Hangar 9 46% ultimate 10-300

Model Airplane News, Oct 2003 by Yarrish, Gerry, Manganaro, Sal

A giant-scale biplane with TOC performance!

EXCLUSIUE 1st LOOK!

It isn't every day that we get the chance to test-fly a company's very first production model to come into the country! When executive editor Debra Cleghorn told us that Horizon Hobby Distributors had requested that we review the brand-new, gigantic, 46% TOC Ultimate 10-300 from Hangar 9, we jumped at the chance! Talk about pressure! We would have less than two weeks to build, set up, fly, evaluate and photograph this big, beautiful biplane. We also had to meet a very short deadline to J get the article in the October issue! This is one hell of a job, but someone has to do It-right?

The first thing Rick Bell and I had to do was to find a local builder who was not only equipped for the task but also had plenty of giant-scale experience-someone we could count on to do the job right. Our old flying buddy Sal Manganaro of Newtown, CT, agreed to take on the project. To make things even better, Sal already had a Desert Aircraft DA-150 engine just waiting for an airplane.

After a few calls and a lunch meeting, we all agreed to our appointed tasks. Sal would build and pilot the finished 10-300, I would coordinate with the manufacturers of the accessories that we needed to complete the project, help Sal with the building tasks and turn his shop notes into the finished article. Rick would research and write about product information, set up the flying-field accommodations and assist Sal with the flight evaluation.

Gee, I just love it when a plan comes together! Were we successful? Check out this one-of-a-kind "Flight Test" and find out! -Gerry Yarrish

Designed by Tournament of Champions (TOC) competitor Mike McConville, the Ultimate offers true TOC performance in an exciting, gigantic package. Don't let its imposing size fool you; when you get used to its dimensions, you'll discover it truly is an ARFand a beautifully engineered one at that!

The aircraft comes covered in Hangar 9 Ultracote, and the kit comes with a factory-built fuselage and main hatch, a formed canopy, four wing panels, interplane struts and tail surfaces. Also included are carbon-fiber landing gear, aluminum bolt-together cabane struts, a carbon-fiber top center rib, a tailwheel assembly and top and bottom aluminum wing tubes. The fiberglass engine cowl and wheel pants are beautifully painted to match the color scheme. Additional items that you'll need to complete the aircraft are highlighted in the instruction manual. It's much easier to build a model after you have acquired the necessary radio gear, hardware and accessories. This saves trips to the hobby shop and shortens the building time.

AILERON AND TAIL-SURFACE ASSEMBLY

The 72-page instruction manual is typical for Hangar 9 and is very easy to follow. Each section is well illustrated and also includes detailed photos. Begin assembly by installing the ailerons. The ailerons and wing panels come drilled for giant-scale Robart HingePoints (item no. 309); just epoxy them into place and check their alignment. After you've installed the ailerons, install the aileron servos and fabricate the control linkage. Sal used 8-32 Rocket City threaded control horns with SWB Mfg. servo arms.

Next, install the elevator and rudder hinges. The control surfaces are already slotted, but the slots must be enlarged to accept the giant-scale Du-Bro flat hinges. The tail surfaces are balsa covered with foam-core, but there is plenty of wood around the edges to properly support the hinges. The instructions suggest that you "pin" the hinges with toothpicks or small lengths of dowel. In the vertical fin, a strip of plywood runs the length of the rudderpost, so you must use a small drill bit to "chain-drill" the hinge slots. This technique is much easier than opening the slots with a Du-Bro pick and a slotting tool. Take your time, and make sure that all the hinges are aligned with one another before you epoxy them into place.

After you've hinged the tail surfaces, install the elevator horns and the vertical-fin alignment dowels. Mark the horizontal stabilizer's centerline, and bolt the stab into place in the stab-saddle area with four 6-32 bolts and blindnuts. Glue the vertical fin to the tail block, and slide the fin into place. The tail surfaces are removable. Two dowels at the top of the fin should match up with holes in the aft bulkhead, and two dowels at the bottom of the rudderpost should line up with holes in the lower fuselage. To hold the rudderpost tightly against the end of the fuselage, drill two 1/16-inch holes through the fuselage side and through the sides of the lower two alignment dowels. Thread two, 1/2-inch-long no. 2 sheet-metal screws into the dowels to secure them.

To complete the tail section, install the elevator servos and control linkage, assemble and install the four-servo, pull/pull cable control system, and attach the external rigging wires to the fin and stabilizer.

LANDING GEAR AND CABANE STRUTS

The main landing gear is beautifully molded carbon fiber, and it must be bolted to the engine box just in front of the main bulkhead. When you drill the attachment holes, make sure that you drill through the internal aluminum angle brackets. Then remove the brackets and roughen them with sandpaper. Epoxy them into place, and then bolt in the gear with 10-32 bolts and locknuts (make sure that the gear is angled rearward). Finish the landing gear by installing the axles, wheels and wheel pants.