Grasshopper (oz14888)

About this Plan

Ace Grasshopper. Radio control sport model. Wingspan 43.5 in, wing area 214 sq in, for .049 engine and 2 channels. Uses the Ace Foam wing.

Note: at first sight this does not seem to be a complete plan. But this is all there was. The kit did not include a complete plan - just the parts, the instructions sheet, and the decals. These files here should be all you need.

Planfile includes full build instructions.

Quote: "Grasshopper Construction: The Grasshopper is a quick-to-build airplane that offers more fun for the dollar than anything else we know of in the R/ C hobby. It uses two standard-sized servos for rudder and elevator control and an inexpensive reed-valve .049 engine which is ample power for a good climb-out and moderate aerobatics. Its rugged, rubber-band together design will survive mishaps that would destroy most others. So, spend an evening or two putting the Grasshopper together and you'll be ready to have a ball!

Common modeling tools will be needed: knife, drill (1/16, 3/32, and 3/16), screwdriver, and masking tape. We recommend medium CyA glue and Setter for the fuselage and five minute epoxy for the wing. You may also use carpenter's glue (aliphatic resin) throughout. BUT, you must use either epoxy or carpenter's glue on the wing... most other glues will attack the foam. The fuselage and tail may be finished with the plastic covering films available or simply spray painted with inexpensive enamel. The wing is to be finished according to the separate sheet furnished.

We would suggest going ahead and punching out all the die cut parts. Clean up any frayed edges with a sanding block. You will be able to identify all the parts by referring to the drawings; it would be wise to label them with a soft pencil. Definitely mark 'TOP' on F3 as indicated.

I. FUSELAGE CONSTRUCTION: The fuselage is simply a box to hold the wing, engine, and radio with a fiberglass arrow shaft extension to hold the tail; this configuration is commonly called 'pod and boom'. We will begin by building the box.

Glue the two lite ply firewall parts together, keeping the 'tic' marks on the outside and lining up the edges. Glue the two F1 parts together, lining up the edges. Study Dwg.2 to determine the relationship of the holes you are going the drill. Using a 1/16 drill bit, drill the eight holes in the firewall where indicated by the 'tic' marks. Keep the drill perpendicular to the firewall's surface. We are going to use the four inner holes on the firewall to locate the position of four holes to be drilled in F1. Center the firewall on F1, making sure the long dimension of the firewall is going up and down. Use your 1/16 drill bit to transfer the location of the four inner holes to F1. Remove the firewall and drill the holes you just marked on F1 to 3/32. Drill three 3/16 holes in each fuselage side where indicated by the 'tic' marks.

In the following step, MAKE SURE that F3 is installed so the hole is closest to the TOP of the fuselage! Without using glue, assemble the fuse sides (NOTE: the RIGHT side is 1/8 in shorter than the LEFT side), F1, F3, Fuse Bottom, Deck, and F2. Trim and sand if needed fora good fit. Hold the assembly together with masking tape. When satisfied with the fit, glue the fuselage together. If you are using CyA glue, simply run a bead of glue on the inside of every joint and cure with the Setter. If you are using carpenter's glue, you will need to untape and disassemble, apply glue, and reassemble using tape to hold together..."

Direct submission to Outerzone.

Quote: "Should mention that the left fuse side should be 1/8" longer at the front to get some right thrust. For the wing use the previous plans posted for the Ace foam wing with the NACA 2415 airfoil, tapered panels with a constant chord center to get up to the listed span. Fuse is a lite-ply box, so easy peezy. Tail boom is 1/4" carbon tube, tail feathers are 1/8" sheet. Dave"

Note this plan used the Ace Foam wing. For a plan showing how to construct a replacement wing in balsa (both tapered and straight-chord) see Ace Foam Wing (oz8557) thanks to AndyKunz.

Update 20/4/2024: Added kit review from Model Builder September 1996, thanks to RFJ.

Quote: "Products in Use: Ace RC 1/2A Grasshopper, by David Manley.

Low price, pop-apart design and near indestructibility make this foam-wing pod-and-boomer an excellent choice for an RC trainer or sport model.

The Grasshopper, a pod-and-boom, foam-winged aerialist from Ace R/C, joins the other 1/2As in the Ace line-up as the company's slingshot to the butt of modeling boredom.

Until I acquired the Grasshopper, all of my flight experience came by way of pure and self-launched sailplanes. The first flight of the Grasshopper took place with me on the sticks for the first time as a pilot of an engine-powered plane. I made three successful flights in a row with nary a mishap. More about that later.

Designed by Art Bigelow, the Grasshopper originally appeared as the Cricket (oz7150) in a June 1990 RCM magazine construction article. The Ace design department made minor changes, added a landing gear (included in the kit) and bestowed upon it a name that most likely reflected the fields from which modelers would fly the craft.

If you handle transmitter sticks with the touch of an ironworker, you'll appreciate the rubber bands that hold the Grasshopper's major components (wings, landing gear, engine and tail feathers) in place. The fiberglass arrowshaft, cut to the required length, seems capable of withstanding all manner of brain-lock.

Ace recommends an .049 of the reed-valve gender. I chose the Cox Texaco engine for duration, power and quietude. The Texaco - a little jewel of typical Cox quality - drives a 7x3.5 prop with ample authority for the Grasshopper without the scream of its more powerful 1/2A brethren. I also latched onto a Tee Dee .049 in case I yearned for that scream.

My Ace MicroPro and Pro 810 AM receiver provided glitch-free guidance. I store all my electricity in SR Batteries. Thanks to Larry Sribnick (Mr. SR), I've never had a battery failure since switching to his excellent products.

Construction: Assembling the Grasshopper begins with the fuselage. It takes only seconds to push out the 11 die-cut tab-in-slot pieces from the 1/8 lite-ply sheet. The pod can then be framed and taped together in minutes. The right side of the fuselage (looking from the top and behind) is 1/8-inch shorter than the left, the bottom shorter than the top. Thus, following the directions renders the correct amount of right and down thrust.

Medium CA and accelerator can be used to seal the fuselage in seconds. Otherwise, it must be untaped and glue (white or carpenter's) applied before reassembling. Be certain the short side is on the Grasshopper's right, lest your first flight be too brief, too exciting and signal your entry into model railroading.

The arrowshaft boom slips into its precut and pre-drilled block with nary a hassle. Thin CA wicked into the block seals the boom... "

Supplementary file notes

Decals.
Parts tracing.
Review.

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