One of the plastic wing retention clips is being inserted into the fuselage wing root plate (above left). Both clips have been screwed in place (above right). The forward rectangular hole needed some trimming to allow the flap and the


aileron servo extensions to pass through.The plastic sheath (below left) on the flap music wire pushrod aft of the double spars can prevent full insertion of the wing. Note the angle of the servo arm (below right) on the flap servo.


they do, the click of the retaining clips is pretty reassuring.


All the pushrods for the control surfaces


use E-Z style connectors and the instruc- tions call for the use of medium threadlock, which means the set screws of the connec- tors need to be removed to apply the thread- lock. The manual shows the use of a magnet- ized screwdriver to retain the screw, and that works but it might also be useful to have a long hemostat and a long Phillips screwdriver handy because the servos are set in some pretty deep, tight places. Attaching the stab/elevator, and the fin/ rudder is simple. Both fit into pockets and a single screw through the bottom of the fuse- lage at the tail holds them in place. In a way this is a take apart aircraft since the tail group comes off pretty easily and the wings can also be taken off though it’s more easily accomplished as a 2-person operation.


By sea or by land


All of the flying shots were taken at the 2012 NEAT Fair with Danny Landis on the sticks. It was gorgeous Fall weather with brilliant sunshine, far from the gray winter


FLYING MODELS


day I flew the Beaver myself. While the im- pending blizzard, the frozen ground and cold may have foreshortened the flying opportu- nities, it was true Beaver weather and the model performed almost perfectly. The “airport” was a local field used for kids’ soccer and midget football. There was some residual snow, frozen grass clumps, and soccer nets and goal posts that suggest- ed the very same sort of environment the real Beavers dealt with all through the years: tight, unimproved strips. The c.g. was checked and with the 1800 mAh battery put the balance at about 21⁄2 inches, the back end of the c.g. range. Con- trol throw, set up according to the manual, was right on. Since this was the Tx-R ver- sion, Futaba’s new T8J transmitter got the responsibility for working the radio with the AnyLink module hooked to it.


Takeoff was a non-event, even over the lumpy ground, thanks to the more than ade- quate thrust from the motor. The 23⁄8-inch tires, while not exactly tundra tires, also con- tributed to the quick lift-off. Once at pattern altitude, the model showed it needed some right trim and a bit of down elevator. Once


dialed in the Beaver flew along steadily and replied to any control inputs quite nicely. To test the flaps I climbed a bit, and lev- eled off at about half throttle. With full flaps deployed the model pitched up but there was plenty of elevator authority to get the nose down and hold it level.


Loops? Don’t even need full throttle to do one. About three quarters is all that’s need- ed and the Beaver would probably do one even at half. Rolls? Well this isn’t an Extra 300, and those sorta high aspect ratio wings don’t offer anything near a spectacular roll rate. I did notice that when banking there was some adverse yaw so a little added rud- er input will coordinate the turns better. Best you’ll get out of the Beaver is a wallow- ing roll. Barrel rolls are the norm. Floats were first set up on the Beaver because I wanted to first test its water prowess. The on again/off again snow we had would have also suited the floats—only with the water rudders removed. But with it mostly gone and a deadline looming, it was back to the wheels. At NEAT Danny Landis showed that the Beaver is a real water rat when set up with the floats.


43


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