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Model Aero Polaris Polar XL


Get on the lake quickly this Summer with this great flying sport plane!


By Jim Vigani AT A GLANCE PHOTOGRAPHY: JIM VIGANI & TOM KERN O 54


ver the years, I have designed and built a throng of foam air- planes, but I never built one that flew off water. So, when the offer


to build the Polaris XL came my way, it was a no brainer; my answer was an immediate “Yes.” The Polaris is a Steve Schumate design based on the Northstar seaplane originally designed by Laddie Mikulasko. The design is very popular, with proven performance. Model Aero offers three sizes in the Polaris kit series: the original Polaris Parkflyer, the Polaris XL, and the Mini Polaris. With a 38.5-inch wing span, the Polaris XL is the largest of the series. Aero Model also now of- fers a 34-inch wing span version as a molded foam ARF. All of the Polaris kit built designs use De-


pron® foam, a closed cell polystyrene sheet, as the main material of construction. The design is well thought out and construction is similar throughout the series. The foam parts for the XL kit were laser cut exclusive-


ly from 6 mm thick Depron® sheets. Strate- gically placed carbon fiber and plywood were used as reinforcement in high stress areas. The laser cutting was first rate with accu- rately fitting parts. I found very little trim- ming necessary to get the parts to fit. While not a difficult build, I would not rec- ommend this kit for the first time builder. While the instruction manual was sufficient, it certainly seemed to assume the builder had at least a moderate degree of building experience. There were nuances to the build that required forethought and proper se- quencing. These were mostly related to the need to install, test, and adjust the wiring and servos as the airframe build progressed, rather than after the airframe was complete. This kept all those components hidden and in watertight compartments. However, any later adjustments meant cutting back into the airframe. You can’t just build this airframe and install the wiring and control components later. That being said, I am very pleased with how mine turned out.


Type: R/C sport amphibious delta wing Construction: Wing span: Wing area: Airfoil: Length: Weight:


Depron® foam 38.5 inches 606 sq. in. flat


53 inches


Wing loading: Motor:


(as tested) 30.5 ounces 7.3 oz./sq.ft.


Spin Max BL28 10-9 1350 Kv


ESC:Castle Creation Thunderbird 36-amp Battery: Prop:


3S 2600 mAh Li-Po APC 8–6E


Radio: Spektrum AR6200 2.4 GHz Rx Servos:


Manufacturer:


9-gram micro (3) Model Aero


Napoleon, OH 43545 419-966-2230


www.modelaero.com MAY 2013


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