The unpacked U-Can-Do SF reveals a low parts count and a great deal of prefabrication (above left). The MonoKote trim scheme is very striking and easily seen once in the air. Accessories for the author’s SF (above right)
Getting started
I couldn’t wait to tear into the towering box once it appeared at my door, so I got right to work. The parts inventory is rather small and the level of pre-fabrication is high. Right away the bright, contrasting Mono - Kote color scheme caught my eye. The beau- tiful metallic blue really complements the bright yellow. The SF’s physical dimensions fall between the older .46 and .60 size ver- sions, with the huge one-piece wing span- ning 59 inches.
While unpacking all of the components, their strength and super light weight really became evident. The covering on my model was rather wrinkled, which was not a sur- prise due to the frigid weather at the time. Using a combination of my heat gun and my iron, I carefully got all of the covering drum tight.
Assembly begins in the standard fashion with the installation of the dual aileron ser- vos. Since the U-Can-Do SF is a large aero- batic model with large surfaces, strong ser- vos are required. I was provided with Futaba S3152s. These standard-size digital servos offer 87 oz-in of torque on 6 volts. 12-inch ex- tensions are fitted to each aileron servo. A string comes temporarily secured inside the wing to aid in snaking the extensions. Both massive ailerons come with the hinges pre-glued, so we can jump right to in-
include an O.S. 65AX, 13x6 APC prop, Futaba S3152 servos, R617SF receiver and servo extensions. An additional Futaba S3004 (not shown) is needed for the throttle.
stalling the control horns and pushrods. The large horns screw into hardwood blocks in the ailerons, so no backing plates are re- quired. To beef up the already heavy duty pushrods, carbon fiber tube is provided to slip over the rods. It comes cut to length, so all that is required is a small bit of epoxy to hold it in place. The assembled rods can then be bent and fitted with nylon quick links. Two large nylon wing dowels are next epoxied into the pre-drilled holes in the leading edge. The last step is to fit the balsa belly pan. After bolting the wing to the fuse, the belly pan is positioned and its position marked with a felt pen. The covering be- tween these marks is then removed to allow for a wood-to-wood glue joint. The belly pan on my U-Can-Do SF did require some minor trimming to better fit between the front and rear portions of the fuse. Some more epoxy secures the belly pan in place.
Fitting the horizontal stab comes next. Al- though the manual instructs you to remove the center area of covering, this was already done on my model. Using the main wing for alignment, position the stab and glue it into place. I opted for thin CA here instead of epoxy. No sanding was necessary. Next up, the elevator halves are hinged. Some care must be taken so that the hinge gap isn’t too tight, which would lead to di- minished throw—not good on a 3D model. Fi-
nally, the tailwheel is installed into the pre- hinged rudder/stab assembly with epoxy, which is then itself secured to the fuselage. The U-Can-Do SF utilizes three servos for the elevators and rudder which surface mount in the rear of the fuse. 24-inch servo extensions on all three are snaked through the fuse, followed by the mounting of the servos. Standard nylon control horns are in- stalled on all surfaces, followed by the pushrods. Like on the ailerons, more carbon fiber tube stiffens all three rods. Moving up the fuselage, the main gear is assembled and then bolted into place. The paint work on the wheel pants is brilliant, and they simply bolt into place. No cutting or grinding is required; the axles even come with flat spots on them!
Power up
Regardless of what power plant you plan on putting on the SF, Great Planes has you covered. If going electric, a pre-assembled motor box, ESC and battery tray are includ- ed. If you are going glow like I did, you will appreciate the glass-filled nylon mount that is included, as well as an assembly to aid in aligning the cowl.
To begin, drill the holes in the pre-marked firewall to accept blind nuts. Depending on your glow motor choice, (2- or 4-stroke, for instance) you can orient it in several differ-
A completed servo installation is shown here (above left). Note the carbon fiber tube reinforcing the pushrod. The balsa belly pan is fitted after removing
FLYING MODELS
the covering on the center of the wing in the gluing area (above right). Some minor cutting and sanding was required here.
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