RCPowers - F-22 Raptor

F-22 Raptor

Instructions

IMPORTANT: This is NOT a beginner plane! If you are not already an intermediate to advanced flyer, do NOT get this plane, you will not be happy. Picture the F-22 Raptor as a super stunt plane, not something you want to start out on. If you are new to RC, get a flight simulator and learn how to fly before you attempt to fly anything.

BEFORE YOU START: Please watch the Instructional videos, view all the pictures, before you start. This way you have an overview of what's going on and will be able to "fill in the blanks" yourself as you go along. After you have read all the instructions, seen the instruction videos, and studied the pictures, if you still have questions please email me and I will help you out.

Videos

Webcam LIVE!

1) Cut Tabs
- Use a straight-edge to ensure clean cuts.
- Tabs will have a hole drilled through them
- IMPORTANT! Do NOT cut off the 6 tabs on the underbelly that do not have holes in them.

2) "45" Control Surfaces
- Sand or cut the edges of the elevator and ailerons to 45 degrees.

3) C/F in Wings and Nose
- The carbon rods will go in the bottom side and center of each wing. Trace out where they will go.
- Using a razor and a ruler, just lightly let the blade "fall into" the foam. DO NOT CUT ALL THE WAY THROUGH THE FOAM.
- Use a 2-3mm standard screwdriver to "pluck" out the foam about an inch at a time. This will create a 3mm channel for the rod to sit flush into. You might want to practice on a small piece of scrap depron first (depron scraps provided in the kit).
- Epoxy and press the rod into place.

4) Glue and Sand Down the Nose
- This is not as hard as it looks, it's just something new. Once you do it, it's easy. Do this in stages, meaning, first take a sanding block and round the edges… then go back and round those edges… then those edges… After about 4 passes it will start to take real shape. Depending how much you want to get into it, you can sand it very scale if you like.

- Only thing you want to keep in mind here is not sand away your strength. You want as much of that Home Depot foam on it as possible. This will only add to its strength.
- Now is a good time to sand smooth any leading edge that is penetrating the air. This would include the leading edges of the wings, the elevator, and the rudder.
- Make sure the fuselage and wing fit snug before you paint it. Sand down if needed.

5) Carve out Battery Cockpit
- Do not cut out anymore than you have to! The less of a hole the more strength you will have. Please make sure you know what you are doing here (watch the Instructional Video) and do it right.

6) Tape on Control Surfaces
- Use some strong packing tape such as the stuff we carry on our Accessory Page. Make sure to tape the elevator securely on the top and bottom. Since the surface area is so large, this will be more than strong enough to support the moving motor.

7) Epoxy on Plywood Mounts
- Make sure they are glued down good and straight.

8) Optional Short Cut Paint Job
- Before the plane goes together, simply paint the bottom of the plane and fuselage/nose one color, and the top another.
- Use Acrylic or water based paint. I use Design Master from www.Michaels.com (you will never find it on their site, call them and see if they have it in stock).
- Hold the parts out horizontally about 18 inches away, spray on a LIGHT coat. Then let it dry and do that once or twice more.

9) Score and Tape Bottom Piece
- Just as you scored the foam for cutting out the carbon, so you will also lightly score the foam. Do not go all the way through, just enough to bend the foam.
- Score from "corner" to "corner".

10) Control Horns
- What you don't want is too much movement on your elevator. This extra movement will cause stress on the servos and break their gears. You want to tone down the throws by moving the elevator control horns away from the hinge line like pictured.

11) Epoxy Wing to Fuselage
- Ensure that everything fits nice and sand down the inside of the wing piece if you need to.
- Epoxy from front to back and make sure it dries straight and level.

12) Install Servos EXACTLY LIKE THIS!
- There is not a lot of room inside the plane to fit all the electronics, wires, and pushrods. The servos must sit like pictured.
- Make sure they are recessed all the way in to the depron underneath.
- Make sure they are spaced out right.
- Make sure you have them facing the right way.
- This is another good reason to watch the Instructional Videos.

13) Control Rods
- The servos need to sit up front help bring the CG up. Long pushrods are need. A way to lighten them up is to use 3mm carbon tube for the bulk of it.
- With your servos and control horns in place, measure out how long you will need the rods to be.
- Make sure to have about an inch or more of rod to glue inside the carbon tube.
- Use some thin string, dental floss, threads from your socks, etc, and epoxy/wrap it to the outside of the rods. This will ensure them from not slipping out.

IMPORTANT: See the new motor mount

14) Motor Mount
- It’s a good idea to hot glue and tape/wrap your motor wires to the motor mount. The constant up and down of the pivoting motor will fatigue the wires inside the motor. They will eventfully break and come out. This prevents that.
- After mounting the motor to the GWS mount, hold the motor tightly in place and drill a hole for the screw.
- Cut out a 1x1 inch piece of depron and then smash it down. You want it to be a tight 3-4mm thick, not its original puffy 6mm thick.
- Epoxy it all in place and then secure it with the provided screw and nylon washer.
- The screw is holding it all in place but also put some epoxy on the top to stop any swivel slop from occurring.

15) Extension Wires
- You need the ESC in the front to help with CG.
- In the front of the plane make sure the wires are hot glued down flat to stay out of the way of the moving servo arms, and underbody/hatch. It’s a tight fit in there, pay attention to where everything is going.
- Make sure to allow the last half of the extension wires to swing freely so they do not become fatigued over time.

16) Under Belly Fit
- Mark out where the aileron rods need to be cut out. Just cut a little at a time. Move the servos and cut more as needed.
- Make sure the servo arms, push rods, wires, etc aren't in the way of the under belly. This is why it's important to tuck everything in as pictured.

17) Under Belly Install
- Only epoxy the front half of the under belly for now. The rear is best to do after this dries.
- You don't need a lot of glue because the notches hold most of the stress.
- Make sure to pin everything down tight, but not too tight that you pull down and warp the wing.
- The moveable hood is cut 1/4" in front of the middle notches.

18) Cut off Tabs
- Once the glue is dry, take a brand new sharp flat blade and cut the top tabs off.
- Please be very careful to not cut your fingers.

19) Tape Under Belly Hatch
- Put some tape on the underside to add strength and protect the depron in landings.
- Tape the hatch hinge in place. Put tape on the top as well as the inside.
- Glue and secure the rear of the underbelly.

20) Install Vertical Stabilizers
- Draw 2 lines a few inches long, 3/4" in as pictured.
- Make sure they are perfectly straight and epoxy them in place.
- You will need to have a toothpick in the front and rear of each vertical to give them good strength.
- For the rear toothpick, send it up from the bottom into the vertical. This will also strengthen the rear of the under belly since there are no notches there.

21) Glue and Pin Velcro
- For the battery and electronic hatches, use some small cuts of Velcro.
- Epoxy them down. Even though they are sticky, you want some glue to seep into the foam.
- The foam is too weak to hold the Velcro even with epoxy so you need to "anchor" them down with 2-4 pins each Velcro strip.
- Dab the pin in epoxy and angle them so they hit some of the depron.
- Please see the instructional videos for more detail.

FIRST FLIGHT
- Make sure your center of gravity is in the right place. Always best to error on the nose heavy side for your first flight.
- Please be sure to see the "F-22 Maiden Flight Video" as we fly the jet we just built!