VMAR Texan II: The Texan lives on!

Model Airplane News, Oct 2002 by Trachten, Craig

FLIGHT TEST

The North American AT-6 Texan is probably the best-known primary trainer of the WW II era. Raytheon Aircraft in Wichita, KS, is manufacturing the next generation of trainer: the Texan II. Since winning the Joint Primary Aircraft Training System fly-off, the Texan II has been ordered by the U.S. Air Force, the U.S. Navy and several NATO nations to replace their rapidly aging trainers. Using authorized drawings, UMAR brings us this sharp-looking military trainer in two sizes (.45 to .60 and .90 to 1.20) and two trim schemes (USAF and Canadian Harvard) for a choice of four models. The .45 to .60 USAF model is the subject of this review.

KIT CONTENTS

After I opened the box, I double-checked my cash-register receipt; I thought a mistake had been made. There is no way this aircraft could be so inexpensive! VMAR ARFs are certainly setting a new benchmark for quality and value. Items such as a finished cockpit tub that's fully detailed with instrument panels and painted pilots and landing gear with scale-looking struts are just two examples. Other kit features include a painted fiberglass cowl with scale exhaust stacks, an aluminum engine mount, a universal servo tray, spinner, wheels, fuel tank, a complete hardware package and assembly manual. By the way, the pilots have cloth shoulder harnesses-a very nice touch!

Building this kit was as easy as it gets. The woodworking was excellent, the Sure Seal covering has panel lines and other details bonded in, and the control surfaces are attached at the factory. The assembly manual is better than most, but the construction photos were fuzzy. Sharper photos would clarify some of the construction details.

ASSEMBLY

Wing. Construction begins with the wing, and a great feature is the use of alignment dowels near the leading and trailing edges; this guarantees a well-aligned wing. I test-- fit the wing joiner and alignment dowels in each wing half; some minor sanding was necessary to achieve a proper fit. I marked the center of the joiner and dowels and then epoxied them into a wing half. While this was curing, I wrapped some 3/4-inch-wide masking tape around each wing root as an "ooze guard." Any epoxy that oozes from the joint will remain on the tape and be peeled away with it. I applied a healthy coat of epoxy on each root plate and in the joiner and dowel holes and then slid the wing halves together. I used tape to hold the wing halves together until the epoxy had cured.

The aileron servo and control rods are a snap to install. The servo mount is part of the wing, and you need only open the mounting hole to fit your servo. I used a standard-size Airtronics servo, and I only had to cut a notch for the servo wire to exit. The pushrods are factory-assembled with devises at both ends; I only had to adjust their length before I attached them. I find that most kit-supplied devises are acceptable, but these are excellent! Unlike other devises, these use a machine screw to hold them closed-not a snap pin that could pop open.

To finish the wing, I removed the covering from the hardwood landing-gear blocks and installed the gear with the supplied straps and screws. On my model, the gear legs were a tight fit in the hardwood blocks. Each landing-gear leg has scale-looking covers installed, so make sure that you mount the correct leg in the correct wing panel. Install the wheels, and lock them into place with the included wheel collars; then the wing is complete.

Fuselage. VMAR employs a unique and ingenious system to mount the engine, fuel tank and nose gear in what it calls the "Power Module." It's unique because you mount the nose gear, fuel-tank assembly and engine on the firewall, which is removable from the fuselage. This comprises the Power Module, which is then slid into the nose of the fuselage. Four studs on the front bulkhead mate with the firewall, and the module is secured to the fuselage with nuts and washers. Need to perform some maintenance on the fuel tank? just remove the nuts, and slide the module out. Pretty slick! Be sure to use some thread-locking compound on the nuts; you don't want them to loosen during flight.

Start by marking the holes for the engine mount. The thrust lines are already marked on the firewall. I temporarily attached my O.S. .70 4-stroke to the mount, then marked and drilled the holes. I decided to mount the engine upright instead of using the inverted installation shown. This was no big deal; just a little extra work was needed to mount the cowl.

The fuel tank is assembled in the usual manner, and I used a 3-line fuel system. I also used different colors for each line; no mixing up the fuel lines for me! The tank is secured to the back side of the firewall with rubber bands attached to mounting dowels. I chose instead to use electrical tape to hold the tank in place.

I installed the nose gear in the factoryinstalled bracket; the gear is held in place by the steering arm. Before you place the nosewheel steering arm on the gear, insert the steering control rod through the firewall and into the steering arm; it will be impossible to get the Z-bend on the arm once it's installed on the gear leg. The Power Module is now complete and can be mounted on the fuselage.