Extreme Flight RC YAK-54 EXP User manual

YAK-54 EXP
48 inch Electric ARF
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Greetings and congratulations on your purchase of the Extreme Flight RC
Yak-54 EXP ARF!Like all of the EXP series, the YAK-54 excels at both 3D
and precision maneuvers. It shares the long tail moment of the Extra, Edge
and Laser which gives it great stability in high speed precision maneuvers and
it also features the famous EXP elevator that allows for crazy pitch authority
and great stability in high alpha maneuvers. When the CG is properly set the
YAK-54 has minimal coupling and is a very neutral aircraft.
The YAK-54 EXP shares many of the attributes of the previous EXP
airframes along with some new features. The motor box construction has
been changed to the style of the 60 inch EXP aircraft as it has been proven in
these airframes to be rock solid and easier to assemble in production. Due to
customer feedback we have also changed the wing retention method to make
it much easier to attach the wings to the fuselage. The wings are also slightly
recessed into the fuselage sides which provides a much cleaner appearance
and insures the wings will appear flush with the fuselage sides.
If repairs become necessary, the Ultracote colors used on the YAK-54 EXP
are as follows:
Red/White/Blue/Silver color scheme: True Red #HANU866 (Oracover #023
Ferrari Red), White #HANU870 (Oracover #10 White), Deep Blue
#HANU873 (Oracover #50 Blue) and Silver #HANU881 (Oracover #91 Silver).
Red/White/Black color scheme: True Red #HANU866 (Oracover #023
Ferrari Red), White #HANU870 (Oracover #10 White), Black #HANU874
(Oracover #71 Black).

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Tips for Success:
1. Before starting assembly, take a few minutes to read the entire instruction
manual to familiarize yourself with the assembly process.
2. Please take a few minutes and go over all the seams on the aircraft with a
covering iron on a medium heat setting.
3. Use a fresh bottle of thin CA with a fine glue tip when attaching the CA
hinges. This will ensure that the proper amount of CA wicks into the hinge
and surrounding balsa wood and creates a proper bond between the wood and
hinges. We are big fans of the Mercury line of adhesives as well as the glue
tips provided by them.
4. Apply a couple drops of CA to high stress areas such as anti-rotation pins,
landing gear mounts, servo trays and motor box joints .
5. All of the G10 control horns are the same with the exception of the elevator
horn. Its base has been shortened to fit the depth of the elevator.
6. When applying decals, first clean the area where the decal will be applied
with alcohol. Mist the area lightly with Windex before applying the decal
which will allow you to properly position it, then use a rubber squeegee to
push all of the liquid from under the decal. This will result in very few air
pockets trapped under the decal.
7. Take the time to properly balance and trim your aircraft and set up rates
and exponential values. Your flying experience will be greatly enhanced by
doing this.
Please note: The assembly of the YAK-54 EXP is
almost identical to the assembly process of the
previously released EXP series aircraft. Most photos
will show the Extra component assembly. Only
assembly steps which differ will show the Yak
components.

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Items needed for completion
-Masking tape
-Hobby knife with #11 blades
-Razor saw
-Thin and medium CA. We highly recommend Mercury M5T thin and M100XF medium
formulas as well as the Mercury glue tips.
-30 minute epoxy. The new Mercury adhesives Epoxies have worked very well for us.
-Blue Loctite.
-Silicon based glue (Zap-A-Dap-A-Goo, etc.)
-Electric drill with an assortment of small drill bits.
-Small flat head and Phillips head screw drivers.
-Standard and needle nose pliers.
-Metric balldriver or allen key set.
-4 sub micro metal geared servos. All flight testing was performed with Hitec HS-65MG
and HS-5065MG digital servos and we strongly recommend the use of either of these high
quality servos.
-Torque 2814T/820 Brushless Outrunner motor.
-Airboss Elite 45 Amp ESC.
-4S 2100-2700 mah LiPo battery.
-APC 12x6 E (NOT the slow fly version!) or XOAR 12x6 electric prop.
-52mm Extreme Flight spinner.
-2 18"-24" extensions for the 2 rear servos and 2 6"-8" extensions to go between the
receiver and the aileron servo leads. We recommend the 28 or 32 AWG extensions to save
weight.
-Adhesive backed Velcro and Velcro strap for battery retention.

Let's begin!
1. Locate the 2 wing panels with ailerons as well as the 2 G10 aileron control
horns. Remove the ailerons from the wing and remove the covering over the
slot for the aileron horn on the bottom of the aileron with a sharp hobby
blade. Make sure you are doing this on the bottom of the aileron!
2. Scuff the portion of the control horn that will be glued into the aileron with
sandpaper.
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3. Use a glue tip on your bottle of medium CA and apply glue to the slot as
well as to both sides of the control horn. Insert the control horn into the slot
and make sure it seats properly against the surface of the aileron.
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4. Remove the covering from the aileron servo location and make sure the
hinges are centered in their slots.
5. Slide the aileron into position on the hinges and secure with several drops
of fresh thin CA. This process is much easier and more effective if a fine glue
tip is used. Make sure to deflect the surface as pictured while applying the
CA.
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6. Use the screws provided by the servo manufacturer to secure the aileron
servo in the designated location. 1 screw installed in the center hole at each
end of the servo is adequate to secure the servo. Make sure the output shaft is
positioned toward the trailing edge of the wing.
7. Locate the 2 threaded pushrods that are the same size and 4 micro ball
links along with 4 2mm screws, nuts and washers. Thread the ball links onto
each end of the pushrods and secure to the servo arm and control horn with
the 2 mm hardware as shown in the picture. Use the longest arm provided
with your servo.
Repeat this process for the other wing half.
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8. Locate the carbon fiber main landing gear, 2 axles, 2 washers, 2 locking
nuts, 2 wheels, 2 wheel collars and 2 wheel spats from the hardware package.
Drill a 3 mm hole through the spat to accept the threaded portion of the axle
as shown in the picture below. Place the threaded portion of the axle through
the hole in the wheel spat, through the hole in the carbon gear, slide a washer
over the threaded portion and screw the lock nut onto the axle. Tighten the
nut securely making sure the spat is in the proper position. Place the wheel
onto the axle and secure with a wheel collar. Repeat this process for the
remaining wheel/spat. This is probably better explained in the following
series of pictures.
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