• Wing Span: 60 in (152 cm)
• Wing Area: 675 sq in (4355 cm²)
• Length: 50 in (127 cm)
• Weight: 5.5 lbs (2.3 kg)
• Engine: .40 - .46 2 - cycle

(6.6 cc - 7.5 cc 2 - cycle)
• 4 Servos required

The original Kombat 40 was bought at a local hobby shop and the "Trainer Wing" was ordered from the Airplane Factory. The assistance offered by the people of the Airplane Factory was excellent. Since that Trainer 40 was purchased, a Kombat, a Kombat 60 and a Kombat Bipe have also been purchased. The Kombat Airmidillo's are the ugliest planes in existence.

The instructions for this kit are included on the plans. It is a single sided set of blue line prints. The first thing I noticed was that this is a very simple airplane. The second thing I noticed was that the people at the Airplane Factory have a lot of fun. This is obvious by the humor in the crash prevention tips. This helps to make it easier to read through the instructions before starting. The book says that the Airmidillo can be ready to fly in about 90 minutes. It actually took me most of an evening to put together the Trainer 40. Even at that, it is better than a wood ARF. Everything needed except the engine, prop, and radio was in the box. Wheels, fuel tube, bolts, EZ-links, etc. were all there in the box just as advertised.

Most of the assembly of this kit is in the fuselage which is made up of 2 - 1/2" square aluminum tubes which are held at a fixed distance apart by aluminum straps. At certain points, the tubes have oak pieces which stiffen the booms and provide hard wood for mounting the wing and landing gear. The open space between the tubes provide the space for the radio gear and fuel tank. Assembly is started by mounting the engine. If a plain bearing .40 engine is used, it should be mounted as far forward as possible. A ball bearing 40 should be mounted as far aft as possible for balance. Holes are drilled for engine bolts in the main boom and then in the lower engine brace. This brace is then bolted to the separator straps. The whole process of mounting the engine will take about 15 min. The elevator and rudder are bolted to the rear of the top boom then the tail wheel is screwed to the rudder. Cable ties are used to hold the servos, fuel tank and radio compartment in place. This assembly can be done quickly. The radio compartment is actually a fuel tank with one end cut off. It works well to protect the radio gear on crashes. When installing the servos, the longest arms are used for the ailerons.

All that is required to assemble the wing is to attach the ends to the torque rods. It comes completely ready to bolt onto the plane. The wing and tail are made of corrugated plastic similar to those of US Aircore but of heavier plastic. The trainer wing has some dihedral which is set by the plywood spar joiner. It has a diamond shaped symmetrical airfoil. The ailerons are formed the same piece of plastic as the rest of the wing with some of the corrugation removed to make a hinge. It is one piece and is very strong. The wing is attached to the fuselage with 1/4-20 nylon bolts which will break away in the event of a crash.

An old OS 40-FP was used on the Trainer 40. Based on recommendations from the Airplane Factory, 11x6 prop was used. The control surfaces were set for throws as recommended in the plans then set to neutral. The model was balanced on the spar as recommended. The model was then ready to fly.

The first flight was great. The engine was not throttled up too high but it pulled the plane around with no problems. It took about 150 feet for it to start the climb which was a little more than expected. It needed a lot of right trim and one click of down to fly hands-off. It is a very stable plane. It flew where it was pointed but was a little sluggish on the aileron response. It flew a little faster than expected but when throttle was reduced, it putted around very nicely. At slow speeds, it was just as stable as when going fast. After about 5 minutes of flying, the throttle was reduced to idle and the Trainer 40 was lined up for a landing approach. The Trainer 40 has a higher sink rate than all wood trainers but flairs gently. Landings are easier than any of the other trainers because it did not tend to float when in ground effect. It was stable at all speeds and responded well to the controls. After the control throws were increased, the trainer was doing loops, rolls, and snap rolls.

The Trainer 40 can be cartwheeled on a landing and be back in the air in 10 minutes. The first crash looked spectacular but all that resulted was a broken prop, 2 broken 1/4-20 nylon bolts, and the tail boom was 45° to the rest of the fuselage. The boom was straightened, the prop was replaced, the dirt was cleaned from the engine and the broken wing bolts were replaced. It was back in the air in 10 minutes but it was again out of trim. After landing, the boom was rebent to compensate for trim problems.

After twenty flights, Trainer was converted to a Kombat 40. The difference is in the wing. The Kombat 40 has a 48" wing the Trainer has a 60" wing. A Tigershark .46 was also installed. With this engine, the Kombat 40 is a very fast. The CG was moved back to about 1 inch behind the spar and again the control surface throw was increased. Take offs could be made by simply tossing the Kombat 40. Snap rolls were too fast to count. It would loop, roll, fly inverted, tumble, and do anything imaginable. It will do flat spins very well and drops very slowly when in a flat spin.

The Airplane Factory has a good idea in this model. It is fun, inexpensive, and rugged. They are ugly but incredibly Fun. Wood models can be lighter, fly smoother, and look better but for all around every day fun and for learning, a Kombat 40 with the trainer wing can't be beat. This combination gives two planes; a stable, rugged trainer and an almost indestructible Kombat plane that is lots of fun.