Dornier Do X Flugschiff (Flying Ship) As It Was Called, Was Conceived by Dr
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DDOORRNNIIEERR DDO XX ""FFLLYYIINNGG SSHHIIPP"" SPORT-SCALE ARF R/C MODEL AIRPLANE The Dornier Do X Flugschiff (flying ship) as it was called, was conceived by Dr. Claude Dornier in 1924, financed by the German Transport Ministry, and produced by the Dornier company of Germany in June of 1929. With its crew of 14, wingspan greater than 157 feet, 12 engines mounted above the wing on pylons in a push-pull configuration, and a maximum takeoff weight of 123,460 pounds, it was by far the largest heavier-than-air aircraft of its time. With a smoking room that had its own wet bar, a dining salon, and seating for 66 passengers – which could be converted to sleeping berths for night flights, its passenger accommodations approached the luxurious standards of transatlantic ocean liners. To introduce the Do X to the world, it took off on November 3, 1930 from Germany to visit the Netherlands, England, France, Spain and Portugal. It arrived at New York City on August 27, 1931, where thousands of sightseers visited the Glenn Curtiss Airport (now LaGuardia Airport) to tour this leviathan of the air. Although very popular with the public, numerous non-fatal accidents and other factors prevented more than three from ever being built. Two were broken up for scrap in 1937. The remaining Do X eventually became the centerpiece of Germany's aviation museum Deutsche Luftfahrt-Sammlung (German Aviation Collection) until it was destroyed during WWII by an RAF air raid the night of November 23, 1943. This RC Dornier is about 1/20 scale and took us almost 2 years to design. Although it is flying boat, we offer an optional landing gear set with steerable tail wheel so our customers may enjoy more flights with their Dornier Do X. We invite you to enjoy the pride of ownership and the joy of flying this beautiful ARF sport-scale model. Table of Contents: I. Specifications ......................................................2 V. Storage, field setup & preflight checks ........................ 4 II. Parts list ................................................................2 VI. Safety precautions & assembly tips .............................. 5 III. Special features ...................................................3 VII. Limited warranty, liability waiver & return policy .... 7 IV. Important things customers must know VIII. Assembly notes ................................................................ 8 4 before assembling this ARF ........................... IX. Initial setup & adjustments ............................................ 13 Copyright 2016 Page 1 of 14 S161222 I. SPECIFICATIONS* Wingspan ................................................................................................................................................................. 95¼ inches Length ....................................................................................................................................................................... 78½ inches Wing area ............................................................................................................................................... 1,615 square inches ARF-only weight ........................................................................................................................................ About 19 pounds (About 21 pounds with an optional landing gear kit) Flying weight .................................................... Approx. 25 pounds (depending on power and radio systems) Radio ................................ Minimum of 5 channels for electric set up (2 channels are needed for throttles) with three standard servos and three mini servos Recommended power ......................................... Twelve brushless motors, each rated at approx. 277 Watts Propellers .......................... 12 ea. 8 x6 -inch 3-blade or as recommended by your power system’s maker (Six ‘normal’ props on the front motors plus another six ‘reversed-pitch’ props on the rear motors) *(Dimensions and weights are approximate.) II. PARTS LIST 1. Included items Wing’s center section with two outer panels Front and rear fuselage assemblies Lower "stub wings" Ailerons, elevators & rudders Wing and stub-wing struts Aileron & elevator add-on “benches” Empennage assembly parts Power system mounting boxes & braces Hardware package Scale-looking engine nacelle assemblies Stick-on markings Optional landing/tail gear set Twelve included ESC throttle-control extensions preinstalled in the wing’s center section 2. Items you must supply to complete this ARF Epoxy and cyanoacrylate (CA) adhesives and optional threadlock compound. Common household shop tools (screwdriver, pliers, etc.). Twelve brushless outer-rotor motors such as the Maxford USA Uranus 28309 motor and electronic speed controls (ESCs) such as the Maxford USA Uranus 25A ESC, each powered by a 3S minimum 2,200 mAh LiPo battery, or as recommended for your motors, and a LiPo battery charger suitable for your batteries. Twelve 8x6-inch 3-blade propellers: six with normal pitch and six with reversed pitch, or as specified for your electric power system. (NOTE: Maximum propeller diameter is 8-inches.) A five- (or more) channel radio system with a receiver battery. Three standard servos: one for each aileron and one for the water rudder. Three mini servos: one for each half of the elevator and one for the air rudder. The following extensions, Y harnesses and custom made multi-harnesses are required when using the recommended electric power system illustrated on page 12: 48-inch extension, 1 piece, or 24-inch extension, 2 pieces (receiver to elevator’s Y-harness) 30-inch extension, 2 pieces (ailerons) 24-inch extension, 1 piecs (receiver to water-rudder’s Y-harness) 18-inch extension, 1 piece (water rudder’s Y-harness to air rudder’s servo) 12-inch Y-harness, 3 pieces (connect elevators, ailerons, and air & water rudders) 12-inch two conductor 1-to-6 multi-harness, 2 pieces (control 12 ESCs from two radio channels) IMPORTANT: Use two separate channels to control the electric power systems’ throttles. For example, use your radio’s normal throttle channel for the six front-facing motors and another channel mixed 100% with your throttle channel to control the six rear-facing motors. Do NOT attempt to use simple Y harnesses to control all 12 motors from one throttle channel. The diagram on the following page shows connections for the recommended electric power system’s throttle and servo lead extensions, Y-harnesses and custom made 1-to-6 multi-harnesses. Copyright 2016 Page 2 of 14 S161222 ESC#1 ESC#2 ESC#3 ESC#4 ESC#5 ESC#6 18” 18” 24” 24” 30” 30” 30” 30” 24” 24” 18” 18” ESC#7 ESC#8 ESC#9 ESC#10 ESC#11 ESC#12 LEFT RIGHT AILERON 30” 30” AILERON SERVO SERVO RECEIVER: 1-to-6 Throttle (fronts) 1-to-6 Throttle (rears) NOTE: Y Ailerons NiMH When a receiver battery is Elevators RECEIVER RECEIVER used to power your radio Rudders SWITCH BATTERY system, the battery- 24” eliminator circuits built into the ESCs are not used; Y using our custom made two conductor 1-to-6 multi- 48” WATER harnesses ensures the ESC’s (or RUDDER 2 ea. SERVO red leads are safely isolated 24”) from each other and from your receiver battery. 18” The twelve ESC throttle- control extensions are included and preinstalled RUDDER in the wing’s center section. Y SERVO LEFT RIGHT ELEVATOR ELEVATOR SERVO SERVO 3. Optional items you may choose to add Servo extension safety clips. Landing gear kit (for land-based operations). III. SPECIAL FEATURES True-to-scale multi-engine power system with six pylon-mounted nacelles. Balsa and plywood construction semi-scale model of this unique and historic golden-era aircraft. Major assemblies are preassembled and prepainted or precovered in Mylar. True-to-scale “bench” surfaces on the tops of the ailerons and elevators. Hatch on each engine nacelle. Hatch on nose for easy access to batteries and radio-system switch. Hatch on rear turtledeck for water-rudder servo installation and mantainance. Includes 12 ESC throttle-control wires and 24 ESC-to-battery wires preinstalled in the wing’s center section. Simply solder your favorite connectors to the ends of the ESC-to-battery wires. Designed for electric, but may be converted to glow. Capability for optional land operation. Copyright 2016 Page 3 of 14 S161222 IV. IMPORTANT THINGS CUSTOMERS MUST KNOW BEFORE ASSEMBLING THIS ARF 1. This is a large-scale airplane. Sport-aerobatic maneuvers are not recommended. Due to its size, weight, power, and the number of engines, this airplane is recommended only for advanced- level builders and pilots. Please read all instructions carefully even if you are an experienced builder. Any assembling, testing or flying of this airplane is done entirely at your own risk. 2. Use a receiver battery to power your radio system. Do not use the battery eliminator circuits built into the ESCs. (NOTE: Our optional custom made 2-conductor 1-to-6 multi-harness is made especially for this ARF with no red wire so you may connect six ESCs to each harness and each harness to a throttle port on your receiver. If you do not use our optional custom made 2-conductor 1-to-6 multi-harness you must ‘open’ the red wire in the throttle lead of each of the twelve electronic speed controls. 3. During early tests we verified the Dornier Do X might fly on only 10 motors without nacelles installed (only the motor boxes). However, for safety we strongly recommend using 12 motors with a minimum 25A ESC and 3S LiPo battery for each propeller to minimize the chance