The following pictures and captions will show radio gear placement in the Sniper series. The basic layout and procedures can be used with most all of our fomie planes.
The
first thing to do is set the aircraft on the balance point then
lay out the radio gear in such a way as to preserve the desired
balance. In this case I knew where I wanted the servos to be, so
the receiver and battery were used to achieve balance.
After
the gear is where you want it, trace around the components and
use a knife to cut the pockets into the foam. I use razor blades,
X-Acto knifes, snap blades, and a regular pocket knife to make
the pockets. You can use whatever you like but make sure it is
sharp! Always cut the pockets so the battery and servos are SNUG
not loose. The receiver should have more freedom incase you need
to remove it.
Here
is the completed radio installation. The servos are recessed into
the foam so that the shaft protrudes just far enough that the
servo arm will work. The servos are installed with a small dab of
silicone seal. I put some on each side of the pocket just before
sliding the servo in place. This will hold the servos in place
and will allow them to be removed without a lot of trouble. Do
not get silicone on the surface of the fuselage if you intend to
stick tape to it!! Tape is now placed over the battery, receiver,
and servos, then the control horns are installed and hooked to
the servos. Usually the balance point will be very close. If you
need to add weight, try taping it to the bottom and moving it to
and fro until the desired flight characteristics are achieved.
Then dig a small hole at the location and bury the weight in it
and tape over it. My Super Sniper flew very well indeed using no
ballast and with the balance point at 3 3/8 inch from the leading
edge. It handled well and was very aerobatic. I believe it was
very nearly the maximum rearward point but this setting allowed
me to zoom out, pull back and go straight up for a kill from
underneath my opponent.
This
is a regular Sniper that has been modified. the leading and
trailing edges of the wing have been tapered and the wing and
elevator tips are swept. The fuselage has been smoothed and
rounded. I don't think that it flew any better than the standard
construction but it sure looked slick and it handled great. The
great thing about foam is the ease with which it can be shaped
and modified. So get out the sanding boards and make it
different.
This
is the same plane with the radio gear installed. Note the servo
placement. These are full sized servos and radio. The battery was
about half size of the normal AA cell pack so I had to move the
elevator servo forward as far as possible to balance the craft. A
mini servo or bigger battery would have placed the elevator servo
farther back, which would have been better. I try to stay away
from the center of the wing when mounting a servo as it will
greatly weaken the wing. This plane flew great in light winds of
about 15 mph and really took off in 30+ slope wind. I found that
a three ounce weight added to the bottom really made a rocket out
of it. Total flying weight ended up at 22 oz. including the 3oz
ballast. With the tapered wing the CG ended up at about 3.75
inches from the leading edge.
We will have more construction procedures as new planes become available.