Great Planes GPMA6020 User Manual

Wingspan: 38.5 in [980 mm]

2

Wing Area: 241 in

Wing Loading: 16.7−19.1 oz/ ft

Length: 27 in [685 mm]

[15.5 dm2]

2

[51−58 g/dm2]

Weight: 1.75 − 2 l b

Radio: 4-channel

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

INSTRUCTION

MANUAL

SPECIFICATIONS

Motor: Included

[790 −910 g]

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 © 2011 Hobbico,® Inc. All rights reserved.

Champaign, Illinois

[phone], Ext 5

[e-mail]

GPMA6020 v1.1

TABLE OF CONTENTS

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

Academy of Model Aeronautics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

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

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

Recommended Batteries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

Radio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

Recommended Charger . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

Optional Replacement Prop. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

ADDITIONAL ITEMS REQUIRED. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

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

Optional Supplies and Tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

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

ORDERING REPLACEMENT PARTS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

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

HORIZONTAL STABILIZER INSTALLATION . . . . . . . . . 5

INSTALL THE MAIN LANDING GEAR. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

RADIO SETUP. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

INSTALLATION OF THE FLYING WIRES . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

INTRODUCTION

Originally built by the Granville Brothers Aircraft of Springfi eld,

Massachusetts in 1932, the Gee Bee R1 won the Thompson

Trophy race that same year. It also set a new landplane world

speed record of 296mph (476 km/h) in the Shell Speed Dash.
But, the Gee Bee R1 quickly gained a reputation for being

diffi cult to fl y and dangerous. The Great Planes Gee Bee
EP Rx-R has been designed to eliminate the dangerous
fl ight characteristics, creating an easy to fl y, great looking,

sport plane.

For the latest technical updates or manual corrections to the
Gee Bee EP Rx-R visit the Great Planes web site at www.

greatplanes.com. Open the “Airplanes” link, then select the
Gee Bee EP Rx-R. 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.

BALANCE THE MODEL (C.G.) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

Balance the Model Laterally . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

PREFLIGHT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

Identify Your Model . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

Charge the Batteries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

Balance Propellers. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

Ground Check and Range Check . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

MOTOR & BATTERY SAFETY PRECAUTIONS . . . . . . 12

LITHIUM BATTERY HANDLING & USAGE . . . . . . . . . . 12

AMA SAFETY CODE EXCERPTS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

General . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

Radio Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

CHECK LIST . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

FLYING. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

Takeoff . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

Flight . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

Landing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

SAFETY PRECAUTIONS

Protect Your Model, Yourself & Others…

Follow These Important Safety Precautions

1. Your Gee Bee EP Rx-R 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 Gee Bee Rx-R, if not assembled and operated
correctly, could possibly cause injury to yourself or spectators
and damage to property.

2. You 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.

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

Academy of Model Aeronautics

5151 East Memorial Drive
Muncie, IN 47302-9252

Tele. [phone]

Fax [phone]

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 full-scale aircraft and avoid fl ying near or over

groups of people.

4. You must use an R/C radio system that is in good condition
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.

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.

6. While this kit has been fl ight tested to exceed normal
use, if the plane will be used for extremely high stress fl ying,
such as racing, or if a motor is used that is stronger than the
one included, the modeler is responsible for taking steps to
reinforce the high stress points and/or substituting hardware
more suitable for the increased stress.

2

We, as the kit manufacturer, 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.

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

The ElectriFly Equinox™ is a cell balancer that may be used

with any LiPo charger and is capable of maintaining the cell
balance of the battery pack. Note: the AC/DC Triton2 EQ does
not require a cell balancer.

❍ Great Planes ElectriFly Equinox LiPo Cell Balancer

(GPMM3160)

Optional Replacement Prop

❍ APC 10 7 Thin Electric Propeller (APCQ4123)

DECISIONS YOU MUST MAKE

This is a partial list of items required to fi nish the Gee Bee

EP Rx-R that may require planning or decision making before

starting to build. Order numbers are provided in parentheses.

Recommended Batteries

A 2200mAh 11.1V LiPo battery pack is recommended.

❍ Great Planes ElectriFly® LiPo 11.1V 2200mAh 25C

(GPMP0520)

OR

❍ FlightPower® EON-X™ 30 LiPo 11.1V 2200mAh 30C

(FPWP6198)

Radio

The Gee Bee EP Rx-R requires a 4-channel transmitter and

receiver.

Recommended Charger

ADDITIONAL ITEMS REQUIRED

Adhesives and Building Supplies

This is the list of Adhesives and Building Supplies that are

required to fi nish the Gee Bee EP Rx-R.

❍ Phillips Head Screw Driver
❍ Flat Blade Screw Driver
❍ Crescent Wrench
❍ Great Planes Pro CA+ Medium (GPMR6007)
❍ Great Planes CA Activator Foam Safe 2oz. Pump

(GPMR6035)

Optional Supplies and Tools

Here is a list of optional tools mentioned in the manual that
will help you build the Gee Bee EP Rx-R.

❍ CG Machine (GPMR2400)

● Photos and sketches are placed before the step they refer

to. Frequently you can study photos in following steps to
get another view of the same parts.

A LiPo compatible charger is required to charge LiPo batteries.

The Great Planes ElectriFly PolyCharge4™ is designed for

LiPo battery packs only; however, it is able to charge four LiPo
battery packs simultaneously. The ElectriFly Triton2™ and the

AC/DC Triton2 EQ chargers will only charge one pack at a

time, but are capable of charging NiCd, NiMH, Pb acid and
LiPo batteries.

❍ Great Planes PolyCharge4 DC-Only 4 Output LiPo

Charger (GPMM3015)

OR

❍ Great Planes ElectriFly Triton2 DC Computer Peak

Charger (GPMM3153)

OR

❍ Great Planes AC/DC Triton2 EQ Charger/Balancer

(GPMM3156)

Thoughout the life of a LiPo battery, the individual cells located

inside the battery pack may become unbalanced. These
unbalanced cells can shorten the life of the battery or cause
it to malfunction. For this reason, it is always recommended
that a cell balancer be used when charging LiPo batteries.

● The stabilizer and wing incidences and motor thrust angles

have been factory-built into this model. However, some
technically-minded modelers may wish to check these
measurements anyway. To view this information visit the web
site at www.greatplanes.com and click on “Technical Data.”
Due to manufacturing tolerances which will have little or no
effect on the way your model will fl y, please expect slight
deviations between your model and the published values.

KIT INSPECTION

Before starting to build, 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 manual.

Great Planes Product Support

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

E-mail: [e-mail]

3

ORDERING REPLACEMENT PARTS

Replacement parts for the Great Planes Gee Bee EP Rx-R

are available using the order numbers in the Replacement
Parts List that follows. The fastest, most economical service
can be provided by your hobby dealer or mail-order company.

To locate a hobby dealer, visit the Great Planes web site at

www.greatplanes.com. Select “Where to Buy” in the menu

across the top of the page and follow the instructions provided
to locate a U.S., Canadian or International dealer.

Parts may also be ordered directly from Hobby Services by

calling [phone], or via facsimile at [phone], but
full retail prices and shipping and handling charges will apply.

Illinois and Nevada residents will also be charged sales tax. If

ordering via fax, include a Visa® or MasterCard® number and
expiration date for payment.

Mail parts orders Hobby Services
and payments by 3002 N Apollo Drive, Suite 1
personal check to: Champaign IL 61822

Be certain to specify the order number exactly as listed in the
Replacement Parts List. Payment by credit card or personal
check only; no C.O.D.

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

REPLACEMENT PARTS LIST

Order No. Description

GPMA3170

GPMA3171

GPMA3172

GPMA3173

GPMA3174

GPMA3175

GPMA3176

GPMA3177

GPMA3178

GPMA3179

GPMM1830

GPMG2005

GPMM5500

Fuselage

Wing

Tail Set

Cowl

Wheelpants

Landing Gear Set

Spinner Hub

Propeller

Hatch

Wing Bolt 2 pcs.

GP Silver Series 35A Brushless ESC 5V/2A BEC

Brushless Motor 35mm 1000kV

Servo 9G Micro

KIT CONTENTS

1

2

5

7

6

4

3

8

1. Fuselage

2. Wing

3. Stabilizer

4. Main Landing Gear and Covers

5. Battery Strap

6. Flying Wire Retainer

4

9

7. Spreader Bar

8. Collet Type Prop Adapter

9. Propeller

HORIZONTAL STABILIZER INSTALLATION

IMPORTANT: To remove the battery hatch cover, pull straight
up on the knob at the aft end of the hatch cover. The magnets
hold the hatch on well. It does require some force to lift the
hatch.

3. Carefully insert the left stabilizer into the fuselage. Align

❏

the elevator joiner with the hole in the elevator. Center the
horizontal stabilizer in the fuselage.

1. Separate the two stabilizer halves by carefully pulling

❏

them apart.

2. Insert the right stabilizer half into the fuselage. Note that

❏

the bottom of the stabilizer keys into the slot in the bottom
of the opening.

4. Unclip the Faslink from the elevator pushrod. Insert the

❏

elevator pushrod in the middle hole of the elevator control
horn and reinstall the Faslink.

5. Attach a piece of double-sided tape to the back of your

❏

receiver. Remove the backing from the tape and attach the
receiver to the top of the battery tray.

6. Plug the rudder and elevator servos and the ESC into

❏

the receiver.

5