Buzzard Models MINI-HELLCAT User manual

MINI-HELLCAT
Made in the USA by
Buzzard Models
Please read and understand all steps to these instructions before beginning assembly.
This plane is not a toy and is potentially dangerous to operate. Children should not
operate this aircraft without adult supervision.
Before you start, it may be a good idea to gather the required items to complete this
plane. You will need a sharp knife, some foam-safe glue, a sanding block, and some
hinge tape. At the end of the instructions you will find a list of the recommended
electronic hardware.
Before we start the assembly of the structure, here are some general pointers.
-Smooth edges of all parts with some 320 grit sandpaper before you start.
-There are many glues that are compatible with depron foam, do a little research and
pick your own favorite.
-Painting depron is easy. Go to your local walmart and buy a couple of the $1.25 bottles
of acrylic craft paint. I use a ten dollar airbrush, but foam brushes work too. Included with
the foam parts are two stencils for the star and bar insignias shown.
You can find a link to the online version of the instructions on the ebay page for the kit.

Kit contents.
Bevel bottom side of wing and each elevon to
about 45 degrees.
Bevel LH side of fuselage and rudder.
Hold wing and elevons to table with low stick
masking tape, apply hinge tape to both sides.
Glue upper fuselage to wing.
Glue firewall doublers to fuselage sides.

Glue lower fuselage into place.
Glue firewall in place with epoxy.
Hinge rudder to fuselage with tape.
Time to paint bottom!
Paint top.
Stars and bars go on top of LH wing, bottom
of RH.

Small stars and bars go on both sides as
shown. Handpaint canopy with brush. Your
structure is now complete!
Screw motor to mount.
Glue control horns into slots.
Glue elevon servos in holes.
Rudder servo gets glued to side of fuselage a
little forward of the elevon servos on RH side.
Make pushrod stiffener for rudder pushrod
from an extra servo horn. Slide stiffener on
pushrod before installing pushrod.

Install pushrods. Make “V” bends for
adjustment. “Z “ bend goes in top hole of
control horn, make 90 degree bend at servo,
use a scrap of pushrod wire to drill an extra
hole in the servo arm between the two
existing holes. Install with control rod
keepers.
Attach receiver to bottom of RH wing with
double sided tape. Cut a small hole behind
receiver for wires to pass through fuselage.
You may want to alter location of the receiver
to adjust CG. CG should be 1” behind leading
edge at the wing tips.
Speed control can be glued into place on RH
side. Cut a ⅜ by 1” strip of velcro for battery.
Install ¼ by ¾” strip of velcro on batteries.
Completed install should look like this.

RECOMMENDED HARDWARE
Hardware: The Mini Hellcat has been designed around sub-micro servos designed to run on 3.7v which
is the voltage of a single lipo cell. A single cell (1s) system allows the use of a super-light speed control
without BEC circuitry. I highly recommend sticking to the system outlined below. Most of the hardware is
available from buzzardmodels.com
Motor: There are many motors that will work to power your mini hellcat. The motor should weigh less
than 10grams, preferably around 6g. The AUW RTF should be between 40 and 50g, so we want at least
35g of thrust for basic flight and at least 50 to hover. Recommended motors: 1. Oversky AP05 5000kv
5.8g 70g thrust on 5030 prop 2. Turnigy 1400 4500kv 8g 55g thrust on 5030 prop
Servos: Any servo designed to run on 1s (3.7v) that weighs less than 2g Recommended servos
Hobbyking HK-5330 or Hobbyking KK-5320
Speed control: Any single cell controller that weighs around 1g.Recommended: Hobbyking XP 3A 1S
Receiver: Needs to have at least four channels.. It should weigh less than 4g and It should also feature
micro jst 1.25mm pitch connectors to match the recommended servos. Recommended receivers:
OrangeRX R415X DSMX/DSM2 or FrSky TFR6M 2.4Ghz 6CH Micro Receiver FASST Compatible
Battery: So you may have figured out that you will need a 1s lipo battery! I recommend sticking to the
ones with the e-flight style plug. At the small end you will want at least 130mah capacity, on the heavy
side 160mah. Recommended batteries: 1. E-flite 150mAh 1S 3.7V 45C LiPo Battery 2. Turnigy
nano-tech 130mAh 1S 3.7V 40C LiPo Battery
Charger: Any charger that is capable of charging a small LiPo battery
Propellor: All of the motors listed above like a 5x3 prop.
Wiring: the recommended speed controller does not come with any wires. Here is a list of the two wires
you need:
1. Molex 1.25 servo lead (you need one of these, connects ESC to receiver)
2. Pico Plug lead (you need to cut one of these off, connects from battery to ESC)
Transmitter: This model features elevons, you will need a transmitter capable of being programmed for
elevons or a v-tail function. You will need at least four channels, throttle, elevator, rudder, and aileron.
Transmitter setup: Refer to your transmitter’s instruction manual for all settings.
1. Setup should result in 45 degrees of maximum deflection for rudder, elevator, and aileron
functions.
2. Set exponential for rudder at 40%, aileron 20%, and elevator at 70%.
3. Set dual rates if desired at 60% of max settings.
Final Checklist:
1. Center of Gravity at between 1” and 1-¼” behind leading edge of wing at tips.
2. Check controls for proper direction and free movement.
3. Charge battery.
4. Range check transmitter, refer to transmitter instructions.
Flying Tips: The Mini-Hellcat has a rather low wing loading and does not like much wind.
For your first flight, I would recommend flying in a large outdoor area, wait for very calm conditions like
less than 5 mph wind. Once you get comfortable with the flying characteristics you will be able to fly in
much smaller areas, and outdoors in more wind.