HOW-TO: Canard LiteSTICK

Here are Ed's instructions for building the canard:
I used a standard sharp knife to cut through the foam and make simple 1-inch wide ailerons for roll control. The hinges are Scotch tape. I used inner nyrod for the two bearings and another section glued to the aileron that the tip of the torque rod slips into. Torque rods are solid aluminum welding rod about 3/32 inch in diameter. The connection to the servo linkage is via a couple of 1-inch pieces of 1/2A silicon tubing into another length of aluminum rod to servo - allows easy adjustment and costs next to nothing. Z-bends (piano wire, .032) are used at the servo (shrink sleeving the wire and rod together). Use a long servo arm - for lots of throw to maneuver at slow speeds.

The canard has two 1/64th ply strips about 1/2" wide glued on both sides. Two holes to fit the are drilled equal distance from leading and trailing edge of canard. The canard and elevator are seperated and the elevator beveled and attached with Scotch tape. Remember that the elevator works BACKWARDS so the bevel should be on top not on the bottom. Take a 1" section of air line from air retracts (fuel tubing will also work just fine) and punch a hole in center and slide the tubing down the rear vertical post to form the sway brace for the canard. The one grommet of the elevator servo is slid down over the front post and the base of the servo is lightly glued to the fuselage.

Use two pieces of fuel tubing pushed down each of the canard posts about a 1/2". Slide the canard down and seat it against the fuel tubing, then slide two 1/8" pieces of tubing over the rods trapping the canard. I made the sway braces from .07 carbon rod. They slide into the tubing and are then glued to the wing holding everthing in alignment. Everything is subject to easy removal and infinite adjustment. The canard has about 5 deg. more positive incidence than the wing. REMEMBER THAT THE ELEVATOR GOES DOWN FOR YOU TO GO UP!

I used the tallest wing mount forward and the middle one at the rear. I replaced the bamboo wing rods with 1/8th carbon rod. A third mount was modified to hold the gear. Nothing is glued from the leading edge aft (including the motor). Position the receiver and battery packs as needed for proper CG.

The nose gear is .08 carbon rod with a wire axle tied to the carbon with thread and heatshrink over that for looks. Nose wheel is 1 3/8" Peck (I didn't have the small GWS wheel available so I had to use what was at hand).

The rudders fit in slots cut in wing and glued with foam friendly CA. It should not matter where and it could even be on wingtips as long as they are parallel with each other.

The C/G is 1" forward of leading edge but none of the measurements are overly critical. Just get close and let the bird do the work for ya.

Takeoffs are hands off, go to 'burner and let the vehicle fly off. On 6 cells takeoff is less than 10 feet, on 8 cells it levitates.

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