Contender 40 (oz14992)

About this Plan

Contender 40. Radio control low-wing trainer model. Wingspan 47 in, wing area 500 sq in, for .40 RC engine.

Note plan shows two options for wing layout: bent wing or flat wing.

Quote: "The builder's choice. Bent wing or straight. You choose the way to train. Just as Colonel Betkey and his Flying Circus use the Contender as the official workhorse of their aerial demonstration team, now you too can enjoy this easy to build kit and fly a plane that offers maximum stability at high and low speeds, for the ultimate in flying enjoyment...

Optional bent or straight wing design.
The perfect low wing trainer.
Ideal for test-bed flying.

Upright or inverted engine.
Stationary or movable flaps.
Quick and simple to build.
Thick, no-stall, lifting airfoil.

Four channels recommended, but a fifth and sixth can be added for flaps and retract gears if desired."

Direct submission to Outerzone.

Update 17/12/2023: Added kit review from Flying Models Jan 1991, thanks to JeffGreen.

Quote: "Top Flite Models have come out with their latest version of the Contender.

The new Contender 40 is a builder's choice kit with the option of building it in a straight or bent wing version. When I opened this kit, I was impressed with how neat everything appeared. The box had a place for all the pieces. The wood was evenly bundled. The canopy was double wrapped for protection and the landing gear and hardware were packaged and wrapped, so no loose parts could damage the wood (there's nothing worse than buying a new kit, and opening it to find that the landing gear has made a neat hole through the canopy).

Aso included in the kit is a very complete set of plans with an Assembly Instruction Sheet which has pictures and a check-off list to help get your Contender built as quickly and easily as possible. (It is always a good idea to spend some time looking over the plans no matter how easy a plane may look to build. Wood is expensive, so understand what you are going to do before you do it).

Changes Made: After studying the plans, I found several areas I wanted changed. First the plans showed a permanent tank installation, and I preferred a removable tank. I accomplished this change by making a removable hatch under the gas tank. I cut about 3/4 in off the tank floor and epoxied it to the forward position to help hold the removable hatch down. (It also helped add strength to the firewall area). The removable hatch had two pieces of 1/4 in square spruce epoxied to the front inside of the hatch. These slid under the front floor to hold down the front securely. On the backside of the hatch, I used Goldberg's angled hatch holddowns.

The second change was to use 4-40 bolts and blindnuts to attach the nose gear bearing blocks to the fuselage. I didn't like using screws to hold bearing blocks in place.

The last two changes I made were to add some beveled stock to the sides of the motor mounts, and to use some 1/16 sheet to be glued to the bottom of the wing where the aileron pushrods exit the wing. These changes are my own modifications due to personal preference. Since I like parts to be removable in case of damage or have them firmly attached, I changed what I considered weak areas.

Construction: I started the fuselage first since this was the sequence shown on the assembly sheet. If you decide to use an inverted engine no changes will be necessary to the firewall or former no.1 referred to as F-4. I used the inverted engine version since it looked cleaner and didn't destroy the jet-like appearance of the fuselage. The fuselage sides are laid out so you have both left and right halves. The wood motor mounts are epoxied in place along with the F-2 fuse, doubler and the wing mounting blocks. I omitted the hardwood servo rails and pushrod cross rails after the fuse. Sides were joined.

The fuselage top was then laid down over the plans and the front and rear 1/8 sheet joined; followed by formers F-8 and F-10. I used some Satelite City Super-T and found it to be great glue and it really speeded up construction.

After the fuselage sides are dry, line them up over the plans and use the fuse, top as a jig. I glued the front half first and then let it dry. After that I wet the outside of both aft fuse sides (to help make them bend inward) and glued them securely to the fuse top and let them dry.

Before adding any 3/32 sheet to the fuse bottom I cut-out the pushrod exit holes in the rear of the fuse for elevator and rudder. Also, before adding the bottom 3/32 sheet, I double checked the fuselage sides for correct alignment.

You might find it easier after cutting out the 3/32 planking to join these pieces on your workbench and then glue them to the bottom of the fuselage..."

Supplementary file notes

Review.

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