CONSUMER AEROSPACE Phoenix Rocket Launched R/C Aerobatic Assembly and Operation Manual Supplement

HIS sheet contains some recent additions to the Phoenix instructions. Please read them before you Tbegin construction of your Phoenix rocket glider. The following three items are very important, and must be done before you fly your Phoenix.

Mandatory Additions

Trim Horn Screws OU must trim the screws that Ymount the rudder horn flush with the outside of the nylon plate. If the screws are not trimmed, it is possible for them to hit the L-7 guides on the launcher during off. The rudder may be damaged if this happens. The screws may be cut after assembly with a razor saw or a cut off disc in a Moto-Tool. If you use a cut off disc, be very careful to keep the heat generated by the cut off disc from melting the nylon plate. Trim these screws flush with nylon plate

Elevator Pushrod Stiffness HERE are 8 pieces of 3/16” square balsa strip provided in the kit. Before you start assembly, examine all T8 pieces. Due to the high speeds encountered during a Phoenix launch, the pushrods need to be both straight and stiff. The stiffest one should be used for the pushrod, and the next stiffest one for rud- der. The remaining pieces are used for the corner stock. We use the stiffest balsa that we can obtain for the pushrods, but if you feel the pushrods provided in your kit are not stiff enough, please contact us and we will provide substitutes. As an alternative, you can stiffen the existing pushrods with carbon fiber, or obtain some very hard 3/16” square balsa at your local hobby shop. Pushrods larger than the suggested 3/16” will not fit properly inside the small tailboom. Radio Switch Orientation HEN you install the radio equipment, be sure to mount the switch so that it cannot be accidentally Wturned off by the acceleration of launch. A good way to do this is to mount the switch so that it slides from side to side rather than fore and aft. Also use enough padding so the battery and receiver cannot shift during acceleration.

© 1992 AeroTech Inc., 1955 South Palm St., Suite 15, Las Vegas, NV 89104, (702) 641-2301 Phoenix Enhancements he following are some optional things you can do to enhance your Phoenix. They are not required, and Tthe materials to do them are not included, but are readily available at any good hobby shop. HOENIX has an servo in each and if you have a “computer” type radio, you can set the to Pwork as “spoilerons”. In this mode, both ailerons work as usual during boost and normal flight. For landing, both ailerons are reflexed upwards about 30 to 40 degrees to act as spoilers. Spoilerons will allow you to make much steep- er descents when landing, although there is a slight increase in stall speed. Aileron control remains quite good when the ailerons are deployed as spoilers. You will need to allow clearance for the increased up aileron throw when you shape the aileron leading edges, as shown in the drawing. You will also have to move the aileron linkage to a hole closer to the hinge to get enough total aileron throw. Each type of radio will have to be programmed different- ly, so the first thing to do is consult the instructions that Approximate deflection came with your radio. Probably the easiest way to do the Note bevel on Spoileron programming is to use a “” mode. Unlike normal , we want the ailerons to go UP for landing. This can be done with the proper setting of servo direction and mixing. If your radio does not have “flaperon” capability, you can also use 2 programmable mixers. One example would be to mix ailerons to and throttle to ailerons. Set it up so both ailerons have the same throw in aileron mode, while high throttle has both ailerons at neutral, and low throttle deflects both ailerons up as the spoilers. We have found that deploying the spoilers causes very little trim change, but you might want to mix a small amount of into elevator to compensate for any trim changes that do occur. Regardless of how you do the programming, do not set up the ailerons to droop below neutral, as this would make your Phoenix more likely to tip stall. Landing Skid EPENDING on where you fly your Phoenix, you might want to add a skid to the bottom of the fuselage to help pro- Dtect it on landing. Several companies, including Goldberg and Airtronics sell skids that can be used on Phoenix, or you can make your own from spruce or plywood. The weight and of the skid will hurt performance slightly. Hi-start or Winch Launching HOENIX may also be used with a standard hi start. 4-40 nylon bolt PThere are several ways to attach a tow hook. The and nut Drawing is simplest is to attach a wire hook when you fiberglass the Not to Scale! Exact dimensions center section. You could also make up a removable are not critical. hook as shown in the drawing. Due to the small size of Phoenix, a “2-meter” type hi-start is recommended. While Phoenix is strong enough to withstand almost any 1/8" plywood hi-start or winch, the stronger ones tend to act more like Use foam pad a catapult. Even if Phoenix gets catapulted off the line between wing and ply if desired 1/16" music wire early, it will coast to a quite respectable launch altitude. Bend as shown Remember, on any aileron/rudder sailplane, during the 1.0" initial climb, heading corrections are best done with rud- Attach wire to der. While Phoenix is not a “floater”, you will find that it ply with epoxy and fiberglass launches and thermals better than you would expect. 2.25" Slope Soaring E didn’t mention it in the manual, since we thought it was obvious, but we are still occasionally asked about Wslope soaring Phoenix. The answer is that it makes an excellent slope plane. It is a bit too light for flying in really strong winds, but a properly built Phoenix can safely do any maneuver on the slope. If you want to do a 1000 foot ver- tical dive followed by a full up elevator loop, go for it! Ballast can be added either above the wing, or in the motor mount tube. Be sure to check the CG after adding ballast, and adjust the nose weight as required.