In the air, Hangar 9's new Alpha Trainer is
attractive and flies smoothly, and from a distance you would
be hard-pressed to distinguish it from other high-wing,
long-tail trainers seen every weekend at fields across the
country. But when it taxis close and the pilot shuts the
engine down, you may wonder what this engine with its angled
cooling fins is. And what is that black thing behind the
prop? The engine is the new .46-size Evolution A, and the
thick black disc is a flywheel for easy engine starting and
a smooth idle.
The pretuned and run-in engine, the special 3-blade
propeller and the flywheel make up the Evolution Engines
Trainer Power System. It's designed to ensure success for
the first-time RC pilot, and it works.
Specifications
Model: Alpha Trainer
Manufacturer: Hangar 9
Distributor: Horizon Hobby Inc.
Type: ready-to-fly trainer
Wingspan: 63 in.
Length: 25.2 in.
Weight: 5 lb., 4 oz.
Wing area: 710 sq. in.
Wing loading: 17.0 oz./sq. ft.
Engine Installed: .46-size Evolution Engines
Alpha A
Radio Installed: JR 4-channel Quattro w/4 NES-527
servos, R700 receiver and JR 600mAh battery pack.
Prop: 10-in., 3-blade Hangar 9 EVOE 100P
(included)
Fuel Used: Performance Plus 15% nitro
Street price: $309.99
Features: balsa and plywood airframe covered with
UltraCote; installed Evolution Trainer Power System;
installed JR Quattro radio; 15- to 30-minute assembly.
Comments: with the help of a good instructor, the
Alpha Trainer will get any student off to an excellent
start.
Hits
Outstanding trainer performance.
Excellent airframe quality.
Everything is installed.
Assembly
is incredibly quick.
Misses
Some
basic information is not included in the manual (e.g.,
engine and tank size, prop and glow-plug designations).
|
What's in the Box
Hangar 9 labels this airplane ready to fly (RTF), and it's
right; it nearly flies out of the box! The engine and fuel
tank have been installed, and color-coded fuel and vent
lines are in place. The box contains a JR 4-channel Quattro
radio complete with a buddy-cord system that's compatible
with any JR radio. The receiver, battery and all four servos
have been installed along with their pushrods, which are
factory-adjusted to the proper length. The clevises are
oriented correctly to be attached to their control horns,
the receiver and battery are out of sight in their
foam-protected space, and the mounted receiver switch is
ready to turn the system on.
Assembly
There is very little assembly. The entire sequence is
presented in the manual as a two-page drawing; you could
easily complete the model without reading the text. You'll
need a medium Phillips-head screwdriver and a wrench to
tighten the prop nut. There is nothing to glue.
Wing: Push one end of the thick-wall aluminum
wing-joiner tube into the wing root hole in one wing half,
and slide the other end into the other wing half.
Trailing-edge pins ensure the proper alignment of the
panels, which are held together with clear tape that is
wrapped around the center of the wing. I started the tape on
the top trailing edge and attached it along the gap to the
leading edge and then along the bottom center of the wing.
Because the aileron servo is mounted on the bottom of the
left wing near the wing root, I cut the tape just short of
the servo and then resumed taping the gap behind the servo.
The left aileron linkage was already attached to the left
strip aileron. The remaining task was to connect the right
aileron pushrod to its horn. The clevis had been preset on
the rod and needed no adjustment to fair the right aileron
with the servo set in its center (neutral) position.
It took less than 2 minutes to complete the wing.
Fuselage: The wheels come attached to the main
landing-gear legs, which you plug into the fuselage bottom
and fasten with two nylon straps held by four screws.
Another 2 minutes.
It took a bit longer to attach the empennage. I had to
slightly open the holes in the horizontal stabilizer to
accommodate the threaded studs that have been mounted in the
vertical fin/rudder unit. Pushed through the stabilizer,
these studs lock the fin to the stabilizer with the help of
washers, tiny wing nuts and a bit of supplied thread-lock.
Another 3 minutes gone, but if you need your round jewelers'
file (as I did) and know right where it is, you can cut that
time in half.
 |
|
The RTF Alpha Trainer comes
with the JR radio system installed. The system includes
pushrods of the correct length, lableled aileron and
charge leads and a mounted on/off switch. The receiver
and battery are packed in foam under the plywood
retainer on the right. |
The final task is to attach the empennage to the
fuselage. I placed the fuselage upside-down and noted two
bolt holes in the top of the tail. The assembly sequence
indicates that screws must be inserted through these holes
into mating T-nuts in the horizontal stab, but this was
easier said than done. The elevator pushrod and the antenna
pass through a 1 3/4x3/4-inch opening in the fuselage rear.
The fuselage sides are tapered, so it is easy to start the
rear empennage attachment screw. Not so with the forward
screw. Although there is a hole in the bottom of the
fuselage to accommodate the Phillips-head screwdriver, and I
was able to hold the screw, the stiff pushrod got in the way
and made it difficult to start it. I needed a pair of
forceps and a mini flashlight to finish the job. Instead of
doing this, you might want to attach the tail in bright
light--maybe outside--and hold the pushrod aside with a
spring-type clothespin.
Propeller: A separate instruction sheet provided
details on how to mount the special 3-blade,
reinforced-plastic propeller and spinner. Your Phillips-head
screwdriver must be just the right size--small enough to fit
into the spinner holes but large enough to match the slots.
Although the prop would work fine as supplied, I invested
a few extra minutes to balance it and minimize vibration. It
took another 4 minutes to mount the balanced prop and
spinner, but I dallied.
Takeoff and Landing
In
less-than-ideal conditions (7 to 8mph winds with
frequent gusts), the Alpha Trainer's wide-stance gear
allowed a down-the-runway crosswind takeoff without
fuss. Two clicks of up-elevator trim resulted in an
impressive hands-off climb rate. No other trims were
required.
The first landing (in a gust) was a two-hop bounce job,
but subsequent touchdowns were smooth two- pointers on
the main wheels. Taxiing in a gusty crosswind was easy;
the Alpha Trainer didn't have any tendency to upset. The
wide gear helps. Nose-gear steering was straight and not
twitchy--just right for a trainer.
Low-Speed Performance
Throttling and trimming back for slowest flight yielded
no stall break, and the wing remained level at the
stall, which proves that it is built straight. Even in
the wind, the Alpha Trainer was easy to trim for a
slow-speed approach. At mid-throttle settings, it was
difficult to hear the engine because it was so quiet.
High-Speed Performance
The Alpha Trainer is not meant for high-speed flight,
but full-power, forward-trim cruising feels and looks
solid and is not overly sensitive. The need to trim
differently for thumbs-off flight at different speeds
proves that it has positive pitch stability--an
excellent feature in a trainer.
Aerobatics
The Alpha Trainer has enough power to practice a wide
range of large, smooth aerobatics. Nothing happens
quickly. The wing and tail bottoms are covered with red
UltraCote, and the rest of the airplane is white with
trim; this should help with orientation. The model's
large size and slow flight make it an ideal aerobatics
trainer. Rudder is needed with aileron for rolling
maneuvers; this is also excellent for training. |
|
