Hyperflight supra-e User manual

Supra-e Assembly Guide
from
HyperFlight
Drybank Farm
Fosse Way
Ettington
Stratford-on-Avon
Warwickshire UK CV 7 7PD
www.HyperFlight.co.uk
[email protected]
© 2011 HyperFlight
Revision 1.0
Supra-e Assembly Guide 1.0.odt

HyperFlight Supra-e Assembly Guide
Warning, this is not a toy!
f you are new to the hobby of flying RC model airplanes, DO NOT attempt to fly this
model by yourself! There are hundreds of BMFA (British Model Flying Association)
clubs in the UK. Ask your local hobby shop for the location of the nearest club in your
area, or check out the www.bmfa.org.uk (or your national modelling organisations) web
site. Many clubs often have qualified instructors to teach you how to fly. f you are an
accomplished pilot then you should have no problem in flying this model. However the
Supra-e can fly very fast, and is potentially a lethal object. Do fly responsibly, and
make sure your third party liability (eg BMFA) insurance is valid.
Limit of Liability
All Vladimir’s Models products are constructed to the highest standard and made
strong enough for reasonable usage by an experienced and responsible r/c aircraft
pilot. By keeping this model you confirm that the parts have not been structurally
damaged and are fit for purpose as received.
The craftsmanship, attention to detail, and actions of the builder/flyer of this model
airplane kit will ultimately determine the airworthiness, flight performance, and the
safety of the finished model. You confirm that you take full responsibility for the safe
usage, construction, and maintenance of the model, and you will not hold
HyperFlight.co.uk or its owners, staff, agents, contractors, or helpers in any way
responsible for any damages or injury that may occur as a result of operating or flying
this model. HyperFlight’s sole obligation shall be to replace those parts of the kit
proven to be defective or missing. f you are not willing to agree to this binding
condition of sale please return the model in as-received condition to Hyperflight for a
refund.
Acknowledgement
HyperFlight would like to thank Brett Wilson for kindly helping with the wing build text in
particular. We would also like to thank Vladimir Gavrylko for designing and building this
model to such a high standard, for and manufacturing it at a reasonable cost, so that
flyers all over the world can enjoy this high performance model. Finally we pay our
respects to Dr Mark Drela, the designer of the optimised airfloils, and inspiration
behind many of the innovations that make this model so special.
Research
We recommend you do some homework before starting to build this plane. There is a
lot of great info about RC planes at RCGroups.com and other websites. Get the latest
info on batteries, r/c gear, building and flying tips. There is often a “build thread” on
www.RCGroups.com where you can see many pictures your model and read the
questions/answers of other pilots that already built one. Make certain you check out
www.HyperFlight.co.uk regularly for any product information updates.
(c) 2011 HyperFlight Drybank Farm Fose Way Ettington Stratford on Avon Warwickshire CV37 7PD 2

HyperFlight Supra-e Assembly Guide
Parts List
Wing (3 pieces)
Fuselage pod with canopy
hatch
Tailboom
Tailplane - horizontal
stabiliser
Fin/rudder - vertical stab
Accessories bag containing
the items shown opposite
These nstructions
R/C Functions
Left & right aileron
Left & right flap
Elevator
Rudder
Throttle
To maximise the model's potential a computer radio is highly recommended.
Suggested R/C
Aileron servos: Hyperion DS09-AMD
Flap servos: Hyperion DS095-FMD, Hyperion DS13-TMB
Tail servos: Hyperion DS09-AMD
Model Specifications
(c) 2011 HyperFlight Drybank Farm Fose Way Ettington Stratford on Avon Warwickshire CV37 7PD 3

HyperFlight Supra-e Assembly Guide
Supra-e Assembly Guide
Planning
1. Fill in the weight and balance spreadsheet to find out if you need to save weight
at the back. Alternatively assemble the model with tape and tape the R/C and
motor components (or items of a similar weight) in place, and check the centre
of gravity. t should be approx 100mm behind the wing LE, which works out at
37mm behind the front wing bolt. f you are using a lightweight motor & gearbox
(less than 200g) you will probably need to minimise tail weight. f necessary
discard the heavy rear extension leads provided and making up a very
lightweight lead using 4 wires (positive, negative, two signal) of PC mouse cable
or network/phone CAT6 cabling.
2. Decide if you will build the model with a fixed or a removable fin, and how you
will route the tail servo wiring. The wiring can be routed from the boom into the
fin internally by drilling holes in the base of the fin and top of the boom or
externally by leading the wires though the rear of the boom and back into a cut-
out in the fin servo cover. The latter sounds messy but is easier and much more
maintainable. built the model photographed using the internal method but later
regretted it when wanted to remove the fin.
3. f you are using a Vladimir’s Models wiring loom check how it works, and
confirm that your receiver will fit in the constricted space in the wing. The benefit
of the wing mounted receiver is that is leaves the pod almost free of clutter,
maximising the battery space and positioning possibilities.
(c) 2011 HyperFlight Drybank Farm Fose Way Ettington Stratford on Avon Warwickshire CV37 7PD 4

HyperFlight Supra-e Assembly Guide
Fuselage and Tail Assembly
f routing the tail servo wires internally drill holes in the
bottom of the fin for the servo wires. Extend this to a
slot. Drill a hole in the top of the boom to match the fin
hole, extend to a slot.
( used a longer than standard boom and needed to
shim the fin mounting hoops to a good fit my adding
some tape to the end of the boom, just visible in the
photo.)
Cut the carbon fin cover to size using sharp scissors.
Trial fit to the fin and mark the rear shape on some
masking tape. Trim the cover.
Fit the cut-down fin cover in place and mark the
centreline of the rudder pushrod fairing.
(c) 2011 HyperFlight Drybank Farm Fose Way Ettington Stratford on Avon Warwickshire CV37 7PD 5

HyperFlight Supra-e Assembly Guide
Centre the fin & elevator servos, and fit suitable output
arms. f necessary open up the output arm holes. f
using a lightweight powertrain we suggest extending
the servo leads (to allow the lead to extend into the
pod) with lightweight mouse cable wire. f using a
normal weight powertrain the supplied extension leads
can be plugged into the servos after assembly.
Test fit the rudder servo. Cut a slot in the rudder for
the rudder horn and epoxy it in place. The slot needs
to start about 7mm behind the rudder LE to miss the
spar. t may be easiest to fit the small wire pushrod to
the servo output arm and the horn before gluing it in
place. The pushrod stays in place because the Z bend
at the servo end, and the torsional springiness of the
servo arm act as a spring to hold the wire against the
rudder horn.
Wrap the rudder servo with good quality masking tape
or heat shrink plastic. Clean and roughen the inside of
the fin. Epoxy the servo in place. While the epoxy is
setting attach the pushrod and centre the rudder, to
ensure that no sub-trim will be required.
Test fit the V mount so the elevator servo can be
positioned, and epoxy it in place
Cut a slot in the carbon fin cover to clear the
elevator servo horn.
f necessary open up the hole for the clevis in the V
mount.
The tailplane V mount is supplied ready fitted to the
boom in some Supra builds. f your model requires
the V mount to be fitted slip on the V mount the
correct way round, triple check the orientation with
your horizontal stabiliser. t varies depending with the
stab type – molded or “competition” built up.
(c) 2011 HyperFlight Drybank Farm Fose Way Ettington Stratford on Avon Warwickshire CV37 7PD 6

HyperFlight Supra-e Assembly Guide
For a fixed fin, epoxy the fin to the end of the boom. Don’t be concerned if the fin
mounting hoops are too large for the end of the boom, either use the epoxy to fill the
gap or make up some shims from tape, carbon sheet or 1/64th ply. t is important to
use the complete boom length. ( f your kit has the V mount already glued to the boom
fit the horizontal stabiliser and ensure the fin is perpendicular to this while the glue is
setting.) For a removable fin test fit the 3mm carbon rod retaining dowel in the
matching holes in the boom and end fin retaining hoop. f necessary remove any slop
by shimming with tape. As the holes in the end of the boom can become elongated
with use and vibration the inside of the boom should be reinforced in the area of the
holes.
Bolt the horizontal stabiliser to the V mount. Epoxy the V mount to the boom, so the
horizontal stabiliser is perpendicular to the fin, and there is 2-3mm clearance between
the horizontal stabiliser TE and the fin LE.
Make up and fit the horizontal stabiliser pushrod, if necessary cutting the carbon tube
pushrod down to size. The horizontal stabiliser should be parallel to the boom with the
stick in the centre.
Remove the unnecessary ballast tube holders below the pylon by inserting a long blunt
object (1cm diameter dowel, chisel, large screwdriver, etc) into the pod and pushing on
the hoops. They break off easily as they have been almost sawed through. Don’t worry
about the half hoops remaining.
Bolt the wing centre panel or some scrap wood to the pod. Draw a centreline along the
workbench to ensure the boom is orientated straight with respect to the pod.
Epoxy the boom to the rear of the pod. f there is any looseness thicken the epoxy with
micro-balloons. Sight along the centre panel and the horizontal stabiliser and along the
workbench sight line while the epoxy is setting to ensure the surfaces are parallel and
the pod and boom are straight. Don’t get caught out by using fast epoxy!
Drill the nosecone for the motor bolts. Remove as much material as necessary to allow
the gearbox bearing boss to penetrate through the firewall, even if this results in a gap
between the rear of the spinner and the front of the pod. The firewall already has
downthrust built into it.
Bolt in the motor and speed controller, bolt together the nosecone to the pod, and
connect up the short Vladimir supplied extension lead. Either power the RC from the
UBEC (also called switching Battery Eliminator Circuit) in the speed control, or from a
separate UBEC, or use the other short lead for a receiver battery. At least a 3A UBEC
is required. For safety do not install a propeller until after the radio had been
programmed.
Thread the rear servo extension leads up the boom. This is fiddly, but is made easier if
you extend a length of wire down through the fin/boom hole and through the boom.
Attach the servo wires to this and pull them up. Tape the extension lead sockets to the
servo plugs to stop them becoming disconnected on a hard arrival – and subsequent
launch disaster.
Tape the fin servo cover in place.
Leave the wing connection black and red plugs loose in the top of the pylon for manual
connection to the wing wiring loom PCB.
(c) 2011 HyperFlight Drybank Farm Fose Way Ettington Stratford on Avon Warwickshire CV37 7PD 7

HyperFlight Supra-e Assembly Guide
Wing
A major concern is to avoid hanger rash while fitting out the wing. t is extremely easy
to catch and damage the flap or aileron corners. Tape them up for protection, even if
you think you’re a very careful builder! Another tip is to carefully vacuum/brush your
work surface to clear all debris, and then to cover the working area with foam.
The supplied plug PCB board is mounted in the central wing aperture, and the flyleads
are curved round to plug into the wing mounted receiver.
Receiver
Cut out the receiver access panel and test fit the
receiver.
Make up extension leads to connect the flap and aileron
servos to the receiver.
f using 2.4GHz drill holes for the aerials as shown.
Attach the plug PCB in place, used thick
servo tape and cyano, but this lifts the plug
prongs above the wing surface, where they
could cause damage to other components in
transit. Probably hot glueing the PCB directly
to the wing upper skin is best.
nstall the receiver, extension leads and
aerials. When installing the wing servos they
can be setup using a servo tester, or from
the receiver if a battery is inserted into a
spare channel (to power it up without fitting
the fuselage).
On final assembly tape the supplied receiver
access hatch cover in place.
The aerial positions shown were tested and
where not perfect when the model was far
away, low, and returning straight to the pilot.
have now changed them so they don't
sweep back at all – they are aligned pointing
to the wing tip, but angled down at 45
degrees. This gives good reception at all
times.
(c) 2011 HyperFlight Drybank Farm Fose Way Ettington Stratford on Avon Warwickshire CV37 7PD 8

HyperFlight Supra-e Assembly Guide
Servo Mounting
On moulded models some builders add small foam pads between the wing skins near
the servo cut-outs to add a little extra strength in these regions. Foaming PU adhesive
is good here as you can cut the foam to be a sloppy fit so as not to distort the wing
section, relying on the adhesive’s gap-filling properties to give a good bond.
Other people use commercial or home built servo mounts. These certainly make servo
maintenance easier. When building this model was short of time and epoxied the
servos directly to the upper wing skin, so this is what the photos show. t has proven
successful so far (for one season).
Ailerons
t is probably best to start with the ailerons as these are
easiest to install. The aileron servos use the shorter of
the supplied threaded linkage rods and, depending upon
the servos used fit comfortably about 6mm (1/4”) aft of
the main spar. 8mm servo arms are adequate to obtain
sufficient throw with the brass horn screwed fully into the
aileron. You should be able to obtain full aileron
movement without further filing away the rear spar. As
the ailerons are bottom hinged there will be less ‘up’
movement than ‘down’. Check that you can get 18mm
up and down before any binding sets in so that you can
accommodate the suggested throws of +/- 15mm without stalling the servos.
Set up with servo arm at 90 degrees to the servo body when centred and ailerons in
normal cruise position. There is sufficient space such that you can add the linkages
after mounting the servos so that you can adjust for best length once all the glue sets.
Don’t forget to use some CA or threadlock on the linkages to stop everything rattling
and backing off. Depending on precise details of hardware, you might just need to trim
slightly the rear clevis, wing surface apertures and separate small hinge cover to avoid
minor binding.
f gluing the servo degrease and roughen
up the case (or heatshrink the servo or
wrap it in good quality masking tape).
Roughen the wing gluing surface with
course sandpaper. Masking tape a
straight wooden batten to the wing
underside and aileron to hold the aileron
in the correct neutral position. Attach the
aileron pushrod to the aileron servo
output arm. Apply epoxy to the servo and
apply a weight to hold it in place, ensuring
the output arm stays in the centre, and
the aileron stays in line with the underside
of the wing.
The aileron servo leads should be lengthened if necessary, threaded though the slot in
the tip panel root rib, and left loose. They don't get lost in the void, and are easily
connected to the extension lead sockets mounted at the end of the centre panel.
(c) 2011 HyperFlight Drybank Farm Fose Way Ettington Stratford on Avon Warwickshire CV37 7PD 9

HyperFlight Supra-e Assembly Guide
Flaps
The substantial flap servos need to be very firmly fixed in place with the torque
transmitted as much as possible to the main spar and not to the wing skin. Arrange for
the flap servo to abut the wing spar if mounting servos directly. f using servo frames
ensure they are butted up firmly to the spar with a generous surface area for gluing.
Firmly attaching flap servos is not an area of the model where you should worry too
much about a little extra weight – leave that concern for the extremities!
Flap servos should give adequate throw using 10mm arms and the brass horns
screwed out about 3-5 turns (CA them in place). Use the longer threaded rods. The
flaps are bottom hinged to get max ‘down’ deflection and you will almost certainly need
to trim away the rear spar a little more to get best deflection approaching 90 degrees.
(You should certainly be able to get good flap movement of well over 70 degrees
without having to resort to bending the pushrod linkage.) Again, upwards deflection is
limited by the top surface wiper and may be no more than 10mm – so be very careful
when setting up any subsequent aileron/flap mix.
When setting up the servo arm and the flap
linkage remember that you need to introduce a
neutral offset to get the most advantageous
operating geometry, as nearly all your surface
movement is in one direction - down. A little bit
of trial and error is needed to give the best result,
and this is where a servo tester is invaluable.
nitially, set the servo arm so that it is pointing
about 10 degrees forward towards the main spar
and the flap about 30 degrees ‘down’ before
adjusting the linkage to length and trial fitting.
With any luck you’ll now find that as the servo is
exercised over its full range the flap will move
from full down (very close to 90 degrees) to full
up (about 10mm above normal cruise position).
Adjust linkage length to obtain this behaviour and
check for binding. Remember to dial in whatever
offset is required in your Tx software to adjust the flap into its normal cruise position
before programming flight modes etc. Depending on precise details of your servo
arms you may also need to file away a small crescent of material from the inboard
clevis in order to be able to take best advantage of full servo travel.
made some small plywood blocks with slots to mount the aileron extension leads, and
epoxied these in the end of centre panel.
Cut the carbon pushrod exit fairings to size and lightly CA them into place.
(c) 2011 HyperFlight Drybank Farm Fose Way Ettington Stratford on Avon Warwickshire CV37 7PD 10

HyperFlight Supra-e Assembly Guide
Transmitter Programming
Although the model could be flown without any mixes or flight modes it would be much
harder to land in a small space, and a considerable amount of performance would be
lost. f you haven't programmed a model like this before you may find programming the
transmitter takes longer (and is harder) than making the model. Do not make light of
this important final step.
The flight modes use are:
Launch – camber is set to speed, the throttle stick “deploys” the electric motor, up stick
= power on.
Normal – the throttle stick “deploys” camber, up stick = max camber.
Landing – the throttle stick “deploys” brake, up stick = max braking.
The benefit of this setup is that with the throttle stick down the motor is off, the brake is
off, and the wing is in the min camber “speed” position, irrespective of the flight mode.
use a three position switch on the end of the right hand transmitter stick to switch
between modes, so never have to take my fingers from the sticks to fiddle with
switches.
Terminology
Flight Modes (also called Modes) – these change the way the plane flies and responds
to the transmitter control sticks, depending upon what you are currently doing
Camber – moving the flaps and ailerons in synchronisation up or down a few degrees
to make the wing more efficient when flying fast (reduced camber), or when thermaling
(increased camber).
Crow Brakes – moving the flaps down and the ailerons up to add drag and reduce the
chance of tip stalling, so the model can be landed more easily.
Snap Flap – increasing the wing camber slightly with up elevator, and vice versa. Both
the flaps ans ailerons are moved. The purpose of this is to adjust the wing camber as
appropriate.
When Dr Drela published the plans and build info for the Supra glider he included a
supra_throws.txt and supra_wing.pdf documents that listed the recommended throws
for all flight modes – for the glider only. have adapted them for the electric version as
below.
All control throws measured at TE of the moving surface at the largest-chord location.
Positive throw is TE down. Negative throw is TE up.
(c) 2011 HyperFlight Drybank Farm Fose Way Ettington Stratford on Avon Warwickshire CV37 7PD 11

HyperFlight Supra-e Assembly Guide
Control/
Function
Normal Mode Launch
Mode
Landing
Mode
Notes
Elevator
(1mm = 0.70°)
+9mm (down)
-12mm (up)
+9mm
-12mm
+11mm
-14mm
use modes instead of
dual rates
Rudder
(1mm = 0.49°)
+/- 40mm +/-30mm +/- 62mm Max rudder for landing
Aileron/Roll
(1mm = 1.05°)
+10mm
-10mm
+8mm
-8mm
+14mm
-14mm
use modes instead of
dual rates
Aileron/
Camber
(1mm = 1.05°)
0mm (-2º camb)
+2mm (0º camb)
+5mm (+3º camb)
0mm 0mm 0mm is flat underside
= -2º camber setting
Aileron/
Crow
(1mm = 1.05°)
N/A N/A -10mm -10mm for full crow
braking
Flap/Roll
(1mm = 0.92°)
+8mm -8mm +7mm
-7mm
+0mm
-50mm
Flaps follow ailerons
but with lower throws
Flap/Camber
(1mm = 0.92°)
0mm (-2º camb)
+2.2mm (0ºcamb)
+5.5mm (+3ºcamb)
0mm 0mm 0mm is flat underside.
This is the -2º camber
setting
Flap/Crow
(1mm = 0.92°)
N/A N/A +54mm (max
possible)
Deflect flaps down as
far as possible for max
braking
Camber mix On Off Off Camber mix allows
trimming wing TE when
searching & thermalling
Crow mix Off Off On
Snap Flap
mix
+3mm up elevator
-2mm down elevator
Off Off Flap & aileron deflect
down with up elevator
Aileron ->
Rudder mix
+/- 15mm Off +/- 30mm
Throttle ->
Elevator mix
Off On Off Use as required to
allow straight climb
Camber ->
Elevator mix
1mm down elev
with max camber
Off Off
Make control surface setup templates by printing this PDF onto card, and cutting
round the various wing profiles.
(c) 2011 HyperFlight Drybank Farm Fose Way Ettington Stratford on Avon Warwickshire CV37 7PD 12