Hanger 9 Sport CAP 232

Model Airplane News, Sep 2002 by Kotleba, John

Over the past few years, the popularity of high-performance, 30 aerobatic RC models has dramatically increased-and so have their size and cost. This has made it difficult for the average Sunday flier to upgrade from a basic sport or pattern model, but Hangar 9 is making it easy to move up with its latest model in the Ultra Series product line: the 60-inch-span, $199 Sport CAP 232, a .40-size almost-readyto-fly (ARF) model.

KIT CONTENTS

When I opened the box, I discovered that all of the major assemblies are built and covered in UltraCote. All seams were overlapped, and the trim was applied perfectly straight. Only a few wrinkles had appeared in the covering, and these were easily removed by carefully using a heat gun and an iron.

The kit contains all the necessary hardware, linkages, pushrods, a painted fiberglass cowl and wheel pants, main and tailwheels, landing gear, a metal engine mount, a fuel tank, a spinner and a canopy. Also included is a very detailed 44-page, photo-illustrated instruction manual. The only additional items necessary to complete the plane are the radio equipment, some foam padding, the engine, a propeller and fuel tubing.

ASSEMBLY

I assembled the model following the suggested sequences in the instruction manual. I did, however, make a few minor modifications that I'll point out as I go along. Wing. I attached the ailerons to the wing by applying thin CA to both sides of each hinge. Be sure to maintain a gap Of 'A2 inch or less between the wing panel and aileron. When it comes time to glue the dihedral brace and join the wing halves, the manual instructs you to mix approximately 1 ounce of 30-minute epoxy. It's important to keep in mind that epoxy mixed in this amount will start to cure in about 7 minutes. In other words, don't take your time performing this task!

Each aileron has its own servo, so be sure to trial-fit the servos you plan to use, since the wing's airfoil is low profile. I installed two Airtronics 94102 servos that fit perfectly. To thread the servo-extension wires through each wing panel, I used a flexible nylon pushrod instead of the string-and-weight technique shown in the manual. I sealed the bottom side of the aileron hinge gaps with some clear film left over from a previous project.

Knowing that the plane would receive a lot of stress during aerobatic maneuvers, I decided to strengthen the control-horn bases. I removed the film from beneath them, pricked the exposed balsa with a T-pin several times and then soaked the area with thin CA. I wasn't comfortable drilling a 4-inch hole through the wing's center root ribs to mount it on the fuselage. Instead, I drilled two holes through the wing and the wing hold-down plate, 5A inch from the trailing edge and 1 inch from the wing's centerline; then I used 2hour epoxy to secure the plate to the wing. When I mounted the wing on the fuselage, I drilled and tapped the holes in the wing hold-down block to allow the use of standard 14-20 nylon wing bolts. Tail assembly. The tail assembly is straightforward; you need only ensure that the tail feathers are aligned with each other. I needed to sand the left side of the horizontal stabilizer saddle to obtain perfect alignment. Glue the horizontal stab into place and allow the epoxy to cure before you add the vertical fin.

When I removed the covering from the vertical stabilizer slot, I saw that I needed to remove a small piece of wood to allow the slot to extend to the rear of the fuselage. I also had to sand a bit of wood from the front edge of the vertical fin so the hinge line would be flush with the rear of the fuselage. When I was satisfied with the alignment, I glued the fin into place and allowed the epoxy to cure overnight.

Main landing gear. The landing-gear struts are slightly tapered, and the instruction manual does not identify which direction the taper should face. I noticed this after I had mounted the wheels and wheel pants.

Before you assemble and mount the wheel pants, you need to identify the right and left wheel pants for each strut, The instruction manual tells you to measure sA inch from the bottom of the pants to locate the hole for the main axle. Instead, I located the hole 3A inch from the bottom edge so I would have a little more clearance. If you intend to fly from a grass field, it may be wise to leave the wheel pants off. A 4-40 blind nut passes through a small piece of plywood and secures the pants to each gear strut with a short bolt.

Engine installation. I wanted to install the largest 4-stroke engine recommended, so I used a Saito FA-72. I like the sound of a 4-stroke and felt this engine would give me the best power-to-weight ratio. The firewall comes already drilled for a sidemounted engine, but I wanted to mount the engine inverted to avoid unsightly holes in the side of the cowl. I relocated the centerlines for the built-in thrust angles and drilled new holes. I installed the engine mount with the supplied hardware and coated the back side of the firewall with 30-minute epoxy. I also used a 90-degree header that allowed the muffler to exit through the bottom of the cowl. To accommodate the inverted engine, I rotated the throttle arm on the carburetor 180 degrees and then installed the throttle pushrod, making sure it would not interfere with the fuel tank. I mounted a remote glow-plug igniter on the right side of the fuselage to make it more convenient to start the engine.