Fuselage:

1. Using a 30" long PVC fuselage "blank" measure, mark, and  cut out rear fuselage taper as shown on drawing 2.
 The Dagger has no down thrust or right thrust.

2. Measure, mark and cut out the radio access hole as shown  on drawing 2, leaving a 3/8" lip between the radio
 access hole and fuselage side for strength. If you’re using a  utility knife or saw (rather tough) this can be
 made easier by drilling a 1/4" hole in each corner and cutting  between them.

3. Measure, mark and cut out for the wing spar slot in the  fuselage (see drawing #2). Insure the slot is cut big
 enough to allow the yardstick to seat completely flush with outside  surface of fuselage bottom, yet not too big
  as to be sloppy!

 NOTE:  The fit of your wing is dependent on how accurately you cut the spar  slot!

4. Use some course grit sandpaper or a file to get all the  white fuzzies off and to help clean up the cut edges.

Tail Feathers:

1. Refer to drawing 6 for the best layout we have come up  with to get the most parts (and spare parts) from
 one 4'x 8' sheet of Coroplast®.

2. Cut out horizontal and vertical tail feathers as shown on  drawing 4.

3. Elevator and rudder are created by cutting out ONE SIDE  ONLY of the hinge line corrugation. This can be a
 little tricky. We use an adjustable blade, box opener type knife and  straight edge. Wrapping an X-acto® knife
 with  masking tape leaving just the tip exposed will work also.

Can you believe it? The tail feathers are done already!  Let’s attach them to the fuselage.

1. Fabricate 2 horizontal, and one vertical stab attach  doublers as shown on drawing 7, from the PVC scrap
 removed from the fuselage cutouts.

2. Fabricate a tailskid as shown on drawing 7 from the PVC  scrap removed from the rear fuselage cutout.

 NOTE: Exact doubler hole location measurements are not given because this is not  critical, and could change
 slightly from  plane to plane. When positioning the doublers and tailskid, keep in mind that  the screws will go
 through the Coroplast®  very easily in the middle of a corrugation, and will almost certainly go crooked  at the
 edge of a corrugation.

3. Drill 1/16" pilot holes in doublers and  tailskid.

4. Using the doublers and tailskid as templates, drill 1/16"  holes in the fuselage for each screw attach location.
 Enlarge holes IN FUSELAGE ONLY to 1/8".

6. When satisfied with positioning, fasten tail feathers to  fuselage using sheet metal screws, self-tapping into
 doublers and tail skid.

 NOTE: Dowel scraps can be used in the corrugations at the attach points to prevent  Coroplast® crush.

6. Optional panel edging can be added to the stab leading  edges for dress up and to keep dirt & fuel out if
 desired.

Wing:

1. Fabricate a wing as follows:

2. Refer to drawing 3. The wing is laid out on a 2' x 4'  piece of Coroplast® with the corrugations running
 CHORDWISE.

3. Mark all centerlines, fold lines, spar lines, and wing  tips on the Coroplast®.

4. Cut Coroplast® material away from the outside edges of  the bottom panel wing tips.

5. Measure 1 1/4" from the top wing centerline out each way  and mark. Then cut out the piece (this allows for
 snug fuselage clearance when folding the upper sheet). Cut to the  leading edge fold line ONLY!

6. Refer to drawing 6 (parts layout) and cut two 2 1/2" x  20 3/4" pieces of Coroplast® with corrugations running
 LENGTHWISE for ailerons. Refer to drawing 3, and mark the hinge  line, and notch the outboard
 edge 1/4",  forward of the hinge line only (this is for wing tip folding  clearance).

7. Hinge the ailerons by cutting away the BOTTOM portion of  one corrugation, forward of the hinge line as
 shown in the profile view of drawing 3.

 NOTE:  If the Coroplast® is relatively stiff (it does vary), you might have to cut TWO  corrugations out to
 make the hinge pliable  enough. This is perfectly acceptable.

OK! We now have all the pieces, let’s build the  wing!

8. Score and pre-bend ALL fold lines. Pre-bend leading edge  180°, the upper spar lines 90°, wing tips 45°,

NOTE: Scoring is accomplished by using a straight edge and blunt tipped object (Small  Allen wrench or Apex
 works well) and running  it firmly along the fold line until you are satisfied a bend can be  accomplished. Folds
 ALONG a corrugation  require little scoring, and bend easily. (score one corrugation for the wing  tips). Folds
 AGAINST the corrugations  require heavy scoring (sounds like a baseball card in bicycle spokes) and are  best
 accomplished by turning the wing over  and bending along a straight table top edge. Use palm pressure, and
 work along the fold. Please be patient, this is not  easy and takes a little getting used to. But once mastered,
 it sure beats balsa wood and Monokote®!

9. Lay the wing out flat, and glue the two spars to the  bottom panel as shown on drawing 3.

 NOTE: IF  USING EPOXY, ROUGHEN UP THE COROPLAST® WITH COURSE GRIT SANDPAPER AT  ALL
 SURFACES TO BE GLUED. IF USING CA,  QUICKLY HEAT “FLASH” THE GLUING SURFACES WITH
 A PROPANE TORCH (CAREFUL NOW!). USE SMALL 1/8" DROPS EVERY INCH OR SO. A BEAD OF GLUE  MAY
 NOT WORK! USING TOO MUCH GLUE IS THE BIGGEST  MISTAKE HERE!

10. Test fold the wing, and trim the trailing edge excess  off the top panels, to make them flush with the bottom
 panels.

 NOTE: When folding the wing, the top panel pressure will tend to pull up on the  leading edge, causing the
 lower panel to  curve slightly up. A small amount of this is acceptable, and will even improve  your planes
 performance!

11. Glue the ailerons to the lower wing panel trailing  edges, with the hinge fully exposed, and outboard edge even
 with the wing tip fold line. If desired, trim aileron  outboard edges to contour with the wing tips.

12. Working one top panel at a time, fold over and glue  upper wing to the top of the spar. (a board and weights
 works good here)

13. Glue the top panel trailing edges down, using care not  to get glue on the aileron hinge area.

14. Fold the wing tips up into the top panels, and glue in  place. When dry, trim off the excess.

15. Test fit the fuselage into the wing center cutout.  When you are satisfied the wing is correct, make a wing
 mount doubler then mark and drill the REAR wing mount holes (see  drawing #7). Use the same drill sizes you
  used when you mounted the tail feathers. Using two ¾” #6 sheet metal screws,  mount the wing to the
 fuselage.

 NOTE: The landing gear will retain the forward edge of the wing.

Landing Gear:

1. With the wing in place, position landing gear on bottom  of the wing/fuselage with leading edge of gear 5 1/2”
 from front of fuselage (1/4" behind the leading edge of the wing).  Mark and drill for bolt installation. Next,
  insert 4 short scraps (approx. 2" long) of 5/32" dowels into the corrugations in  the wing Coroplast®, from the
 leading edge  (dowels should straddle the landing gear holddown bolts) to prevent the  Coroplast® from crushing
 when you tighten  the landing gear bolts!

 NOTE: Exact hole diameter, and location measurements are not given, as this will vary  with different types of
 gear. Keep in mind  there must be enough room inside of fuselage, between the boltheads for the  "powerpack"
 assembly yardstick. (see drawing  #5)

2. Install landing gear to wing/fuselage with boltheads  inside, and nuts outside of fuselage as shown on drawing 7.

 NOTE:  Use large diameter washers under bolt heads for strength.

3. Make sure the front of each wheel "toes in" towards the  fuselage slightly. This will greatly improve the
 ground handling of your plane!

Power pack assembly: (firewall, engine, engine mount,  fuel tank, throttle servo)

1. Fabricate a firewall to fit the inside diameter of your  fuselage from 3/4" plywood and test for a snug fit. The
 firewall will be installed flush with the forward edge of the  fuselage.

 NOTE: If  you wish to get fancy and you have a table or radial arm saw, "step" the  firewall by cutting one
 and a half of the  ply layers to the fuselage outside diameter, and the rest to the fuselage inside  diameter.
 This will give you a nice firewall  "cap" and greatly increase it's impact strength.

2. Cut a groove, two plies deep, at the bottom of the rear  side of the firewall, to receive a 1" yard stick stand
 off and glue stand off to firewall as shown on drawing 5.

3. Cut a 7" section of yardstick, and glue to stand off and  firewall, then glue the ½” standoff to the rear of the
 powerpack.. Test fit this assembly into fuselage, and assure the  yardstick clears the landing gear mounting bolt
 heads.

4. Measure mark and drill holes for engine mount, fuel  lines, and throttle wire housing, and install engine mount
 blind nuts.

5. Fuel proof the firewall with epoxy or dope.

6. Install engine mount, engine, and throttle wire housing  to firewall.

7. Position fuel tank on a layer of foam on the yardstick as  shown on drawing 5, and secure with at least two #64
 rubber bands. Also install fuel lines.

8. Test fit this assembly into fuselage and decide on the  best throttle servo positioning. When satisfied, remove
 assembly from fuselage. And install throttle servo to  yardstick.

NOTE: Throttle servo is attached to yardstick with double face mounting tape. Then  drill a hole on each side
 of servo and  secure with a tie strap as shown on drawing 5.

9. Plug your throttle servo into the receiver, and turn on  the radio. Install the throttle wire and rig to your
 satisfaction.

10. Install the "power pack" assembly into the fuselage.  Secure in place using at least one sheet metal screw on
 each fuselage side as shown on drawings 1 and 2. You may wish to  use silicone sealer for a good fuel proof
  firewall seal.

 NOTE:  Exact measurements for location of firewall mount screws is not given as this  may vary from plane to
 plane, taking care  not to puncture a fuel line or hit the throttle wire or an engine mount  bolt.

Radio Installation:

1. Wrap your battery and receiver in foam and comfortably  position them as shown on drawing 5.

 NOTE: The "power pack" assembly should already be installed at this point.

2. Cut and drill the necessary holes, and mount the switch  in the location of your choice. We like to put it on the
 left side of the fuselage, near the top, at the mid point of the  radio access hole.

3. Measure, mark and cut out the hole in the bottom of the  wing (just aft of the spar) for the aileron servo.

 NOTE:  Elevator and rudder servos are mounted by sticking them in place with double  face foam type
 mounting tape, drilling a  hole on each side of the servo, and securing with a tie-strap (Be careful not to  drill a
 hole in your servo!!!) When  mounting the aileron servo, use servo mounting screws and attach the servo to  the
 bottom of the wing/fuselage, screwing  directly into the PVC. We have found that different engine and mount
 combinations vary the airplanes CG greatly.  Positioning of the rudder and elevator servos is the best way to
 achieve proper CG.

4. Fabricate 4 control horn doublers from the PVC scrap as  shown on drawing 4, then install control horns, and
 doublers to ailerons, elevator and rudder.

 NOTE: Exact dimensions for control horns and doublers are not given as this will vary  from plane to plane,
 with different styles  of control horns. Also note that control horns can be “homemade” from PVC scrap  from
 the rear fuselage cut-out!

5. Fabricate the pushrods of your choice. We have used  conventional 1/4" square balsa, ¼” dowels, nyrod, and
 even 3/8" wide scrap yardstick for our elevator & rudder  pushrods, and they all work just fine. We simply use
 1/16" music wire for the ailerons.

6. Install pushrods, plug in all your radio gear, and rig  the ailerons, elevator and rudder to your satisfaction. For
 the elevator and rudder, we recommend ½” to 1" travel  (1” to 2" TOTAL). For the ailerons, we recommend 3/8"
 to 1/2" travel (3/4" to 1" TOTAL)

 NOTE: When  rigging your ailerons, ensure that the bottom of the ailerons are parallel to  the bottom of the
 fuselage! Do not  allow then to droop (like flaps)! If your ailerons droop, they will  drastically affect pitch trim!

7. Secure the battery and receiver in place by placing a  piece of foam over them. The foam will tuck nicely under
 the radio gear access hole side lip.

8. Make a radio hole access cover and profile canopy from  the Coroplast® scraps and fasten it down with four 3/4"
 #6 screws in each corner (see drawings #1, #2 & #6).

9. Antenna exit routing is a matter of personal preference.  Collin glues a piece of scrap plastic tubing to the inside
 bottom of the rear fuselage for the antenna to run  through. Dean drills several holes into the left rear fuselage
 side and tie-straps a portion of plastic tubing in  place for the antenna to run through. We have also ran the
 antenna up through the vertical stab.

Flight Preparations:

1. Using a finger tip under each wing tip at the FORWARD spar, pick up your new airplane to check it's center  of
 gravity. It must balance level or slightly nose heavy.

NOTE: If your plane balances tail heavy--DO NOT ATTEMPT TO FLY IT UNTIL THIS  CONDITION
 IS CORRECTED!

2. If your airplane does not balance to your satisfaction,  correct it by shifting radio gear, adding prop shaft
 weights, bolt on weights, or stick on weights as you see  fit.

That's it! Your SPAD is done! We sincerely hope you found  our instructions and drawings clear enough for you to build your airplane  without complications. If you found any errors, or procedures confusing, please  e-mail us, we welcome your input and will do our best to improve any problem  areas. (We are in the military and are greatly influenced by staring at Air  Force technical manuals all day long).

Now lets go flying!

Flying the SPAD:

1. All procedures and dimensions we have presented in these  instructions are tailored to flying your airplane with a
 .40 to .46 sized engine. We have however, seen a SPAD sustain flight  with a .15 sized engine, and fly like a
  guided missile with a .60 (We don't recommend this!). Your flight performance  will be superb with a standard
 bushing  engine, and be downright wild with a ball bearing engine.

2. Lets go over a few things before the first take off  roll!

 a. Assure you have range checked your radio.
 b. Assure your elevator, rudder and ailerons are  neutral, and have 1/2" to 1" travel each way (1’ to 2" total)
 on the rudder and elevator, and 3/8” to ½” travel  each way (3/4" to 1"total) on the ailerons. Any more
 than that, and you better be pretty good!
 c. Assure your airplane balances LEVEL at the wing  spar if you are an experienced pilot - or slightly NOSE
 HEAVY
 if you wish a  little more forgiving flight performance. DO NOT ATTEMPT TO FLY YOUR SPAD TAIL  HEAVY!!!
 d. Assure the front of your wheels  toe inward slightly, if they don't you may do some entertaining  ground
 acrobatics!

4. Fuel up, turn on the radio, fire up the engine, tune to  your satisfaction, and LET’S GO!

5. Line up into the wind, hold full up elevator, and SLOWLY  advance the throttle to begin a conservative take off
 roll.

6. When you are comfortable that your airplane is tracking  straight, and you have built up a little ground speed,
 let up on the elevator, advance the throttle, let the tail come up,  pull back, and you will jump into the air all
  within about ten feet! Note: Your airplane may attempt to torque roll slightly  to the left on take off, be ready
 for it with  a little right rudder.

7. Trim your airplane for straight and level hands off  flight, and then have a ball!

8. The SPAD will do almost anything you tell it to, and do  it quick and tight. While the SPAD does perform
 inverted maneuvers well, we do NOT recommend inverted flight or  "outside" type aerobatics unless you are a
  very experienced pilot! Make sure you have plenty of altitude to bail out, while  learning the inverted
 characteristics of  your airplane.

9. Your SPAD will remain stable and hang on the elevator  beautifully during slow flight and landing. With it's
 long wing chord, the SPAD will fly like a kite against a 10 mph+  wind! Keep in mind that the SPAD has quite a
  high drag front profile, and will slow down fairly quickly when throttled back  or dead stick. If you’re an
 experienced  pilot, the SPAD will perform a truly wild carrier landing! Just remember when  you’re back on
 the ground, hold full up  while taxiing.

We hope you have as much fun with your SPAD as we have with  ours!
 
[S.P.A.D.] [SPAD Index] [Building] [Overview] [Fuselage] [Wing] [Horizontal]
[Vertical] [Rx Install] [Landing Gear] [PVC Parts] [Parts Layout]