91" LASER EXP ARF Assembly Manual Copyright 2017 Extreme Flight 1
Please take a few moments to read this instruction manual before beginning assembly. We have outlined a fast, clear and easy method to assemble this aircraft and familiarizing yourself with this process will aid in a quick, easy build. Please read the following paragraph before beginning assembly of your aircraft! THIS IS NOT A TOY! Serious injury, destruction of property, or even death may result from the misuse of this product.
Experience the evolution in 70cc aircraft design and performance! By far the most technologically advanced aircraft from Extreme Flight in this size, the new 91" Laser EXP is a marvel of modern construction techniques and unbridled aerobatic performance.
Items needed for completion: ✓ Masking tape. ✓ Hobby knife with #11 blades. ✓ Thin and medium CA. We highly recommend Mercury M5T thin and M100XF medium formulas as well as the Mercury glue tips. ✓ 30 minute epoxy. Pacer Z-Poxy is a long time favorite. ✓ Blue and Red Loctite. ✓ Electric drill with an assortment of small drill bits. ✓ Small flat head and Phillips head screw drivers. ✓ Standard and needle nose pliers. ✓ Side cutters. ✓ Metric ball driver or allen key set. ✓ Sanding block and sandpaper.
Tips for Success: 1. Before starting assembly, take a few minutes to read the entire instruction manual to familiarize yourself with the assembly process. 2. Go over all the seams on the aircraft with a covering iron on a medium heat setting. Also, due to climate changes, wrinkles may develop in the covering. These are easily removed with a little bit of heat. Use a 100% cotton tee-shirt and your heat gun and heat the covering while gently rubbing the covering onto the wood with the t-shirt.
Let's begin! Elevator Assembly 1. Locate the horizontal stabilizer/elevator assemblies as well as the composite control horns and base plates from the elevator hardware package. Trial fit the assembly into the slots in the elevator. 2. Trace around the base plate with a felt tipped marker.
3. Remove the horn assembly and use a #11 blade to remove the covering from inside the ink line you traced around the control horn base. 4. Wipe away the ink line with a cotton cloth or paper towel soaked in denatured alcohol.
5. Use sandpaper to scuff the portion of the horns and base plate that will be inserted into the elevator. 6. Apply 30 minute epoxy to the elevator slots using a zip tie to ensure the slots are filled will epoxy.
7. Apply a generous amount of epoxy to the bottom of the G-10 control horns and base plate. 8. Reinsert the assembly into the elevator and wipe away any excess epoxy with a cloth and denatured alcohol. Place a 3mm bolt through the horns to help insure proper alignment and set aside to dry. Repeat for the other elevator half.
Note: There are several methods and adhesives that can be used for installing the hinges. We will describe the way we do it as this method has proven itself over many years of model building. 9. Mix a generous batch of 30 minute epoxy. Use a zip tie or an old pushrod to thoroughly coat and fill the hinge holes on the stab with epoxy. 10. Next, coat one side of the hinges with epoxy and push the hinges into the holes of the horizontal stab.
. Make sure the hinge pins are centered in the hinge gap and that they pivot 90 degrees to the stab. 12. Now coat the other side of the hinges as well as the hinge holes in the elevator with epoxy and install the elevator onto the stab. Don’t forget to apply epoxy in the hinge holes on the stab before installing the stab to the elevator.
13. Use denatured alcohol and a cloth to remove all excess epoxy, especially on the hinge pin. Make sure you have full deflection in both directions – once satisfied with the results, set the surface aside to dry. After the hinges have dried thoroughly, pull on the surfaces to make sure they are properly secured. Note: Before installing the servos, it’s a good time to seal the hinge gap with a strip of Ultracote or Blenderm tape.
14. Before installing the elevator servos, temporarily install the servo arms and electronically center the servos. Using the manufacturer supplied mounting hardware, install the elevator servo with the output shaft toward the rear of the stab and re-attach the servo arm. 15. Assemble the linkage and install as shown in the picture, using an Extreme Flight 2 inch servo arm.
Wing Assembly 16. Locate the wing/aileron assemblies as well as the composite control horns and base plates from the wing hardware package. Following the same procedure as outlined with the elevator/stabs, install the control horns and hinges for both wings. 17. Attach a 12 inch EF 20 awg servo extension and secure with a servo safety clip or heat shrink tubing. Install the aileron servo using the manufacturer provided hardware with the output shaft oriented toward the trailing edge of the wing.
Note: Before moving to the next step – it would be a good time to seal the hinge gap with a strip of Ultracote or Blenderm tape. Be sure to fully deflect the control surface when sealing the gap to allow for full deflection once the gap is sealed. Also, take a few minutes to go over the wings with a trim iron on a medium heat setting to seal all the trim seams and remove any wrinkles in the covering.
19. There are two locations available to install the rudder control horns. If using the pull-pull system use the upper horn location as shown in this photo.
20. Trace around the baseplate with a fine tipped felt marker. Use a sharp #11 blade to remove the covering in this area for the best bond. If using the push-pull system with the rear mounted servo you will only need to glue in the horn assembly on the right side of the rudder (pilot's perspective). If using pull-pull you will need to use both horn sets. 21.
22. Install the rudder horns and base plates into the rudder one side at a time. Clean any excess epoxy from the rudder, recheck the alignment and set the assembly aside to dry. Remember to only install the right side horn if using push-pull! 23. Locate the 2mm ball link from the tailwheel hardware bag. There is a predrilled hole to accept the shaft of the ball link. Scuff the shaft of the ball link and glue it into the hole with epoxy as shown below.
24. Next install the rudder hinges using the same procedure as with the Ailerons and Elevators. Use painters tape to hold the rudder in place while the epoxy dries. 25. Disassemble the tailwheel assembly and use a rotary tool or a small file to create a flat spot on the tailwheel wire for the set screws in the aluminum cap to seat against. Reassemble the unit and apply Loctite to the threads on the setscrews. Slide the tailwheel onto the wire and secure with the included wheel collars. 26.
27. If using the pull-pull setup now is the time to install the pull-pull rudder cables. Install the cable onto the brass threaded connector as shown, using the aluminum crimp tube to secure. 28. Install the rudder servo in the designated location in the rudder tray. Electronically center the servo and install the EF 4" pull-pull arm. Secure the cables to the arm as show using 3mm bolts.
29. This picture shows the exit location of the pull-pull cables as well as the attachment to the rudder horns. 30. Here is a photo of the alternate push-pull assembly using the supplied hardware and an EF 1.5" servo arm.
Fuselage Assembly 31. Locate the Carbon Fiber main landing gear, 4 x 4mm bolts, lock nuts and washers. Place the landing gear onto the landing gear plate on the bottom of the fuse and align the 4 holes. Use a metric driver to attach the gear, securing with the 4 bolts, washers and nylon insert locking nuts inside the fuselage. 32. Trail fit the landing gear fairings and when satisfied with fit secure with Goop style silicon glue. Tape in position until dry.
33. Locate the 2 axles, 2 locking nuts, 2 washers, 2 wheels, 4 wheel collars and 2 wheel pants. Place the threaded portion of the axle through the hole in the landing gear, place a washer onto the axle and secure the axle with a locking nut. Repeat this process for the second wheel axle. 34. Install one wheel collar on the axel first in order to center the wheel in the wheel pant. Next, slide the wheel onto the axel and secure the wheel with the second wheel collar.
35. Install the wheel pant using the supplied 3mm bolts and washers as shown in the picture below. As always, use blue Loctite on ALL bolts! Repeat this process for the remaining wheel pant.
36. Next we’ll install the engine. We have made this process very easy, especially if using the recommended DA-70. There are laser scribed marks for mounting the DA-70, only requiring that you drill to accept 1/4-20 mounting bolts. The center and offset marks have been scribed into the front of the firewall with a laser to align mounting templates for other makes of engine.
38. Install your choice of muffler system. Below are photos of a 2 into 1 canister install and stock muffler install. Plywood canister mounts are included in the hardware package.
39. The Laser includea a set of fiberglass baffles that are to be installed in the lower half of the cowl. Scuff the exterioir edges of the baffle and glue in place with epoxy or Goop.
The Xpwr 60 Brushless Electric Outrunner from Extreme Flight is also an excellent powerplant for the Laser, producing gobs of clean quiet power rivaling that of the DA-70. We sell a set of Blazing Star XL standoffs that make mounting the Xpwr 60 very easy. Below is a photo of the Xpwr 60 installed in the Laser along with our recommended ESC, the Castle Creations HV160. Make sure to use firmware version 4.22 for best results! The Xoar 24x12 PJN is the ideal prop for this setup.
40. Next, install the throttle servo in the pre-cut servo hole located in the bottom of the motor box. Locate the 2mm pushrod and ball link and EZ connector to fabricate the throttle linkage. 41. Install the ignition unit and regulator on the side of the engine box or under the engine box lid using Velcro or nylon cable ties. Make sure to put a piece of foam under the unit to prevent damage from vibration. 42. Install an Extreme Flight Flowmaster 24 oz.
43. Install your switches, batteries and receiver. There are suggested switch mounting locations laser scribed in the fuselage sides visible from the interior of the fuselage. Since switch sizes vary, use a template to ensure you cut the proper size hole for your specific switch. Also, carefully choose the locations to mount your batteries to help achieve correct center of gravity. 44. Once all tank plumbing is finished install the motor box lid with 4 screws. 45.
46. Secure the top portion of the cowl to the airframe using 2 3mm bolts inserted through the F1 former and into the blind nuts in the cowl ring. 47. Add the remaining bolts to secure the top of the cowl to the lower portion.
48. Attach a 36 inch EF 20 awg servo extensions to each elevator servo lead. If you plan to remove the stabs for transport, you will need to use 48 inch extensions. Secure with EF Servo Safety Clips or heat shrink tubing. Slide the stab halves onto the carbon fiber stab tube and secure with a 3mm bolt and washer inserted through the mounting tabs and into the pre-mounted blind nuts. Make sure to use a drop of blue Loctite on these bolts. 49.
Set-up and trimming Besides basic assembly, this is the most important part of preparing your airplane for flight. It can also be the most time consuming, but once your plane is properly dialed in you will agree it was time well spent. One of the most practical ways to check the CG on an aircraft this size is to insert the carbon fiber wing tube into its sleeve in the fuselage and tie a length of rope around the tube on each side of the fuselage, forming a loop that you can pick the aircraft up with.
This completes the assembly of the 91 inch Laser EXP. As a final step clean the entire aircraft with glass cleaner, then apply a coat of spray-on wax and buff the finish to a high gloss. My favorite product for this is Eagle One Wet Wax AS-U-DRY, available in the automotive section of most Wal-Marts, K-marts, Sears, Targets, etc. People often ask me at trade shows how I get the planes to look so shiny, this is my secret. You may wish to apply all of your graphics before applying the coat of wax.
