AJ Aircraft Laser 230z User manual

93” AJ Laser 230z
Assembly Instructions

Congratulations
AJ Aircra thanks you for the purchase of this airplane. Top grade materials and precision assembly has gone
into this to make this a top quality aircra. Following the direcons closely, will assure you many hours of
thrilling ight. 2 years of design, development and tesng has gone into this airframe. We hope you’re as
happy with it as we are!
WARNING!
AJ Aircra’s extensive tesng ensures a high quality kit that has gone through many stages to provide you
with a safe, reliable, airframe. Poor assembly will lead to an unsafe model and therefore the instrucons
must be followed closely. Should you have any quesons, please do not hesitate to contact us. The safe op-
eraon of this model is your responsibility and yours alone. If you are a beginner or have never own a model
of this size and power, you should aempt with the help of an experienced pilot. This product should not be
considered a toy, but rather a sophiscated, working model that funcons much like a full-scale airplane. Be-
cause of its performance capabilies, this product, if not assembled and operated correctly, could cause inju-
ry to you or spectators and damage to property.

Components
 5x 300-oz minimum High Torque Metal Geared
servos (400-oz minimum highly recommended for
ailerons due to their size)
(Futaba S-9157 are recommended)
 1 standard case size servo (for gas throle)
 Heavy Duty Aluminum Servo Arms:
 2x 1 3/4" for elevators
 2x 1.5” for ailerons
 1x 3 1/2" for rudder (or 1 3/4” if pung
servo in the tail)
 Servo Extensions:
 2x 6" extension for ailerons (not needed
for S-9157)
 2x 4-6" extensions from the receiver to the
ailerons
 2x 48" extensions for the elevators
 1x 12" extension for the ESC to Receiver (if
electric)
 2x 12" extension will be needed for the
throle servo and ignion (if gas)
 4” / 100mm Spinner
 60-70cc Gas Engine (DA-70 recommended) or
Hacker Q-80M or equivalent electric motor
 Castle 160a ESC or equivalent (for electric)
 24x10 or similar Prop (Falcon recommended)
 5 channel receiver
 Flight or receiver/ignion baeries
 Powerbox smart switch Ignion cut-o (if gas)
Tools
I. Blue Painters Masking Tape
II. Denatured Alcohol & Paper Towels
III. Blue Locte
IV. Metric & Standard Allen Wrenches
V. Hobby Knife & Fresh Blades
VI. Thirty Minute Epoxy (or Gorilla Glue)
VII. Fieen Minute Epoxy
VIII.Thin C/A
VI. Electric Drill w/ Assorted Small Bits
VII. Small Flat & Phillips Screwdrivers
VIII.Sanding Block & Sandpaper
IX. Needle Nose Pliers
X. Measuring Tape & Ruler
XI. Fine-p Sharpie Marker
Recommended Items
For Completion

Tips for Success
 Before starng, read through the enre set of instrucons to familiarize yourself with the process.
 Take a few minutes to go over all of the covering, especially the seams and decals, with a covering iron on
low to medium heat. You may want to use a drop of clear nail polish on the ps of stars to keep them
from liing.
 Inspect for any interior joints that may have loosened as a result of shipping & handling, and apply a cou-
ple drops of thin CA.
 Pre-center your servos before installing using a servo tester, or by plugging them into your powered re-
ceiver.
 ALL METAL BOLTS should get a drop of blue Lockte, even when using nylon lock-nuts.
 Do your best to mechanically center all ying surfaces, so lile to no sub-trim will be required in the radio
setup. Use a piece of tape to hold your surfaces level and thread the ball links in or out unl it’s perfect.
 Take the me to properly balance and trim your aircra.
 Use the suggested throws at the end of this manual as your starng point, and then ne tune to your y-
ing preferences aer your rst few ights.
 You may noce that some pictures in this manual may be of a dierent size Laser. In this case, the dier-
ences did not make a dierence in explaining that part of the build.
 If there’s ever a queson, post on an RC forum or contact AJ Aircra to verify before doing anything.

Tail Gear
1) Remove tail gear from its package.
2) Remove the 3 pre-installed bolts in the tail and mount the tail gear with provided bolts and washers.
Main Landing Gear
4) Open the landing gear bag and sort the bolts, axles and other parts.
5) Place the landing gear onto the fuse with the THINNER ANGLED edge reward (the gear is shaped like an airfoil). Find the 4 larg-
er bolts and pass it through the pre-drilled holes in the landing gear and fuselage. Secure with a washer and nylon lock nut on
the inside of the fuselage.
Section 1 — Landing Gear

6) Place the wood ller block over the landing gear. Pay aenon to the t as it is direconal. While the cus will hold this in
place, we suggest using a piece of clear tape, or white Ultracote for extra security.
7) Install the landing gear cus using the 4 phillips head bolts and washers provided.

8) Install the landing gear axles through the hole on each side in the landing gear with the provided nylon lock nuts. Place a wheel
collar onto the axle all the way to the base and secure the grub screw.
9) Slide the wheel onto the axle and secure with coer pin.
10) Secure the wheel pants with the small hex bolts, washers and some Locte.

Section 2 — Elevator/Rudder
11) Remove the horizontal stabs, elevators, control horns and ball link hardware.
12) Use a sharp blade to cut the 2 slots on each elevator half. Check to make sure you are cung the
BOTTOM of the elevator. The cut doesn’t have to be perfect, as we will be removing covering around
this coming up.
13) Assemble the horn in the order of bolt, washer, control horn, ball link, control horn, washer, lock nut.
Take note to use the ball link that does not have the extra half-sphere here. The other ball-links are
used on the servo arm end.

14) Test t the control horns into their slots in each elevator half to make sure they will fully seat down. Sand
the corners or boom edge if necessary. Trace around the base plate with a ne Sharpie.

15) Remove the assembly and use a sharp blade to cut approx. 1/16” in from your line and remove the cover-
ing. Use cauon to only cut deep enough to remove the covering and not cut into the balsa! Remove your
lines with a paper towel soaked with denatured alcohol.
16) Scu the boom poron of each horn and the base plate with sandpaper. Thoroughly spread 30 minute
epoxy or gorilla glue on both sides & edges of both control horns, the boom of the base plate and some
in the slots on the elevator. Insert the assembly back in, making sure they are facing forward. Press down
on the base plate to ensure a ush & ght t. Wipe away excess glue with a paper towel and denatured
alcohol. Keep the bolt & ball link assembled to ensure alignment & spacing as it dries. Repeat for the oth-
er elevator half. Set aside to dry.
Tip: To save some me and glue, you can glue both ailerons, elevator and rudder control
horns at the same me. Be sure to read ahead and DOUBLE CHECK what side you’re cung
for each piece (the rudder gets cut on both sides). Test t all of the horns and glue all at
once.

17) Seal the hinge gaps with strips of Ultracote or Blenderm tape. Make sure the surface is fully deected
when applying the seal strip. Sealing the gap will ensure the airow connues over the elevator instead of
going through the hinge gap.
18) Use a sharp blade to remove the covering from the slot on the boom of each elevator half for the servo
horns.
19) Install the elevator servo inside each half of the stab with the hardware provided with the servo. The out-
put sha should be toward the front of the stab. Aer the servo is installed, aach a 1 3/4” servo arm
with locte.
Tip: Brush a coat of thinned epoxy along the edges of these slots to prevent oil & gas from seeping under
the covering. Once oil gets on the wood, the covering will not sck back down to it!

20) Locate the threaded turnbuckle pushrods, 2 ball links, 2 bolts, washers and nylon lock nuts. Thread the
ball links equally onto each end of the pushrod. Adjust the turnbuckle unl the servo arm is vercal and
the elevator level with the stab. Slide a washer onto the bolt, then the bolt through the ball link, into the
hole on the control horn or servo arm, and secure with a nylon lock nut.
21) If necessary, cut open the holes in the tail of the fuselage for the tail tube, servo exits, and an rotaon
pins.
22) Tie the provided string in the tail to your 48” servo extensions and pull them through the fuselage tube.
Tip: Drill pilot holes for the screws and then install the screws. Remove the screws and
apply a few drops of thin CA in and around the screw holes and let dry. This will harden
the threads and provide a more secure mount.

23) Slide in the small carbon ber tube into the tail and connect the servos to their extensions. Always use a
servo keeper on these! Slide each elevator half onto the tube, tucking the extra servo wire into the fuse.
24) Secure the stabs with the provided bolts and washers. Be sure to check these bolts aer every ight!

25) Begin by inspecng the airframe and applying thin CA to any joints that may have loosened during shipping & handling. Also
take me now to run your covering iron over all seams and decals, if you haven't already. Once completed, you can open the
holes needed on each side for the front & back an-rotaon pins, wing bolts and servo wire access holes.
26) Now let’s get some power under the hood. The rewall center lines have been pre-scribed for you. Drill templates have been
provided if you’re using the DA-60, DA-70 or 3W-50. Otherwise, use the manufacturers mounng template and tape it to the
engine box, lining up the vercal line on the template with the RIGHT vercal line on the rewall. Drill the 4 mounng holes
using the drill bit size by your engine/motor manufacturer (typically 1/4”). Also mark and open the other holes and slots in the
template for the throle pushrod, fuel line, etc.
Going Electric? Skip ahead. Going Gas? Read on!
27) Temporarily mount the included rewall standos (or standos that will take your prop backplate to a distance of 6 5/8” from
the rewall) using your engine’s recommended bolts, washers and nylon lock nuts to check for clearance on the carburetor.
You may nd it necessary to remove some wood around the hole in the rewall to clear the carb. If so, a dremel sanding drum
makes quick work of this. You can also use this opportunity to mark the locaon of your throle arm on the carb and fuel line
locaons on to the rewall and/or motor box sides (if not already done via the template). Use a dremel or drill an elongated
slot to accommodate the full travel of the throle.
28) If you plan on using a tuned pipe, use the provided pipe mount opons and cut open the vent hole behind the landing gear.
Section 3 — Fuselage

29) You can now re-mount your engine, muers and ignion box. The ignion box can be placed anywhere, but typically goes on
the top or side of the motor box. In our example, it’s been mounted to the rebox access hatch on the top of the motor box.
Don’t forget to lockte everything!
30) There’s a pre-cut hole in the boom of the rebox for the throle servo, which should work perfectly for the majority of gas
engines. If your engines’ throle is in a dierent spot, you can use the provided ply servo mount box to locate your throle
servo where it works best. Install the servo using the manufacturers hardware, and then make a pushrod to connect the servo
to your engine. Use the provided ball link hardware in the gas engine parts bag. Note the actual pushrod is not provided due to
the variety of engines available.

31) Assemble and install the gas tank provided and mount it in front of the wing tube. We suggest placing the provided piece of
foam under the tank to prevent foaming from vibraon. Secure the tank using the provided Velcro straps running through the
slots on the plywood tray.
32) If using stock muers, block o the pipe tunnel by securing the provided plywood pipe tunnel isolaon plate. You may need to
trim a 1/4” or so o the boom if you nd it interferes with the cowl mounng ring.
33) Cut the cowl as needed to clear the muers as well as extra for exing air. No cuts should be required to clear the DA-70
heads and spark plugs. Add baing with balsa or cra foam as desired to direct airow over the engine heads and out the exit
in order to keep your engine running cool & happy. Baing is not required, but is always a good idea.

Electric Motor Install
34) If using the recommended Hacker Q-80, you’ll need 3” standos to bring the motor forward into the cowl. If using another
motor, you’ll need standos that bring your spinner backplate 6 5/8” from the rewall to clear the cowl. Mount your standos
to the rewall. We recommend using large washers on both sides of the rewall and nylon lock nuts instead of blind nuts.
35) Mount the motor to the standos using the hardware provided by the motors’ manufacturer. Don’t forget to use blue lockte
on all bolts!

36) Mount your ESC to either side of the motor box with the provided Velcro through the slots on either side of the motor box.
37) Cut a hole in the main former for the power wires of the ESC to get through into the fuselage.
38) Connect your motor and ESC via bullet connectors or directly soldering the wires together. Temporarily connect the 3 wires
and power it all up to a receiver and verify the direcon of rotaon. If it’s the wrong way, switch 2 of the 3 wires and insulate
all wires with heat-shrink.
39) Apply at least 2 lengths of the provided Velcro on the plywood tray in the fuse forward of the wing tube. Thread in long Velcro
straps through the slots in the tray to further secure your baery packs.
Fuselage assembly connues…
40) Add some silicone glue (Zap Goop or similar) around the cowl mounng ring and the cowl on the forward side only for extra
strength. Slide the cowl into posion and secure with the 3 washers and bolts through the F1 former. Note the locaon of the
2 tabs on the boom of the fuse and drill through the cowl into the tabs using a small bit. Secure with the 2 wood screws
provided. You can also insert a small blind nut into the tab and use machine bolts here.
41) Install your prop and 4”/100mm spinner. Did you remember to balance them both?

42) You now have the opon to use either pull-pull wires or push-pull on the rudder. Rudder pull-pull wires have been pre-strung
through the fuselage for you. In our experience if using the DA-70 on this airframe, the push-pull setup with the rudder in the
tail worked best for obtaining correct CG.
43) This model is equipped with a removable rudder for transportaon and storage. Align the hinges of the rudder and the vercal
stab together. Gently slide hinge pin down from the top unl the bend is in the recess on the top of the rudder. Secure with a
simple piece of tape. Note: The pin can be dicult to install. Be careful not to bend while installing. Grinding the p to a point
and using a lile dry lubricaon can help.
44) Scu the center of both control horns on both sides, and one side of each baseplate with sandpaper. Cut open the slots on
both sides of the rudder for the control horns and test t the horns through the base plates and rudder. You may need to
slightly round the outer corners of the horns to get it all of the way through. Slide the baseplate on and mark around it.
Remove the plate and cut inside the line to remove the covering just as you did for the elevators.
45) Slide on one of the base plates, and assemble the bolt, washers, ball-link and nylon nut onto that side of the control horns to
maintain their spacing. Rotate the horns parally out and spread some glue on both sides of both horns near the center. Then,
rotate the horns back to center posion. Measure each side and view from the top to make sure they are centered and
perfectly square with the fuse. Apply glue to the boom of each baseplate and press onto the rudder. Clean up any excess glue
with an alcohol rag and then use some painters tape to hold the baseplates ght to the rudder unl it dries.
Push-Pull Rudder Setup
46) If using push-pull, you will need to cut open the covering on either side of the fuse directly below the stab tube hole.
47) Mount the servo with the output sha towards the tail and a 1 3/4” servo arm. Use the supplied turnbuckle and ball-link
hardware to connect the servo to the rudder using the same process as the elevators. Lockte all bolts.