• Wing Span: 35 in. (89 cm)
• Wing Area: 329 sq. in. (2123 cm²)
• Length: 23.0 in. (58 cm)
• Weight: 2.0 lbs. (.9 kg)
• Engine: .10 - .15 2 - cycle
  (1.6 - 2.5 cc 2 - cycle)
• 3 Servos required

The Lanier Shrike is a fast building balsa kit for R/C sport or combat. It features laser cut parts, AutoCAD generated plans, interlocking fuselage construction, tabbed rib construction, symmetrical airfoil, vacuum formed canopy, and easy to follow instructions. The laser cut parts and canopy came nicely packed in the box. The instructions are not photo illustrated but are pretty complete. The plans are one sheet printed on one side. No hardware is included with this kit.

Construction begins with the fuselage using two laser cut sides. These are attached using laser cut formers which fit perfectly. The firewall is epoxied in place at this time after being drilled for the engine mount. Servo rails are installed also. The fuselage is sheeted, the top hatch made, and the nose blocks installed. The nose blocks allow for shaping the nose to a rounded appearance. This is a tedious, time consuming task but the end result is worth the effort. No problems were encountered with the fuselage construction. A small Great Planes adjustable engine mount is a tight fit in the front of the fuselage. Since an OS 25-FP was chosen for use with the Shrike, the front of the fuselage came out a little short resulting in a 1/2" gap between the front of the fuselage and the back of the spinner. Extra wood can be added to eliminate this gap but this was not done with this model.

The wing is the next component in the construction. The full length wing spars are slid into the fuselage and each wing panel is built onto the fuselage over the plans. The laser cut ribs fit perfectly onto the spars. A leading edge block is installed in a unique fashion so that the corner of the block faces forward which allows the sheeting to come together at the front of the wing. The front and rear edges are then sheeted on the top and bottom. Cap strips are attached to the exposed ribs. The opposite wing panel is built the same manner. The ailerons and elevator are precut and only require slight shaping. Aileron torque rods must also be made. Du-Bro 2-56 Kwik Links were used for these.

The tail fins are made from 1/8" balsa over the plans and put aside for covering. The rear of the fuselage where the tail surface are to be mounted is framed from 1/4" balsa sticks which completes the construction. The total framing time was about 13-15 hours.

The Shrike is covered with yellow Econocote and black Monokote. The top and bottom of the model should be covered in very different colors to make it easier to maintain orientation in flight. Once everything is covered, the tail surfaces are attached. A cardboard jig was cut to 10° to hold the fins while the 30 minute epoxy cured. Even with the jig, one of the surfaces is slightly off but it is barely noticeable and does not effect flying. When everything is covered, the engine and a 4 ounce fuel tank are installed. There is a lot of room in the fuselage which is unusual for such a small plane.

For throttle, ailerons and elevator controls, 3 S-3003 servos were used. A standard 7 - channel reciever and square 500 mah battery pack were also used. The throws were set slightly higher than that specified on the plans based on recommendation of another modeler who flies a Shrike. If a dual rate system is used, the low rate throws should be set to the recommended throws and high rate throws should be set to about 175% of the low rates.

The finished plane came out very nose heavy even with the battery was moved all the way to the rear and 2 ounces of weight added to the rear. Finally, the doll "head" pilot and canopy were attached to the fuselage and the ABS plastic strip was attached to the bottom. With that done, the Shrike was completed in only three days.

After the OS 25-FP was broken in, mentally preparation took place before the first flight. As recommended by OS, a 9x5 prop was used for the first flight. A willing volunteer was available for the launch so the engine was started. The assistant gave the plane a toss. It stalled and fell into the weeds with no damage. After a little more launch instruction was given, a second attempt was made. This time, everything went fine. When the plane had gained altitude, it needed a lot of trim to compensate for the nose heavy setup. Efforts were made to set the trim and maintain flight at the same time which almost resulted in a loss of control. Once a safe altitude was reached, a helper moved the trims according to instructions while a flight path was maintained. Full up trim and a little right aileron was required for level flight. After the trim was set, it flew nicely. The plane was quite difficult to fly so an approach was made and the engine was shut off. It landed very hot. It hit the damp grass and stopped quickly. It was obvious that it was far too nose heavy, however the higher throws on the elevator and ailerons made a complete flight possible without total loss of control. The recommended throws could have resulted in a crashed plane and are only adaquite for high speed cruising. On the second and third flights, the center of gravity and the trims were changed slightly and the plane flew like it was on rails. The engine was rich for break-in so top speed was not realized but the engine still pulled the plane with authority. Other props in the range of 8x6 or 7x8 or 9 instead of the 9x5 will be tested to determine the best combination. It should fly like a rocket. The landings on these flights were much easier due to changing the center of gravity and the model has a different appeal from most planes as it skims across the grass during a landing.

Flight performance of the Shrike is not like most normal airplanes. The Shrike does best flying at high speed with few changes in direction. Rolls on the modified high rates were quite fast but some loss of altitude is obvious during the roll. Loops are not very easy to do as the elevator loses effect at higher throws. If too much throw is used the plane will snap-roll without warning. Perhaps a longer elevator would help to solve this problem. Most flights with this plane consist of flying a pattern around the field at high speed. Rolls are the only maneuver that are very enjoyable with this plane. With the OS 25-FP, the Shrike will fly faster than most all other prop driven planes. If speed is an objective, the Shrike should be pleasing. Perhaps with a smaller engine and lighter radio gear, the Shrike could be made into a capable aerobatic flyer. Depending on how it is set up, this can be a very fun little plane.