Multiplex Pilatus PC-6
The Multiplex PC-6 features realistic landing gear with functioning spring suspension (at left) to absorb landing loads and smooth out rough fields. Note the attention to the door and rivet details as well as the clips that secure the lower ends of the struts. The tailwheel (above) features a realistic appearance and provides positive control while taxiing on grass and paved runways.
Balancing
peller and spinner. There are two small Phillips head screws that secured the spin- ner cone to the backplate. Removing these gives you access to the prop nut on the collet adapter. Before you tighten the propeller, confirm that you have the proper orientation against the backplate to allow mounting the spinner cone. The propeller may slip against the spinner backplate as you tighten the nut. I brought the nut up a little bit more than finger tight and then made a final ad- justment of the alignment before securing the propeller.
Don’t forget that the spinner screws are going into plastic when you are remounting the cone. I always spin screws backwards lightly until the threads click into registra- tion. This prevents cross threading and ulti- mately weakening the plastic. Also, these screws do not need to be very tight. Spin them down until you feel the head seat against the cone and then stop.
At this point, we just have one more step before you are ready to fly, installing the battery. The Multiplex PC-6 has a very long nose, dictated by the lightweight turbine en- gine in the prototype. I found that my model was only very slightly tail heavy with the re- ceiver pushed as far back as I could get it un- der the wing and no battery installed. Be- cause of this, I positioned the battery with its front edge even with the back of the hatch cutout.
Be careful as you install the hold down hook and loop material. Too much engage- ment can make battery removal a challenge. I probably only have about an inch of over- lap between the hook and loop strips when the battery is properly located.
Having this extra space in the nose is handy, however, if you later mount the op- tional floats on your PC-6. In this case you will want to bring the battery forward an inch or two to reestablish the proper balance
point. Be sure to carefully mark the under- side of the wing with an indelible marker as instructed so that you have an easy refer- ence to check the CG at the field. Speaking of which, if your batteries are charged, it is time to fly!
At the field
I was pleased to find that my Pilatus came in about an ounce lighter than the given weight. While it won’t make a noticeable dif- ference in the air, I do appreciate Multiplex’s honesty. Too many times the manufacturer’s listed weight is, at best, “optimistic.” The first thing I noticed while taxiing out for takeoff was how the landing gear functions. The scale-like tailwheel gave very positive con- trol while the springs in the main gear gave a realistic softness to the motion over the grass. Adding power for take off gave a rapid ac- celeration as the Turbo Porter all but leapt into the air and was willing to climb out as ag- gressively as I asked.
The elevator and rudder servos and pushrods (above left) are accessed through a belly hatch behind the cabin area. The large upper forward hatch
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(above right) allows easy access for battery changes. I used a Thunder Power 3S 2700mAh pack for all my testing.
JUNE 2014
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