ae) ees errr Ret Pai og Des Cee eed Sete aes co COR Ly Coe eae RU aL Sy Te RU Pala Se a ee ee eee Ce a reed Pe en eesn ere : cover of the instruction booklet. The kit is designed for a 40- to 46-size Schnuerle- ported engine and fixed gear. With the fin- ished product equipped in this configura- tion, you can expect speeds of 70 to 85mph; add a tuned pipe to your strong running ‘engine and add a sot of retractable landing gear, and you should be able to break 1oOmph. These are the manufacturer's words: a8 I begin to write this, my F-20 is sitting in the hangar, waiting for the melt down of 10 inches of snow! ‘The instructions clearly state, “The F-20 Tigershark is a high-performance, jet-like, sport-seale aisplane," and they go on 10 say that this is nota beginners’ it. T agree that it jt beginners" kit, but don’t Tet that seare ‘you away from building it. The manufacturer ‘supplies you witha toll-free number to call if {you are unsure of just how things go together Wit he tuseage sides and nose sheeting In place, I's time to posl- fon the" formers, which ac a siandofs for the outer fusela ‘The wing is uinwit ‘ap-stripped 1s accord ing tothe instructions. Peay I removed “Ss an iay VSS a: Sheeted the wing. 2 eee THE KIT First, the instruction booklet. As T said earlier, it top cover isan introduction to the Kit, and it ge you thinking about engine | the capstips ‘The F-20 Tigershark kit from Direct Connection YC is definitely a high- performance aircraft for those who feel the need for speed. are numbered, so if you have a question, ‘you call the toll-free line and tell them ‘which paragraph you're having problem witha really nice touch, A single rolled plan sheet guides you {rough the construction. When I started 10 uunroll the plan, I found that T unrolled and ‘unrolled and unrolle.... This is one huge sheet! I cut the wing section out of the sheet, and that made ita litle easier to han- The bottom ofthe wing showing the instalation ofthe main reacts. ‘options —tuned pipe or not?; retracts or fixed gar? Next is the parts list. Many of the ‘machine-sanded parts are illustrated, and that's a great help in identifying them. Also, the place in the kit where the part can be Found is identified (more on the parts marking later), The instructions are clearly written and supple- ‘mented with drawings for clarification. The last five pages show 14 different isometric drawings of the fuselage being constructed step by step, Paragraphs dle, The plan’s quality is superb. It's one of the clearest, cleanest plans I've seen, and all, the information is there where it should be. Al the machine-sanded parts are in color-coded Ziploc bags, and the parts list tells you which color to look for and how many pieces there should be in the bag. Hold by a rubber band, a bundle of long ‘wood contains the ailerons, the leading and trailing-edge pieces, triangle stock and the ‘main spar. The fuselage sides, the top and ‘bottom plates and the hard-balsa parts for the stab and fin are loose in the boom of the bos. Another bag contains the very gen= cerous hardware package—overy hardware part needed to complete the kit (fixed-gear version). You only need to buy a fuel tank and wheels, ed a A Techn eee Td en CS Dee nd Lee teeta eid Sela ea. Dr eieay Airfoil: symmetrical es ee Ce ee motte) eres er) ere ced Beir Cries Ce reer So Pree oa te Beet included, ey lent fight pertor= funto fly! eter CoN ae Se Perera) ee eee Se ee kas eer Misses Sea pene ir) peoThe snow melted, and we were off to the aiiport with great anticipation. The Webra {G750 came to life, and after ona tank of tue! or break in, we taxied down the paved run Way f0 line up for takeoft. | turned the F-20 into the wind and increased the throttie, Straight down the centerline, a litle Back pressure on the elevator control, and we were fing. The warkload ofthe trim passes consisted of two clicks of let aileron trim ‘and one click of dow-elevator. After trim ‘ming, the first thing | noticed was that the F-20 tracks as if i's on rails; you point it and that's where it goes. * Slow flight ‘The F-20 appeared to be right at home in slow flight. No tip stall was noticed, nor ‘were there any other bad or surprising ten- dencies. All the flying surfaces remained effective throughout the fight protie * High-speed flight This is what the Tigershark was bred for. Intaly, 1 exporienced a slight high-speed ter ftter. This was quick solved with aie acjustment of the rudder inkage, For the fist fight, 1 setup the low rates on the 3885 radio to 75 percent of the high-rate postion, and this praved to bs more than adoquate for high-speed maneuvering, The F-20 Tigershark smoothly streaks across ‘he sky with the grace ofa tru jet. * Aerobatics ‘Although not designed as an aerobatics or pattarn-type aircraft, the F-20 is stil capable (of doing all the airshow aerobatics that you ‘can perform. The kits built with one serva for aileron control, but for smooth axial Fall, needs some differential (a function ‘of whore the linkages are attached to the ‘se1vo Wheel). This will give you more up aleron on one side tan down on the othe. There's enough room in the wing to allow the installation of independent servos for the ailerons, but this is not mentioned as @ builder's option inthe instructions or on the plan. The clean airframe and awesome ‘ower of the Webra GT50 give unbelievable vertical performance. ‘Wit he "0" formers in place onthe ane fuselage side, the outermost ‘ight side is positioned on the formers. CONSTRUCTION The construction of this and everything else T build is accomplished with the aid of Pacer Techmology’s* Zap and Z-Poxy adhesives. must “em; like ‘em: Tuse ’em. Nuf si! Assemble the wing first. Before you begin, you must know which type of landing gear you plan (0 use. As you follow the manual, you'll notice that you're told wo skip to seetion so-and-so for the retract version. ‘The wing is built up—not a sheeted foam: ‘core—and I decided to depart from the instructions and make a fully sheeted wing. 1 which contains the rose, the cockpit and the turtle deck. The second part of the fuse lage is the rearfouter structure. Tt starts in front of the wings at the side inlets, estab- lishes the outer wing saddle and continues back to ereate the cempennage section of the airframe. The forward/inner section is built first. As the directions tell you, carefully transfer the center lines and former locations onto the various formers and side structures, These lines become your only alignment guides as the fuselage takes form, and a litle time spent here will save ‘you a lot of time later. IF you plan to install retracts, note the modifications to the appro priate formers and the addition ofthe inch plywood retract floor ‘When this part of the fuselage fas taken shape, construct the rearfouter fuselage. The labeling of the “D” formers is eritical to prefer to apply MonoKote* over a sheeted | building the Tigershark successfully. These wing rather than an open one ust my preference), You build aright wing half and a left one over the same section of the plan; then set the dihedral and join the halves to make ‘your wing, “The stab and elevator assem- blies are next, followed by the fin and rudder. All these are solid, hurd balsa and go together very easily if you follow the plans and instructions, Small diagrams in the instructions show the ees tat a 0 8° wig th maf oy gos mame he di ai ad sanded to a radius for good acro- mantfs in a hath that's Behind the wings. Here, the dynamics, and the positions of the hinges are marked. All the rudder and elevator controls are inside the fuselage, and that really makes a clean airframe. 1's time to assemble the fuselage, but before you stam, it’s very, very important that you look over the plans and really become familiar with the shape, positions ‘and orientation of the fuselage formers. The airirame doesn’t acquire its nice smooth curves through carving: it’s made with ‘octagonal bulkheads and formers. Shecting is attached to the flats ofthe formers, and the ‘edges of the sheeting aro razor planed and sanded off, This design yields a very light airframe, “There are actually two structures in the fuselage, Fist isthe forward/inner structure, hae been cutout. formers establish the rear/outer fuselage sides and empennage. Look them over closely and compare them with the plans and the pats list im the instructions. Each has a top and a bottom. Important: mark each one with its part number, and mark the top of each one so you can’t go wrong! ‘Glue the D-Is, D-4s and D-6s tothe out- side of the forwardfinner fuse. Their posi- tions are established by using a straightedge and noting their orientation to te inner fuse Tage formers. Transfer the locations of the “D" formers from the plans to the ’A-inch balsa outerjear fuselage sides. With the frontfinner fuselage lying flat on your workbench, tape the “4-inch balsa rearfouter fuselage sides to the D-Is, D-4s‘and D-6s, Check and double-check your measurements against the ones in the instructions. Make sure that the D-Is and Des are flat against your workbench, When ‘you're satisfied that everything is correct, blue the fuselage sides to the formers. This sounds more complicated than it really is, but it is one of the most critical building steps in the kit because it esablishes the ine ea The fuselage after al the planking has been sanded to contour. dence between the wing and the horizontal stabilizer ‘The rest of the fuselage is sheeted and sanded to contour. Install the wing and check the squareness of all the flying sur- faces. Then final-sand, and you're ready for covering. ‘The Tigershark’s long nose requires that the radio be installed ia a compartment behind the wing fo balance the plane fore and aft. I did not hhaye to add any additional weight to acquire the proper fore/aft or Iateral balance, After looking at the aireraft, 1 decided that T would attempt 10 push the envelope. and go for the 100mph barrier For power, I elect ‘ed 10 install one of Horizon Hobby Distributors new Webra GTS0s and a Mae Products 8.5ce tuned pipe and header. This engine packs tremendous performance in a.40-size case. ‘The controls are manipulated by a IR X-388S radio andl JR 4131 precision servos. {also from Horizon Hobby Distributors). The surface throws were all set fo the maximum recommended by the manufacture + Surface throws: Ailerons— eto /4 inch up and down. Elevator —é to: inch up and down, Ruudder—¥ to 1 inch left and ight To keep the airframe clean in flight, 1 installed Hobbico's* mechanical retracts, and [operated them with JR's 703 react Siting atthe flight line, without fue amy F-20 Tigersbark weighs in at less than 5% pounds! Oh, and by the way—100mph? No problem! dj CONCLUSION The F-20 Tiger: shark kit from Direct Connection RIC is definitely a high-performance aircraft for those who feel the need for speed. In many of the kits that I've built lately, P've had {o replace some of the wood, but with this kit I didn't All the wood was in excel lent shape and well-suited to the job for which it was intended. The kit's hardware package is complete, and it's a great value (consider the cost of the items separately and the time and gas it takes to make another wip tothe hobby shop). J don't like to use the term "jet trainer.” 1 fly ducted fans and, believe me, in my mind, no propeller-driven aircraft will prepare you The fuselage and the wing are ready for covering. for a jet. But I will say that, set up with a high-performance engine and retracts, the F-20 Tigershark sure gets you from one side of the sky to the other in a hurry. I've lot several people fly it, and everyone really enjoyed the experience. So get famil- jar with the instructions and the plan, and dive in, See ya inthe air. adres ae ited pode Ine Manaftrareron page 17 "This is crud’s worst nightmare.:. “With its unique, dual filter design, the Great Planes Filling Station fuel can fitting set maximizes your glow fuel's purification, "Our engineers placed Precision Fuel Filters at two strategie Jocations—in the pickup and in the filler probe—to trap contaminants before they can damage your engine or disrupt fuel flow. “And to keep your fuel fresh, the filler probe O-ring forms a tight seal, shutting out moisture and preventing spills." a= GREAT PLANES FILLING STATION” precision waco atwng ae-« “2 GueAtPLANy "ODE. sins OOD f= SAVE I” cs When you buy any 4 Great Planes hardware oraccessory items 1 putes re wat Saka AUGUST 1994 49The F-20 Tigershark If you enjoy flying sport planes, the F-20 Tigershark will give you the maximum thrill! Admirers will think it looks awesome on the ground, but once this plane is in the air, ‘everyone at the airfield will stop and be amazed at its performance! ‘The F-20 Tigershark was computer designed and drawn. The fully contoured fuselage, simulated air intakes and tail cone, and optional retractable landing gear are all part of the F-20 Tigershark’s sleek, aerodynamic design. Internal linkages, pushrods, and control horns add to its realistic looks and speed. Its special airfoil allows the model to slow down for realistic nose-high landings. Since it is a prop-driven plane with a built-up body and wing, building one is easy. Other jet-ike models fail to look like a jet because of that "boxy look," but those of you who want more realistic looks and performance, the F-20 Tigershark is for you! Specifications: ‘Area: 535 &q. in. Wingspan: 47 in. Length: 54 in. Weight: 5-6 Ibs. Engine: .40 to .46 Radio: 4-5 Channel ALL THIS FOR ONLY $84.99 To experience the thrills of owning a F-20 Tigershark, See Your Dealer or Call 1-800-593-5250 (Direct Cc ONNECTION ‘A ervision at a R/C Capstone RUC Suppliers, Inc. - 562 W. Schrock Rd, - Westerville, OH 43081 - 614.099.6313 - Fax: 614-899-6070 Shipping and Handling 85.00 C.O-D. $4.50 in USA. Vina, Mastercard, and Discover accepted. Ohio residents add 5.75% ales ax.