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Introduction
Most of my RC flying is done using smaller, sport type models. I have always wanted to try out a large glider, so when Sport Aviator’s Editor, Frank Granelli, offered me a Cox Dust Devil to review, I jumped at the chance. The Dust Devil is a 2-meter glider ARF from Cox Models. Yes, Cox is also the maker of all those CL Ready-To-Fly (RTF) plastic models. But Cox also manufactures a good line of Almost-Ready-to-Fly (ARF) larger RC models. (ED. Note: See the Sport Aviator Reviews of the Cox EP380, the RTF P-47 Thunderbolt and the Tailwind 40 Basic Trainer.)
Photo 1
The Dust Devil has a composite fuselage, built up balsa wings complete with a center spoiler and balsa ruddervators. The V-tail, similar to the one on older Bonanza Light Airplanes, performs the functions of elevator and rudder with one third less drag since the vertical fin is omitted.
Kit contents/Packaging
Photo 3
The box contains the manual, composite fuselage, three wing sections, two ruddervators and asserted small parts. The model was packaged well, with individual bags on major parts. Everything was in good shape, with only some small wrinkles in the SIG Aerokote® covering. A little heat from the covering iron smoothed them right out.
Assembly
The manual that came with the Dust Devil is very good. It explains all the assembly steps well and has a lot of pictures to help you along. There are only three gluing steps required unless you are building a one-piece wing like I did. Then, you have to open the glue bottle five times instead of three. The first step in the assembly is to modify a few servo arms to the correct length. Since servo arms sit at two different angles depending on which way they face, you should check which side of the arms you will use before trimming them as shown in the instructions.
Photo 4
The next step is to mount the spoiler servo. The instructions say to use channel 3 for this so you can use the throttle to control the spoiler. This is the standard way to setup a glider. The motor is then put on a switch channel for on/off operation. Since I wanted to be able to control the motor with the normal throttle channel I used the slider on the side of my radio for spoiler control. This also lets me set the spoiler to any position I want. It and the motor are fully proportional so I can adjust my approach angles as necessary.
Photo 5
After the spoiler comes the wing assembly. The wing can be built as one piece, or left as separate sections that you join at the field. Since I have plenty of room in the back of my truck for the 2m wing I decided to just go with one piece. I cut a block of wood to the recommended height for the wing tip and weighted the wing down with some unused ice packs (melted of course). I used the slow cure epoxy as recommended and let the joint harden overnight before gluing on the other wing tip. If you decide to also do a one piece wing, bear in mind that a 2m wing is BIG. I had to be careful moving it around my shop so I didn't inadvertently bang it into things!
Photo 6
The tail assembly comes next and is straight forward. Once again you have the option of mounting the tail fins permanently, or using tape to hold them on. I went for the permanent mounting. Either way there is one thing you need to watch out for here, the supplied control horns come in a right and left pair. You need to make sure you put the correct one on each ruddervator. When assembled onto the airplane, the ball link on the control horn should point downwards. Make sure to check this before you glue them in.
Photo 7
The motor chosen for the Dust Devil was the AXI 2820-10 Outrunner spinning a 10x6 Aeronaut folding propeller. Mounting the motor is a simple procedure, but you should take your time and be sure to carefully follow the instructions. I do have one suggestion here, if you are using a brushless outrunner type motor like I was, the fuselage has a "molded skeg" in the front to allow room for the wires to get under the motor. To make sure the wires line up correctly, screw the motor mount to the front of the motor and put a mark on it where the wires exit the motor. When you glue the mount to the fuselage, make sure the mark is lined up with the "skeg".
 
Photo 8 Photo 9
When installing the ESC I opted for putting it under the battery tray. The 3 cell battery I used didn't leave any room for the ESC to sit on top of it. Also, I did not have enough room to position the on/off switch where the manual shows. I ended up putting it next to the battery in the front, under the canopy.
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