Some of today’s small-field electric airplanes have a lot going for them. Not the least is that they are usually pre-built, with all radio and motor equipment installed. All are electric powered and fly very well for their size. Some fly well for any size airplane. But the one limiting factor is that most have only 3 control channels; rudder for turning, elevator for pitch control and throttle. Some use the throttle for pitch control instead of a separate elevator but these are not the subject here.

Photo 1

One of the better 3-channel small electric airplanes is the Wing Dragon. The Wing Dragon has taught a lot of new pilots to fly RC. It is stable, responsive and can handle winds up to about 8 mph with few difficulties. You can read about the 3-channel Wing Dragon in Sport Aviator’s “Ultra-Lite” Section. Just click on the preceding blue link words.

But trainers that use only the rudder to bank and turn have one major limitation and one training drawback. The limitation is that aircraft without ailerons do not handle well in cross or heavy winds. Every takeoff, and especially the landings, must to be made almost directly into the wind. It just isn’t possible to hold any wing correction using just the rudder. In addition, it is very difficult to hold the windward side wingtip down when trying to takeoff from the ground (not the usual practice with these aircraft but still a good thing to do occasionally.

The training limitation is more serious. Rudder control aircraft will teach the student one very bad habit. These aircraft will self-right out of a banked turn once the rudder is released. Therefore, the student must hold the rudder control in until the airplane completes the turn. This is not hard to do. In fact, it is easier than getting the ailerons just right in a turn.

But once the student moves on to more complex aircraft that do use ailerons for bank control, that “hold the rudder in” habit has to be immediately unlearned. Holding the aileron input in place during a turn results in the airplane’s continuing to roll onto its back and to enter the ole` Graveyard Spiral. This is not a good situation for a newer pilot.

Photo 2            Photo 3

Although 2 and 3-channel trainers are good teaching tools, an equivalent 4-channel airplane would be even better. And that is just what Art Tech has done. Art Tech has taken the popular Wing Dragon Basic Trainer then added some wingspan and aileron control. The Wing Dragon 4 is a Ready-To-Fly (RTF), aileron-equipped aircraft that requires just one small screwdriver to assemble and no adhesives of any kind. And the screwdriver? It is used to turn the small screw that fastens the cockpit cover in place. That’s it!

Both Wing Dragon versions, three and four channel, meet all the aircraft requirements of the Academy of Model Aeronautics’ (AMA) Park Pilot Program. The aircraft weighs less than 2 pounds (the Program’s upper weight limit) and has a level top speed under 60 mph (the Program’s upper speed limit). For complete Park Pilot aircraft details, follow this link.

The AMA Park Pilot Program offers non-AMA members the opportunity to become AMA members at a much reduced cost. Park Pilot membership includes a great magazine “Park Pilot”, $500,000 personal liability insurance, $2.5 million liability insurance for the flying field owner (see insurance details) and membership in the world’s largest sport aviation association – the AMA. For complete information and details about Park Pilot membership, just click here.

Photo 3A

The Art-Tech E-Fly 4-channel transmitter is a standard 4-channel analog unit complete with trim tabs and 4-channel reversing capabilities. It uses 8 “AA” dry cells. There seems to be connections for a possible wall charger should the pilot want to install rechargeable Ni-Cd batteries but no charger is supplied. Since the transmitter lasts many flights on the dry cells, there is probably no need for rechargeable batteries. The transmitter does not have “buddy box” abilities but this airplane flies so slowly that teaching without it will not be a problem.

Getting the Wing Dragon 4 Ready for Its Field Trip

Photo 4

Even though tools or adhesives are not needed does not mean that some assembly is not required. Look carefully at photo 3 (click on it to enlarge if necessary). One wing half has a thick, black plastic cover adhered to the top of it. Half of this piece extends outward from the center. The other wing half has a wooden spare epoxied in place. It also extends outward by half its total length.

To assemble the wing, just slide these two halves together insuring that the main spar is positioned into the slot in the opposing wing half. Ok, wing assembly done. All that is left is a few appearance steps.

Photo 5

As photos 4 and 5 show, the dual aileron servos are already installed and connected. Dual servos are a rare quality touch in this class of airplane. Considering that this complete aircraft system has such a ridiculously low cost, $138.00, the “fifth servo” is an indicator that this is no ordinary budget airplane.

The first appearance assembly step is to turn each servo wire on edge and insert them into the thin slot cut into the bottom of each wing half. This is most easily done after the wing is assembled. The final wing step is to install the decals which will be covered later.

It might be possible to epoxy the two wing halves together. But this extra durability step doesn’t seem to be required. The thick plastic center “cap” prevents the wing halves from rotating during flight. The rubber band wing hold-down system prevents the wing halves from separating during flight. There has not been a problem in 21 flights, some including “snap rolls” and flip-over landings in high winds.

Not gluing the wing halves together allows the pilot to separate the them for more convenient storage and transportation. Having individual wing halves might make storage easier if you live in an apartment or crowded home. But you shouldn’t have to break down a 46 in. wing for transportation unless you are driving a two-seat sports car. My suggestion is to keep the wing assembled if at all possible but to forget about epoxying the halves together.

Photo 6            Photo 7

Photo 6 shows that all the fuselage radio equipment is installed and connected. The twin servos connect to the rudder and elevator through thin metal control rods that are light, strong and braced for extra stiffness. The servos are mounted on a traditional plastic servo “tray” using servo screws. This system allows for easy servo replacement and keeps the servos from ever loosening in flight.

Photo 8A

There is a thin plastic “cockpit cap” that is installed over the servo area. This cover is shown in photo 7 but is reversed. The single, small screw hole should face the rear. The front of the cap tilts steeply downwards into the fuselage so that the 9.6-volt, 1000 mAh flight battery can be changed or charged without having to remove the cockpit cover. The front of the cover has two notches that should be positioned as shown in photo 8A. The fuselage “lip” is inserted into the cover slots to keep the cover from springing upwards during flight.

Secure the cover in place with the single small screw at the rear. You can now retire your screwdriver as it is no longer needed.

Note: Before installing this screw, make sure the battery connector from the speed controller extends forward past the front of the plastic cover. This allows connecting the flight battery without having to remove the cockpit cover.

Photo 8

The “kit” (it is hard to call an RTF airplane that requires 11 minutes to completely assemble, minus decals, a kit) includes a small pilot bust, with double sided tape already attached. When you position the pilot bust in place, make sure that the flight battery can easily be installed or removed. For my airplane, positioning the back of the pilot bust 1/2 inch from the cockpit rear worked well.