Carf-Models F4U-1D Corsair User manual

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Instruction Manual F4U-1D Corsair
CARF-Models /WGLQIR#FDUIPRGHOVFRP
Building Instructions for CARF-Models F4U-1D Corsair
Thank you very much for purchasing our CARF-Models Corsair all composite aircraft, made
with our all composite prouction technique. The master plug of this Corsair was designed with a
3D CAD program, and then milled on our 3D capable CNC-router. Skilled craftsmen and
experienced modellers have finalized the shapes and contours as well as the details of the plane,
before the production mold was made. This high-tech marvel of production tooling is a precise,
handcrafted set of molds, which will allow us to supply precision composite parts for many years
to come.
Before you get started building and setting-up your aircraft, please make sure you have read this
instruction manual several times, and understood it. If you have any questions, please don’t
hesitate to contact us. Below are the contact details:
Email: [email protected]
Telephone: Phone your CARF Rep!!! He will be there for you.
Website: http://www.carf-models.com
Liability Exclusion and Damages
You have acquired a kit, which can be assembled into a fully working R/C model when fitted out
with suitable accessories, as described in the instruction manual with the kit. However, as
manufacturers, we at CARF-Models are not in a position to influence the way you build and
operate your model, and we have no control over the methods you use to install, operate and
maintain the radio control system components. For this reason we are obliged to deny all liability
for loss, damage or costs which are incurred due to the incompetent or incorrect application and
operation of our products, or which are connected with such operation in any way. Unless
otherwise prescribed by binding law, the obligation of the CARF-Models company to pay
compensation is excluded, regardless of the legal argument employed. This applies to personal
injury, death, damage to buildings, loss of turnover and business, interruption of business or other
direct and indirect consequent damages. In all circumstances our total liability is limited to the
amount which you actually paid for this model.
BY OPERATING THIS MODEL YOU ASSUME FULL RESPONSIBILITY
FOR YOUR ACTIONS.
It is important to understand that CARF-Models Co., Ltd, is unable to monitor whether you follow
the instructions contained in this instruction manual regarding the construction, operation and
maintenance of the aircraft, nor whether you install and use the radio control system correctly. For
this reason we at CARF-Modelsare unable to guarantee or provide a contractual agreement with
any individual or company that the model you have made will function correctly and safely. You,
as operator of the model, must rely upon your own expertise and judgement in acquiring and
operating this model.

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Instruction Manual F4U-1D Corsair
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Supplementary Safety Notes
Pre-flight checking:
Before every flying session check that all the model’s working systems function correctly, and be
sure to carry out a range check.
The first time you fly any new model aircraft we strongly recommend that you enlist the help of an
experienced modeller to help you check the model and offer advice while you are flying. He
should be capable of detecting potential weak points and errors.
Be certain to keep to the recommended CG position and control surface travels. If adjustments are
required, carry them out before operating the model.
Be aware of any instructions and warnings of other manufacturers, whose product(s) you use in
this particular aircraft, especially engine and radio equipment.
Please don’t ignore our warnings, or those provided by these other manufacturers. They refer to
facts and processes which, if ignored, could result in permanent damage or fatal injury.
Attention !
This Scale-Aircraft is a high-end product and can create an enormous risk for both pilot and
spectators, if not handled with care, and used according to the instructions. Make sure that you
operate your Corsair according to the AMA rules, or those laws and regulations governing the
model flying in the country of use. The engine, servos and control surfaces have to be attached
properly. Please use only the recommended engines, servos, propellers, and accessories supplied
in the kit. Make sure that the ‘Centre of Gravity’ is located in the recommended place. Use the
nose heavy end of the CG range for your first flights, before you start experimenting with moving
the CG back. If you find that you need to relocate your batteries or even add weight in the aircraft
to move the CG to the recommended position, please do so and don’t try to save weight or hassle.
A tail heavy plane, in a first flight, can be an enormous danger for you and all spectators. Fix any
weights, and heavy items like batteries, very securely to the plane.
Make sure that the plane is secured properly when you start the engine. Have at least 2 helpers
hold your plane from the tail end, or from behind the wing tips, before you start the engine. Make
sure that all spectators are behind, or far in front, of the aircraft when running up the engine. Make
sure that you range check your R/C system thoroughly before the first flight. It is absolutely
necessary to range check your complete R/C installation first WITHOUT the engine running.
Leave the transmitter antenna retracted, and check the distance you can walk before ‘fail-safe’
occurs. Then start up the engine, run it at about half throttle and repeat this range check with the
engine running. Make sure that there is no range reduction before ‘fail-safe’ occurs. Only then
make the 1st flight. If you feel that the range with engine running is less then with the engine off,
please contact the radio supplier and the engine manufacturer and DON’T FLY at that time. If you
fly with 2.4 GHz technology, please follow the radio manufacturer’s instructions for range
checking. Always check range before a flying session!

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Instruction Manual F4U-1D Corsair
&$5)0RGHOV/WGLQIR#FDUIPRGHOVFRP
After starting your engine the first time, check for vibrations through the whole throttle range. The
engine should run smoothly with no unusual vibration. If you think that there are any excessive
vibrations at any engine rpm’s, DON’T FLY at this time and check your engine, spinner and
propeller for proper balancing. Please follow the engine manufacturer’s run-in recommendations
and make sure that the engine is ran-in properly before you attempt the first flight.
The light- weight sandwich composite parts don’t like too much vibration and they can suffer
damage. The low mass of all the parts results in a low physical inertia, so that any excess
vibrations can affect the servos and linkages. Check that the M3 bolts retaining the horizontal
stablisers on to the aluminium tube are installed and tight, and that the hinge wires for the rudder,
elevators and ailerons cannot come out. Make sure that your main and stab tubes are not damaged.
If you have the wing fold version, make sure that the wings lock smoothly in the down position
and that the wings are attached with the 4 bolts securely. Test cycle the folding sequence several
times when the engine is running and make sure that the down lock is always safe.
A special note if the Moki 215 or Moki 250 radial is used: Please make sure that no electric wire
can touch any hot component on the engine. All wires should be protected by additional spiral
tubing and should be fixed with cable ties on to the firewall. Any rubbing of wires needs to be
prevented by using rubber grommets where they are fed through the firerwall. Do not assume that
a radial engine runs without vibration. A radial engine with a single sided counter balance on the
crank shaft does have very noticable vibrations, which seem “softer” than the vibrations of a
single or twin cylinder gas engine, but they are just as abrasive to any rubbing components.
Check the retract system for reliable function. You should be able to cycle the gear at least 3
times, after the gear was retracted for 10 minutes. Please take the time to confirm that the air
system is not leaking. Depending on the many different possibilities for air leaks, the air system
might seem perfectly sealed when the gear is down, but when the gear is up, a leak might show.
Make sure that all screws and bolts on the landing gear have been tightened and checked. We rely
on the QC-procedures of our subcontractor “Sierra Giant Scale” and do NOT check the landing
gear equipment before it is sent to you. Please for your own interest check every bolt, and if
necessary, secure it with Locktite or similar. Check the safe function of the gear before you install
it permanently in the wing.
On the hydraulic system for the wing fold, please ONLY use T-Fittings which grab the tube from
the outside, such as Festo “Push-In” Tees. An oil spill is not only very time consuming to clean up,
it might ultimately be a high risk for the wing fold system to fail in flight.
If you carefully checked all the points above and followed our advice exactly, you will have a safe
and successful first flight - and many hours of pleasure with your CARF-Models F4U-1D Corsair.
Please check the important values at the end of this manual for control throws and Center of
Gravity!

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Instruction Manual F4U-1D Corsair
C$5)0RGHOV/WGLQIR#FDUIPRGHOVFRP
The Fiberglass Parts and their internal structure
A lot of engineering went into the structural integrity of the 3-part wing, especially keeping in
mind that a complex wing folding mechanism is to be used. Fuselage and tail planes are a fairly
standard design based on the many years of production experience of CARF Models. The hard-
ware is complete and well chosen for the task. Much of it is pre-installed in the ARF version.

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Instruction Manual F4U-1D Corsair
CARF-Models Ltd. [email protected]
Getting Started!
It is highly recommended to assemble your Corsair following the steps in this instruction manual
closely. A lot of building steps are interacting and there are not too many choices as to what
should be done first, and what last. We recommend to follow this manual closely to avoid time
consuming and expensive mistakes.
CARF-Models offers the F4U-1D Corsair in 3 different versions. This manual starts at the very
beginning of assembling a folding wing kit version (#792000).
Assembling the plug-in wing version (#791000) doesn’t make much difference, to the general
building approach, of course will be simplifying the build a lot. The whole chapter about the
folding wing hardware installation, and also the hydraulics installation and plumbing, can be
skipped.
Most of you will be curious about what amount of building the ARF version (#793000) will
require from you. The photos below show all the parts, which the factory installs for you before
the plane is packed and shipped. If you look at these photos, you will ask, what you still will have
to do? Well, it’s not much anymore.
ARF Corsair Building Jobs: Installing your engine, your servos, and adjusting your
linkages. For transport reasons we do not glue the rudder fin on to the fuselage, but this is a
10 minute job to do. Assemble the 3 torsion linkages and connecting them to the controls
and the servos. Installing the landing gear (actually “bolting it in”), glueing in the clear
canopy and painting the whole plane in the scheme you picked. That’s all. All in all, you
might need to read a few tiny parts of landing gear installation, and then the last 10-12
pages about engine and RC installation. And of course, the finish and the preflight info.
Now, is it worth the extra money to go with
the ARF version? ...it depends on you!
If you are a builder, you will enjoy the build
every bit as much as if you’re more a flyer
and go for the ARF version.
All this is already
installed
in the CARF
Corsair ARF.

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Instruction Manual F4U-1D Corsair
CARF-Models Ltd. [email protected]
1. Main Gear and Gear Door Installation
To start with the gear installation first cut the borders of the gear cutouts along the line and clean
the edges. The cut out parts will not be needed anymore, so you can cut slightly smaller and sand to
fit. Please note the cutting line Gear doors and permanent mounting covers have to be cut from the
laminated carbon fibre part . Fit the 2 permanent covers in tightly, and make sure that around each
gear door’s edges is a nice and constant gap of approx. 1 mm all around.
Now use a jig saw blade to remove the center area plywood from the gear mount. When we build
the internal structure of the Corsair wing, we have to make sure that the two gear ribs are in the
absolutely correct alignment and position, so that the wheel will fit nicely into the wing. And it’s
tight back there. So we square the mounts by leaving the gear mounting rails and the center wood
connected by a few tabs. It is a few minutes work to cut this part out. Be careful not to damage the
top wing skin with the jig saw blade. After the center wood is cut out and removed, you’re the first
person in the world to see the wood structure beneath, so if there is need to re-glue a glue joint,
now will be the time to do so. Clean the wood edges with sand paper, where necessary.
Important: After cutting the wood please
check all glue joints which appear below.
Use epoxy glue and, if needed, some little
patches of fiberglass reinforcement.
Cut the opening for gear
doors and permanent covers
in the center wing and also
cut the gear doors an per-
manent covers from the
carbon parts. See the lines
on the photos!

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Instruction Manual F4U-1D Corsair
CARF-Models Ltd. [email protected]
Trial fit the landing gear unit now. You will
see that you will have to mill a notch in the
cooler intake area on the front inside corner,
so that the mounting tab of the landing gear
can be inserted. Having the gear unit in
place, you will have to mark and cut the inner
permanent cover in this area, too.
The front outer corner of the gear unit is
surely going to touch the top skin of the
wing. It’s very tight there, and you can mill
out the 2mm sandwich foam to gain another
2mm space. You can also grind the gear unit
a little bit to round corners, which will give
you another one or two mm. Cycle the gear
by hand to see if strut and wheel do not bind
or hit anywhere. If the mounting rails are not
100% parallel, please use very thin plywood
(included in the hardware bag) to slightly
pack the mounting areas.
lowest
notch
The Landing Gear Unit with Rotating Strut

Page 9
Instruction Manual F4U-1D Corsair
CARF-Models Ltd. [email protected]
If necessary, you can pack a few
layers of 0.8 mm plywood on top of
the rails to get the landing gear unit 1-
2 mm further up. As soon as the gear
cycles smoothly use a pen to mark the
holes to be drilled.
With the gear mounted, determine the
best wood tab positions for the little
sheet metal screws to hold the
permanent gear covers in place. You
can use scrap pieces of 3mm plywood
to make the tabs and glue them in
place with thick CA. Fit the
permanent covers with tape and drill
1.5mm holes, which will work
perfectly for the supplied 2.2mm
sheet metal screws.
Check allignment of gear to be
parallel in front and side view.

Page 10
Instruction Manual F4U-1D Corsair
CARF-Models Ltd. [email protected]
The front gear door, which covers the strut, will
be attached when the landing gear is finally
mounted. So please disregard this step for now.
The two main doors for the wheel wells are going
to be attached next.
Determine the hinge position according to the
photos and create a slot in the wheel bay edge
approx 5 mm long and 3 mm wide at every hinge
point. Sand the inside of the gear doors
in the hinge area and tack the hinges in
place with a drop of CA. Make sure
that the position of the hinges match
the slots. Use a 2mm steel pin to align
both hinges per door. The hinge pin
must be at least 4 mm away from the
door edge (see dimension on photo) to
enable the door to open fully.
Create two 50 mm long hinge pins
from the 2mm steel wire, bend one end 90 deg.
Cut 2 plastic tubes per hinge, approx. 20 mm
long, and slide them on the hinge pin. Assemble
hinge pins and plastic tubes into the hinges. Trial
fit the doors with the assembled hinges into the
wheel opening. You will realize that the doors
(laminated carbon sheet) are thinner than the
sandwich material of the wing. To create the
correct hinge geometry you must remove the
sandwich foam around the white plastic tubes, so
that the gear door surface and wing skin are on
the same level.
Once all fits nicely, glue the white tubes with a
drop of 5 minute epoxy into the wing. Use wide
masking tape to hold the gear door in place while
the glue is setting. After the glue has set, take off
the masking tape and check movement. Glue little
recessed tabs from 0.8mm plywood on the rear
edge and front edge of the wheel bay cutout for
the gear door to rest against when closed. The
rear resting lip should not be in the exact center
of the cutout, because it could fowl interfere the
wheel.
After everything works smoothly, you can apply
nice epoxy fillets to every glue joint, as some
joints have been only tack-glued during the
assembly process.
4 mm

Page 11
Instruction Manual F4U-1D Corsair
CARF-Models Ltd. [email protected]
Now you can install the mounting
plates for the gear door cylinders,
which are made from 3mm plywood
and are glued to the bottom of the
wheel bay. The length and the stroke
of the Robart Cylinders is perfectly
right. There is no room for an
additional clevis, but a 90 degree
bend of the 2mm pushrod, screwed
all the way into the piston rod of the
cylinder, works perfectly.
We recommend to screw the mounts
for the Robart cylinders directly on
to the plywood board and cut the
screw tip off. Then take the
assembled unit, confirm the correct
location and glue in with epoxy.
Usually you do not have to remove
the mounts anymore, you only have
to make sure that you can access the
e-clip for the pin at any time, to
remove or replace the cylinder, if
necessary one day.
Set the end positions so that the
cylinder still has about 1 mm
available travel when the gear door
is mechanically closed. This will
hold the gear door tight during
flight. When the cylinder is fully
extended, the angle of the gear doors
should be perfectly right, too. We
designed the hinges and control
horns matching the dimensions and
stroke of these cylinders.
Note: the photos show the folding
wing mechanism already installed.
Our instruction book describes this
working step at a later stage.
The result of your hard work: A giant wheel in a perfectly
snug wheel well, covered with tightly fitted gear doors.

Page 12
Instruction Manual F4U-1D Corsair
CARF-Models Ltd. [email protected]
The wing fold mechanism is a CARF Models development, where we put the most emphasis on
the simplicity of the system. On purpose we did not want to rely on a locking pin or any other
additional mechanical features, which might seem safe at first glance, but create potential of
failure when you look closer. So the design of our wing fold uses the same strong mechanical
feature as most retract systems do. A hydraulic cylinder is mounted in the outer wing stud, which
is permanently mounted to the center wing mounts with an axle. No hydraulic fluid lines need to
be disconnected when taking the outer wings off for transportation and storage. The sliding lock
pin unlocks the bottom hook of the outer stud when the cylinder expands, and pushes the pin into
the opposite end of the slot in the inner mounting claws. Then the force of the cylinder pushes the
outer wing upwards. When the wing is almost vertical, the lock pin could slide back to the outer
position in the slot, causing the wing to “flop” back and forth in the wind when folded all the way
up. To prevent this, a keeper is mounted to the locking pin, which interlocks with a small pin in
the center wing fold mount. Incredibly simple, but very effective – and safe.
The Haeusl hydraulic system itself has been used in retract systems for many years, and has
proven its reliability world wide. Jet modelers know Haeusl pumps very well, these high precision
units are used as fuel pumps by most turbine manufacturers. The hydraulics come with a separate
instruction manual, which you please read with great care before you start installing the system
into your Corsair.
2. The wing fold mechanism
We recommend to read this following step several times before you actually start working on the
wing fold installation. This is the most complicated (and most critical) building step of your
CARF Corsair assembly and you should try to understand every paragraph in full, imagine all
possible consequences of the critical work steps. This part of the build should not be rushed, you
should allow at least 3-4 building days, to allow glue joints to cure over night before you continue
step by step.

Page 13
Instruction Manual F4U-1D Corsair
CARF-Models Ltd. [email protected]
The first step is to trial fit the
assembled wing fold unit to the center
wing spar. Every spar has been drilled
and sanded to fit the wing fold “claw”
before the joining process of the
center wing’s mold halves. However,
it is quite possible that slight
adjustments need to be carried out,
such as sanding or grinding mounting
surfaces and holes, especially for
alignment purposes.
Unbolt the up-lock and remove from
the sliding pin for now. The up lock
only works properly when the
pressurized cylinder operates the
movement of the aluminum stud. If
the aluminum stud is moved by hand
during the installation and the sliding
pin is not in the upper end position of
the slot, the aluminum up-lock feature
can interfere with the pin and get
damaged. As soon as the operation is
carried out by the cylinder, forcing the
sliding pin into the end positon before
any rotating movement is initiated,
this problem will not occur anymore.
Use 6x M5 bolts and stop nuts to bolt
each unit in place. Check the
alignment in the down and up folded
position as shown on the photos.
If the alignment is slightly off,
honestly, there is not very much to do
except a lot of grinding, which in
return would weaken the spar
substantially. Slight misalignments
sometimes occur in the up folded
position, when the spar twisted
slightly during the mold joining
procedure. Our recommendation is to
accept it, as it does not have any
structural or aerodynamical effects in
flight, and it is usually not visible at
all when the wing is mounted. You
should also check the distance
between the up folded wing stud and
Unbolt this up-lock
beforemoving the
unitby hand!
allignment check
from side
distance check
from top
to center wing
edge

Page 14
Instruction Manual F4U-1D Corsair
CARF-Models Ltd. [email protected]
the top skin of the center wing. It is very
difficult to center the spar perfectly when
joining the molds, but slight corrections can
be made by grinding the holes in both spar
and aluminum claws a little bit. As a rule of
thumb a tolerance of 3 mm (1/8") is
acceptable.
Then slide the carbon sleeves on the
aluminum studs, check that they don’t have
inacceptable play and that the length would
not fowl the movement of the folding wing.
The rear edge of the carbon sleeve must
match the rear end of the aluminum stud, so
that only the 8mm steel pin is visible. The
inner edge (towards the root) must have a few
mm clearance around the aluminum claws
mounted to the center wing. Slide the outer
wing over the sleeve and confirm that the root
edge would fit reasonably close to the root
edge of the center wing. Up to 1 mm can be
adjusted when gluing the sleeve into the wing,
so this should not worry you right now. As we
want to glue the wing fold permanently to the
center wing, we want to make sure that no
serious mismatch would occur.
When the alignment of the wing folds is
acceptable, you should take the claws off the
spar, degrease the claws with alcohol or
acetone, and wax the bolts thoroughly. Then
apply Aeropoxy (or UHU Endfest) to the
surfaces, holes and bolts and permanently
install everything finally. Attention: Do NOT
tighten the bolts all the way! Leave them ½
turn open, to allow the glue to form a
perfectly matching bead between the spar and
the aluminum part. After the glue has settled
the next day, tighten the bolts finally by
applying the torque you’re used to apply when
tightening e.g. an M5 prop bolt.
Attention: The above is a mandatory, but irreversible working step. You’re in trouble now if
you did not wax the bolts or didn’t trial fit and move the outer wings to the up and down lock
positions. The folding studs must move freely, without any resistance, through the whole range of
movement. If the stud is not moving freely, the mounting claws are under tension when bolted to
the spar. You also must be able to slide the locking pin all the way down in the downlock position
with two fingers. If you feel resistance here, you will risk a down lock failure later. Make sure
everything operates smoothly and freely! A folding wing is a beautiful scale feature, but it requires
technical understanding and careful attention to the mechanical design to operate safely!
Photo of outer wings line-up with
center wing edges

Page 15
Instruction Manual F4U-1D Corsair
CARF-Models Ltd. [email protected]
The next step is to glue the sleeves
into the outer wings. Therefore sand
the inner surface of the outer wings
and the top and bottom edge of the
sleeves with rough sand paper. Trial
fit the wing and grind inside the wing
if you need to adjust the height for
perfect alignment between outer and
center wing. You can grind away
some of the carbon, up to 1 mm is
acceptable. The amount of carbon in
the outer wing is way overbuilt and
represents a huge safety margin. As
soon as the wing can be slid on
without force, wrap 3 layers of carbon
rovings on a length of 2-3 cm around
the sleeve. Then apply laminating
resin to the rovings. Use a little bit
milled fiber to thicken the resin which
is then applied on the joint surfaces.
Slide the wings right on, adjust them
perfectly to the surface of the center
wing and hold them in place with a
full width masking tape. Support the
wing tip, if necessary, or use a long
piece of masking tape to support it
towards the center wing. Let the resin
set over night.
Next you should create the permanent
fixture of the outer wing on the wing
fold spar. We recommend to use 2 M4
bolts per wing panel, this gives you
redundancy in regards to engine
vibrations, which can losen a bolt
eventually and you’ll be glad to have
a second one…
While the outer wing panel is securely
taped in the down position to the
center wing, drill with dia. 3.3mm
through wing, sleeve and aluminum
wing fold. Be very careful not to
damage the cylinder rod of the wing
fold cylinder. You should use a depth
gauge (any brass tube over the drill bit
will do) or a very short drill bit to
prevent drilling too deep.
Add Carbon strings
HERE...
...and HERE!

Page 16
Instruction Manual F4U-1D Corsair
CARF-Models Ltd. [email protected]
Then use an M4 tap and tap the thread
carefully so that you can insert and
tighten the M4x8 mm bolts.
Countersink the bolt heads so that
they sit firmly on the carbon sleeve.
Next day you take the wings off,
check the glue joints inside the wing,
and apply 2 strings of carbon fibre
rovings with laminating resin along
each corner of the joint, to create a
nice fillet between sleeve and wing
skin. Also double check the glue of
the two rear ribs with resin and micro
ballon. During the waiting time for
the resin to cure, you can disassemble
the wing fold and determine the
position of the front folding hinge.
You need to use an extended pin,
made from aluminum tubes, carbon
tubes or even a long round wood
dowel, to carry over the position of
the virtual axis of rotation to the front
hinge. Trial fit the wood spar in the
wing and mark the holes to be drilled
to mount the aluminum hinge to that
spar. Bolt the aluminum hinge on to
the plywood and glue the plywood
permanently in place, leaving the
extended pin as a jig in place.
A 10 mm steel,
aluminum, car-
bon or wood rod
needs to be modi-
fied with a 6 mm
diameter tip, to
allign the front
hinge with the
wing fold unit,
exactly parallel
and co-axial!

Page 17
Instruction Manual F4U-1D Corsair
CARF-Models Ltd. [email protected]
Mount the opposite aluminum hinge
with an M6 bolt and a temporary nut.
Tack it to the outer wood support to
the aluminum hinge, following the
approximate curve of the wing. Slide
the outer wing on and trial fit the
wood piece in the outer wing panel.
This works best when you have the
wings folded upright. It gives you
room to work. You might have to
shape the outer contour of the wood,
or remove and re-tack the hinge to the
wood to achieve a good result. When
the wood basically fits the outer wing,
you should pull the wing off and bolt
the aluminum hinge permanently to
the wood by using the 3.5mm sheet
metal screws, just as you did on the
center wing hinge.
Apply 30 min epoxy with some
microballon and/or milled fibre to the
wood piece which holds the outer
front aluminum hinge. Even if you do
not get the joint perfectly in one shot,
you can easily create a nice fillet to
this short plywood spar later on, after
you disassembled the front hinge by
removing the M6 bolt and temporary
nut and sliding the outer panel off, to
hold the aluminum hinge securely in
the outer wing.
Note: your kit has M4 bolts and T-nuts in-
cluded instead of the self tappers as in the
pics!
You might have to adjust the cutout for the
main wing spar in the outer wing, so that
when folded all the way up, the wing skin does
not fowl the folding mech. Use the milled
cover as template, but make sure the hole is
always at least 2 mm smaller than the cover.
Ready to fill the joints with epoxy/microballon...

Page 18
Instruction Manual F4U-1D Corsair
CARF-Models Ltd. [email protected]
Now first move the wing up and
down and finally shape the
contact edges of the center wing
with a narrow sanding block or
permagrit file so that the
movement is smooth without
any binding or locking.
Take the short piece of
aluminum tube, taper the edges
slightly and slide it into the outer
wing rear tube sleeve. Glue the
reinforcement ribs into the
center and outer wing. Glue a
little piece of the sleeve tube into
the center wing and glue an
approx. 20 mm piece of tube
into the outer wing sleeve, so
that when the wings fold down,
it slides approx. 6 mm (1/4")
into the center wing sleeve. We
have included some sleeve and
some tube for you in the
hardware bag.
Congratulations: You have
managed to install the wing fold
mechanics into your Corsair
wing. This was the most
complicated task. The remaining
building steps should go very
straight forward.
The shape of this additional wood rib looks a little
different to what is included in your kit. But the
function is the same.

Page 19
Instruction Manual F4U-1D Corsair
CARF-Models Ltd. [email protected]
Alternatively: Plug In Wings (#791000)
Not much is to be said about the plug in
wings… fit the wing tubes and slide the
wings on to the center wing. Install the 2 half
ribs in the very tip of the airfoil and glue the
front wing dowel into one side. This wing
dowel is only necessary for precise
alignment of the leading edge, it will not
have to hold a lot of flying load, as the
torsion load is carried by the two wing tubes
mainly.
As a reinforcement of the rear wing tube,
please glue in the two hard balsa supports
with epoxy resin and microballon after
cutting out the gear doors, then add another
layer of fiberglass from the front to reinforce
the rear wing tube mount in the center wing.
Check the glue joints of the ribs in the outer
wing panels and if you find any voids or
cracks, which we have overlooked, please
fill with epoxy and some microballon.
Now glue in the two root rib reinforcements
into both outer wing panels and center wing,
where the wing fixing bolt will be located.
Drill through the root ribs in this area, insert
an M6 T-nut from the inside into the outer
wing panel and trial fit the M6 wing bolt
from the inside of the wheel wells. We
recommend to screw one of the white plastic
knurled nuts on the wing bolt all the way to
the head and glue on with thin CA. This will
create a wing bolt which can be tightened by
hand, without having to use an allen hex key
when assembling the plane at the field. Now
glue in scrap balsa pieces to create a surface
where the outer wing and the center wing
butt together. This will prevent both root ribs
to be pulled together and possibly break
away from the wing skin when accidentally
overtightening the bolt. Now, losing this bolt
can have dramatic consequences, even
though the wing is mounted with a twin tube
system. It still can slide off during flight.
Make sure that the bolt is tightened properly
and check this before every flight.

Page 20
Instruction Manual F4U-1D Corsair
CARF-Models Ltd. [email protected]
3. Flap and aileron
attachment
Except for the very first kits, the flaps
and ailerons have all hard points
installed, where the control horns, ball
links and sliding connecting tabs are
mounted.
The most important task is that you
align ailerons and flaps when the
outer wing panels and the center wing
are joined, before you finally glue the
flap offset hinges and the aileron
hinge posts in.
The ailerons had a set of hinge posts
installed in the factory, to make sure
that the critical hinge axis is placed
correctly, also that the hinge posts can
move freely in the cutouts. Mark the
hinge post positions to the aileron
spar of the outer wing panel and mill
3 slots (3mm wide).
Do not yet glue at this point.
drawing of hinge