Fancy Foam Models EPP 3Decathlon User manual

Rev. 1.0, 12-22-2011
Fancy Foam Models, LLC
635 Laramie Cir. Maize, Ks. 67101
.fancyfoam.com
EPP 3Decathlon – Assembly Instructions.
Recommended Electronics and motors:
Motor: Park 250 outrunner or any equivalent motor
Speed control: 6 amp minimum.
Battery: 250 to 450, 2s , 20C rated or equivalent.
Receiver: 4 channel.
Servos: 9gr. for ailerons, and 5gr servos for the tail.
Disclaimer: Fancy Foam Models has done everything
we can to caution and inform the end user regarding
the use of Lithium polymer battery technology. We
are in no way responsible for any damage that may
be caused by these batteries. lease read,
understand and follow all instructions for the
charger and batteries. Failure to use this battery
technology properly can result in the risk of fire. If
you are not comfortable with this technology, return
the batteries packs and kit to us for a refund. By
building the kit and using the batteries, you accept
full responsibility for the safety of these batteries.
Recommended building methods and glues:
Much of the construction of this model is done by laying
the parts on a flat table. It is strongly recommended that
you put ax paper do n on the surface first so any excess
glue doesn’t soak through the foam and glue the parts to
the table. For all assembly, use thin “foam safe” CA glue.
Gap filling or “medium” glue just adds eight. Al ays use
accelerant or “kicker” to get the glue to set. If possible,
apply the glue to one part and the kicker to the other part
and then press them together and hold until cured. Wipe
off any excess glue ith tissues before it cures.
Wing reparation:
Glue the 1x3mm spar into the slot on the bottom of the
ing. Let the spar glue cure for 30 min on a flat surface.
Hinge the ailerons to the ing using the Welders glue
method. (See the video on the eb site for more info).
Fuselage Construction:
Hinge the elevator to the horizontal stabilizer.
Glue the horizontal fuselage to the horizontal tail
assembly.
1

Place the horizontal fuselage assembly (elevator hinge
Vee facing up) on your ork surface and glue the lo er
vertical fuselage in place.
Cut t o 4” long pieces of 1mm carbon rod and glue them
in place as sho n from the lo er fuselage to the
horizontal stabilizer. Ensure that the t o parts are
perpendicular to each other hile gluing.
Cut six 6” long pieces of 1mm carbon rod and glue them
in place as sho n, bracing the lo er vertical fuselage to
the horizontal fuselage. Ensure that the t o parts are
perpendicular to each other hile gluing.
Landing gear installation:
From the t o 2mm carbon rods, cut a 1.25” long piece.
The short pieces ill be the axle. Cut the remaining long
pieces to 7” long for the gear legs.
Place the gear legs into the slots in the fuselage as sho n
but do not glue them.
Place a small drop of CA on the end of one of the axles.
Hold it in position so it is parallel ith the horizontal
fuselage. You ant the intersection of the t o rods about
1/8” from the ends. Spray ith kicker to set the glue.
Repeat for the other axle.
Remove the gear legs from the fuselage. Use a 12” piece
of heavy thread to rap the axle joint. Make half of the
raps one direction and the other half perpendicular to
the first. Saturate the thread ith CA and then cut a ay
the excess thread.
2

Position the gear legs back on the fuselage. Line the axles
up parallel to each other and the same height off of the
ork surface. Glue them in place.
Place the heel on the axle and then the heel pant. Put
a dab of glue on the end of the axle outside of the heel
pant and then pull the pant over the glue to secure it in
place. Glue the gear strut to the back of the gear leg and
to the fuselage.
Upper Fuselage and Wing Attachment:
Glue the upper fuselage in place.
Cut t o 5” llong pieces of 1mm carbon rod and glue them
as sho n for the vertical stabilizer braces.
Glue the ing to the upper fuselage. When the glue is
cured place the plane up side do n on your ork surface.
Make 2 marks on the left ing 10.5” from the fuselage
ith one 1/4” behind the leading edge and the other 1/4”
in front of the aileron hinge bevel. Repeat the marks on
the right ing.
Cut and install 1mm carbon rods from the marks on the
ing to the ing strut slot in the fuselage. Glue the rods
to the ing and hen you are happy that you have the
fuselage square to the ing glue the struts to the
fuselage.
Cut 1mm carbon pieces for the ing strut braces and glue
in place. The braces are located 5” from the fuselage.
Refer to the picture belo for the layout of the braces.
3

Cut t o 6” pieces of 1mm carbon and glue in place from
the ing leading edge to the for ard fuselage. These ill
help keep the ing aligned ith the fuselage.
Motor and Radio Installation:
Glue the ply ood fire all to the nose and install the
motor.
Plug all servos and speed control into the receiver. Attach
a battery and check for proper servo rotation and
centering.
The aileron servo is installed in the top of the ing. The
3Decathlon is a high ing and susceptible to adverse ya .
To correct this the ailerons ill need to have more up
movement than do n. The offset control horn is used for
this by moving the pushrod connection behind the servo
pivot.
The rudder servo is installed on the left side in the
horizontal fuselage. The elevator servo is installed on the
right side in the horizontal fuselage. Use a couple of spots
of hot glue on each servo tab to hold it in place. Mount all
servos in the same manner. It may be necessary to make
the servo mounting cutouts larger, e have left them a
little small to fit a good range of servos. Connect the
receiver, speed control and servos.
The Speed control, receiver and excess servo ire can be
tucked a ay belo the for ard horizontal fuselage.
ush Rod Installation:
Cut slots for the control horns and glue in place. All
pushrods are made as sho n. Use the .032 ire to make
the Z ends. Install the Z ends to the control horns and
servo arms. Test fit each carbon rod and trim as needed.
Add a small drop of CA to the ire/carbon joint. The
1/16” heat shrink is used to secure the 1mm carbon
pushrod to the .032 ire. Make sure the control
surface and the servo are centered before heating
the shrink sleeve. Any adjustments past this point must
be made ith the sub-trim function of your computer
radio.
4

When installing the long elevator and rudder pushrods,
make sure to install the included ply ood pushrod guides
as needed along the fuselage sides. Slip these standoffs
onto the elevator and rudder pushrods before attaching
the z ends. Cut small slots in the fuse and glue the
pushrod guides in place as needed to eliminate any
pushrod flex.
Flight set-up:
Use double stick Velcro on the battery and airframe to
secure the battery belo the ing on the right side of the
fuselage. Place it to achieve a CG of 2.5” behind the
leading edge of the ing. Adjust the battery location back
and forth to suit your flying style.
Use your computer radio to set the final sub-trims,
exponential and dual rates. Double check the control
directions before your first flight. With proper CG, the
plane should fly nearly the same upright or upside-
down. Good pilots experiment ith various battery
locations until the CG feels just right.
For indoor flying, e use 2 cell lipo packs rated at 20C or
greater. Batteries of 250 to 450 mah are perfect for giving
good flight times and plenty of po er. The final airplane
eight should be bet een 5.0 and 5.5 oz.
We hope you like the 3Decathlon. It as designed by
Champion pilot RJ Gritter to meet the needs of the indoor
contest pilot and the backyard sport pilot.
Thank You,
Mike & Niki Bailey
Fancy Foam Models
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