The evolution of the modern Pattern plane as seen here. The Triumph(above left), first seen in 1997, was one of the first full composite aerobatic models for Pattern competition, and preceded the Europaby several generations. In 2002, the Triumph evolved into the first generation Europa (above center) with a new wing design and much larger volume fuselage. The second generation of the Europa(above right) again included an increase in fuselage volume and a telling shift forward in the canopy (greater knife edge authority) and cleaner
cooling inlets. Further refinements in the fuselage and wing resulted in the Europa Pro (below left) in 2010. The previously used laminate of fiberglass/ balsa/fiberglass changed out the balsa for airex foam yielding lighter weight and greater strength. Yes, this is a “basic” modern Pattern kit (below right), and in the case of the Europa Pro LTfrom RC-Composit, wings and stabs have been mounted and aligned, the removable rudder and landing gear have been pre-installed.
two elevator servos are used, they are also mounted on ribs inside the stabs, and must be specified at the time of the kit order (us- ing a single elevator servo with pushrod is also an option). Most of the full composite kits are painted
in the mold, and may be offered in multiple patterns with multiple color options. The Eu- ropa Pro LT is available at several comple- tion levels ranging from a basic “white series” (900 Euro) to a “custom series” (1700 Euro). The white series does not include any hard- ware but the wings and stabs are jig-aligned with “live” top skin hinges with hinge gap seals. The removable rudder is pre-installed, as are the composite landing gear. The mid- level “painted in mold series” includes a com- prehensive hardware package and is fully painted in one of two standard schemes (cus- tomer’s choice of colors) and the cowl and canopy are mounted. The “custom series” has all mold seams filled/sanded smooth with a clear-coated custom airbrush scheme applied outside the mold. Additional information on the kit options for the Europa Pro LT is avail- able at:
http://www.rc-composit.com/. For the purposes of a review model for
A step above the basic kit, this is the standard paint scheme completed in the mold by RC-Composit. FLYING MODELS
Project Pattern Redux, Algis prepared Yuri to accept JR9411 servos for the ailerons and JR3517 servos for the elevators (mounted in the stabs) and painted in the mold a varia- tion of my traditional scheme/colors. The ba- sic construction process involves the layup and vacuum cure of composite materials in female mold halves, the addition of internal structures, and finally the mating of the halves to produce the final part(s). Next month, we will delve into the details of the manufacturing process with lots of pictures, as in this instance they much more easily convey the process than words.
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