re-epoxied and allowed to cure. Then as I was putting the fin and rudder hinges in their respective slots prior to applying CA to them, I discovered that the slot had not been cut in the rear of the fuselage to accept the bottom hinge. That was quickly corrected with a modeling knife, and the task of as- sembling the tail was completed.
Installing the engine and radio My intention was to use a four-stroke Saito .72 as the powerplant for the plane, since I had used an identical engine in the first 4-Star 60 ARF I had several years ago. I was surprised to find that the pre-drilled motor mount holes in the firewall put the two-piece motor mounts too far apart to accommodate the Saito’s mounting lugs. Rather than mod- ify the motor mounts or make a custom plate to mount the Saito, I went to my engine cab- inet and selected a new O.S. .61 FX I had pur- chased some time ago and had never used. After breaking the engine in on my test stand, I mounted it with no difficulty and have since found that it is very close to the perfect engine for the new 4-Star 64 and my flying style.
Placing the tank in its cavernous bay in back of the firewall and securing it with the hook and loop straps provided, I was able to run the throttle pushrod to the outside of the motor mounts and the tank and curve it gen- tly to meet the throttle servo amidships in the plane. The tank is pre-plumbed with three lines, but since I ended up using the O.S. .62 FX and all filling fittings are within reach, I simply plugged the third line and now fill the tank through the carburetor line. The large magnetic hatch cover is an- other nice fuel filling feature of the plane. It is easy to determine whether it’s time to re- fuel or not by simply popping the top. I wanted to use the sleek fiberglass cowl on the front end, but after determining that I’d have to cut away entirely too much of it to fit over the engine cylinder and muffler, I set it aside and opted for the original fuse- lage shape. I did, however, cast several
mournful looks at it after I made that deci- sion. Electric flyers will really be pleased with the way it dresses up the front end. Radio installation was a breeze with plenty of room to install the required servos and receiver and tuck the battery neatly under (the fuselage is upside down during this operation) the servo tray. The elevator and rudder pushrods slid into place effort- lessly and required no bending or tweak- ing. The metal clevises, held in place with a locknut and kept closed with short lengths of fuel tubing, provide “belt and sus- penders” security against any mechanical control failure.
With the radio installed, all that remained was to epoxy the pilot figure in place in the cockpit, and to attach the canopy using Pacer Formula 560 Canopy Glue. I did drill a small “breather” hole in the cockpit floor in back of the pilot to keep the cockpit area from fogging up when exposed to heat and sun. I’m not sure why a military pilot figure was selected rather than one in civilian dress, but I com- fort myself that when the plane is 100 feet in the air you can’t tell what he is wearing.
Flying the 4-Star 64 EG This plane is the fourth model of the 4-
Star series I have had over the years, count- ing both kit-built and ARF versions, so I knew I was in for a treat. The model bal- anced on the main spar with no additional weight required, which is the recommended mid-point in the allowable c.g. range. Con- trol throws were set up according to the manual and they were checked to see that they were operating in the correct direction. That sounds rather elementary, but you would be surprised at the number of re- versed ailerons that show up on the flight line, even in the hands of experienced pilots. Don’t ask me how I know this.
With a radio range check performed, the bright red plane was ready for its maiden flight. Once again, in order to get flight pho- tos for this article, I employed the good serv- ices and steady hands of Paul Phillips, one of
our club’s best flyers, to do the honors while I manned the camera. The take-off was down the runway with just a bit of right rudder to keep it straight. In the air, a few clicks of “up” and a couple of clicks of aileron trim had it flying hands-off straight and level. Brought to the point of a stall, the plane mushes before finally dropping a wing tip slightly, and it doesn’t seem to have a prefer- ence as to which wing tip ultimately drops. With the throws on low rates, all maneuvers are slow and predictable. Loops are round and large with no need for rudder correction; rolls aren’t exactly axial, but are comfort- able; and inverted flight requires only a bit of forward pressure on the elevator to keep the plane level. Stall turns require quite a bit of rudder to kick the plane over.
Most pilots will want to use high rates for flying aerobatic maneuvers. While the plane is not a Pattern or 3D aircraft, it will per- form the usual inside and outside loops, rolls, knife edge flight, Immelmans, Cuban eights, and spins—in short, enough to satis- fy the sport pilot’s needs and abilities. The flying capabilities of the 4-Star line remain intact in this latest version.
Landing the plane is just fun. Although it still has the 4-Star tendency to float a bit, the clipped wing tips reduce that character- istic considerably. The best landings are three-point with just a little power on and the nose brought up slightly just before touchdown. My first landing was on the main gear, and as I applied up elevator to keep the tail down, I got to land the plane again a couple more times as it gradually bled off speed! In all, the new 4-Star 64 EG ARF is a de- lightful plane and worthy of being added to any flight stable—whether by a veteran pi- lot or one just weaned away from a high- wing trainer. Every flyer deserves to have the 4-Star experience, and Sig has extended that opportunity with this high quality ver- sion of one of its most enduring and popular designs—now once again in an ARF version to appeal to today’s flyers.
The pilot figure is a nice physical fit under the slimmed-down canopy (at left), but his military garb suggests he may have flown other airplanes. The cockpit dashboard decal was factory installed. The molded canopy fits nicely and is anchored in place with Pacer Canopy Glue. Those who prefer the original more bulbous canopy will be pleased to learn that it is available for this plane as an option from Sig. Three-quarter front view of the plane (above, at left) show the cleaned-up and sleek canopy area, the sheeted turtledeck and the finished look provided by the wheel pants. All of the decals are already in place on all surfaces and remain true to the color scheme that has marked the design series since its inception nearly 25 years ago. The new model (above) completes its maiden flight with a smooth three-point touchdown at the end of the runway. This new version maintains the easy flying capabilities that have marked the design since its inception. The improvements, including the slightly larger control surfaces, make it an even better flyer and even more attractive in the air.
FLYING MODELS 53
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68