• Wing Span: 102 in (259 cm)
• Wing Area: 1868 sq in (12052 cm²)
• Length: 89 in (226 cm)
• Weight: 25 Lbs. (11.4 kg)
• Engine: 3.7 - 6.4 2 - Cycle
  (60.6 cc - 104.9 cc 2 - Cycle)
  3.0 4 - Cycle
  (49.2 cc 4 - Cycle)
• 6 Servos required

The 1994 Tournament of Champions was won by Queque Somenzini, flying a 37% Extra 300S designed by Bob Godfrey. Lanier R/C, having a history of working with Godfrey, established an agreement with him to offer a 33% version of this plane. Lanier has provided those with big dreams but smaller budgets a very attractive alternative to the TOC planes for realization of the performance offered by this excellent design. With a little extra effort, some modifications to the kit, and careful engine selection, performance approaching that of the TOC model can be realized at a reasonable cost with the Lanier 1/3 Extra.

The kit arrived in two huge boxes. One box contained several plywood components, the canopy, landing gear, and the bottom and top ABS cowl pieces. The other box contained the fuselage sides, wing, elevator, and rudder foam cores, ABS turtledeck and cowl front, wing tubes and aluminum spar, stringers, sheeting, instructions and plans. The most impressive part of opening up the boxes was seeing the laser cut components. All edges are very smooth and have a brown tint from the cuts. The plans consist of two full-sized rolled sheets, which are so big that they really become cumbersome.

The instructions call for building the wings, tail surfaces, fuselage and cowl, then attaching the turtle deck, hatch, canopy, gear and wheel pants. The hidden firewall is cut to length to accommodate the selected engine, allowing for the plane to be completely built before a decision is made about which engine to use. This is a desirable feature since engine selection can be based on the final weight of the plane. If built light enough, a 4.2-4.4 sized engine could be used to give unlimited vertical, otherwise a bigger and heavier engine would be required.

The wings are made of foam cores with four 1/4" spruce spars, a balsa leading edge, sheeting on the leading and trailing edges, and 3/32" x 1/2" cap strips every 3 1/2 inches. This produces a very strong wing that can handle any aerobatic routine imaginable. All of this foam, however, adds quite a bit of weight to a plane of this size. The wing cores were very smooth. The cores were sanded with 100-grit sandpaper to give a better surface for adhesion. Locations of the sheeting and cap strips were marked on the cores so that plan where I would be coring material away. The lines of the cap strips were extended to about 1" from the leading edge then lines were drawn parallel to and 1" from the leading edge. All of the foam between the forward spar, cap strip lines, and this forward line were removed using a foam cutter.

The 1 1/2" phenolic wing tubes were then epoxied in place and the 1/4" spruce spars installed using Elmers Carpenter glue. Two of the spar slots were too deep so 1/16" balsa was added to the top of the spars to bring them up to the top of the foam. To give additional strength since a lot of foam was removed, .007 x 1/4" carbon fiber was added to the forward top and bottom spars.

The sheeting was then glued to the cores. A tack cloth was used to remove all dust from the cores and the sheeting. The finishing resin that was used to attach the sheeting was mixed right on the balsa sheets. It was spread as thin as possible using a scrap piece of 1/16" balsa. Everything was placed on a flat workbench and concrete blocks to were used to weigh it down while the resin cured.

The cap strips, wing root sheeting, and leading edges were glued in place using white glue. The aileron outlines were marked then cut using a band saw. The cut areas were trued by placing five feet of sandpaper on the workbench, and then moving the surfaces on this stationary paper. This ensures a perfectly straight edge. The leading edge of the ailerons and trailing edge of the wings were capped with 3/8" balsa and the ends capped with 1/16" balsa per the plans.

To make it easier to locate the servos at the desired height, mounts were made from 1/8" plywood rather than the 3/8" square blocks shown on the plans. The mounts were used to mark the outside perimeter of the recesses in the foam cores. The mounts were located one bay inward from the planned location, so that the original section could from the wing later. The mount locations were cut into the foam using a soldering iron, all the way through to the other side. The mounts were then epoxied in place.

Finally, the main wing bays, excluding the servo bay and the bay where the wing tube was visible, were cored. The total of all foam removed from the wings was 11.6 ounces. This is simple to remove significant weight from this plane. Some aerobatic sites were made from 1/4" spruce and 1/8" dowel material and mounted with #2 screws. This adds a nice touch to the overall appearance of the model.

The fin/rudder and stabilizer/elevators are foam sheeted with 1/16th balsa. This construction went really fast but the 1/4" balsa leading edge material for the fin was missing. The elevator servos are mounted on the lower side of the stabilizer similar to the mountind of the aileron servos. The balsa covering was cut away in the area where the covers would go then a soldering iron was used to remove the foam. The hinge locations were drilled before the elevator leading edge was beveled.

The Extra is built much heavier than the Lanier Laser 200, apparently to handle the extreme stresses of the large 5.8-6.4 engines. The fuselage sides are made of 1/8" Lite-ply but many of the formers in the forward section of the fuse are made of 1/4" plywood. The 1/8" and 1/4" plywood components weigh a total if 3.45 pounds. Since the goal of building this model was to maintain a weight in a range suitable for a 4.2-4.4 size engine, some of this weight had to be eliminated. Holes of various sizes were drilled so that the main structural areas were still supported by thick areas of ply. This reduced the weight of the plywood components 8.32 ounces. The four components that make up the fuselage sides are die-cut from 1/8" Lite-ply which must be spliced together. These are made of good quality wood but the die-cutting did not penetrate completely. In order to further reduce weight, material was removed from the fuselage sides. The fuselage was built according to the instructions. The fit of all of the laser-cut components is excellent. After the basic structure is complete, the rear hatch for the rudder servo is added. The engine and cowl were measured carefully to determine where the plywood firewall should be installed and the fuselage sides were cut to length. A notch also had to be cut to provide clearance for the muffler. The firewall was installed with no thrust compensation so that adjustment could be made using washers.

The kit includes a reinforced ABS front hatch. This was replaced with a foam version from Precision Aviation which was sheeted with 1/16" balsa. The original 1/8" plywood formers and the 1/4" spruce stringers were used to add strength. The foam hatch is stronger and saves just over 2 ounces compared to the ABS hatch.

The ABS turtledeck was also replaced with a foam version from Precision Aviation also sheeted with 1/16" balsa. The sheeting was applied using Pacer finishing resin. Use of this turtledeck saved 3.2 ounces and provides a flush fit with the fuselage sides rather than an overlap. It does, however, require quite a bit of trimming to get it to fit correctly around the tail feathers. The ABS turtledeck would have been much less work but theafter-market version looks great and will last much longer.

A single piece of clear vacuum formed plastic is used for the canopy and cockpit area. It is attached to a plywood and spruce frame that is built to fit flush with the mating fuselage surfaces. The installation of a cockpit floor, instrument panel, and pilot are left entirely up to the builder.

The aluminum landing gear work great for this plane. R/C America offers a carbon fiber/fiberglass Supergear weighs 12.2 ounces, a full 5 ounces lighter than the stock gear, and provides the benefit of not deforming on rough landings. The composite gear will retain its shape and strength even in the roughest landings and tend to dampen a rough landing more than aluminum. The composite gear was the most expensive option used but is worth the money for the longevity and weight savings it provides. Pin-holes in the gear were filled with Bondo and was primed and painted using Lustercote.

The ABS wheel pants were assembled per the instructions and the seams were reinforced with 2 ounce fiberglass cloth and ACE cement. The sides were reinforced where the plywood mounts were installed. They were then primed, sanded, and prepared for painting. The ABS wheel cuffs were reinforced with glass cloth but due to the thin walls, they deformed when the cement was applied.

Based on recommendations of Bubba Spivey at Lanier, a Quadra Q75 was selected to power the lightened Extra. The only modification made to the engine was to change the throttle assembly. The bellcrank location was moved on the crankcase forward to give uniform throw across the servo motion, and the stock throttle arm was replaced with a Dubro nose wheel steering arm. An ABEL smoke muffler was selected because it is lighter than the stock muffler, requires less space, and has two smoke-fuel ports. The engine was mounted on a soft mount with 2° of right thrust. A 4" Revolution "Extra" spinner from Ohio R/C was used. A 32 ounce Dubro tank was mounted above the wing joining tube on a 1/8" plywood floor.

Naturally, the cowl is huge. It is made of ABS and comes in three pieces; the bottom, nose, and the removable hatch. This design makes it very convenient to perform the occasional inspection or maintenance. The nose piece is glued to the bottom piece then this assembly is attached to a 1/4" plywood frame. The frame piece is very heavy but most of it will be trimmed away later. The cowl assembly is attached to the front of the fuselage using small bolts and blind nuts. The top hatch attaches to the bottom section of the cowl with small bolts and blind nuts. Both the hatch and main section were reinforced with 2oz fiberglass cloth. The seam where the nose attached to the main body was filled using micro-balloons and epoxy. The cowl was then sanded smooth and primed with Lustercote primer.

The color scheme that was selected is from Don Johnson's red, orange, yellow and black Extra 300S. Deep Red, Missile Red, Cub Yellow, and Black Monocote were used for the covered areas. All wood surfaces were prepared by sanding with 400-grit sandpaper and then wiped with tack cloth. The fuselage was covered entirely with white Monocote before the trim was added. The trim was installed on top of the white using a mixture of a little dish soap with Windex.

A local auto paint store mixed up some Dupont Cetauri acrylic enamel to match the white. This paint goes on easily, dries quickly, and gives an incredibly glossy finish. It is also relatively inexpensive. Dark red Lustercote was used for the trim on the cowl. The Lustercote reveals the most minute scratches so the surface must be really smooth (use 600 grit) to get a good finish.

The Toyota graphics were obtained from Die Hard Graphics. They were able to size the graphics to the exact measurements that were given to them. The surface onto which the graphics were to be applied was cleaned with Windex then wetted with a solution of 1 cup water and 1/2 teaspoon of dish washing liquid applied with a spray bottle. The paper backing was removed from the graphics, the wetting solution was applied, and the graphics were positioned. The supplied squeegee was used to remove all air bubbles from under the surface and then it was allowed dry over night. The next day, the clear transfer tape was removed.

A Futaba 7UAFS system was used with a Hitec Supreme receiver, Hitec 605 servos for the ailerons and elevators, and a Hitec 700 for the rudder with a pull-pull system as shown on the plans. The receiver battery is a 5-cell, 1800mah pack connected to a voltage regulator and fail-proof switch from RC America which keeps the receiver voltage at 5.8 volts, providing consistent servo performance as the pack discharges. The receiver, regulator, and switch were mounted under the canopy area, far from all engine electronics. The receiver battery was mounted in the extreme rear of the fuselage for balance. The Extra balanced at 1/4" in front of the recommended CG but it could be flown with the balance and adjusted after having been flown a few times.

On the day that the test flight was take place, the field was covered with water. One side was clear enough the decision was made to commence with the tests. A complete preflight was performed. All connections, control surface throws, radio range, and engine performance were checked. Surface throws had been set to the recommended "normal flying" specifications for high rates and 75% for low rates. Low rates were used for the initial flight.

The wind was blowing at about 5 MPH. The Extra steered easily with no tendency to raise the tail. The throttle was advanced slowly and a little right rudder was applied to maintain a straight path. It lifted off at about one third throttle. Two clicks of down elevator and two of right aileron to trim were required for straight and level flight. When the proper trim was established, performance testing began. The low rates were too slow for the aileron and rudder so high rates were selected to give proper response. Stalls were straight ahead, and slow flight was incredible, it would fly with the engine nearly idling at 2000 rpm. Fast flight is precise and predictable. Inverted flight required just a little pressure to maintain a straight heading. Knife edge flight showed the normal 300S characteristic of pitching to belly and rolling out, which was corrected with a 12 percent mix of rudder to elevator and 10 percent mix of rudder to aileron. At high rates the Extra would climb in knife edge. Moving the CG back would provide even better knife-edge performance and also effect inverted flying.

The biggest concern all along has been vertical performance so this was the next test. At straight and level flight and about 1/3 throttle, the Extra was pulled to vertical and the throttle was advanced to full. A little right rudder was needed to keep it vertical and the vertical climb continued. Vertical snap rolls were performed and the climb coninued. The Q75 pulled the Extra upward with authority, much to the amazement of all those watching. The Extra stops rolling immediately when the sticks are relaxed, and goes straight up with only the slightest amount of right rudder. Frank Macy took control and tried a few snap and tumbling maneuvers, one of which ended with the Extra motionless in the air, inverted. With a bump of the throttle, the Extra straight out of the conditio.

The landing was a little more difficult than expected because the plane just wouldn't quit flying. When throttle was reduced, the Extra just keeps going. This could be due in part to the Menz prop which does not providing much braking but is also due to the clean design of the Extra. Low rates are required for landing to avoid over controlling the model.

With some effort, a few replacement components, and the right engine the Lanier 1/3 Extra can be made into a very high performance airplane for much less money than its TOC counterparts. The proven Godfrey design provides smooth, controlled agility for competition level flying. The Quadra 75XL gives the reliable brute power needed to pull the 25 pound plane through these maneuvers with authority. The combination of a lightweight airframe and a light and powerful engine resulted in an excellent performing airplane.