Lanier RC Citabria

Model Airplane News, Mar 2003 by Post, Roger Sr

Tailpieces. Following the manual, I attached the horizontal stabilizer next. (Be sure to check its alignment as the epoxy cures.) I then attached the vertical stabilizer, making sure that it remained at a 90-degree angle to the horizontal stabilizer as the epoxy cured. Like the ailerons, the elevator and rudder come hinged and require only a few drops of CA to glue them permanently into place. Be sure to keep the gap between the surfaces' edges as small as you can.

The next step was to attach the elevator control horns and install the pushrod. The rudder's pull/pull cable, as well as the throttle cable, can then be installed. For added strength, I used Sullivan pull/pull rudder cables in place of those supplied.

SPECIFICATIONS

MODEL: Citabria.40

MANUFACTURER: Lanier RC Inc.

TYPE: stand-off scale aerobatic ARF

WINGSPAN: 64 in.

WING AREA: 625 sq. in.

WEIGHT: 5 lb., 13 oz.

WING LOADING: 21.43 oz./sq. ft.

LENGTH: 44.5 in.

ENGINE REQ'D: .40 to .50 2-stroke or .48 to .70 4-stroke

ENGINE USED: O.S. Max .52 FS 4-stroke

RADIO REQ'D: 4 channel w/5 servos (elevator, rudder, throttle and 2 ailerons)

RADIO USED: JR 783 w/5 JR servos

PROP USED: Master Airscrew 11x6

FUEL USED: Red Max 15% nitro

PRICE: $189.99

FEATURES: balsa construction; comes almost completely built and covered; package includes painted fiberglass cowl and wheel pants, a vacuum-formed clear canopy and side windows, formed aluminum landing gear, finished wing struts, easy-to-follow instructions with photos and all the necessary hardware and decals.

COMMENTS: the Citabria is fairly easy to assemble and requires only about three days to complete. At the field, it's a great flyer and is capable of almost any aerobatic maneuver.

HITS

Great flyer.

Solid construction design.

Nice appearance.

Easy to assemble.

MISSES

Decals do not stick well.

Weak wing-strut attachment.

You can also add the tailwheel at this time.

Before I installed the landing gear, I painted it white to match the Citabria's covering. Because I fly off a fairly rough field, I added two pieces of 1/2-inch triangular balsa stock inside the radio compartment where the landing-gear block is attached to the sides of the fuselage. This helps ensure that the gear block will remain in place. Next, I attached the wheels and wheel pants to the aluminum gear and then secured the gear in place with 4-40 bolts and blind nuts (instead of the supplied wood screws). Last, I added the filler block.

The next step was to install the fuel tank. I used Du-Bro's Kwik-Fill Fueling Valve to eliminate one of the fuel lines and placed its receptacle on the bottom of the firewall; it can be accessed through the cowl's exhaust cutout. When the radio-system installation is complete, a check of the control surfaces' movement and amount of deflection is in order.

To finish the Citabria, I added the windshield and windows, cut out the holes in the cowl, attached the cowl and applied the decals. The decals did not adhere well to the covering, so I used clear tape in a few spots to keep their edges in place.