KAVAN DARA A1 (F1H) 1200mm - Instruction manual
Introduction
The F1H glider DARA is a great entry level kit for any modeller who has already gained some skills in the classic balsa bashing and dope&tissue covering. You will need some basic modeller's tools, glues and dopes – you will find these handy with any of your future projects as well. Please make yourself familiar with the building plans and this manual BEFORE you actually start the assembly.
Before you start
Glue: You can use acetone based modeller's glue (UHU Hart etc.), water resistant white glue (KAV9960 KAVAN White Glue, BISON Super Wood etc.) or medium cyano (KAV56.9952 KAVAN Medium CA etc.).
Dope: KAVAN STANDARD line Adhesive dope (KAV56.9988), Shrinking dope (KAV56.9986) or coulor Shrinking dope (KAV56.9987x) and Thinner (KAV56.9992) are the must for the dope and tissue covering, indeed.
Tools and accessories: You will need a perfectly flat building board (at least 300×700 mm), modeller's knife (Excel K1 w. no.11 blades etc.), jigsaw, sanding blocks with 180 and 360–400 grit sandpaper, model hobby pins, scissors, sharp model hobby knife, flat and round fine file, soft flat (1/4“–3/8”) brush, thin clear plastic film to protect the building plan (a large PE bag cut in half will work).
Precautions
The model you build and fly is not a toy! Although it may seem light and slow in flight, it is capable of causing injury or other damage if mistreated. It is up to you whether you build the model properly, fly properly and continue to fly in accordance with common practice and rules (and common sense). If you are just getting started with aircraft models, ask for advice from your model shop or an experienced modeller at your local modelling club to find a good instructor.
Before construction: Build the model exactly as instructed. Do not change or modify the model. If you do, you risk that the model may be unsafe or unable to fly. Take the time to build everything firmly and reliably. Use appropriate tools, accessories and other equipment that is in top condition. Correctly install all parts of the model and check the model before the first and every subsequent flight.
Specification
| Wingspan | 1200 |
| Length | 815 mm |
| All-up weight | 225 g (min 220 g) |
Assembly
- Lay the wing building plan on the building board and put a sheet of a thin clear plastic film to protect the building plan. If you have got just a small building board, you can carefully cut the building plan into sections – wing section, horizontal tailplane section etc.
- Before you apply the glue, please, always double-check the correct size, shape and alignment of the particular part.
- Balsa and spruce sticks are intentionally supplied oversized in the kit. Pin the stick to the plan overlapping at both ends – you will cut/sand them to the correct length/shape once the assembly of the particular part has been finished.
Wing
There are both two wing halves drawn on the building plan, so you can assemble them simultaneously, if you want to. Pin the tapered balsa trailing edge 3 to the building plan and mark the position of the notches for ribs with a soft pencil. Remove the trailing edge and use a fine flat file to cut the notches according to the building plan. Lightly sand the CNC milled balsa ribs 1 (Det. G–G) to remove any imperfections.
Pin down the pre-shaped balsa leading edge 2 and the trailing edge 3 now featuring all those beautiful notches. Glue the balsa ribs 1 in place. Fit, cut to size and glue the bottom balsa sheeting 4 between the leading and trailing edge. Glue the balsa root rib 5 along the edge of the sheeting – the bevelled side towards the root of the wing half (Det. F–F). Glue the rib 6 about 2 mm inset along the outer edge of the central sheeting. Glue the wing main spar 7 (3×8 mm spruce stick) into the notches in the upper side of ribs. Fit and glue the upper central sheeting 8 and 9 (Det. B–B) in place. Glue the gussets 42 in place. Apply some additional glue to all joints if necessary and let cure. Now you can assemble the other half of the wing in the same way. Just remember you are building left and right halves, not two lefts or rights.
Once the glue has cured thoroughly, cut the leading edge, trailing edge and main spar flush with the edge of the outer wing ribs. Sand the upper central sheeting flush with the bevelled root ribs 5. Sand the leading edge to the shape (Det. D–D). Glue the wing tip ribs 41 in place. Once cured, sand them to the shape.
Trial fit the wing halves root ribs. If attached together the wing dihedral must be 200 mm (Det. E). Once satisfied, apply a generous amount of glue to both root ribs (including upper and bottom sheeting edges) and attach the wing halves together. Lay one of the wing halves down on the building board. Secure it with a couple of magazines wrapped in a plastic bag serving as a weight. Align the other half so the tip of it was 200 mm above the building board (you can use a couple of books or a wooden block) and the trailing and leading edges were in one straight line. Let the glue cure thoroughly. Once cured, carefully sand the joint and the entire wing using sanding blocks with a coarse and then fine sandpaper to smooth any rough areas. Wrap 25 mm strip of nylon fabric all over the joint on both sides of the wing and apply thinned adhesive dope to it thoroughly. Once the dope has cured, sand the entire wing frame with fine sandpaper. The wing is ready to covering now.
Horizontal tailplane
The horizontal tailplane is to be built directly on the plan protected with a clear plastic film in similar manner as the wing. Pin down the spruce trailing edge (3×5×405 mm) 11 overlapping on both two ends. Glue the balsa centre plate (3 mm – 30×80 mm) 13 to the trailing edge 11. Glue the spruce leading edge (3×5×385 mm) 10 to the centre plate and pin it down overlapping on both two ends. Cut to size and glue in place the diagonal ribs 12 made of 3×5 mm balsa stick. Start with the outer diagonal ribs first; then proceed towards the centre of the horizontal tailplane.
Glue the spruce main spar 14 (3×5×200 mm) to the top of the horizontal tailplane framework. Fit and glue the front balsa upper plate 16 (3 mm – 30×30 mm) and two rear plates (3 mm – 13.5×45 mm) 17. Align the outer edges of the plates 17 to match the bottom plate 13 leaving about 2.5 mm slot between them to fit the bamboo dowel 18 later. Sand the gussets 15 to fit and glue them in place.
Once the glue has cured thoroughly, remove the horizontal tailplane from the building plan. With a sanding block, shape the tips and centre plates as indicated on the plans (Det. A–A). Round the leading and trailing edges and the tips (Det. A–A). The horizontal tailplane has been finished for now. Once covered with the tissue, glue the bamboo dowel (ø2.5×50 mm) 18 between the plates 17 extending behind the trailing edge by 15 mm.
Fuselage and fin
The fuselage consists of the tail boom made of spruce sticks and balsa blocks and the front fuselage block made of Ceiba Plywood with poplar Plywood side covers offering enough space for the ballast and timer (if you decided to install one).
Start with the tail boom. Glue it on the building board in order to make the tail boom true and straight. Glue the front balsa block 20 to the spruce stick (2×8×600 mm) 22 taking care the outer edges of the block matched the edges of the stick. Note – the rear balsa block 21 will be glued to the bevelled side of the front block later. Now apply glue to the rear part of the spruce stick 22 and block 20. Attach the rear balsa block 21 matching the edges of the stick. Glue the other 2×8 mm spruce stick 23 to the tail boom.