Hobbico avistar 40 User manual

ALMOSTREADY-TO-FLYRADIO CONTROLLED MODELAIRPLANE
•ALL AIRFRAME PARTS ARE FACTORY ASSEMBLED FORPERFECT ALIGNMENT AND QUICK
ASSEMBLY.
•ALL PRE-ASSEMBLED COMPONENTS ARE FACTORY COVERED.
•CLASSIC DESIGN WITH DURABLE BALSA AND PLYWOOD CONSTRUCTION.
•SEMI-SYMMETRICAL AIRFOIL GIVES THE AVISTAR40 PREDICTABLE FLIGHT CHARACTERISTICS.
©ENTIRECONTENTS COPYRIGHT 1988,HOBBICO, INC.

IMPORTANT: BEFORE YOU BEGIN.
Ifthis isyour firstR/C airplane kit, a word of caution isinorder. BEFORE you beginassembly, carefully
lookthrough the box andthoroughly read the instruction manual Alsocheckthe parts list againstthe items
inthe box to besure you have everythingthat ison the parts list. Although we have taken great pains to
simplifythe building process, thereare noshortcutstosafety. These instructions areyourguideto safeand
successful flying.
Only after you are thoroughly familiar with the construction process should you proceed with assembly.
Remember! Undernocircumstances will a dealer accept a kit back for return ifassembly has
already begun.
Ifthe Avistar 40 isnotquite what you expected, return itto your dealer inNewand Unusedcondition.
However, we think you will agree with usthat the Avistar 40 kitisone of the finest models of itstype and
willoffer you many hours of enjoyment.
ADDITIONAL ITEMS
Please check the additional items listed below for those materials notfurnished butrecommended.
Dubro #163 Wing seat tape .......................(1)
Dubro #121 E-Z connectors.......................(6)
or
Goldberg #361 Snap 'R' Keepers ..............(6)
Goldberg #482 1/2foam rubber.................(1)
Goldberg#461 Wing skids.........................(1)
Devcon #5250 Silicone rubber 2 oz. ..........(1)
Dave Brown Products #MMEP
30 minute epoxy ......................................(1)
Pacer Tech #444 Zap lock med 1/4 oz. .....(1)
Arco #64 Rubber bands1/4 lb...................(1)
Afour channelradio control system with 4 servos isrequiredtortheAvistar 40 Thevarious
componentsarepicturedabove
Mostenginesrequirea 1 .5Vglow plugstarting battery. a glowplugclip,andaqualitybrandfuel
(consulttheenginemanufacturers recommendations).
Here are a fewtoolsthat are necessary to propertyfinishthiskitTheyshouldbeavailablefrom
yourlocalhobby dealer or hardware storeAquality brandengine will beneededWe recommend the OS40FPtwo cycleengineAlsoa
propandfueltubing willberequired forthe engine
2

PARTS LIST
Beforeassembly matchthepartsintheexploded viewofthe Avistarwiththe parts inthekitCheckoffeach
parton the parts list Ifany parts are missing or damaged return the kit to your hobby dealer
1Rightwing 1
2Left wing 1
3Fuselage 1
4Vertical stabilizer and rudder 1
5Horizontal stabilizer and elevator 1
6Wing joiners2
7Wing mounting dowels 2
8Fueltank compartment cover 1
9Front steerable nose gear 1
10Main landing gear 2
11Tires and wheels 3
12Fueltank 1
13Neophrene ring1
14Plastic disk (1) large(1) small
15Clunk weight 1
16Fuel pipe 3
17M3x18 self tapping screw 1
18Silicone fuelline1
19Center tape 1
20Servo tray 1
21Aileronservo tray 1
22 Spinner 1
23 Stabilizer control rods2
24 Aileroncontrol rods (93/4) 2
25 Throttle andnose gear control rods (173/4) 2
26 Plasticguidetubes 2
MISC.HARDWARE
27 Clevis 4
28 Control horns 2
29 Control horn back plate 2
304mm x 10mm wheel collars 7
31m3x4 screw 7
32 Nose gear control horn1
33m3x25 screw 4
34 m2x15 screw 4
35 m3x8 screw 1
36 m2 6x8 self tapping screw 4
37m2x12 self tapping screw 4
38m4washers 8
39m3nut 4
40 Landinggear straps 2
41 Aileroncontrolhorns 2
42 Aileronservo trayblocks 1
(3/8 sq x 3 long)
43 Alignment peg1
3

PRE-ASSEMBLY
Locatepart#6wingjoinerJointhe two wing joiners together usinga lightcoat
ofepoxy They shouldform a "V" shapeasshown above
Locate the #4 vertical stabilizer and #5 horizontal stabilizer The rudderis
temporarily attached tothe vertical stabilizer The elevator istemporarily
attached to the horizontal stabilizer Remove the rudder,elevator, andmetal
hinges
Assemble the aileron supporttraywith parts #21 aileron servo trayand #42
3/8" x 3" balsa aileron servo tray blocks Cutthe aileronservo tray blocks 1-1/2"
longEpoxy the balsa blocks to the plywood trayas shown above
Apply a small amount of vaseline alongthe hinge joint on bothsides of the hinge
This will prevent epoxy fromgetting inthe hinge joint and ruining the hinge Do
notget vaseline on the rest of the hinge Ifthis happensthe epoxy will not hold
the hingeandthe aileron mayseparate from the wing causing a crash Dothis
step to alleleven hinges
Allailerons are mounted temporary from the factory Remove the aileronsfrom
the wings Nowremove thethree metalhingesoneachwing
Apply epoxy to both sides on one end of the hingeas shown Slide the hinge
back into the slot inthe wings trailing edgeWipe oft any excessepoxybefore
itcures The hinge pinmust beagainst the trailing edgeof the wing toallow the
ailerons installedlater to fitcorrectly Install allsix hinges three ineach wing,
andsetthe wingsasideuntiltheepoxy cures.
4

Usingthe sameproceduretor epoxying the hinges that was usedinStep 6,
epoxy the three hinges intothehorizontal stabilizer.Epoxytwo hingesintothe
vertical stabilizer
Remove the aileron and apply epoxy to the hinges and the part of the torque rod
that is inserted into the aileron Carefully install the aileron on the hingesand
torque rodInstallthe ailerons on both wings leaving no hinge gap
After the epoxy holdingthe hingeshascured locate the ailerons that were
removed from the wing inStep 3 Test fitthe aileron on the wing Besure the
torque rod fitsinthe hole inthe edge of the aileron The torque rod iswhat will
transmitmotionfrom the servo to the aileron.
Install the rudderon the vertical stabilizer and elevator on the horizontal
stabilizer using the same procedure usedfor the aileronBecareful notto leave
agap inthe hinge gap
Withthe aileron temporarily installed thereshould beno gap inthe hinge gap
Ifthe plane isflownwitha hinge gap of more than 1/16"flutter, a rapidvibration,
may becreated This fluttermay cause the ailerons to come looseorinsevere
cases break the wing
Coat the fueltank compartment withan even coat of epoxyCover all exposed
balsa and plywood parts Becarefulnot to fillany holes Also at this time coat
the bottom of the #8 fueltankcompartment cover Thiswillprevent the fuel from
destroying the wood
5

WING JOINER INSTALLATION
Using the wing joiner assembled inStep 1 of preassembly insertthe wing joiner
into the wing panel temporarily Also installthewing #43 alignmentpegas
shown Donotglueat this time
When you are satisfied with the fit of the wing joiner remove the wings from the
joiner Mix a batch of 30 minute epoxy andusing the right wing panel (has Avistar
on top) smear the inside of the right wing joinerpocket witha heavy coat of
epoxy Alsocoat half of the wing joinerwithepoxy and push into the wing )oiner
pocket Coat halfofthe wing alignment peg with epoxy and insert itinto the hole
at the rear ofthe wing root Clean the epoxy fromthe wing root to prevent epoxy
buildupAllow theepoxy to cure
Slide the other wing panel onto the wing joiner Slide the two wing halves
together Check forproper alignment There should beno gap between the wing
halves Ifthere istrim the end of the wing joiner slightly to allow proper fitDo
notglueatthistime
Markthelocationonthebottomof the wing where thewing joinerisinstalled
The wing shouldform a "V"when assembledasshown Thetopofthewinghas
letteringonit
When the epoxy has cured you may proceed to joinboth wing panels together
Mix a batch ofepoxyand heavily coat the wing joiner pocket of the leftwing Also
apply aneven coat of epoxy on both wing roots Besure to cover the whole wing
root When satisfied withthe gluing slide the wing panels together and check
forfitWipe excess glue fromthe jointIsopropyI alcohol workswell forthis It
isbest to use masking tape to hold the wing halves together untilthe epoxy
cures

Note: You may proceed with fuselage preparation
andcome back to here after the wing isready.
Afterthe epoxy has fullycured (overnight) remove the masking tapeandapply
the center tape Beginat the bottom trailing edge,wrap forward andaroundto
top trailing edge overlapping the beginning point
Remove the servotray and,following the picture, remove the covering from area
"A".
AILERON SERVO
TRAY INSTALLATION
Locate the pre-assembled #21 aileron servo traywith #42 balsablocks and a
servo fromyour radio system Slipthe servo into the trayand measure the
distance from the bottom of the servo tothe bottom of the balsa block
Then remove the balsa wood fromarea "B" Remove enough balsawood
accomodate the servo previously measured inStep1.
Remove the servo fromthe servo trayTurn the servo trayupside down (balsa
blocks up)andlaythe end of the trayon the linedrawn inStep 5 of wing joiner
installation.Usinga felt tippentrace around theoutsideandinsideof the servo
tray.
Set the servo inthe servo trayand test fitthe servo trayto the mounting area
When satisfied with the fit,remove the servo andepoxy the servo tray to the
mountingarea.
7

FUSELAGE PREPARATION
Onthe sideat the rear of the fuselage useyour finger to locate the stabilizer cut
outs They will besoft spots underthe covering on both sides Using a sharp
knife remove the covering material fromthe soft spots on both sides During the
process you will find a balsa tail postThis mustalsoberemoved to allow the
installation of the horizontal stabilizer
The elevator exit hole islocated on the left sideof the fuselage 6"forward of the
tail post and approximately 1/2inch above the bottom of the fuselage You may
beableto detect this as a soft spot inthe fuselage Remove the covering from
theelevator exit hole
Again using your finger locate the vertical stabilizer slot on top of the fuselage
remove the covering fromthis area Installthe wing skidto the bottomof the tail
sectionto prevent itgetting scraped up
The wingdowel holes are also pre drilled They are located inthe area indicated
inthe photo Using a sharp knife remove the covering material at thistime There
are four holes two on each side of the fuselage Insert the dowels so that they
protrude equaldistance on each side of the fuselage Epoxy part of the dowel
protruding from the sidesofthefuselageThiswillkeepfuel from ruiningthe
dowels
The factoryhas precut the rudder and elevator controlrod exitholes These are
approximately 1/8inch wide and 1 inch long The location of the rudder exithole
isapproximately 6 inches forwardfromthe tail post and on top of the fuselage
andslightly to the right when viewing the plane fromthe tail The area appears
slightlydarkerRemove the covering from this areaatthis time
The mainlandinggear slot islocated on the bottom of the fuselage approxi
mately 14 inches back fromthe nose (or front)of the plane Using a sharp knife
removethe covering from this area

STABILIZER PREPARATION
Locatethe horizontalstabilizerSlidethe stabilizerintotheslotpreparedinthe
previous section Position the stabilizer so that itiscentered inthe fuselage and
that the trailing edge of the elevator is90 tothe center line of the fuselage
Insert a pinthrough a piece of stringand attach the pintothe fuselage on the
center lineas shown Stretchthe string to the corner of the elevator The
distance fromthe pinto the corner must beequalon both sides This method
willadjust the stabilizer so itis90°to the center lineofthe fuselage
INSTALLATION OF
HORIZONTAL STABILIZER
IMPORTANT: This next seriesof steps will determine how
well your Avistar40 willflySo please read and reread these
steps so that you are totally familier with its sequence
Usingwing saddletapeapplya stripto thewingsaddleareaasshown
Markon the stabilizer where the fuselage and the stabilizertouchDothis on the
top and the bottom of the stabilizer Remove the covering inbetween the two
linesThis willallow a more secure glue jointwhen the stabilizer isepoxyed later
Donotcut the balsa wood under the covering
Using four rubber bands (#64) temporarily secure the wing to the fuselage This
becomes your basicreference point
Locate the vertical stabilizerRemove the covering on bothsidesasshown
Lay thefuselage withwing attached on any flat surface Mix a batch of 30minute
epoxy You willhave plenty of time to work so don t hurry Using a scrap piece
of plywood left over fromthe aileron servo trayapply a generous amount of
epoxyto the insidearea top andbottom and along the sides of the stabilizer slot
as shown

Using the same scrap ofplywood apply an even coat ofepoxy to the top and
bottomof the horizontal stabilizer inthearea where you removed the covering
INSTALLATION OF
VERTICAL STABILIZER
Now if we have done a good job with the wing-stabilizer relationship the
installation of the rudder should beeasy The vertical stabilizer needs to be
at90° to the horizontal stabilizer and the horizontal stabilizer isparallelto
thewing A drafting triangle would behelpful here
Looking into the fuselage vertical stabilizer slot applysome epoxy to the top
surface of the horizontal stabilizer that isvisibleinsidethe fuselage
Slidethe stabilizerinto the slot fromthe rear Thisfitshould beclose but not tight
Usinga ruler (12) check to see if you have equal distance fromthe center of the
tail to the outside edgeof the stab Now using the string explained inthe stabilizer
preparation sectionadjust the stabilizer so itis90°to the center lineof the
fuselage
Mix a small batch of epoxyand applyittothe area inside the fuselage on the
surface of the exposed wood Apply an even coat tothe vertical stabilizer base
where you removed the covering Inserttheverticalstabilizerintothe slotand
pushdown untilthe stabilizer stops
Now view the stabilizer wing relationship frombehindwith the plane resting on
alevel surface (see photo above) Distance "x" should bethe same Ifnot shim
the stabilizer using a smallsilver of wood to get the properrelationshipLetthe
epoxy cure thoroughly
Usingthe triangle check to see ifthe rudder is90to the horizontal stabilizer
Ifso acouple of straight pins willholdthe rudderinposition until theepoxycures
10