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Carl Goldberg's Eagle II is designed as a primary trainer aircraft. There is a 72 page illustrated instruction manual included that details building the model, additional equipment required to complete the kit, general R/C information, and instructions concerning the options available during construction. It is advisable for the builder to read through the instructions and to locate all required parts prior to actually starting the building process for this section. The kit has numerous options for the builder to decide before construction: 3 or 4 channels, dihedral angle, rubber band or bolt down wing, tricycle or tail dragger landing gear configuration. The plywood and balsa provided was of excellent quality and the parts cleanly separated from the sheets. An extensive hardware pack was also included. Super Jett adhesive was recommended and used for most of the construction. The building process is conventional beginning with the tail feathers and progressing to the wing and fuselage. Each major section requires the builder to construct certain 'shaping' tools provided in the kit. These are cleverly designed tools which greatly simplify the building and sanding required. These should be assembled before proceeding through the section. After the tail components are built, construction begins on the wings. The wing is a basic I-beam construction. The trailing edge and bottom spar are pinned to the plans and after some ribs are placed, the leading edge dowel is glued to the front of the ribs. After both halves are assembled, the wing is joined using the appropriate plywood dihedral joiner. Again, there are guages and clamps included which aid in setting the dihedral and joining the wing. Only the center section of the wing is sheeted and shear webs are utilized to increase the strength of the wing. Finally, the manual guides the builder through the fuselage assembly. The slot and tab fuselage is completely assembled using rubber bands. When the builder is satisfied that the temporary fuselage assembly is straight and true, the parts are joined with CA. The landing gear wires fit into slots in the fuselage and are attached using nylon straps and very small wood screws. These can be expected to break or to pull out with a hard landing which is desirable over damaging the fuselage. Since this was the first built, nerves were on edge when the model was being taken to the flying field. A club instructor gave the Eagle a good preflight inspection, started the engine, and took off. It flew great! After some minor trim adjustments, it flew straight and level completely hands free. Then the instructor did some basic aerobatics; loops, rolls, and inverted flight and brought it in for a "slow as a walk" landing. This model has excellent flight characteristics for a beginner but will perform well in the hands of an experience pilot. Overall, the Eagle II is a great choice for the first time builder and a beginning pilot. The model can be built by anyone who can follow instructions and is an excellent trainer with gentle flight characteristics. This model was chosen initially based on its flexibility. It is set up for training today but can be changed to a tail dragger configuration later. The wing can be replaced with one with less dihedral for better performance. Ski's or floats can be attached for more fun! A newcomer to R/C simply cannot go wrong with the Eagle II. |
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