96in Super Decathlon ARF Instruction Manual Specifications Wingspan: 96in (2438mm) Length: 63.5 in (1614mm) Weight: Approx. 13lbs (6.5kg) 1
Dear Customer, Congratulations on your purchase of Super Decathlon ARF from Value Hobby. We thank you for your generous support, and hope you enjoy your new airplane. At Value Hobby, we hope to offer competitive prices, good performance, and products that you can setup and use with ease. That s why we extensively researched and tested this airplane, and suggested all the products necessary for you to setup properly. We understand that you have many choices when purchasing, and we are grateful you choose to buy from us. As vendors, one of the most gratifying things for us is to hear from our customers. We would welcome any suggestion to help us improve. Please make us aware of any errors and imperfections in the airplane or the instructions, or about the setup that we suggested. We hope you will find our setup suggestions to be helpful, and enjoy flying your new airplane. Please feel free to contact us at (630) 948-0947 or email us at support@valuehobby.com Disclaimer By purchasing and/or building this model, user assumes ALL liability and risk involved with this product. This model should be built and flown by an experienced pilot and only flown at AMA sanctioned sites. Value Hobby guarantees this model to be free of defects in materials and workmanship at the date of purchase. This warranty does not cover any parts damaged by use or modifications. In no way shall Value Hobby s liability exceed the original cost of the purchased model. Further, Value Hobby reserves the right to modify this warranty without notice. Value Hobby has no control over the final stages of assembly or the material used for the final assembly. No liability shall be assumed nor materials used for the final user assembled product. By the act of using the final product the user accepts all resulting liability. Value Hobby, as a R/C product vendor, provides a top quality airplane and instructions to complete the model. The quality and flight characteristics of the finished model depend greatly on how it is built; we cannot guarantee the performance for the completed model and representations are expressed or implied as to the performance of the completed model. If the buyer is not prepared to accept the liability associated with the use of this product, the buyer is advised to return this kit immediately, in new and unused condition. Safety in Assembly During assembly of this aircraft, you will be asked to use sharp knives and hobby adhesives. Please follow all safety procedures recommended by the manufacturers of the products you use, and always follow these important guidelines: ALWAYS protect your eyes when working with adhesives, knives, or tools, especially power tools. Safety glasses are the best way to protect your eyes. ALWAYS protect your body, especially your hands and fingers when using adhesives, knives, or tools, especially power tools. Do not cut toward exposed skin with hobby knives. Do not place hobby knives on tables or benches where they can roll off or be knocked off. ALWAYS have a first-aid kit handy when working with adhesives, knives, or tools, especially power tools. ALWAYS keep hobby equipment and supplies out of the reach of children. 2
Safety in Flying This is NOT a toy! It is a very high performance RC airplane capable of high speeds and extreme maneuvers. It should only be operated by a competent pilot in a safe area with proper supervision. ONLY fly your aircraft in a safe, open area, away from spectators and vehicles and where it is legal to fly. NEVER fly over an unsafe area, such as a road or street. Never fly too close to yourself or spectators. Never run your motor inside a house or building with the propeller attached.remove the prop for safety. Required Items CA Glue - Thin and Thick Epoxy glue Hobby Knife Small Phillips Screwdriver Metric Allen Wrenches Scissors Small Pliers Wire Cutters Masking tape Optional - Heat gun Before Starting Assembly Examination Unpack your airplane and examine the components. Check for damage of any kind. If you see any damage, please contact Value Hobby immediately. Covering Your airplane was packed in plastic at the factory without any wrinkles in the covering. You may notice some wrinkles now; more likely, you will notice a few in a day or two or the first time you take the plane out to the flying field. These wrinkles are the result of wood shrinkage and/or expansion. Balsa wood changes size and shape slightly as it is exposed to varying humidity in the air. This is a natural property of balsa wood. As your airplane adjusts to the weather in your part of the world, wrinkles may appear and disappear. Wrinkles may be removed with the gentle application of heat to the covering material on your airplane. The best tool to use is a hobby heat gun. Apply the heat gently: the covering material will shrink as you apply the heat, and this will remove the wrinkles. BE CAREFUL! Too much heat applied too quickly can damage the covering, either by causing it to pull away from the wood at seams and corners or even by melting it. The covering will shrink at low temperature with patient application of heat. Wrinkles in the covering DO NOT affect flight performance. Remove the canopy before attempting to use heat on your covering! The canopy is made of thermal activated plastic and WILL deform with the application of heat. Do not apply heat to the canopy. If you need to clean your airplane, we recommend using a damp towel. DO NOT use alcohol on these parts. 3
Main Parts: Cowling x 1 Fuselage x 1 Wing panel x 2 Stab and elevator x 1 Rudder x 1 4
Accessories: Accessories for wings Wing Tube x 1 Wing Nylon Screw x 2 Ball Link x 4 set Control Horn x 2 Servo Extended Arm x 2 Wood Cover for Wing Strut x 2 Wing Strut x 1set M2 x 20mm Screws for Wing Strut x 4 M3 x 15mm Screws for Wing Strut x 6 M2 Washer x 8 M3 Washer x 6 M2 x 15mm Screws for Wing Strut x 4 M2 Locknut x 8 M2 x 8mm Self-tapping Screws with Washer x 16 M2.5 x 75mm Push Rod x 2 5
Accessories for fuselage M3 x 15mm screws for canopy x 2 M3 x 12mm screws for cowling x 4 450cc Fuel Tank x 1 set Upper Window x 1 Side Window x 1set M2 x 8 Self-tapping screws with washer x 4 Accessories for landing gear Main Landing Gear x 1 M4 x 15 screws for main landing gear x 3 M4 Washer x 3 Wheel Pant x 1 Pair Axle x 2 Wheel Collar x 4 M3 x 12 Screws for Wheel Pant x 4 Accessories for stab Control Horn x 2 Ball Links x 4 Servo Extended Arm x 2 Pushrod Wire x 2 Accessories for rudder Pull-pull Servo Arm x 1 Ball Link x 4 Servo Extended Arm x 2 1100mm Steel Cable x 2 550mm Steel Cable x 4 Fitting x 10 M2 x 10mm Screws x 2 M2 x 20mm Screws x 3 M2 Washer x 6 M2 nut x 3 Brass Link x 12 Brass Tube x 12 Servo Extension Safety Clip x 6 Other 200mm Pushrod for Engine x 1 M5 Washer x 4 M2 Push Rod Connector x 1 M5 x 20mm Socket Screws for Engine x 4 Tail Wheel Assembly Hinges x 22 6
RECOMMENDED RADIO EQUIPMENT Product Quantity Radio Transmitter and receiver with minimum 6CH 1 Servo High torque standard servo 6 Servo Extension 24in heavy duty extension 4 Y-Harness 1 RECOMMENDED Engine SETUP Product Motor 30cc-60cc gasoline engine, such as DLE 30 or DLE 55 Prop 18 x 8 7
Section1. Aileron and aileron servo installation Step5. Use the hobby knife to remove the covering as shown below. Step1. Insert four hinges into the slots in the aileron. Step6. Locate the items shown below. Step2. Attach the aileron to the wing through the hinges. Step3. Apply the thin CA to each of the four hinges. Apply CA to both the top and bottom of the hinges. Step7. Install the servo arm extension to the aileron servo, and connect the servo extension to the servo wire using the safety clip. Step4. Repeat step1 to step3 to finish the other aileron installation. 8
Step8. Snap the small wood piece off from the aileron servo opening. Step11. install the aileron servo to the servo opening using the screws provided with the servo. Step9. Tie the servo wire to the small wood piece. Step12. Prepare the linkage and control horn for the servo installation. Step10. Pull the white string till the servo wire exit the hole on the wing root. Step13. Drill a mounting hole on the aileron for control horn. 9
Step14. Install the control horn to the aileron. Section2. Horizontal stabilizer and elevator installation Step1. Remove the mask tape and get the ball links off the opening for the stab. Step15. Screw the clevis to the control horn and adjust the length of the linkage if necessary. Step2. Slide the stab into the opening in the fuselage and keep it in position. Use a pen to trace the outline of the fuselage on the stab both on the top and the bottom. Step16. with aileron centered, install the ball link to the servo arm using one socket head screw and one nut. Step3. Use the hobby knife to remove the covering inside the line marked in the previous step. Step17. Repeat the previous steps to install the other servo. 10
Step4. Apply the epoxy to the bare wood of the stab, and slide back the stab into the fuselage. Section3. Elevator servo installation Step1. Remove the covering for the elevator servo openings on the both sides of the fuselage. Step5. Insert three hinges into the elevator. Step6. Attach the hinges into the stab through the hinges, and apply the thin CA to the hinges. Step2. Install two elevator servos onto the fuselage with the servo arm and servo extension installed. Step7. Install the other elevator into the stab. 11
Section4. Elevator servo installation Step1. Insert three hinges into the slots in the rudder. Step3. Install two control horns into the elevators. Step2. Drill a mounting hole in the bottom of the rudder. Step4. Install the elevator servo linkages using the same methods in the section of aileron servo linkage installation. Step3. Insert and glue the metal cylinder piece into the rudder. 12
Step4. Install the rudder to the fuselage. Step7. Drill a mounting hole for rudder control horn. Step5. Prepare a tail wheel assembly as shown below. Step8. Install the control horn to the rudder. Step6. Install the tail wheel assembly to the fuselage using three self-tapping screws. Step9. Connect the push rod wire to the control horn. 13
Step10. Prepare a servo with pull-pull servo arm. Step11. Install the rudder servo onto the servo tray inside the fuselage. Step15. locate the steel cable and fittings. Step13. Connect the push rod wire to the servo arm. (Note that the cables cross once inside the fuselage. The cable from the right side of the servo exits. The left of the fuselage and vice versa.) Step16. Install the fittings to the elevator and fuselage. Step14. With the rudder centered, adjust the length of the wires to make sure the servo horn is in neutral position. 14
Step17. Pass the cable through the fitting and the brass tube as shown. Section5. Main Landing Gear Installation Step1. Locate the items shown below. Step18. Crimp the brass tube with a crimping tool or pliers. Step2. Install the axle to the landing gear. 15
Step3. Attach the wheel to the axle using two wheel collars. Step6. repeat steps 1 to 5 to finish the other wheel and wheel pant installation. Step4. Install the wheel pant to the landing gear. Step7. Use three M4 x 15mm socket head screws to in stall the landing gear to the fuselage. Step5. Use two M3 x 12mm socket screw to secure the wheel pant to the landing gear. Step1. Use the hobby knife to trim the side windows and upper window. 16
Step2. Use the glue to attach the side windows into position. Step4. Install the canopy to the the fuselage using two M3 x 15mm screws. Step3. Install the upper window in the fuselage. Section6. Wing and wing strut installation Step1. Remove the covering for wing tube from the fuselage. 17
Step2. Use wing tube to attach two wing panels to the fuselage. Step5. Remove the covering for wing strut in the fuselage and wing panel as shown below. Step3. locate two nylon screws shown below. Step6. Insert one end of the wing strut into the fuselage. Step4. Use the nylon screw to secure the wing to the fuselage. Step7. Slide the wood cover to the wing strut as shown. 18
Step8. Install the other end of the wing strut onto the wing panel. Step11. Install the wood cover to the wing panel. Step12. Locate these items as shown below. Step9. Use a screw to secure the wing strut to the fuselage. Step10. Tighten the set screw in the wing strut. Step13. Install two wood support to the wing panel as shown. 19
Step14. Use two M2 x 15mm and two M2 x 20mm screws to install the aluminum support for wing strut. Step2. Locate your engine and mount assembly. Offset your engine so the center of the prop shaft( at the propeller) lines up with the center lines on the firewall so your cowl will sit straight. Route your fuel lines and connect them to your engine. Locate where your engine throttle control rod will exit the firewall and mark it.drill a large enough hole through the firewall. We recommend locating the throttle servo beside the rudder servo on the main servo rail. Connect the throttle linkage and make sure it is working in the proper direction and operates the carburetor linkage properly. You may want to also install a linkage to operate the engine choke if your engine is so equipped. Section7. Engine Installation Step1. Mark the center line and thrust line on the fire wall using a marker. The photo shows how these lines pass through the center of the fuel line hole. Step3.Using the supplied hardware, assemble the fuel tank. Carefully bend the metal tubing to avoid kinking. 20
Step1. Slide the cowl over the engine and align the side graphics so that they are straight and even. Test fit the cowl so the distance from the front edge of the cowl to the firewall is 6-1/4 inches leaving 1/16 to 1/8 inches clearance of the propeller. Step4. Wrap the fuel tank in foam and tape. Step2.When satisfied, mark through the holes in the cards onto the cowl. Remove the cowl and drill5 3/32 inch dia. holes. Step5. Install the fuel tank on the mounting tray in the fuse and secure it to the fuse using Velcro straps or tape. Drill 1/4inch holes in the fire wall for the fuel and vent lines. Step3.Cut out the necessary holes in the cowl for the proper engine cooling using a rotary tool like a Dremel. When satisfied, secure the cowl to the fuse using the supplied hardware. (we only provide a plastic spinner.) Section8. Cowling Installation Section 9: Setting CG and Control Throws 21
Recommended CG For the first flights, the recommended Center of Gravity location is 5in behind the leading edge of the wing against the fuselage. Use the battery pack, moving it forward or backward, to achieve the correct balance. Low / Precision Rates (in degrees) and Corresponding Exponential Elevator Low Rate: 11/16" (11.5º) Up 9/16" (10º) Down High Rate: 1/4" (19.5º) Up 1" (18º) Down Linear measurement (Inches) measured at widest part of elevator (roughly in the center). Aileron Low Rate: 3/8" (8º) Up 1/2" (9º) Down High Rate: 7/8" (21º) Up 11/16" (22º) Down Linear measurement (inches) measured at root. Rudder 11/2" (28º) Left 11/2" (28º) Right Linear measurement (inches) measured at front of counterbalance. Note: Use the Low Rate for most flying. The High Rate is used specifically for performing spin maneuvers. Futaba and Hitec radios require NEGATIVE exponential, while JR and Spektrum use POSITIVE exponential. Range test your radio Step1. Before fly, be sure to range check your radio as manufacturer s instruction manual of your radio system recommends. Step2. Double-check all controls (aileron, elevator, rudder and throttle) move in the correct direction. Step3. Be sure that your battery is fully charged. 22
23
24
25