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How to Set a Up Gas Engine RC Airplane

A gas engine remote-controlled airplane is a complex piece of machinery. Capable of high-speed aerial maneuvers, your RC airplane needs proper setup in order to perform. If this is not properly done, the plane is doomed to a short life span capped by a crushing crash. The setup process requires you to place the components that operate the aircraft securely in the body of the plane and then to connect the components correctly. Once you've completed the setup process, your airplane should be ready for hours of trouble-free flight, limited only by your ability with the radio transmitter and not by the placement or connectivity of the airplane's components.

Things You'll Need

RC airplane
1/8-inch plywood sheet
Wood glue
Engine mount
Metal epoxy
Gas engine
Screws
Engine exhaust system
Gas tank
Electric speed control
Radio receiver
Servos
Control horns
Pushrods
Battery pack
Propeller

Instructions

- 1
  Place a single panel of plywood between the body of the aircraft and you engine mount to serve as a firewall from the heat of the engine. Glue the plywood in place using wood glue, taping it to the body overnight for the glue to completely dry.
- 2
  Install an engine mount designed specifically for your chosen aircraft engine to the front of the aircraft. Screw the engine mount into place using the plywood as an anchor for the screws. Place a layer of metal epoxy over the firewall and the nose of the aircraft to strengthen the plywood and to prevent fuel or oil spills from loosening the glue.
- 3
  Mount the engine to the airplane by screwing it to the engine mount. Connect the exhaust system to the engine including the muffler, and then install the gas tank inside the body of your aircraft's fuselage, securing it in place with epoxy glue. Run a fuel line from the tank to the engine.
- 4
  Install the electronics for your airplane. Place the electric speed controller and the radio receiver into the body of your airplane. Install the servos along the airplane fuselage, using double-sided tape to hold them in place. Follow the airplane manufacturer's instructions for servo placement location. Glue the control horns to the movable parts of the aircraft with the epoxy glue. Hook the pushrods between the arms on the remote control servos and the control horns on the various airplane parts each servo is meant to control. Test the moving parts by pushing on the servo arms to make sure the pushrods move the airplane parts. Plug the servos, and electric speed controller to the radio receiver, and then plug the engine into the electric speed controller.
- 5
  Install the battery that powers the airplane's electronics system in the fuselage and mount the propeller to the engine, securing it with the propeller nut or nose cone.

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