Fei Bao Velox User manual
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FEI BAO JETS
Velox Assembly Manual
Written by Curtis Mattikow
In collaboration with R/C Jet Models
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DISCLAIMER:
THIS IS NOT A TOY. This is a high-performance miniature aircraft, capable of
high speeds and damage to life, limb, and property. The manufacturer and its
distributors cannot control how you assemble this model, what equipment you use
to fit it out, or how you fly it, and can assume no liability whatsoever for any
damages that may occur when you fly your aircraft. By assembling this model,
you are agreeing to indemnify and hold blameless the manufacturer and/or his
agents from any and all torts and liability associated with the use of this product.
Please inspect all parts before beginning assembly. If any parts appear to be
suspect, contact your dealer or the manufacturer for repair or replacement
BEFORE you begin. Once you have assembled the aircraft, you are the pilot in
command and assume any and all responsibility for the use of the model and any
damages that might occur by flying or attempting to fly this aircraft.
R/C model jets require a high level of skill in both their assembly and their flying.
If you do not feel confident in either your building or flying skills, PLEASE seek
assistance from more experienced modelers. It is a wise idea, no matter what level
of skills you possess, to have a second experienced modeler go over your
installation after assembly. A second set of eyes may spot a problem you have
missed. If you have not flown a model like this before, it is HIGHLY
recommended that you get an experienced turbine pilot to do your maiden flight.
Very often, the first few seconds of a maiden flight are critical until the aircraft is
trimmed out, and having an experienced pilot at the controls can make the
difference between a wrecked aircraft and once that enjoys many hundreds of
flights. Be sure to select a suitable field for flying...take the time to find a large
paved runway if at all possible, especially for test flights, until you feel comfortable
getting the aircraft in and out of smaller grass fields.
BEFORE YOU BEGIN:
Keep this in mind as you proceed:
Look at EVERY assembly step you finish, and ask yourself:
"Is this going to crash my airplane?"
A chain is only as strong as its weakest link, and this is a high-performance aircraft
that will be very intolerant of sloppy assembly techniques. Even the smallest
component is important and can cause the loss of your airplane, so take the time
to do things right. Or REdo them if they are wrong. Careful work will result in a
long-lasting plane that gives you years of pleasure, one loose component could
result in the complete loss of the aircraft and all the components inside it, and
someone can even get hurt. So pause every once in a while when building it and
double-check your workmanship.
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A. Introduction:
You have chosen a model that represents the pinnacle of ARF technology. While
there is not a lot of building to do, there is enough to keep you busy for a few
evenings.
Even if you have assembled maybe other ARF jets, we highly recommend
following our assembly sequence and procedures anyway.
Chances are it will save you a lot of time, prevent you from running down dead
ends, and perhaps remind you of a few small things that might end up saving your
aircraft.
We have tried to arrange a construction sequence that will allow you to keep
moving forward, rather than standing around waiting for glue to dry before you
can proceed to the next step.
Just because the model is almost completely built does not mean you can rush
through the final assembly.
You need to employ fine craftsmanship every step of the way, turbine models are
critical. Keep this in mind with everything you do, every part you install...look at
the work you just did, evaluate it critically, and ask yourself "is this going to
potentially crash my airplane?" If there is any doubt about the work you have
done, back up, and re-do it properly.
B. Adhesives:
The correct adhesive to use for all procedures is Loctite Hysol 9462. This is a
very strong white epoxy that is thixotropic. "Thixotropic" means it does not run
at all, but stays only where you put it. It is infinitely superior to regular epoxy,
even slow-setting epoxy, for our purposes, because of this characteristic.
Regular epoxy will run downhill with gravity as it dries, taking it away from where
it is supposed to be.
A good example is in the hinges...using regular epoxy, a good portion of the glue
will migrate down away from the hinge into the inside of the wing as it dries, and
you won't even know it is happening. Hysol stays where you put it.
The downside of Hysol is it takes overnight to dry properly, but we have tried to
arrange things to keep you busy while waiting for glue to dry.
We also highly recommend that you only use a proper Hysol dispensing gun, and
only the long-type mixing nozzles.
The short nozzles do not mix this glue enough, and only a thin nozzle and gun
will let you fill the hinge and control horn holes properly with glue, you can't do it
mixing your Hysol on a flat surface and trying to get the glue in the proper place
by a brush or stick.
You can buy a complete Hysol setup with a gun, nozzles, and two cartridges of
glue from your dealer for approximately $60.
Consider it a great investment, the glue is the best you will use. One cartridge is
plenty to assemble your Velox.
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C. WORKING WITH PNEUMATIC SYSTEMS:
The Velox uses pneumatic brakes and retracts. If you follow a few tips, you
should have very reliable, leak-free operation. Neatness counts.
All airlines should be secured to the airframe to keep them from flopping around
or getting kinked. Use tie wraps for this.
The other very important thing is to cut off the end of each airline dead square
before installing it on the nipple.
This is VITAL. You can either purchase a professional tubing cutter from your
dealer (they are approximately $10), or you can make up a little jig to hold the
airline and keep a sharp, new razor blade perfectly upright as you cut.
Either one works, just ensure that all ends of all airlines are cut off dead square.
Make sure all airlines are pushed ALL THE WAY onto their nipples.
They should not need to be secured otherwise, but you can add fine wire safety
wraps if you like. Make sure all left and right matching airlines are the same
length, particularly the brake lines, or you will get uneven retraction or braking
action.
It's worth taking the time to get everything pneumatic right the first time, as
having your landing gear fail to retract is not THAT bad, but having it fail to
deploy can really ruin you day and the paint on the bottom of your model.
D. FUEL SYSTEM:
The Velox has a very simple fuel system...one main tank leading to a UAT or
similar header tank.
There is not much to go wrong, but like the pneumatic system, it does need to be
done right the first time, with some careful craftsmanship.
Like the airlines, all fuel lines must be cut off Dead Square. Each fuel connection
should be given a tie-wrap or two for extra security.
Everything needs to be dead clean, especially the inside of the main tank.
The front tray is set up to accommodate a BVM Ultimate Air Trap or it's
equivalent, to keep any bubbles from getting to your engine.
You can also make up your own header tank with a bubbles filter, or a
geometrically centered pickup, but any way you do it, you should not attempt to
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fly without a header tank system.
5. Hinging the control surfaces:
While there are many ways of doing this, this method will let you do all the
surfaces at once, assures proper alignment and movement, and let you move on to
other assembly work while the glue on the hinges dries.
Most techniques involve gluing one side of the hinges, letting it dry and then
doing the other side the next night. This lets you do both sides at once, and
guarantees proper alignment. Follow the procedure fully for best results.
1. Put a towel or cloth down on your bench to keep the airplane from being
scratched. Locate all the control surfaces to their correct place on the
wings and tails. Note that the factory has kept some hinges in place on
the control surfaces to help you locate which surface goes where, left and
right. Check for proper mating, hinge location, and movement on all
surfaces. Start with one wing. Remove the control surfaces and remove
the hinges.
2. Coat the center portion of each hinge with petroleum jelly. Use enough
to keep any glue from sticking, but make sure you do not get any
petroleum jelly on the ribbed portion of the hinge that needs to be glued.
3. Coat the leading edge of each control surface with a thin layer petroleum
jelly to keep any glue from sticking.
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4. Fill each hole in the control surface with Hysol. Be generous with
the glue. The ONLY place where glue should be is in the hole
itself...clean up any excess right away.
5. Twist each hinge into place on the control surface. Align each
hinge by raising each one 90 degrees and checking for straightness.
6. Fill each hinge-locating hole in the wing with Hysol. Again...the
only place glue belongs is in the hole itself.
7. Keeping the hinges at 90 degrees to the control surface, gently
push the control surface into place on the wing. Keeping it at
right angles keeps the hinges from getting pushed further into the
surface and getting misaligned. When you get to the final quarter
inch or so of insertion, start reducing the angle of the surface until
the surface slides home the final bit.
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8. Carefully align the trailing edges of the flap and aileron surfaces,
using the trailing edge of the wing at the tip, and the paint stripes,
as a guide.
9. Check for adequate freeness and movement on the surfaces,
paying particular attention to having enough downward movement
on the flaps. When you are satisfied, tape both the flap and aileron
into place with masking tape to prevent any misalignment while
drying, set the assembly aside, and do the same procedures to the
other wing.
10. Hinge the elevator the same way. Pay attention to the orientation
of top and bottom, if you have trouble fitting the elevator, you
may have it upside down.
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11. Do the same for the rudders. Note the bottommost rudder hinges
have been trimmed at the factory to keep them from protruding
into the servo bays. Set all these assemblies to dry overnight.
12. Move on to the main fuel tank. Blow out the main fuel tank, be
sure that no debris of any sort is left in there before proceeding.
This is a vital step, do not omit it.
13. Assemble the stopper. Note that only two holes are large enough
for the tubing. Do not tighten the screw on the stopper yet, just
engage the threads slightly.
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14. Assemble the clunk as shown. The provided tubing is cut to the
appropriate length at the factory. Insert the assembly into the tank
and check that the clunk goes as far back as possible into the tank,
but does not hit the back wall of the tank, even in an inverted
position. When satisfied, secure the clunk tubing at both ends
using small tie wraps or safety wire. Gently bend the vent line to
reach the top of the tank.
15. Insert the stopper and clunk assembly into the tank and tighten the
screw. Do not over tighten the screw and strip out the stopper
assembly. It only needs to be tight enough to prevent leaks. Mark
on the tank which tube is for the vent and which is for fuel. Attach
some tubing to the tank, immerse the tank into water, and blow
into the tubing to check for leaks. When satisfied, put the tank
aside.
16. Use a hand pump to extend both main landing gears.
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17. Using the provided allen key, loosen the strut trunnion bolts
slightly to allow the struts to rotate.
18. Rotate each strut from the traveling position set at the factory
through 90 degrees so the wheels face forward. Check on the
fuselage if you are unsure. Note the cylinders face outwards, and
the brake nipples on the wheels should be aft.
19. Use your hand pump to pressurize the gear very slightly until it is
not locked either up or down, but can move freely in the middle.
Insert the landing gear into the mounts and wells and check the fit.
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