. guarantees this kit to

be free from defects in both material and workmanship at the
date of purchase. This warranty does not cover any component
parts damaged by use or modification. In no case shall Great
Planes’ liability exceed the original cost of the purchased kit.
Further, Great Planes reserves the right to change or modify this
warranty without notice.

In that Great Planes has no control over the final assembly or
material used for final assembly, no liability shall be assumed nor
accepted for any damage resulting from the use by the user of
the final user-assembled product. By the act of using the
user-assembled product, the user accepts all resulting liability.

If the buyer is not prepared to accept the liability associated
with the use of this product, the buyer is advised to return

Battery: Great Planes

11.1V, 300mAh 20C

RimFire™ 300

Competition BP Series LiPo

Radio: 6−7 channel minimum with

mixing capability, 6 channel
micro reciever and four micro
servos w/ minimum 19 oz-in
of torque

this kit immediately in new and unused condition to the
place of purchase.

To make a warranty claim send the defective part or item to
Hobby Services at the address below:

Hobby Services

3002 N. Apollo Dr. Suite 1

Champaign IL 61822 USA

Include a letter stating your name, return shipping address, as
much contact information as possible (daytime telephone
number, fax number, e-mail address), a detailed description of
the problem and a photocopy of the purchase receipt. Upon
receipt of the package the problem will be evaluated as quickly
as possible.

READ THROUGH THIS MANUAL BEFORE STARTING CONSTRUCTION. IT CONTAINS IMPORTANT

INSTRUCTIONS AND WARNINGS CONCERNING THE ASSEMBLY AND USE OF THIS MODEL.

Entire Contents © Copyright 2009

Champaign, Illinois

[phone], Ext 5

[e-mail]

GPMA1135 Mnl

TABLE of CONTENTS

modelers’ rights and interests and is required to fl y at most
R/C sites.

INTRODUCTION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

AMA. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

SAFETY PRECAUTIONS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

DECISIONS YOU MUST MAKE. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

Motor, Battery and ESC Recommendations . . . . . . . . 3

Propeller. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

Radio Equipment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

Adhesives and Building Supplies. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

IMPORTANT BUILDING NOTES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

KIT INSPECTION. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

ORDERING REPLACEMENT PARTS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

KIT CONTENTS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

ASSEMBLE THE FUSELAGE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

INSTALL THE MOTOR, BATTERIES AND ESC. . . . . . . . . 7

INSTALL THE SERV OS,

PUSHRODS AND CONTROL HORNS . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

INSTALL THE BRACING WIRES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

GET THE MODEL READY TO FLY. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

Mixing Set Up. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

Set the Control Throws. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

Install the Propeller . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

Balance the Model (C.G.). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

PREFLIGHT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

Identify Your Model. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

Charge the Batteries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

Balance Propellers. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

Ground Check and Range Check . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

AMA SAFETY CODE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

GENERAL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

RADIO CONTROL. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

CHECK LIST . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

FLYING. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

Trimming the Model . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

Takeoff . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

Transition to Forward Flight . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

Flight . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

Landing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

INTRODUCTION

Academy of Model Aeronautics Tele. [phone]
5151 East Memorial Drive Fax [phone]
Muncie, IN 47302-9252

Or via the Internet at:

http://www.modelaircraft.org

IMPORTANT!!!

Two of the most important things you can do to preserve the
radio controlled aircraft hobby are to avoid fl ying near full­scale aircraft and avoid fl ying near or over groups of people.

FOLLOW THESE

IMPORTANT SAFETY PRECAUTIONS

PROTECT YOUR MODEL, YOURSELF & OTHERS…

1. Your VFO Pogo should not be considered a toy, but rather
a sophisticated, working model that functions very much like
a full-size airplane. Because of its performance capabilities,
the VFO P ogo, if not assemb led and operated correctly , could
possibly cause injury to yourself or spectators and damage
to property.

2. Y ou must assemble the model according to the instructions.
Do not alter or modify the model, as doing so may result in an
unsafe or unfl yable model. In a few cases the instructions may
differ slightly from the photos. In those instances the written
instructions should be considered as correct.

3. You must take time to build straight, true and strong.

4. Y ou must use an R/C radio system that is in good condition,
a correctly sized engine, and other components as specifi ed
in this instruction manual. All components must be correctly
installed so that the model operates correctly on the ground
and in the air. You must check the operation of the model and
all components before every fl ight.

The VFO Pogo is one of the most interesting airplanes
you may ever fl y. Though it may look challenging, a pilot
with intermediate fl ying skills can master this airplane with
a little practice. For the latest technical updates or manual
corrections to the VFO P ogo visit the Great Planes web site at
www.g reatplanes.com. Open the “Airplanes” link, then select
the VFO Pogo ARF. If there is new technical information or
changes to this model a “tech notice” box will appear in the
upper left corner of the page.

AMA – Academy of Model Aeronautics

If you are not already a member of the AMA, please join!
The AMA is the governing body of model aviation and
membership provides liability insurance coverage, protects

5. If you are not an experienced pilot or have not fl own
this type of model before, we recommend that you get the
assistance of an experienced pilot in your R/C club for
your fi rst fl ights. If you’re not a member of a club, your local
hobby shop has information about clubs in your area whose
membership includes experienced pilots.

We, as the kit manuf acturer, provide you with a top quality,
thoroughly tested kit and instructions, but ultimately the
quality and fl yability of your fi nished model depends
on how you build it; therefore, we cannot in any way
guarantee the performance of your completed model,
and no representations are expressed or implied as to the
performance or safety of your completed model.

2

Remember: Take your time and follow the instructions to
end up with a well-built model that is straight and true.

Adhesives and Building Supplies

DECISIONS YOU MUST MAKE

This is a list of items required to fi nish the VFO Pogo that
may require planning or decision making before starting to
build. Order numbers are provided in parentheses.

Motor, Battery and

ESC Recommendations

Motor

• The RimFire 300 (GPMG4505) motor provides plenty

of power and good fl ight times. You will also require a
12 amp ESC.

Batteries

• Great Planes LiPo 11.1V 300mAh 20C Competition

BP Series (GPMP0701)

• Great Planes ElectriFly LiPo 11.1V 640mAh 15C BP

Series (GPMP0705)

ESC

• The ElectriFly SS 12 (GPMM1810) is the perfect

complement to the RimFire 300 motor.

This is the list of hardware and accessories required to fi nish
the Pogo.

• 1 oz. [30g] Pro

™

CA Foam Safe CA+Medium glue

• 2 oz. [57g] spray CA activator (GPMR6035)

• #1 Hobby knife (HCAR0105)

• #11 blades (5-pack, HCAR0211)

IMPORTANT BUILDING NOTES

• When you see the term test fi t in the instructions, it means

that you should fi rst position the part on the assembly
without using any glue, then slightly modify or custom fi t
the part as necessary for the best fi t.

• Whenever the term glue is written you should rely upon

your experience to decide what type of glue to use. When
a specifi c type of adhesive works best for that step, the
instructions will make a recommendation.

• Photos and sketches are placed before the step they

refer to . F requently you can study photos in f ollowing steps
to get another view of the same parts.

Propeller

• We tried a few different props and had the best

performance with the APC 9 x 4.7 (APCQ5010).

Radio Equipment

Though the VFO Pogo is basically a four channel airplane,
it does require mixing capabilities that you will not fi nd on
most four channel radios. For that reason you need a six or
seven channel radio with electronic mixes, or the use of “Y”
connectors to link the two rudder halves and elev ator halv es.
The choice of radio is dependent on the brand of radio you
use and its capabilities. The Futaba® 7C (FUTJ66**) seven
channel radio system is the minimum radio requirement
within the Futaba line of radios. Other brands may offer you
the required mixes in a six channel radio.

With a radio with electronic mixes, you will mix the ailerons
and rudder and the ailerons and one additional channel to
make the control surfaces work together as four ailerons.
You will also need a third mix to mix the rudder and one
additional channel to allow the two rudder control surfaces
to move together.

KIT INSPECTION

Before starting to build, take an inventory of this kit to make
sure it is complete, and inspect the parts to make sure they
are of acceptable quality . If any parts are missing or are not of
acceptable quality, or if you need assistance with assembly,
contact Product Support. When reporting defective or
missing parts, use the part names exactly as they are written
in the Kit Contents list.

Great Planes Product Support

3002 N Apollo Drive, Suite 1 Ph: [phone], ext. 5
Champaign, IL 61822 Fax: [phone]

E-mail: [e-mail]

ORDERING REPLACEMENT PARTS

Missing parts may be ordered directly from Hobby
Services by calling [phone], or via facsimile at
[phone].

• Four Micro servos with at least 19 oz-in of torque –

Futaba S3114

• 6 channel micro servo. R606FS 6 channel 2.4GHz

(FUTL7635) R146IP 72MHz (FUTL0601)

If additional assistance is required for any reason contact
Product Support by e-mail at productsupport@greatplanes.
com, or by telephone at [phone].

3

KIT CONTENTS

5

5

1

3

5

5

1. Fuselage Top

2. Fuselage Bottom

3. Left Wing

4. Right Wing

4

2

6

7

5. Pods

6. Doubler Sheet (white)

7. Doubler Sheet (black)

ASSEMBLE the FUSELAGE

IMPORTANT! Throughout the building process you will be
instructed to glue parts together with CA glue. You must use
“Foam Safe” CA glue. If you choose to use a CA activator it
too must be “Foam Safe”.

Remove the long triangles from the foam sheet.

❏ 1.

Locate one of the plywood control horns. Slide the

❏ 2.

horn into each of the slots in the triangle pieces to open the
slot to fi t the horn.

4

Each of the control surfaces comes pre-taped. The

❏ 3.

tape partially covers the slot in the control surface. Use a
hobby knife to cut the tape that covers the slot.

Remove the small triangles from the foam sheet.

❏ 5.

Glue the triangles in place onto both sides of each

❏ 4.

control surface. Be sure the slots in the triangles align with
the slot in each control surface.

Glue a triangle onto each side of each of the four

❏ 6.

fuselage parts. The triangle is glued to the trailing edge of
the fuselage side where shown.

5