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Assembly manual
Intended for use by intermediate fliers.
Some build experience is required.
Specifications:
Meterial: Plywood and film covered balsa.
Wingspan: 920MM.
Length: 830MM
Flying weight: 800-900g
Motor: 2830-3600kV (Included)
EDF: 68mm (Included)
ESC: 40A (Required)
Servo: 5x9g (Required – MG90S is recommended)
Battery: 2200 mah 3S (Required)
Radio system: 4+ channel (Required)
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Included in the box:
Parts included in your kit:
! Fuselage and canopy
! Main wings x2
! Horizontal stab
! Rudder
! EDF and motor (not shown)
! Motor mount add-ons x2
! Landing gear (wheels and
struts)
! Pushrods x5
! Long and short CF rod/pins
! Additional hardware (screws,
clevises, horns etc.)
! Fiberglass fin
Equipment required (not included):
! 4+ channel radio and receiver
! 5x9g servos
! 30-50A ESC
! Battery (2200mah 3S1P is
recommended)
! Strong epoxy (15-30 min) and
strong CA glue
! Velcro
! 30cm servo extension wires x2
! 2mm drill bit
! Small screwdrivers and Allen
(hex) keys
! Craft knife
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Step 1: Main wing preparation
Glue the ailerons and aileron hinges in
place. To do so, use medium viscosity CA
glue to glue the hinges in the main wings
such that half of each hinge remains
exposed. Place a drop of CA on the tip of
each hinge and slide the ailerons in place.
Ensure that the aileron moves freely.
Repeat for both sides.
Remove the covering film over the servo
bay on the underside of the wing if not
already done so.
Step 2: Main wing servo and pushrod installation
Take a 9g servo, centre it using your radio
and attach a servo horn in the correct
position. Cut away the covering film from
the slot for the servo arm.
Attach the servo to the underside of the
servo bay covers either by gluing the servo
directly in place or by gluing small wooden
blocks in the appropriate locations with CA
glue and screwing the servo to these. Do
not forget to drill 1.5mm pilot holes into the
wooden blocks before screwing into them.
Attach 30cm servo extension leads to the
servo and route these through the main
wings to the exit provided. Attach control
horns to the ailerons on the underside of
the wing using small woodscrews as
shown to the right. Complete the pushrod
and linkage assembly and secure the
servo and cover to the main wing with a
woodscrew in each corner.
Remove covering
film here if not
already done
Glue aileron
hinges in
place
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Step 3: Tail assembly and pushrod install
The rudder pushrod is run through the
fuselage to the rudder, while the elevator
pushrod is run through a flexible plastic
sleeve to the top of the vertical stab.
Begin by securing the rudder and hinges
to the vertical stab and the elevator and
hinges to the horizontal stab using the
same procedure as before. Next, install
the rudder servo, pushrod and control
horn. You will have to punch a small hole
in the covering film to allow the rudder
pushrod to pass through. Attach a plastic
control horn to the z bend of the rudder
control horn (the second longest pushrod
supplied in your kit) and slide it into
place as depicted in the uppermost
image to the right. Secure the control
horn to the rudder.
Next, route the elevator pushrod through
its plastic sleeve from the top of the
vertical stab through to the fuselage.
Glue the horizontal stab in place as
shown using 30 minute epoxy. Allow to
fully cure before continuing. Note that
this joint is keyed by design in order to
maximize bond strength. You will need to
cut a small amount of covering film away
from the horizontal stab in the relevant
locations, referring to the images
provided.
Glue the wooden piece seen in the third
image to the right in place. Also add a
control horn to the elevator as per this
image and set up the linkage in the
correct manner. Finally, trim the
fiberglass fin to the correct size and glue
to the tail as per the final image to the
right.
Secure in position using two wood
screws thread-locked with a drop
of CA each. Note that this image
shows the RHS of the aircraft.
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Step 4: Rudder and elevator servo install
Installing these servos is relatively
straightforward as depicted in the image
to the right. Simply attach both servos in
place as shown using two woodscrews
each. Note that higher torque servos are
required here (MG90S will suffice). Drill
2mm pilot holes before securing. Attach
each pushrod to the appropriate servo
horn using a small metal clevis and
secure with a hex screw. After you have
confirmed the correct operation of each
servo and control surface, trim the
excess length off each pushrod.
Step 5: Main landing gear install
The main landing gear struts are
glued/screwed directly to the underside
of the main wings. Locate the reinforced
area in which these sit and cut a small
grove in the plywood into which the strut
will sit using a craft knife. Drill a 3mm
hole at the end of the grove closest to
the fuselage at 10mm depth. Secure the
strut in place with 30-minute epoxy and a
plastic strap. Finally, add a wheel and a
collar to the strut. Repeat for both sides.
Step 6: Nose landing gear install
Begin by assembling the nose landing
gear strut, wheel and collars as per the
image to the right.
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Next, glue the wooden piece shown in
the image to the right in place. Use
strong CA glue or epoxy to secure.
Install the nose landing gear strut in
position.
Secure with the included control arm and
hex screw. Attach a pushrod and metal
clevis.
Install the nose landing gear servo in the
provided servo mount. Make sure to
mount the servo as far away from the
centerline of the fuselage as possible to
avoid the pushrod interfering with the
battery pack.
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Step 7: EDF install
The position of the EDF in the DragonFly is
unique and makes your aircraft quite
efficient for an EDF model. To begin the EDF
install, assemble your motor and fan unit in
the usual manner. Make sure that the collet
is fully secure on the motor shaft and that
the rotor runs true and balanced. Also route
the motor wires through the side of the EDF
unit as depicted. You will need to drill a 67mm hole in the wall of the EDF housing to
accomplish this. Once you have fed the
three motor wires through this hole, solder a
male bullet onto each.
Secure the EDF unit to the fuselage using
four short wood screws. For added
efficiency, add the EDF inlet shroud should
be glued in place using a few drops of CA
glue.
Next, attach the plywood motor mounts
using strong CA glue or epoxy as shown.
Remove a portion of the fuselage as
depicted on the right to allow passage of the
ESC/motor wires. Connect your ESC and
ensure that your fan rotates in the correct
direction. Tidy up the cables, perhaps using
small cable ties.
Add EDF
shroud
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Step 8: Main wing installation
First, add the small CF locator pins and
eyehooks to the main wings. Use CA
glue to secure the locator pins in place.
Remove the covering film from the
fuselage in the following locations.
Slide the large CF rod into one of the
main wings and slide that wing in place
onto the fuselage. Slide on the other
main wing and secure one to the other
using the rubber o-ring as shown. You
may need to adjust the eyelets to
achieve the correct tension in the rubber
band.
Locator
pin
Eyehook
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Step 9: Finishing touches, CG and throws
Install your electronics in the usual
manner. If you have a 4 channel radio
you will need to install 2 servo Yharnesses to combine the two aileron
servos and the rudder and nose wheel
servos.
The location for the CG is shown to the
right. Adjust the location of the battery
such that the CG lies between 53 and
58mm behind the leading edge of the
main wings, as measured at the
fuselage.
The control throws should be +/- 6mm for
the ailerons and elevators and +/- 10mm
for the rudder. If you are using dual
rates, add and subtract 1.5mm on these
values for high and low rates
respectively.
Important:
! Pre-flight adjustment and trimming must be done before flying. Check that all
linkages, nuts, servo horns, linkage nuts and screws are tightened.
! Ensure the flying field is spacious and safe to fly. Bench test the electronic power
system on load for 1 minute.
! Check all electronic equipment. Range-check the radio equipment. Test all control
surface are moving in their assigned directions before each flight.
! Check the battery voltage before use, even the batteries are recently charged.
! After the first flight, it is prudent to check the CG for all subsequent flights.
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