• Wing Span: 62 in (157 cm)
• Wing Area: 720 sq in (4645 cm²)
• Length: 45.5 in (116 cm)
• Weight: 6.25 lbs (2.8 kg)
• Engine: .40 - .46 2 - cycle
  (6.5 cc - 7.5 cc 2 - cycle)
  .45 - .56 4 - cycle
  (7.5 cc - 9.2 cc 4 - cycle)
• 4 Servos required

The Cherokee is the newest kit in Hangar 9's Value Series. It has a semi-symmetrical airfoil and according to the advertisement "is the ideal second airplane for modelers who are capable of flying a trainer-type aircraft". The parts package that comes with this kit is very complete including wheels, wheel pants, a 10 oz. fuel tank, motor mount, canopy, and spinner.

Assembly begins by gluing the aileron hinges into the wing with epoxy. The ailerons are then glued on to the hinges. Gluing 3 joiners together makes the wing dihedral brace. The plans call for 1 3/4" dihedral height. This required a fair bit of sanding to set the dihedral and to get the wing halves to line up flush. When the wings are joined, a pocket is cut in the wing for the aileron servo tray. This servo tray went in without any problems but had the pocket had to be enlarged to accommodate the servos. Wing dowels are glued in next and holes are drilled for the mounting bolts. The wings are checked from the center of the fuselage at the tail to the outer edge of both wing halves to see if the mounting holes have to be adjusted to make this measurement the same. The holes were close enough so no changes were required.

The windshield and side windows are cut out next. Pieces of clear plastic are supplied but has to be cut to fit are then glued in position using R/C 56 canopy glue. This was a little tricky as the work must be done from the bottom of the fuselage to get the plastic into proper position. The front and rear seats are then glued into position. The windshield must be cut to the right shape then glued into position.

The slots for the tail and horizontal stabilizer are cut out in the plastic fuselage. There were no problems with the horizontal stabilizer installation. The rudder was installed next. The control horns were installed next and then the fuel tank.

The landing gear, which mounts on the wings go into a channel, and is held in place by small landing gear straps. Both channels had to be grooved for the landing gear to get a flush fit. The nose gear is installed next. This is pretty straightforward. Mounting holes have to be drilled in the wheel pants for the landing to go through then the wheels are installed on the landing gear with the wheel pants. The 2" soft foam wheels that were supplied with the kit were replaced them with 2.5" Dubro Low Bounce wheels. These fit well in the wheel pants with only a little trimming required.

The engine must be mounted next. Mounting was straightforward with the supplied engine mount, which was very good and did not require any holes to be drilled. Lock washers were added under the nuts for security. The engine cowl is installed next. It consists of 2 halves, which must be cut to shape, and then glued together with canopy glue. One section was glued at a time as the glue was very slow to dry. When determining where to cut out for the muffler, it was found an extension was required to get the proper clearance. After an extension was installed, the cowling fits nicely over the motor and the muffler sticks out the bottom. The needle valve sticks out the top of the cowling nicely.

The servos and servo trays are next to be installed in the fuselage. Epoxy was added to some areas around where the servo trays mount. The battery pack and receiver are mounted after they are enclosed in foam. They are a very tight fit in the space provided. Linkage installation was uneventful. A small hole was drilled in the fuselage and a small rubber grommet was installed for the antenna wire.

The Cherokee was packed up and taken to a friend's house for a check out. The plane was balanced with 2 oz. of lead added to the nose. The nose wheel was set with too much throw but was changed to a more sedate setting on the control arm. When the hinges were checked, with a few hard pulls, three (3) aileron hinges, and a rudder hinge come loose. The hinges were reglued with epoxy. A hole was drilled through both the hinge and the wood, and round toothpicks were epoxied through the hinges. When the epoxy had set, the toothpicks were ground flush with a Dremel tool. An 11x5 prop was used on the OS 46 FX to get power instead of speed. The spinner that was supplied was too small for this prop, so it was replaced with a larger one. A Dubro 3-way valve was installed in the side of the cowl sot that it would not have to be removed for refueling. The mounting location was reinforced by adding 2 layers of plastic that was left over from the window material. This worked well as the fuel line could be easily pulled from the muffler for overflow when filling the tank.

The control rates were adjusted as recommended in the plans. A qualified instructor checked the plane out before the engine was started. This was a new engine but it started very quickly. The idle was adjusted and everything looked good. The weather was cool, with clear skies and no wind. Ground handling was very good on the grass field. Some fast ground runs were made to check the controls. Everything looked good so the model was lined up for a take off. The model lifted smoothly after about a 40 foot run and climbed easily. A little up elevator and 2 clicks of left aileron were required for hands-off flight. After some turns and some basic maneuvers, the plane was brought in for some touch-and-go landings. Landings were without incident, but were hotter than a trainer would be. After a few circuits and 3 landings but the test pilot, it was the proud owner's turn at the controls. The instructor got the plane to a good altitude before turning over control. The first thing noticed was the speed. The Cherokee is fast even with the low pitch prop. This makes it fun to fly but it is definitely not a beginner's plane. Some hard turns were done to see what it would do and the turns are very predictable, but little up elevator has to be added to keep the nose from dropping. It was easy to get accustomed to this. The instructor noticed that no fiberglass had been added to the wing joint. This was not called for in the plans. He suggested adding 2" wide fiberglass around the wing joint for strength. The instructor's opinion was that this engine/prop combination appears to be perfect for this plane, and that it handles very nicely. It is fun to watch and it does handle very smoothly. It was time to bring it in and the landing was done without any problems. The ailerons were not set exactly even which accounted for the trim adjustment. This has since been corrected and 2" fiberglass cloth was added around the wing joint as recommended. The next weekend, snow moved in which eliminated the chance of another series of flights.

This is a beautiful plane to look at and fly. It is very impressive in both aspects. It flies and lands too fast for a beginner, but as advertised would make a very good choice for a second airplane for any one who can handle a trainer and wants to get a low wing airplane. An update will be made in the spring when some aerobatics can be performed.