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Above: A top view of the airplaneshows the wing, stabilizer, andelevator.

Author and designer Tim Bailiff isfrom Riverside CA.

Front YardCanard CANARDS ARE distinctive airplanes.

Unlike most aircraft, the horizontalstabilizer and elevator are mounted infront of the wings. That’s uncommonto see flying today; however, theWright brothers’ airplane had such adesign.

For this project, I used two RevellSuper Stratosphere kits to build asingle tricycle-gear, pusher canard.Utilizing a tiny Spektrum AR6400DSM2 receiver brick, I kept this littlemodel lightweight, easy to control, anda blast to fly!

My only real problem was what toname it. Flying the airplane in my frontyard, I had an epiphany and it came tobe called the Front Yard Canard.

Gathering the GoodsLocate and purchase two Revell

Super Stratosphere rubber-poweredglider kits, available at many hobbyand toy stores or readily available

by Tim Bailiff

September 2011 39

A view from behind shows the 2.3-gram motor and motor-mount details.

A close fly-by shows the detailedunderside of the aircraft.

online. Generally they are offered in red andblue, still packaged in their traditionalplastic bags.

Try to buy only those that have nice, firmbalsa, without any noticeable warps, breaks,or cracks. One trick I use is to pick from theback of the rack where they are less likely tohave been mishandled or possibly dropped. Ibuy more kits than needed to help increasemy odds of getting sound pieces, and maybehave more parts for another project!

Once you’re securely locked into yourwork lair, open the plastic packages andinspect them. If an essential piece is broken,use fast or thin CA to mend it. Use a lightspray of kicker as well.

From this point on, the printedinstructions on the kits are useless. You aregoing to build a different airplane. Anyreference to “the plan” will mean the “FrontYard Canard” plan.

Landing gear: Once you have chosen thenicest fuselage from your kits, cut off thewire rubber-band hook from the underside.

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The underside of the forward fuselage showing the Spektrum AR6400 ultramicroreceiver, Li-Poly battery, three-wire lead, carbon-fiber pushrod, and nose gearattachment.

The underside of wing shows the aileronlinkage with servo arm bell crank, .032-inchmusic wire pushrods, and 1/16 plywoodaileron horns.

Carefully remove the remaining wire from the topsidewith a pair of pliers. From here on, the rear of thefuselage is the front.

Take one of the kit’s landing gear and using the plan,straighten the wire and cut to length. Leave a singleblue wheel attached. Push the wire up several inchesthrough the bottom of the fuselage, using the same holethe rubber band hook occupied.

Align the wheel with the fuselage then bend the wireprotruding from the top, as indicated on the plans so itresembles the top portion of the rubber band hook wireyou removed. Pull the nose gear wire back down so thebent portion nests neatly into the top of the fuselage.

Check the alignment and when satisfied, soak bothtop and bottom with thin CA. Allow it to absorb into thebalsa before using a light spray of kicker. Check theblue wheel itself and bend the axle portion of the wireas necessary to align vertically.

To make the main landing gear, use the entireremaining gear from your kits. Change the bend slightlyby gently squeezing the wire together at the top leavinga slight gap. Slightly beyond where the wire bends fromhorizontal to vertical, hold the wire together with sixtight wraps of Kevlar or upholstery thread. Use a dropof the CA to secure the thread as shown in the photos.

Locate the spot on the fuselage to which the maingear will attach as shown in the plans. The top facesforward and is located on the bottom ahead of the wing.To secure the gear in place I used a small piece ofnylon servo arm and two #0 x ¼ screws. This gentle left turn is set against the clear, blue California sky.

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Main landing gear detail shows the Kevlar wrap, servo arm hold down, and #0 x ¼screws.

Two Revell Super Stratosphere rubber-poweredglider kits are combined to construct the Front YardCanard.

The Front Yard Canard is an ingeniouslittle airplane and we asked Tim to provide usa video to allow readers to fully appreciate his

See the Canard fly!

Again, strengthen this area of thefuselage by saturating it with thin CA.Mount the main gear then remove it beforeusing the CA to help strengthen the screwhole.

After reattaching, spread the main gearout so that the fuselage sits level with yourworkbench. Bend the axle portions down sothe wheels remain vertical.

Wing: Note that the wing has one edgeswept, while the other edge is straight. Turnit so that the straight edge is facing back,print side up, and slide it into the wing slot,giving your wings a slightly swept-backappearance. The fuselage is now reversedwith the single nose wheel toward the front.

Slide the wing all the way back. When itis centered and straight, glue it in placeusing thin CA.

Now cut your ailerons from the otherremaining wing. Measure and mark ½ inchback from the tapered side of the wing at thewingtips. Carefully cut from one markedwing tip to the other using a straightedge.This narrow piece will be 1¼-inch wide atthe center and taper to ½ inch at the tips.

Cut the two ailerons from it followingthe plans. You will be hinging the straightedge of the ailerons with the wing’s straightTE. Try to align the printed patterns on each.

Sand a 45° angle into the underside of theailerons’ LEs, allowing them to move freelyand not bind. Cut two 9- x ½-inch strips of

creation. The video is located on the Model Aviation Online website; just click on“Exclusive Online Features” to find it.

Enjoy the show! MA—MA Staff

Sources:

Model Aviation Onlinewww.modelaviation.com

Front Yard Canard

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September 2011 43

Blenderm tape to hinge them to the wing.Leave a 1/32-inch gap between the wing andaileron.

It’s time to give your wing its airfoilshape. Begin by lightly dampening the topand bottom with water. Hold a slightundercamber bend in the wing as it dries.Refer to the plans airfoil template for theproper shape and bend location.

You may find it helpful to use a hairdryer to decrease the drying time, but don’toverdo the heat. Make sure the LE and TEremain straight. Ensure each wing has thesame shape and amount of airfoil.

Stabilizer and elevator: The distinctivefeature about a canard is that the horizontalstabilizer and elevator are in the front. Usethe stabilizer slot as provided in the front.Note that the slot is cut at an angle. TheFront Yard Canard requires the stabilizer tohave that same positive angle of attack.

Turn the stabilizer around so that thestraight edge faces back so that the elevatorwill have a straight edge on which to hinge.Make sure the stabilizer is centered andstraight and then glue into place.

The elevator is constructed from theremaining stabilizer taken from the secondRevell kit. Use the plans to cut the elevatorto size and then in half. When cutting thetwo elevator halves to length, removeroughly ¼ inch of balsa from the center.Ensure that the tips are flush so the printedpatterns line up.

Temporarily tape the two elevatorhalves to the stabilizer. Make sure neitherone touches the fuselage. You wantroughly 1/16-inch clearance, so trim asnecessary. Now remove them and set aside.

The two halves will be connected byusing a ¾-inch toothpick bridge. Cut a holethrough the fuselage using a small hobbyknife. Refer to the plans for the proper size,location, and shape. Temporarily tape theelevator halves back onto the stabilizer andposition them carefully as if ready to hinge.

Cut the toothpick to length and pass itthrough the hole as shown in the plans.Trim enough balsa from the elevator LEs tofit the toothpick into place and glue thetoothpick in place with medium CA. Cutand place the 1/16-inch balsa doublers onthe underside of the elevator halves. Aftergluing is complete, hinge your elevatorusing ½-inch strips of Blenderm tapeleaving a 1/32-inch gap to allow the elevatorto move easily.

Fin: When you mount the fin, leaveenough room behind it for the motormount to slide on. Place one of the blueplastic propeller units onto back of theairplane, sliding it all the way on. Cut ashallow slot for the fin on top of thefuselage, just ahead of the blue plasticpropeller unit. Use the bottom of the fin todetermine the length.

Remove enough balsa to allow for asnug fit, position correctly, remove theplastic unit, and glue it into place usingthin CA.

Fuselage: Now you want to reinforce thefront of the fuselage. The slit in the top ofthe fuselage is where the fin was originallydesigned to fit. Because you removedadditional balsa, it has become a weakspot.

To reinforce this area, insert a 2½-inchpiece of .080-inch carbon-fiber rodlengthwise into this slot. Test-fit and trimas necessary then glue into place using thinCA. Allow the glue to slowly wick inunder the rod, saturating the wood withoutletting it drip.

Motor mount: To modify the motormount, use the same blue plastic propellerunit that you used during the finplacement. Cut the propeller shaft supportsoff flush to remove the propeller, leaving asmall, hollow plastic box. The front of theunit angles down; you want that samedownthrust for your motor.

Employing a piece of 1/8 plywood,make a ¾- x ¼-inch crossbar at the top ofthe plastic unit. Refer to the plans andpictures for the proper shape.

Lightly sand the top of the plastic unitfor better adhesion and squarely glue thecrossbar in place. Tilt it slightly to keepthe same downthrust and slide the entireunit onto the back of the fuselage and gluein place with thin CA.Micro motor: I chose an AP-02 7000kV2.3-gram brushless micro motor fromHobbyKing.com. It has a three-point mountbuilt onto the motor housing. Use twomounting points for the top crossbar andthe third in the center of the plastic unit.Mount the motor with three #0 x ¼ screws.Drill small pilot holes to avoid possiblesplitting.

I used a GWS 3020 3 x 2 propeller.Turn it backward and press it directly ontothe propeller shaft so that the writing on thepropeller faces forward. Don’t bend thepropeller shaft or damage the micro motorby pressing too hard. Use a needle-sizedrill to enlarge the hole in the propeller ifnecessary. It should fit snugly, but notextremely tight.

Electronics: The main electroniccomponent is the Spektrum AR6400DSM2. The AR6400 is a tiny receiver, twotiny linear servos (rudder and elevator), anda micro brushed speed control built ontoone circuit board. I paired this “brick” witha DP-3A 1-gram, single-cell Li-Polybrushless speed controller.

I taped a Turnigy Nano-Tech 160 mAh,1S Li-Poly single-cell battery to thefuselage behind the front landing gear witha strip of blue painter’s tape.

Mounting the AR6400: Make a servomount from a 2- x ¼-inch piece of 1/16

plywood and sand the ends round. Glue itto the back (flat), center of the AR6400lengthwise. I used 5-minute epoxy becauseit gave me time to center and align theplywood mount. After the glue has dried,

drill one 1/16-inch mounting hole in eachprotruding end.

Mount the brick to the bottom of thefuselage under the front stabilizer, slightlyin front of the landing gear. Mount theplywood to the balsa fuselage with theAR6400 suspended underneath followingthe plans. Temporarily screw it into placewith two #0 x ¼ screws.

Remove it and coat the bottom of thefuselage at this location with thin CA.Allow some glue to seep into the screwholes, but keep them from sealing bypiercing with a pin. Use a light spray ofkicker to set the CA.

Replace the brick and screw it intoplace. It should feel solid and be parallelwith the underside of the stabilizer.

The speed control: First, verify which endof the 1-gram DP-3A controller will pluginto the brick. It will have three pins: onewith a positive symbol, one with a negativesymbol, and one with a signal. The pinswill need to be bent slightly to fit into thethree-position throttle jack at the rear of thebrick, facing backward. Plug in thecontroller accordingly using a small pieceof Blenderm tape to secure it into the jack.

The controller comes with a separatethree-pin plug. Solder a small-gauge, three-wire lead long enough to reach andlikewise solder it onto the motor’s threewire lead.

Insulate all six solder joints with 3/64-inch heat-shrink tubing. Only apply heat tothe tubing at the motor end of the lead fornow, leaving the plug end simply in place.Plug the three-pin plug onto the threeremaining pins protruding from thecontroller.

Beginning at the motor and workingforward, secure the wire to the side of thefuselage with ¼-inch strips of Blenderm,repositioning the wire to the bottom of thefuselage when you reach the LE. As youpass the nose gear, loop the wire down totake up any excess wire.

Control horns: You will need to cut twocontrol horns for the ailerons and one forthe elevator from 1/16 plywood. Check theplans for the correct shapes and locations.

Use medium CA to glue the elevatorhorn in place first. Note its placement withregard to the hinge line and the elevatorservo on the brick.

Next glue the aileron control horns inplace. Place them slightly behind andangling away from their hinge lines toproduce a differential movement in theailerons. You want each to move up morethan the other moves down. This causesmore drag on the up aileron side and helpscreate a coordinated (rudderless) turn.

Cut a small piece of 3/16 plywood toguard the AR6400 brick. Sand it to shapeand glue the guard to the bottom side of theairplane’s nose. This small protrusion willhelp protect the brick.

Pushrods: Make and install four pushrods

and one bellcrank and your Front YardCanard will be finished! You are going touse a nylon servo arm as a bellcrank foryour ailerons. Use the lightest two-arm, 1-inch servo arm you can find. Install it onthe fuselage under the wing as shown inthe plans.

Install it temporarily then remove andsaturate the area with CA, using kicker toset the glue. Place a small washer downthen install bellcrank socket side facingaway from the fuselage bottom using a #0 x ¼ screw. The head of the screwshould fit into the center of the servo arm.

Following the plans, cut and bend two.032-inch piano wire pushrods to connectthe bellcrank to the aileron horns. Bend asmall V into each to help with finaladjustments. Enlarge the holes in thebellcrank as needed.

When the pushrods are connectedproperly the ailerons should be even and inline with the wing’s bottom. The bellcrankshould be perpendicular with the fuselage.

Cut the carbon-fiber pushrod asindicated in the plans. At one end secure ashort piece of .032-inch piano wire thathas a Z bend in it. Bend a small V to helpwith final adjustments. Use eight wraps ofKevlar or upholstery thread for reinforcementand secure it all with a drop of thin CA.

On the other end, attach a short piece ofwire that fits the hole on the rudder servoarm on the brick. I used a thin pin bent intoa Z and secured with thread to the carbon-fiber rod. You can also use .032-inch musicwire, but you will need to enlarge the holeon the brick’s rudder servo arm slightly.

Use a thin pin or music wire for theelevator pushrod. The plans show theappropriate bend.

Attach the pushrods to the aileronbellcrank and elevator horn first.Temporarily unscrew the AR6400. Afterthey are attached, you can easily screw thebrick back down.

Setup: My Spektrum DX7 2.4 GHztransmitter is compatible with any DSM2receiver. Mix the rudder function with theaileron function to make the servos moveproperly.

Now reprogram the function of thebrushed motor jack on the AR6400,enabling the brushless motor controller tooperate properly.

With the transmitter on, move thethrottle level full forward and to the leftcorner. Hold the stick in that position andplug the battery into the AR6400. Thereceiver will blink three times indicatingthe setup change has been accepted.Release the stick and return it to the lowthrottle position.

Check the CG: While the battery isplugged in, place it at the location indicatedon the plans using blue painter’s tape tohold it in place. The CG is shown on theplan. Check your CG starting with thebattery 1¼ inch ahead of the wing, on thefuselage. Move the battery slightly forward

or aft to attain the right balance.

Checklist: It’s time for your final check.Hold the canard, slowly advancing thethrottle to verify the engine is runningproperly. If you find it runs backward,resolder two of the three wires at the three-pin plug that is plugged onto the speedcontroller and shrink the remaining heatshrink tubing at that end.

Check the elevator next. The canard’selevator works in reverse from that of aconventional airplane. It should move downwhen the stick is pulled back and move upwhen the stick is pushed forward. If this isnot the case, correct it using yourtransmitter’s reverse menu.

Adjust the elevator throw’s end points inyour transmitter as well. It should move upand down approximately ½ inch. It canbarely touch the aileron pushrod when in thefull down (up-elevator) position.

Finally check your ailerons. At thefuselage, these should move about 3/8 inchup and ¼ inch down. This “differential” isalready built in. The right aileron moves upand the left moves down when the stick ismoved right and the opposite holds true. Usethe transmitter to electronically reverse yourailerons if necessary.Let’s go fly: It’s time to fly your FrontYard Canard. Expect some attention at theflying field. It’s not every day thatsomeone flies a canard. When your friendsrealize you’re flying a converted rubber-band balsa glider, they will flip. Most ofthem played with these when they werekids, too.

I prefer to set up dual rates before I flyany airplane for the first time. I keep thehigh rate at 100% and set the lower rate at60%. If it’s too touchy, it can be fixedquickly with the flip of a switch.

When you are ready for takeoff, lineyour airplane up with the runway centerline and smoothly advance the throttle tofull. Although you have no rudder, whentrimmed properly, it’s no problem.

Your little Front Yard Canard willquickly accelerate in a straight line. With atouch of up-elevator, it’s off the ground inroughly 8 to 10 feet with a nice briskclimbout.

Get the feel of your new airplane.Based on how you fly, the battery will giveyou between 5 and 10 minutes of flighttime. Your Front Yard Canard will fly aswell or better than most airplanes its size.Try some shallow S turns and a few FigureEights.

After you have the feel, try some fullthrottle maneuvers. I like to fly “threemistakes high.”

For rolls, begin in level flight. Whenready, pull the nose up slightly and thenlay the stick all the way over. You will besurprised at how nicely it will roll.

For loops, again use full throttle. Letthe nose drop to build a little speed, andthen smoothly pull the stick all the wayback. The canard will climb straight upand smoothly over the top. I usually cut

the throttle on the back side just to besafe.

Landing: Landing is a breeze: line up withthe runway and ease back on the throttle.Because it’s so light, a touch of power willkeep you moving nicely. Keep the nosepointed down slightly as you make yourfinal approach, and fly it all the way in.Although distinctly different, it feels lightand responsive all the way down. Justbefore you touch down, pull the throttleoff and gently add up-elevator.

Debriefing: Driveways make excellentrunways, too! If you have room, try flyingthe canard in your own front yard. Usingpartial throttle, this spirited little park flyeris capable of handling light wind. With fullthrottle, it is aerobatic and can loop, roll,and perform all the maneuvers that aconventional aileron/elevator airplane can.

Try it inside as well. The Front YardCanard is agile enough to maneuver easilyin any indoor venue using half throttle.You will have loads of fun performingFigure Eights and executing perfect touch-and-gos.

With all the fun you’ll soon be having,don’t hesitate to buzz the tower! MA

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