Piper Arrow 2

Model Airplane News, Apr 2004 by Onorato, Jim

I painted the cowl with white LustreKote and covered the entire model with white Ultracote; then I applied the self-stick decals provided in the kit. I had to fit the large decal for the upper part of the fuselage around slight compound bends, so it was necessary to cut a few slits at the top of the decal to make it fit properly.

* Engine installation. The firewall is pre-drilled for the engine mount, nose-wheel brackets and fuel-tank stopper. The tank is mounted on the right side of the fuselage; this places it right behind the engine cylinder. I think it would have been better if it had been mounted on the left side so the fuel lines could be routed more easily. The two-piece, adjustable engine mount is made of a composite material with a steel bolt embedded in it. The bolt goes through the firewall and is secured with a nut. I side-mounted an O.S .91 FX 2-stroke engine with a Pitts-style Slimline muffler on the mount, and after making the necessary cutouts, I attached the cowl with four screws. I used a 15x8 2-blade APC prop with a Tru-Turn aluminum spinner.

* Radio installation. Last, I attached the control surfaces and installed the radio equipment. Four servos were mounted on two trays inside the fuselage. One tray holds the rudder, elevator and flap servos, and the other holds the throttle servo. I used an FMA 355 servo for the elevator and FMA 301 servos for the rest of the controls. The rudder uses a pull-pull cable system, and the elevator uses a solid pushrod. The flaps are controlled by a single servo that operates two bellcranks with linkages to the flap-control horns that extend into the fuselage when the wing panels are attached. To compensate for misalignment, I used ball links rather than clevises to attach the linkages to the flap control horns.

CONCLUSION

I enjoyed building and flying the Piper Arrow 2 and gladly recommend it for intermediate builders and fliers. The kit has several unique features that make it interesting to build. The finished product looks great in the air and on the ground. This is one you can be proud of.

APC Props; distributed by Landing Products (530) 661-0399; apcprop.com.

Aviomodelli; distributed by Internet-RC Radio Control (602) 320-7114; internet-rc.com.

FMA Direct (800) 343-2934; (301) 668-4280; fmadirect.com.

Futaba; distributed by Great Planes Model Distributors; futaba-rc.com.

Great Planes Model Distributors (217) 398-6300; (800) 682-8948; greatplanes.com.

LustreKote; distributed by Great Planes Model Distributors.

O.S.; distributed by Great Planes Model Distributors; osengines.com.

Slimline Mfg. (480) 967-5053; slimlineproducts.com.

Tru-Turn Precision Model Products; distributed by Romco Mfg. (713) 943-1867; tru-turn.com.

Ultracote; distributed by Horizon Hobby Inc. (800) 338-4639; horizonhobby.com.

Wildcat Fuels (859) 885-5619; orders only (888) 815-7575; wildcatfuel.com.