Just AircraftJust Aircraf Highlander
The characteristics of the full-size Highlander translate perfectly for your next electric scale model!
PHOTOGRAPHY: PAT TRITLE T
he Just Aircraft Highlander was de- signed by Troy Woodland, as a pur- pose-built Light Sport STOL air- craft designed to be used for light utility work, or just good old fashioned fun flying. The Highlander is kit-built and pow- ered by a number of different engines, in- cluding the Rotax 914. The numbers are im- pressive enough with the standard 914 engine, but the 115 hp turbo version of that engine makes for a spunky little airplane with a climb rate of nearly 1800 fpm main- taining 40 mph. The standard Highlander has a wing span of 31.5 feet, is 19 feet long and weighs in at 615 pounds empty. Gross weight is 1320 pounds, and cruises at 110 mph. Stall speed is rated 40 mph clean, and with full flaps will slow to 36 mph. This all translates into the makings of a great model.
The model
For a large sized park flyer intended to be flown in smaller venues it’s hard to beat a good short field light sport design, and in that vein, the Highlander is just about a per- fect place to start. As with its full scale coun- terpart, the model is built light and strong and performs beautifully with a low cost outrunner on two Li-Po cells. Set up for 5- channel control, the model can be flown in
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and out of tight spaces easily, and performs just like a STOL aircraft should. Construction is of balsa and lite ply, and will be a quick build for those with a little stick framing experience. To speed up and simplify the build, the wings are the egg crate style of construction. All of the flying surfaces are formed around straight lines, so you won’t even need to bow the outlines on this one. This will be a quick build. Power is provided by a low cost 450 class outrunner motor with a 20-amp ESC. The ESC really doesn’t need to be that big, but because six sub-micro servos were required, I wanted the smallest ESC available with a 3-amp BEC rating. Separate servos are used for each flap and aileron, and one each for the rudder and elevator. A 2200 mAh 2S Li- Po battery will allow for flight times near 40 minutes even when shooting lots of touch and goes.
To aid in transporting the rather large model, the wings are removable. The struts are pinned in place and are plugged into re- ceiver tubes at both ends for quick release, and the wing panels plug into aluminum re- ceiver tubes in the fuselage. The wings can be retained with small bits of tape, or mag- nets can be fitted into the root ribs. On the prototype I used colored vinyl trim that also doubles as the wing root fairings.
By Pat Tritle
AT A GLANCE Type:
Construction: Wing span: Wing area: Length: Weight:
Wing loading: Prop:
Motor: ESC:
Battery:
Transmitter: Receiver: Servos:
R/C electric scale balsa and ply 60 inches 440 sq. in. 37.5 inches 22.5 ounces 7.3 oz./sq.ft.
GWS 10–6 3-blade or APC 11–5.5E
Suppo 2217/9 outrunner 20-amp
2S 2200 mAh Li-Po Spektrum DX7
Spektrum AR-6000
(4) 6-gram sub-micro servos flaps and ailerons
(2) 8-gram sub-micro servos rudder and elevator
OCTOBER 2013
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