General SSC Fat Bird building instructions

all our SSC kits have basically the same spec unless otherwise noted and will build exactly the same. Since the P51 was the first in our SSC series - that is what the building instructions are of. We will send pattern sheets along with each kit to show specific details of that kit. The neat thing about the concept is that they will be very close in flight characteristics and dimensions.

SSC class combat was designed to bring a slower more controllable style of combat to the masses. The great thing about this type of plane is that, in addition to combat, it will make a great aileron trainer, slope soaring plane, and electric or gas motorized glider of sorts. Ample wing area makes the wing loading very light for quick response and an almost un-sinkable quality to the flying characteristics. All our SSC kits are built the same so this instruction set will not be specific to any particular design.

Foamies make a very interesting type of project. They are quick to build and extremely durable. The basic premise behind this type of construction is to construct an airframe that will stand up to the rigors of combat flying yet handle good enough to allow the weekend fighter jock a plane that he won’t be afraid to try crazy stuff with. We have run these planes into the ground, buildings, trees, blackberries, fences, and other planes and still had a plane that, when dusted off and checked over, would still fly. It is a sad sight indeed when a balsa plane tangles with one of these foamies. The first thing to keep in mind is that these are functional planes, not beauty contest winners. They are designed for unfettered fun. Part of that functionality is the way they are built. Servos can be simply pocketed in anywhere on the fuselage where it is most convenient or hid inside the canopy for a cleaner look. The pushrods can be left hanging out or buried in the foam. Sometimes the simplest most direct methods are the easiest and best. We will outline how we build this plane. You are free to experiment and try other innovative ideas. If you come up with a good technique, let us know about it and we will post it on the web. Now go out and have a blast! 

Read this before you start building!   If you intend to combat with this plane, be safe and ALWAYS wear a helmet or hardhat and safety glasses!!

Kit Contents:

·                     1 piece fuselage

·                     2 tapered wing panels

·                     2-mil coroplast sheet with generic fuselage doublers

·                     4-mil coroplast horizontal stabilizer and vertical fin 

·                     5 - 3/16 square spruce spars, wing cutoffs make joiner spars, split one for fuselage spars

·                     1 roll colored packing tape

·                     Firewall wood

·                     Control horns and pushrod wire

·                     Instruction manual with patterns

The construction is very much the same as all of our foamie kits; however, we will take you from start to finish as if this is your first plane. First, it would be helpful to have a few basic tools handy.

·         Nylon reinforced filament tape 

·         Packing tape, either clear or colored. Most kits come with 1 roll included

·         5 min. epoxy

·         Razor blades and/or large snap blade knife

·         Silicone sealer or builders construction adhesive

·         Goop type glue (use only on taped up Styrofoam as it will melt plain styro)

·         Sanding board and loose sheets of sandpaper--50 grit for rough sanding and 100-150 grit for finish sanding

·         Various tools for gouging out the cavities for the radio gear. Try sharpening an old flat blade screwdriver to a chisel tip. Woodcarving tools, pocketknives or potato peelers work great too!

·         Flat table that you can cut against

·         Can of 3M-78 spray glue or something similar that will not melt the foam. (If 78 is not available, you can assemble the "war bird" by priming the foam with water based contact cement. We have used all brands and can supply small bottles of the one we found to work the best. See the “CONTACT CEMENT NOTE” below.)

CONTACT CEMENT NOTE: In every instance where 3M-78 spray glue is referenced, you can substitute water based brush-on contact cement that will not eat the foam. It is always recommended to prime all of the foam—wing and fuselage—with an adhesive prior to taping. Water-based adhesive, much like the 3M-78 spray glue, will not eat the foam but take a few minutes to dry enough to stick. In most cases, we prefer it to the spray because of the lack of overspray and fumes. We have performed tape-holding tests and found that the water-based adhesives actually held the tape tighter than the spray glue. Get several of the cheap, throwaway foam brushes to apply the adhesive and brush on a thin coat. These brushes can be trimmed to different shapes and sizes to get into small places. After the adhesive is applied, it is best to allow it to dry thoroughly. This usually takes a couple hours, but you can leave it to dry overnight if you want. You can also use it to stick the doublers on, but we found that a Monokote iron on the coroplast will help activate the glue and make it stick to the fuselage tightly. Don’t use too high of a setting and experiment on a scrap piece of coroplast before applying heat to the fuselage. We have found that the iron will also shrink out tape wrinkles and help bond the tape to the foam. It works especially well to glue the tail group into the back of the fuselage. The process is outlined later in the instructions.

Tail

                         1.      First cut the tail sections out of the corrugated plastic sheets. This material is very stringy and will not die cut cleanly so carefully trim away with a razor blade or scissors. Save the extra coroplast for later repairs. Look at Fig. 1 for a side view of the hinge line in the elevator. (Note: These instructions will refer to drawings that are included at the end of this manual.) Find the approximate hinge line by slipping the elevator into the fin (or just hold it up to the fin and line the tab and slot up) and pick a rib that will allow the elevator to move up and down without binding on the clearance hole in the fin. After finding the rib where you want the hinge, slice only the bottom surface of the coroplast. Then trim the flashing off so the hinge will bend up and down without binding on itself. Make dashed cuts in the hinge because this makes the hinge bend easier. We take a Xacto knife and make ½ inch cuts every ¼ inch or so. Bend the hinge up and down a few times to loosen it up.

Fuselage

                         1.      Use the supplied pattern, mark and cut the canopy from the fuselage and set aside. You could begin to sand the fuse at this time but I would recommend setting up the fire wall first as it will give you a guide as to how much to round the fuse out.

                         2.      We supply a piece of plywood and a pattern for the firewall for each particular design. Cut the pattern out and spray glue it to the plywood supplied and saw it to shape. Use the centerlines to layout the motor mount position.

                         3.      Fasten the mount to the firewall. We recommend using 4-40 T-nuts (blind nuts) to fasten the motor mount to the firewall. Use bolts if you don’t intend to remove the motor mount.

                         4.      Glue the firewall to the fuse using epoxy or urethane glue.

                         5.      For extra strength in the aft part of the fuselage, glue a spar to each side of the fuselage from the back forward as far as it will go. Sand a slot for the spars. We recommend Polyurethane glue. See note on Polyurethane Glue below. After gluing them in, cover the spars with a strip of strapping tape to keep the glue from leaking out.

Fuel Tank

                         1.      The fuel tank is cut in at this time. Mount the tank so the middle is at about the center line of the firewall, and dig a pocket that fits the tank snugly with about 3/8 inch of foam left behind the firewall for strength and cushion in case of a crash. We like to crowd the tank close to the left surface of the fuse to give us a little extra foam on the right side to make a tunnel for the throttle servo rod without accidentally boring a hole into the tank. Set the throttle cable up at the same time as the tank is fitted.

                         2.      We have found that a 2oz tank will get you about a 9 minute run on a properly tuned stock .15 engine. The size of the 2oz tank is much better suited to the thin fuselage of the SSC. However if you plan on hot rodding the SSC with a larger engine, a 4oz tank will fit if it is rectangular and you set it up so it is higher than it is wide.

                         3.      You will have to accommodate the lines coming from your particular tank. A good way to help everything slip into place is to make the pocket long enough so that there is a little space for the fuel and vent tubes at the front of the tank area. After slipping the tank in, cut a chunk of scrap foam to wedge the tank in and keep it from sliding forward and possibly pinching the lines in a less than elegant landing. Locate and drill holes for the fuel and vent lines and install the tank.

                         4.      Remember, the tank is crowded to the left side of the fuse because most throttle arms are on the right side of the carb so this is the side we are going to drill a hole through the firewall and motor mount for the linkage. Temporarily install the engine so we can lay out the throttle linkage path. With the engine on the mount and the muffler off, it is very easy to locate where the hole for the throttle linkage should be drilled.

                         5.      Drill about a 3/16 inch hole so the linkage will exit straight out from the firewall and intersect the throttle arm. We like to use flex cable from the throttle to the servo in the canopy area, but you can also use a straight length of thin piano wire if you sink the servo down in the foam far enough so the wire is close to a straight run to the throttle arm. However you do it, simply cut or sand a groove in the foam from the hole in the firewall you intend the linkage tube to go through up to the front right side of the canopy. Embed the tube into the foam and secure it with 78-spray glue or tape. Locate the throttle servo on the right front side so that it will work the cable or pushrod smoothly and cut it into the floor of the canopy. We use a micro servo such as a Hitec HS55 or HS81. Depending on your installation, you may want to sand the floor of the canopy area down to lower the servo and clean up the canopy area a bit. Be sure to leave a little foam at the side to stick the fuse doubler to. We try to crowd the throttle servo as far right and to the front of the canopy as we can. If any of this seems confusing, you can go to our web site where we have all the details pictured under the SSC instruction set. Hooking up the throttle is much easier to do before the doublers are on.

                         1.      After the tank is fitted and installed, remove the motor mount (if you used T-nuts – if not, tape around the mount) cover the entire firewall with strips of strapping tape working from the bottom to the top. Let the ends cover the nose back about an inch or two. This will strengthen the nose and start sealing the firewall. Cover and seal the firewall with the colored packing tape at this time.

                         2.      Sand the fuse to the final shape. On SSC kits, this is very simple as the fuselage is basically a thick “profile” type plane and the edges can simply be rounded off.

Doublers

                         1.      You should now have a sanded fuselage with a firewall taped on and tank installed so the next step is to prepare the fuselage doublers for gluing on. These are a generic part for all our SSC kits die-cut from 2-mil corrugated plastic material and will cover each side of the fuselage from about the back of the wing forward and will be long enough to make the side of a cowl.

                         2.      Use the supplied pattern to cut the doublers to shape for the cowl and canopy (Fig 3). To prepare the doublers, do two things. The first is to use a blunt object and score the ribs on the inside of each doubler to help them conform to the shape of the fuse. The second (optional – you can always get to the tank with a razor knife later)  is to locate and cut a trap door on the side that you cut the tank in for access to the tank later on (that would be the left side if you cut the tank in on the left). Cut the door on only three sides so that one of the ribs in the coroplast will make a built-in hinge. Cut the hinge just like you did the elevator hinge so the door will open out.

                         3.      Use 3M-78 spray glue, or water based adhesive, and coat the fuselage doublers and the fuselage. After the glue dries and you are ready to install them, run a bead of goop on the edge of the sealed and taped firewall. This is optional but the Goop creates an incredibly strong joint between the doublers and the firewall and seals them. When you are ready to put the doublers on, very carefully line them up to the wing saddles before sticking them to the fuse. You only have one shot at it because the glue will stick so make sure it’s right before you attach them. Now you will see why you scored the inside of the doublers. They should conform rather nicely to the contour of the sanded fuse; if you have let the contact cement dry thoroughly, the doublers should mold themselves to the nose. A Monokote iron can be used to heat and shape them to the foam if you wish. You should also begin to see the shape of the lower edge of the cockpit.

                         4.      The doublers are designed to wrap over the top of the fuse and are trimmed to meet at the center of the top of the cowl from the firewall back to the canopy. Use some scrap corrugated plastic to fill in any gaps under the fuse from the wing to the firewall. It is a great idea to leave the underbelly filler about a half-inch long so you can slip the front of the wing under it when the wing is glued on. You will end up with a nose section that is completely covered with coroplast.

NOTE: If you use water base glue on the doublers, you may have to use a Monokote iron to heat the corrugated plastic so the glue will activate and stick. Use a low setting and experiment on a scrap as too much heat will melt the plastic.

                         5.      This would be a good time to double check the engine fit and location. Check the clearance for the prop/spinner and front of the cowl. Before you can do that, you may have to trim the doubler to clear the muffler. You may also  have to punch a hole for the needle valve to poke through. If a pushrod connector was used on the throttle arm, punch a hole for the screwdriver to tighten it.

Here is the key to the outstanding strength of our planes...

                         6.      If extra 2-mil coro was used top and/or bottom, glue them on with spray glue. Use a hand tacker or staple gun to staple through the coro into the edge of the firewall all the way around. This will make the firewall very solid and able to withstand unbelievable crash forces. If you don't have a staple gun, use 1/2-inch wire nails, upholstery tacks, or even thumbtacks. Just be careful that you don't drive them through the fuel lines that should be already pulled through the firewall.

                         7.      Before proceeding with the taping, spray another light coat of 3M-78 spray glue over the foam part of the fuselage and let it dry. No need to spray the coroplast as tape sticks extremely well to it.

                         8.      The second major key to the strength of our planes is to wrap strapping tape around the nose from the firewall back to the canopy. Do the same on the under belly from the wing saddle to the firewall. Lay the strips side by side and pull them hard enough to cinch the coroplast down tight to the foam. We use long enough strips to go over the top and down the sides about half way then turn it over and do the belly the same way.  ----  Do the same thing with the wing saddle. Lay strips of strapping tape side by side and cover the whole wing saddle and let the ends run up the side of the doublers about an inch. Pull these tight as you put them on too. -----  When strapping tape is wrapped radially around the nose and wing saddle, you will make the nose of the plane virtually unable to crush or buckle. The strength of this construction will be evident on the first ground plant.

Taping the Fuselage

Now we are ready to start covering the fuselage with the colored packing tape. Curved and rounded surfaces, as found on most war birds, can be a bit of a challenge to the first-time foamie builder. Our first bit of advice is to relax and don't stress out about a few wrinkles. We really don't care too much about how it looks because these planes are designed to maximize fun, take extreme punishment, and then throw away! Now, that having been said, with a little care, a few tips, and experience at sticky-tape handling, you will be able to turn out a reasonable looking product.

                         9.      The place to start is at the wing saddle. You should already have strapping tape covering the saddle from side to side so now we want to cover it with the colored tape. Start at the trailing edge of the saddle and lay packing tape across the saddle letting the tape run up the side of the doublers an inch or so. Keep laying in strips of tape with about a 1/4 inch overlapping the preceding strip until the saddle is completely covered.  

TIP: When trying to tape a curved fuselage surface with packing tape, it will tend to bunch and pucker. Stick the tape along the flattest surface and slice the edge that is hanging over about every ½ inch, then starting at the back, working forward, smooth each little flap of tape over the curved edge. The little flaps will overlap each preceding flap, and the curve will be much smoother. After the fuselage is taped up, use a razor blade to open the tail slots and wrap the excess tape flaps into the slots.  

                     10.      After the saddle is covered side to side, you can cover the fuselage. First lay a strip of strapping tape along each side from the nose to the tail then start laying strips of colored packing tape on the fuselage from front to back. We like to start on the bottom and work up the sides. Overlap the preceding strip by about 1/4 inch to 1/2 inch or more until the whole fuselage is covered. Use the tip outlined above to help the tape conform to compound curves. If you make lots of slits to help the tape conform, it is sometimes good to lay another strip of tape so that the previous slits are covered--even if it means overlapping the strips of tape an inch or more. If your plane will use the doublers to make the cowl, it is a good idea to let the tape run long enough to tape around the front of the doubler to cover the inside of the engine compartment all the way back to the firewall. You should have the fuselage covered pretty well by now. Let the excess edges of tape wrap into the canopy area. You will have to slice it to get it to stick smoothly. Check the canopy fit to see if taping changed anything, and sand it a little if needed.

Install Tail Group

                         1.      At this point, you should have a fuselage that is completely taped up except for the belly scoop area. The tail group should be dry and ready to install now. See the note below or use a coat of 3M-78 spray glue on the part of the tail that slips into the fuselage. Now, you have to be fast so have the slot in the fuse open on the top and bottom (slice along the covered up slot and push the excess tape into the slot) and ready to receive the tail group. A trial fit is advisable. Then, quickly spray a wet coat of 3M-78 glue on the parts of the tail that fit into the fuse. Before the glue starts to set, slide the tail into the slot of the fuse. Make sure the fin is straight and true with the centerline of the fuse and squish the sides of the fuse onto the fin. If you are not careful, it is easy to give your plane a permanent right or left turn by bending the back of the fuse one way or the other. The goal here is to assemble the tail group and fuse while the glue is still wet to allow a little slippage so they can be aligned properly---good luck, work fast! Apply a strip of packing tape under the fuse to close up the tail slot, then run a small bead of goop on either side of the fin to stick and seal the tail to fuse joint. Block the fuse and tail so they will cure in proper alignment.

NOTE: Water-based contact cement is much easier to use than spray glue because you will have much more time to work with the tail group and fuse. Coat the part of the tail that slides into the slot with glue then slide it in and out of the tail slot. Repeat this a couple of times. This will coat the foam on the inside of the slot.  Then slide the group into position. Use C-clamps and something like paint stir sticks for protection. Squish the sides together clamping lightly to hold the sides to the tail and allow to cure in correct alignment. This may take overnight. Then tape up the underside of the tail slot and apply a bead of goop underneath each side of the stabilizer at the fuse intersection. This works very well, is very strong and easy to do. But it takes a little patience to cure.

You should now have a completed fuselage ready for wing installation and radio gear!  

Wings

      The kit includes four 3/16 x 3/16 inch spruce spars. Check fit in the spar slots and sand a bit if needed

                         1.      The SSC wing is in two halves. Note also that 2 degrees of washout is engineered into each panel. Using the supplied wing tip pattern for the wing tip, cut and sand it to shape. After the tip shape is cut, smooth the wing tip by rounding over the end of the wing a bit with sandpaper. That will eliminate the thick and ugly wing tip that shows up after cutting to the tip pattern. Sand the top and bottom surfaces of the wing smooth with 150 to 220 grit sand paper and dust off thoroughly. This helps the tape to stick.

                         2.      The entire wing surface will now need to be coated with 3M-78 spray glue or water based contact cement. Let this dry before continuing. It is best not to allow this glue to get into the spar pockets since we will be using polyurethane glue on the spars.

Installing Spars

                         3.

We recommend using polyurethane glue for the spars as it locks them into the foam. If you use epoxy, you will need to use enough to fill the spar slot with the spar in place. Trowel off the excess and let cure. If you use the polyurethane, dampen the spars. Then lay a small bead of glue in the slot. Run the nose of the glue bottle back and forth in the slot to spread it throughout the bottom and sides of the slot. Slide the spars into place. Be aware that polyurethane will expand as it dries several times its wet volume (see note below). So if you use too much, it will leak all over the place. Also be very careful not to get spots of it on the wing surface because the next step is to lay a strip of strapping tape over the spars and tape doesn’t stick to wet glue. Lay a strip of packing tape over the strapping tape and press to seal the edges down completely so the glue won’t leak out.

                         4.      After the spars cure, turn the wing panels upside down on a flat table and glue the two halves together (see step 30 first) using 5 min epoxy. There is no dihedral other than the bottom taper of the wing.

                         5.      The leading edge sweep angle is determined as the wing panels are joined. Any of our SSC will fly fine if the panels are joined as furnished out of the box. Sand the butt end of each panel a little to flush the spars. Real life planes can differ quite a bit in the leading edge sweep angle so check your model-specific pattern sheet for the sweep angle and trim the wing panels accordingly - if you wish to be a bit more true to scale. I have found a radial arm saw or table saw using a miter stop works well to trim each panel. Make the trim with each panel up side down to give a tiny amount of dihedral when the panels are joined (fig 1).

                         6.      MAKE SURE the wing panels are in the correct alignment with each other. One wing panel cannot be twisted in relation to the other wing panel or you will have a plane that will continually bank one direction or the other and/or that will have a nasty habit of snap rolling. NOT GOOD!

                         7.      The wing panel center can now be gusseted using your favorite method. We have supplied 4 short sticks cut off from the wing panels. I use two on top and two on the bottom on each side of the spars. To do this you will need to cut and sand a slot on each side of the center joint for the gusset stick to fit into then glue them in using poly glue. Put tape over the gussets after gluing. If you change the sweep angle of the wing panels the spars will probably be angled too. This is not a problem – just bend the joiners a bit and glue them in.

Note on Using Polyurethane Glue: We highly recommend using polyurethane wood workers glue such as Gorilla Glue or Probond to attach wood spars to a wing. It will expand several times its volume as it cures and will literally lock the wood to the foam. Second choice would be epoxy, but the urethane is better. Polyurethane is a moisture-activated glue. Therefore, it will need a bit of moisture to act as a kicker to get it curing. Styrofoam has very little moisture in it, and we are going to seal it off with tape so it can’t draw moisture from the surrounding air. The best thing to do is wet the wood that will be installed in the foam with water and then shake and dry off the excess. This will leave just enough moisture to kick the glue into curing and will harden it even though it is completely sealed off. Slide a small bead of glue into the spar slot and spread it around and up the sides with the tip of the glue dispenser. Don’t use too much glue because it will expand and push itself through any crack or crevice in the tape or hole in the foam. It will also work great for repairing broken wings and fuselages too. Simply expose the broken surface and coat thinly with glue and tape it securely back together. Again, a light mist of water will kick the glue into curing more quickly. It will cure without the water but the moisture speeds things along. In any case, plan on curing overnight, and be sure to seal the surface over any place you use this glue because it will be a mess if you don’t.   

Ailerons

                         8.      After joining the wing panels, it is time to install the ailerons. Position the ailerons so the inboard edge will clear the fuse by about 1/4 inch.

                         9.      Center the fuselage on the wing at the trailing edge, and then make a mark ¼ inch from the side of the fuse. This is where the ailerons will start and should give plenty of clearance for aileron movement. First look at Fig. 4 for visual aid on how to hinge the ailerons. Set the wing flat on a table, topside up, and lay the aileron along it. Use three tiny pieces of tape to hold the aileron and wing together with about a 3/32-inch gap between them. Lay a strip of colored packing tape along the top of the trailing edge of the wing and aileron together to create the top “hinge”. Flip the aileron up and lay back on the top surface of the wing and use a small piece of tape to temporarily hold the aileron in that position, which will leave your two hands free for the next step. Stick a strip of tape along the back of the wing and the aileron, smoothing the tape down on the bottom surface of the aileron and the bottom of the trailing edge, then open it up, to lay the aileron flat. Turn the wing upside down and use a blunt object (window screen tool works perfectly) to press the top and bottom tapes together to complete the hinge. Do this to both ailerons and after they are attached, get your wing tip pattern and trim the ailerons to match the pattern. If this is difficult to figure out, see our web instructions for step-by-step pictures. The main idea is for the top and bottom wing tape to form the hinge by sticking them together between the aileron and trailing edge of the wing. This makes a very strong gapless hinge.

Taping Wings

                     10.      When covering wings with packing tape, follow this simple taping convention: Lay tape strips from the center to the tip and always start at the back and work forward overlapping about ¼ inch. This way the tape edges will flow with the wind instead of pointing into the wind. Another good idea is to always start with the bottom of the wing so that the finished wing always has the top tape wrapping over the bottom surface. It just looks a little neater.

NOTE: Make sure the center of the wing has at least 3 layers of packing tape anywhere that goop will be used to glue it to the fuselage. Two layers will be automatic if when taping a wing panel, the tape is started a several inches on the opposite side of the wing joint from the panel being taped. Then to be extra sure, put a layer of tape from trailing edge to leading edge starting in the middle of the center section and working out about 4 inches in both directions with about a 1-inch overlap.

                     11.      The leading edge should have a couple of layers of tape wrapped around it by the time the top and bottom covering is done. We recommend adding another layer or two of tape to the leading edge for extra protection. Stretching the tape modestly while sticking it down will help it go on smoothly, but be sure to balance the stretching or you could have a wing that bends up or down.

                     12.      Now that the wing is done, it is time to set up the aileron servo. Refer to Fig. 4 for an approximate location. We usually place it at about 1/3 of the chord from the trailing edge of the wing just behind the spars. Hold the servo in position and trace around it. Use a sharp knife to cut a pocket for the servo. Make it a tight fit. Install the control horns and connect the servo arms with the ailerons using the piano wire provided. Use Z bends at both ends or a Z bend at the servo end with connectors at the control horn for easy adjustment. There are other ways to connect the servo to the horns so if you have a favorite way, go ahead and use it. A standard servo will work for the ailerons.

                     13.      The control throws should be about 3/4 inch up or down. This will make the plane handle quick but fairly easy to control at high speed. Increase or decrease the throw depending on your flight preference.

NOTE:   Since this basically a flying wing, due to the short coupling of the tail and wing, the SSC will benefit from a slightly reflexed aileron position. Set the ailerons to line up with the bottom surface of the wing when you hold a straight edge under the wing. They will look like they are tipped up a bit from the topside of the wing. This is a good place to start and can be fine tuned with flight-testing. If you have to trim the elevator down, try dropping the ailerons a bit. If you have to dial in more up trim – try adding more reflex.

                     14.      After the servo is cut in and you are certain of its placement, slide it out for a second. Coat the edges of the foam pocket and under the mounting tabs of the servo with silicone, and slide it back in place. Wipe the excess off being careful not to get it on the fuselage or wing where more tape will go.

                     15.      Hold the wing to the wing saddle in the fuse and eyeball where and how much you will need to cut into the wing saddle for the servo clearance. You will have to cut a hole in the fuse doubler for the pushrods to exit the wing saddle, and be sure there is enough cut out so the servo arms and pushrods will work without binding on anything.

                     16.      It is a good idea to hook the servo to your receiver to check for correct and smooth operation because the wing will be glued on permanently very soon.

                     17.      The radio gear will be mounted under the canopy so bore a ½-inch hole through the fuse to route the aileron servo wire from the wing saddle to the canopy area.

Elevator servo

                     18.      Use a micro servo such as the Hitec HS 81 (standard may work also) for the elevator and set the control throw at about 3/4 up or down to begin – change to suit your flying abilities and handling preference. The elevator servo is connected to the elevator horn with 1/16” pushrod wire. Use z-bends or purchase pushrod connectors for an easy set up. The wire should exit the fuse just behind the canopy so that it will line up with the control horn and move without binding.

Balancing

                     19.      Temporarily tape the wing onto the fuse and install the engine. The tail group should be glued in place, and the aileron servo should be done.

                     20.      The CG --- Mark the balance point on the side of the fuse at the center of gravity, which is about 4 inches from the leading edge of the wing when measured at the fuselage – if the sweep angle has not been changed.  The CG is a recommended point and can be shifted fore or aft a bit. Use the battery and radio gear to adjust the balance point, and add a little weight if necessary. We used to turn the plane upside-down and teeter it on pencil points, but an easier way is to mark the side of the fuse at the balance point and poke a nail or something pointy into the doublers on each side and simply pick the plane off the table to determine if it is in balance. Shift the radio components a bit and re-try until it balances.

                     21.      If you changed the sweep angle of the wing – use the CG point recommended in the instructions specific to your model.

                     22.      Try to make everything accessible from the canopy area. When you have determined the best positions for the servos and radio, mark a line around them and use a knife to cut the pockets in the foam. Use a gouge to dig the pockets out, and be sure to keep the fit as snug as possible. Find a convenient place for the switch. Make a hole for access to it or mount it inside the fuse using a piece of piano wire to operate it. Leave the charge cord accessible also. We usually let it hang out the crack between the fuse and the canopy.

NOTE: After having a switch turned off by a competitor’s plane during a combat heat, we plug the battery in directly to the receiver. Make the receiver easily accessible with a trap door in the doubler or a removable canopy. If you use a switch, make some type of a switch lock.

                     42.      After the pockets are cut, if necessary, bore a hole from pocket to pocket to route wires to the receiver for a neat looking job. A ½-inch diameter tube sharpened on one end works great.

Servo Installation

                     43.      Thread the wires through the holes and hook up the plugs. Now is a good time to center each of the servos (you should have already tested and centered the aileron servo), and make sure of the control wire lengths. Before sliding the servos in for the final time, coat the pocket sides with silicone sealer. This will hold the servo in place, and the silicone is not too impossible to remove. Try not to get silicone on the plane because tape will not stick to it! If you do, wipe it off with mineral spirits (paint thinner).

TIP: Wrap the servo with tape so the silicone can be easily peeled off if you take the servo out. If you mount your servos externally, tape over the servos leaving the shank sticking out. We must stress again to make the servos fit snugly. If you want them to fit flush with the surface you are imbedding them in, you will have to create a pocket that is sort-of two stepped to clear the mounting flanges on the servos. This will allow the servo to sink further in and will keep the control arm as close to the fuselage as possible. Another great idea is this: If you intend to do a lot of foamie plane flying, just cut off the servo mounting flanges and sand the bumps smooth.

Wing Installation

                     44.      After the radio gear is planned out and the aileron servo is working properly and not binding on anything, you can glue the wing on. We recommend using Goop or E6000 (industrial version). One of the reasons we use so many layers of tape on the wing saddle and center of the wing is to keep the glue from attacking the foam. Put a dab on the wing saddle at the front and rear. Lift the flap at the front of the wing, and put a dab on the underside of it. Put the wing on and press it into the wing saddle firmly. Be sure the wing is centered and square with the fuse, then run a bead of goop along both sides where the wing and fuselage meet. We like to block the wing up and place a weight on the canopy area to hold the wing and fuse tight while the glue is curing. Let the goop cure overnight.

                     45.      An Alternate wing attachment is with rubber bands. We have holes punched in the fuse doublers for ¼ inch dowels if you wish to use them and not the glue method above.

                     46.      While the wing is curing, the canopy can be sanded and shaped, taped up and fit. Since the radio gear is installed, you will probably need to carve out some clearance from the underside for servos and other gear so the canopy will fit. Cover it and set it aside as it will be the last thing to install just before flying.

Finishing

Well, the last things to do are install the engine, hook up the throttle, and install the canopy. You can leave the fuselage doublers to form a fake cowl or cut them off and use a suitable size round bottle if that suits the particular plane.

The canopy can be painted gray or silver with Krylon spray paint and decorated with automotive pinstripe. We sometimes use ¼-inch black pinstripe to hold the canopy on around the edge, or you can tape it on with clear or colored tape and touch it up with silver paint. Some guys are gluing Popsicle sticks to the canopy and holding it down with screws.

You can decorate the plane with different tapes or decals. If you have a computer and a drawing program, make up some insignias and stick them on the wings and fuse with spray glue then tape over them with clear tape. Sand the tape with 220-grit automotive sandpaper (black wet-dry stuff) and paint with Krylon spray paint. There are a lot of tans, greens, and grays that work well. “Dull Aluminum” color makes a silver plane, but give it a couple coats of semi-gloss clear urethane before flying it. The clear is a good thing for a painted plane as it helps the paint resist the fuel. The paint will chip off a bit but take a can to the combat and touch it up between heats--works great!

The main thing is to have fun with this plane.

JK Aerotech   www.jkaerotech.com    Tech: 1-503-663-4081

Additional Tech notes:

The SSC kit lends itself beautifully to the task of flight training. The slow flying capability and maneuverability make this an excellent aileron trainer. This plane is basically a glider with a motor and while it can be built for incredibly fast turning, it can also be “de-tuned” to fly very docile. Set the ailerons and elevator deflection to about half of the recommended throws for combat by adjusting the hole positions on the control horn or use dual rate on your computer radio to slow things down.

Another possibility for the SSC is to use it as a Slope Glider. I haven’t tried it yet but it has all the ingredients for a super sloper. Just fill in the nose where the engine would be with a scrap of foam and tape it up. On planes like the Mustang, you could tape a spinner on the front for a scale look. It should fly in very light lift and will be highly maneuverable.

Lastly, try electrifying the SSC. The same reasons that make the SSC an excellent performer on a small .15 glow engine should translate into superb performance on a cheap 600 size motor, 35 amp ESC, and standard 8 cell pack. I think it will work great and will try it very soon myself.

Note: check out our page on installing spars for more ideas on how to get perfect results every time - plus a cool tool idea or two.

Note: it is easier to spar the wing panels before gluing together --

save the wing jackets and slice the bottom cover from the jacket, 

sand the ridge that fit into the spar slot of the wing off of each half.

 tape or spray glue a strip of wax paper to inside of each jacket half over the spar area.

now you have a ready fit press to put the wing panel into while the spar glue is curing out

this will insure the wing panels cure with the correct washout -- then you can sand the butt end flush and join the wing panels.