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HOBBY LOBBY INTL. LIBERTY ARF

Model Airplane News, May 2006 by Lewis, Brian

A clean, quiet, full-house trainer

Learning how to fly was a big accomplishment for me, as I'm sure it is for most of the people in our hobby. But to do that, I had to build a plane that I could be proud of and fly confidently. I wish I had had the option of buying Hobby Lobby's new Liberty ARF aileron trainer back then! Designed especially for first-time and intermediate pilots, the Liberty electric-powered trainer is an easy-to-assemble, nice flying aircraft you can fly just about anywhere, anytime.

FIRST STEPS

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With the Liberty, first-time builders don't have to worry about complicated assembly; almost everything has already been done for you. The package includes a prebuilt balsa and ply fuselage with the trim scheme already taken care of; left and right wing panels with ailerons installed; an aluminum dihedral brace; a vertical stabilizer and rudder; a horizontal stabilizer and elevator; a trimmed cowl; tricycle landing gear; and all the necessary pushrods, nuts, bolts, screws, connectors and decals. A 12-page instruction manual guides you through the assembly steps. You'll need to supply a brushless motor system and a prop, a 4-channel radio system and the desire to build it and fly it! If you're brand-new to the hobby, Hobby Lobby offers a package containing everything you'll need, including a Hitec Laser 4-channel radio, an Axi brushless motor and speed control, a Li-poly battery pack, a charger and more. Let's get started!

Wing assembly. To start, I removed the aileron from one wing panel and covered the area where the aileron torque rod extends out of the wing with wax paper and masking tape. This is important because you don't want to epoxy the aileron to the wing. Next, I used a pin vise to drill small holes where I planned to insert the CA hinges into the wing and aileron so that I could glue both sides of the hinges at the same time. After checking for proper alignment, I mixed 5-minute epoxy and applied it to the aileron torque rod and to where it goes into the aileron. After checking again for freedom of movement, I applied thin CA to the hinges and moved them up and down a few times to make sure that they would stay put. I repeated this for the other wing panel.

I marked the center of the aluminum dihedral brace with a black pen. I slid it into one wing half and then into the other, checking for proper fit and alignment. When I was satisfied with the fit, I coated the brace and the wing with 30-minute epoxy, and slid everything back together; I used two small clamps to hold the pieces together while the glue dried.

I drew the servo-mount outline on the wing where it would sit. I removed the covering with a hobby knife and then attached the servo mount with 5-minute epoxy. I had to enlarge the opening a little for the servo to fit properly. Then, after drilling pilot holes for the screws, I attached the servo. I made sure that the servo was centered and then added the control linkages using the supplied hardware. Next, I added the wingtips using thick CA. After marking the positions of the holes for the wing bolts, I removed the covering from the center of the wing and attached the wing hold-down plate with thick CA.

Fuselage. First, attach the horizontal stabilizer. With the wing bolted to the fuselage, I temporarily attached the stabilizer with masking tape and a few T-pins. Next, I measured the distance from both wingtips to the tips of the stabilizer and made sure that both distances were equal. When I was satisfied, I marked the position of the fuselage on the stabilizer with a pencil, and then I removed the covering with a hobby knife. Make sure that you cut only the covering, or you'll weaken the wood. I attached the stabilizer with 5-minute epoxy and then re-measured everything and held the parts in place with the masking tape and T-pins. After the glue had dried, I removed the covering where the elevator pushrod will exit the fuselage; then I hinged the elevator to the horizontal stabilizer.

Next, it was time to attach the vertical fin to the fuselage. I removed the covering from the fuselage slot, slid the fin into place and marked the covering that I'd have to remove. Again, I carefully cut away the covering and then attached the fin to the fuselage with 5-minute epoxy, making sure that it was at 90 degrees to the horizontal stabilizer. Next, I found the exit opening for the rudder pushrod and removed the covering from that location.

I put the servos in the mount, ran the pushrods through and lined everything up; then I secured the servos to the mount with the screws provided. Next I attached the control horns to the elevator and rudder, added the pushrods and ran them through to the servos using the supplied EZ connectors. The motor mount was next: I glued the mount to the firewall with 5-minute epoxy and then screwed the motor to the mount using a radial mount set.

Landing gear. I started with the nose gear. I attached the pushrod wire to the control horn and slid it into the plastic tube that runs to the rudder servo. I loosely attached the gear mounts with four screws, and then I slid the wire up through the bottom mount and through the control horn and up into the top mount. After checking the linkage for the proper throw, I tightened all the screws, making sure that the gear still moved freely. I attached the main gear wires to the bottom of the fuselage with the two plastic straps and four screws. I added the wheels to the gear using the plywood collars and a drop of thick CA. Next, I attached the cowl to the fuselage. I had to shave a little off the front of the motor mount to get the propeller to clear, but this was no big deal, and all went well.

HOBBY LOBBY INTL. LIBERTY ARF

Model Airplane News, May 2006 by Lewis, Brian

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