THUNDER TIGER Spirit of St. Louis 4323 User manual

No.4323
Specifications:
Wing Span:39 3/8 (1000mm)
Length:26 1/2 (675mm)
Wing Area:226sq.in(14.6dm )
Weight:16.8oz.(470g)
Motor:370 Motor with 2.67:1 gearbox included
2
JE6719

Before beginning the assembly read the instructions thoroughly to give an understanding of the
sequence of steps and a general awareness of the recommended assembly procedures.
By following these instructions carefully and referring to the corresponding pictures, the assembly of
your model will be both enjoyable and rewarding. The result will be a well built, easy to assembly
A.R.F. model which you will be proud to display.
CAUTION
INTRODUCTION
Introduction ..............................2
Pre-Assembly Notes ...............3
Other Items Required .................3
Tools and Supplies Needed ...............3
Parts Drawing ..............................4
Wing ...............................................5
Fuselage .........................................6
Landing Gear ................................7
Tail ................................................8
Servo .....................................9
Cowl .....................................10
Blance .....................................11
Operation Check ................12
Decal ........................................13
Flying ........................................17
Radio .......................................19
Repair ......................................20
Table of Contents
Congratulations on the purchase of our finest D. G. A. EP Park
Flyer Series . The ever popular Spirit of St. Louis piloted by
Charles Lindbergh successfully made the first nonstop solo
flight across the Atlantic Ocean. Early on May 20,1927, finished
the 3,610-mile trip in 33.5 hours, Roosevelt, Long Island, New
York, to Le Bourget Field outside Pairs, France. Thunder Tiger
is very proud to present the silver Ryan strut-braced monoplane,
a symbol of the first nonstop solo transatlantic flight, to all R/C
hobbyists alike worldwide. Now every pilot can fly this legendary monoplane at any flying field.
Charles Lindbergh

ACE
8015
ACE 2604AC/B
1
8.4V 600mAh AAAsize
ACE2924

AS6386 Fuselage
Wing Mount
(Rear)
Pushrod Support
Landing Gear
Retainer
Cowl Mount(2)
Wing Mount
(Front)
Upper Fuselage
Lower Fuselage
Servo
Tray
Bulkhead Skid Doubler Firewall
Strut Mount(6)
Landing
Gear Mount
Battery Cover Battery Box
AS6393 Cowling
Cowling
2 8mm
Self-Tapping
Screw(2)
AS6394 Pushrod
Pushrod(2) Clevis(2)
AS6387 Main Wing
Main Wing
Wing Strut Mount(4) 3 20mm Wood Screw(3)
Wing Center Cover
AS6395
Dummy
Multi-
Engine
AS6396
Vintage Wheel
Dummy Multi-Engine Wheel(2)
AS6397
Strut Fairing
Fairing Pant(2) Wheel Strut(2)
AS6388 Horizontal Tail
Elevator Joiner
Horizontal
Tail/Elevator
AS6389 VerticalTail
Vertical Tail/Rudder
Square Guide
AS6312S Snap-on Control
Horn
Control Horn Locking Plate
AS6390 Propeller Set
3 15mm
Sink Screw
Prop nut
Nose Cone
Washer Propeller
AS6314 370 Motor
370 Motor
AS6313 Motor Mount
Front Motor Mount
Rear Motor Mount
Bushing 2
3 20mm
Self-TappingScrew(2)
3 5mm
Machine Screw(2)
2.6 10mm
Self-tapping Screw(3)
AS6391 Landing Gear
Landing Gear
E Clip(2)
Wheel
Slider(2)
As6398 Decal
Decal(A) Decal(B)
Decal(C)Decal(D)
AS6392 Wing Strut
(A 2)
(B 2)
(C 2)
(D 2) Strut Joiner(a,2) Clevis(4)
2 8mm
Self-tapping
Screw(10)
Strut Threaded
End(4)
Strut Joiner(b,6)
AS6316 Gear Shaft Set
Main Gear/Shaft
Pinion Drive Gear
M3 Nut
Spacer
Wing Strut
ES-XCL
ES-XCL

1.Locate the main wing and strut mounts.
2.Mix the furnished 5-min Epoxy to glue the
strut mount to the main wing . Note the
orientation of strut mount and make sure it is
level with the wing surface. Hint: Apply equal
volume of cement in bottle A and B on a
cardboard then fully mix them with a small
stick. This 5-min Epoxy allows working time
is only 3 minutes after mixing.
3.The finished strut mounts are shown.
4.Locate the wing threaded end and clevis then
thread the clevis as indicated dimension.
5.Locate the wing struts A B C D strut
joiner a b and wing threaded end assembly
as photo shown.
6.Glue the wing struts, strut joiners, and wing
threaded end assembly .
ASSEMBLY/WING
A
A
D
D
B
B
C
C
a
a
b
b
b
b
b
b

7.Locate the firewall , firewall doubler,bulkhead
and front wing mount ,then glue them as shown.
8.Trial fit rear wing mount , and front wing
mount assembly in upper fuselage, next
epoxy them in place .
9.Locate the pushrod support as shown.
10.Epoxy the pushrod support in the upper
fuselage and thread the pushrods, note the
orientation of the holes in the suppport.
11.Thread the clevis to prevent the pushrod sliding
down from the fuselage.
12.Epoxy the servo tray and fire wall in the
lower fuselage, next glue upper and lower
fuselage halves together. Note: This 5-min
Epoxy allows working time is only 3
minutes after mixing.
ASSEMBLY/FUSELAGE
5
Elevator pushrod
Rudder pushrod

13.Epoxy the skid in place .
14.Epoxy the battery box and landing gear
mount in the fuselage.
15.Install the wheel slider onto the landing gear.
16.Locate E-clip ,wheel rims and tire as photo
shown.Install the rim shown left in the photo
first, then snap on the E-clip. Next press the
other rim. CA the tire on the wheel and make
sure the wheel rotates freely.
17.Same as step 16 on the other wheel.
18.Tape the fairing to the wheel strut as shown.
ASSEMBLY/LANDING GEAR

19.Insert the wheel strut assembly in the wheel
slider, do the same way at the otherside.
20.Insert the landing gear in the fuselage then
Push-N-Lock the landing gear retainer.
21.Locate the control horn and locking plate
then Push-N-Lock the control horn in
place as shown. Note: Do not push too hard
but gently all the way in so the control horn
contacts the surface of rudder at both sides
and secured in place firmly.
22.Trial fit the joiner in place next apply epoxy
and glue it firmly in place. It will be easier
to bend two elevators then slide the joiner
on the elevator.
23.Epoxy the horizontal tail and vertical tail as
shown, and use square guide to make sure
they are perpendicular to each other.
24.First snap the clevis onto elevator joiner,
next epoxy the horizontal tail and vertical
tail in fuselage, make sure they are per-
pendicular to each other. After it cured,
snap the other clevis onto rudder control
horn.
ASSEMBLY/TAILS

25.Install the power drive unit in place with two
3 x20mm wood screws. Thread the motor
wire through the firewall.
26.Install the eyelet and grommet then secure
the micro servos in the servo tray with the
wood screws that comes with the servo,
connect the servo wire to the receiver and
turn on radio then thread the pushrods to the
servo horn and secure the servo horn on the
servo when servo is in neutral position.
27.Install the switch of the electric speed
controller. Do not over tighten the screw as
it may crush the Styrofoam.
28.Use double sided tape to fix the ESC and
Receiver inside the fuselage. Connect all
servo wires and controller wire. Normally
the controller wire plug into the channel 3
(throttle). The servo wires plug into channel
1(Rudder) and channel 2(Elevator).
29.Locate the sponge then cut a small piece to
keep battery in case firmly. Usually we put the
sponge facing the tail as shown.
30.You will have to bow the cover plate to close
or pry with finger to remove the cover plate.
Note: the opening is facing to the tail.
SERVO,ESC,RX & BATTERY INSTALLATION

31.Epoxy the cowl mount in place,do the same
way at the other side.
32.Epoxy the strut mount in the fuselage as
shown. Repeat the same procedure to epoxy
the other five mounts.
33.Carefully trim the cowl along molded lines,
then apply the decals on the cowl(see to page
13 14 15 16 for details) as well as the
logo of St.Louis. Next epoxy the cowl and
dummy multi-engine in place as shown.
34.Install the propeller and spinner. It is necessary
to secure the propeller firmly by a prop nut.
Always take great care on the motor and
swinging propeller as it is dangerous and may
cause serious injury , if you are a beginner
we recommend you read the manual of radio
and speed controller thoroughly to understand
how to set up and control the motor.
ASSEMBLY/COWLING
35.Secure the cowl with furnished two 2x8mm
self-tapping screws in place.

38.Snap the wheel strut to the joiner as shown.
39.Congratulations! Now you are ready to fly!
Check the Balance and Radio Movement
before your first flight.
37.Secure the wing struts to the main wing and
fuselage with furnished ten 2 x 8 mm
self-tapping screws.
36.Gently secure the main wing with furnished
three 3 x 20 mm wood screws . Note: The
mounting plate is underneath the wing
mount area, never push hard when securing
the screw.
BALANCE
It is importantto balance the plane to thecorrect
C. G .before you fly. The Balance point is 1 5/8
(4cm) from theleading edge atthe wing root.
BALANCE
1 5/8 (4cm)
4

1.Install eightAAbatteries in thetransmitter, referto
the instruction manualof radio system.
2.Review the illustration to become familiar with
your radio components. Following are description
of these components.
ESC: This device controls power to the motor
unit. It willcut-off the battery's voltage when it
starts to drop.
Receiver: Receives the radio commands from
the transmitter andsend them the servos which
converts the command to motion which, in turn,
moves the rudder or elevator.
NiMH Battery: Rechargeable battery packthat
provides power tothe motor unitand radio system.
Motor Unit: Contains a DC electric motor, a
gear drive, and a propeller t hat provides the
thrust for theairplane.
Move the stick downward and make sure the
elevator moves up.
Check for the proper amount of throw and make sure
the rudder andelevator are inneutral position when
stick and trimlevers are inthe center.
4.Hang the airplane and throttle up the stick. The
motor unit shouldcome on . Make sure the propeller
is trying to pull the airplane forward. Throttle down
or turn off the switch to stop the motor.
After you check the movement and balance then you
are now ready to go flying!
3.Turn the transmitter on and then the receiver and
refer to illustrations ( Always turn transmitter on
first then the receiver and turn receiver off first
then the transmitter).
Move the stickto right andmake sure ruddermoves
right.
Move the stick to left and make sure ruddermoves
left.
Move the stick upward and make sure the elevator
move down.
Operation Check
OPERATION CHECK
12
ONON
OFFOFF
RECEIVER
ELEVATOR SERVO
RUDDER SERVO
BATTERY
SWITCH
MOTOR UNIT
ACE
ESC-10

13
DECAL
Move the extra part of the decal to get the needed parts as shown.

213
4
4
6
7
8
8
9
1
235
5
DECAL
Each decal is numbered as shown.
14
Note: All arrows direct to fuselage , always overlap about 2mm at the joint.

Please wash cowl with soap first, after it dried, apply the decals on the
cowl step by step as shown.
DECAL
15
Bottom
Upside
Step 1 Carefully apply decal 1 on the ridge of
bottom cowl as indicated.
Step 3 Carefully apply decal 3 at the right of
decal 1 as indicated.
Step 4 Repeat step1,2,3 to apply the other three
decals in place as shown.
Step 2 Carefully apply decal 2 at the left of
decal 1 as indicated.
Step 5 Carefully apply decal 4 in place as
indicated.
31
123
21 4
No . 1
No . 1
No . 4
No . 2
No . 2
No . 3
No . 3
Bottom
Bottom
Bottom
Bottom
Upside

16
Step 9 Carefullyapply decal 7 on the bottom
cowl.
Step 6 Carefully apply decal 5 in place as
indicated. Note: Decal 5 is at the right side of the
ridge as indicated.
Step 7 Repeat step 4 and 5 to apply the other two
decals in place as shown. Note: Decal 5 is at the
left side of the ridge as indicated.
45 45
5
DECAL
No . 6
Upside
Step 8 Carefully apply decal 6 on the upside of
cowl.
No . 7No . 5
No . 4
No . 5
No . 4
Bottom
No . 8
Left
Step 10 Carefully apply decal 8 on the left
cowl.
No . 8
Right
Carefully apply decal 8 on the right cowl.
Upside
Upside

yourself and withina reasonable distanceso you can
see what it is doing. Remember, when the plane is
coming toward to you, when you move the stick to the
right , the airplane will roll to left from your point of
view. This isthe hardest thing to learn. Initially, you
can keep yourbody pointed in the same directionas
the airplane and look over your shoulder. That helps.
Usually, only small stick movements are required.
Try to keep your flyingsmooth. Use elevatorto keep
the airplane at the desired altitude. You can turn the
plane by bumpingsmall amount of rudder and then
return to neutral. After a while, coordinate your
turns with theelevator. Feed ing some up elevator to
maintain the turnat the same altitude.
If the plane tends to roll one way or the other use
the trim lever on the control stick to neutralize the
flight. Same thing applies if the plane wants to
climb or dive.
You can expect3-4 minutes of power-on flight.
You should always maintain enough altitude so you
can set up a landing approach when the auto-cut off
device turns the motor off and you begin the glide.
Landing
You will have to set up the landing approach
before motor cuts-off. Always try to land into the
wind. Do not feed in too much up elevator as the
plane will stall and may crash.
Just before touchdown, flare the plane by
adding up elevator. The plane should slow down
even more and come in for gentle landing. Don't
add too much elevator too soon!
Walkover to theplane and turnoff the ESC switch
on the plane, then the transmitter switch.
Remove the batteries and let them cool off before
charging up again.
Check over the plane to make sure nothing
loosened.
FLYING
Flying
20
Pre-Flight Checklist
Choose a calmday for yourfirst flight. Neverfly in
winds over 5mph. Also choose an open field with
no obstacles orpeople.
Full charge the receiver battery.
Make sure there are no other pilots operation on the
same channel ( frequency ) as you have. If you turn
your radio onwhile the guyis flying withthe same
frequency then you will cause him to crash.
Do range check ( 50 ft. with the antenna collapsed) .
Take-off
Aproper hand-launch of airplane is necessary for
flight. It must be launched into the wind with a firm
toss. The airplane must be tossed level. It should
never be thrown upward or it will stall and crash.
Flight
Let the airplane climb out gradually and gently
until it reaches a comfortable cruisealtitude at full
flight speed. Always keep the airplane upwind of
You should have a flight instructor to teach you how
to fly the Spirit of St. Louis. Like a real airplane, you
must have anunderstanding of how to fly the model
before launch, oryou will probablynot be successful.
Check at yourhobby shop or contact www.modelair-
craft.org for flying clubs inyour area.
17
Step 12 Carefully apply decal 9 at the front.
No . 9

Wind Direction
Correct
Incorrect
Wind Direction
Wind
3 ft.
Launch firmly into wind straight and level. Do not throw upwards!
Landing
FLYING
18

Set the trim in neutral position.
Set the sticks in neutral position
Check the position of rudder and
elevator (if these are in neutral).
Move the stick to the right. Move the stick to the left.
Move the stick up. Move the stick down. Move the stick down and right.
RIGHT ROLL AND UP
UPDOWN
LEFT ROLL
RIGHT ROLL
NEUTRAL
THE DIRECTION OF MOVEMENT (AILERON AND ELEVATOR)
Elevator
Rudder
5/8",15mm
5/8",15mm
1/2",12mm
1/2",12mm
Control Throws
Please set up the control throws as indicated drawing for the starting point. After you
familiar with its flying characteristics then these control throw can be tailored to fit your
flying style.
RADIO MOVEMENT
19

Crash damage is not covered under the warranty!
If damage occurs,use small amountof furnished 5-min
Epoxy to repairbroken foam. Clearpacking tape will
hold the parts together; leave iton patch for added
strength. Re-balance the plane after you repaired.
IN CASE OF TROUBLE
1.If motor does not run when Throttle Stick is up
a.Make sure all the wires are well connected.
b.Check and follow the manufactures' manual of
controller.
2.If theradio is erratic(glitches)
a.Check that the transmitter and receiver antennas are
extended to their full length.
b.Make sure the transmitter batteries are fresh.
c.Make sureno one elseis operation onyour channel
( frequency) inthe immediate vicinity.
REPAIR
CONCLUSION
REPAIR
3.If theplane does notfly properly
a.Make sure you are being gentle with the control
inputs.
b.Make surethe plane isbalanced properly.
c.Make sureall the wing and tail surfaces are flat, true,
and properly attached and aligned.
If your trouble persists, call authorized dealer for
technical help.
To defeat the lawsof gravity andtake to thewing is both
challenging and thrilling. We hope you enjoythe R/C
flight and makeit your hobbyfor a lifetime. Please let
Thunder Tiger be your chosen brand, nomatter what
direction you progress.
THUNDER TIGER CORPORATION http://www.thundertiger.com
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