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 Grasshop-per 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.

Supplementary file notes

Decals.
Parts tracing.

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