Yellow Aircraft CAP 232

.30-size aerobatic ARF

The French have made numerous contributions to aviation, and the CAP 232 is certainly among the most noteworthy, A revised version of the CAP 231 EX, the full-size CAP 232 featured a state-of-the-art wing that was stronger, stiffer and lighter than that found on the 231. The lighter wing produced less Inertia for improved handling characteristics and nced precision performance.

Yellow Aircraft's almost-ready-to-fly CAP 232 is a nicely built and finished .30-size reproduction of that now legendary aerobat, and its outstanding aerobatics capabilities accurately reflect those of its full-scale counterpart For those who want a bit larger aerobat, Yellow also offers its CAP 232 ARF in 1.20- and .60-size versions with various trim schemes.

TAKEOFF AND LANDING

Ground handling is excellent on a paved runway. At 1/2 throttle, the tail rises after about 20 feet, and with gentle up-elevator, it's airborne. The CAP requires nominal trim adjustments (two clicks of down-elevator and one click of right aileron) to achieve straight and level flight.

Landings are fairly easy: I line the model up with the end of the runway, decrease to about 1/4 throttle, and the plane settles right in. When the wheels touch ground, the tail stays in the air for about 25 feet and then slowly drops.

LOW-SPEED PERFORMANCE

All surfaces remain very reactive at slow speeds. I brought it up to a safe altitude to test for stall characteristics. As expected, the nose dropped; there was no tendency to tip-stall.

HIGH-SPEED PERFORMANCE

The CAP's high-speed performance is impressive. It tracks solidly, even in a lymph crosswind.

AEROBATICS

I was exceptionally pleased with the Yellow Aircraft CAP 232's aerobatic performance. Powered vertical maneuvers are flawless, and with the O.S. Max .32 SX. the model can easily perform 150-foot loops. Stall turns are crisp with full rudder deflection. Split-Ss and Immelmann turns are also clean.

With the throws set per the manufacturer's recommendations, the roll rate is about once every two seconds; the rolls remain true to the axle. Spins and snap rolls are very brisk and tight. Inverted flight requires a little down-elevator. and though inverted loops are not quite as large as those performed right-side up, the CAP 232 steadily holds knife-edge flight (in both directions) over the entire length of the runway, with no unwanted pitch or yaw.

THE KIT

The Yellow CAP 232 ARF comes in a very complete package that includes a fiberglass cowl, wheel pants, a vacuum-formed canopy, aircraft-grade aluminum landing gear, a complete hardware package, a nylon spinner, a fuel tank, an engine mount and decals. Each major piece is individually packaged in a clear plastic bag, and every part is easy to identify. The 19-page manual is easy to read, well laid out and full of high-quality illustrations. You have only to supply the engine, radio, prop and fuel tubing to get it into the air.

ASSEMBLY

Wing. Assembly of the CAP moves very quickly. It begins with the installation of the aileron servos in each wing panel; they are set inside plywood trays. Following the instructions, I snaked the servo leads through the center section of the wing; they exit the wing through the holes on top.

Connect the wing halves using the supplied plywood joiner. I applied Zap Glue's 30-minute Z-Poxy to the joiner and root ribs for a solid bond and used 1 1/2-inchwide pieces of fiberglass tape to help strengthen the wing joint. I cut away some of the covering and then used Zap thin CA to attach the fiberglass tape to the wood. When the assembly had dried, I sanded the tape and ironed the included strips of covering over the fiberglass to hide it. Four pinned nylon hinges attach each aileron to the wing; all of the hinge slots come cut. Though the bottom tapers up to the wingtips, the wing has no dihedral. The entire structure is very solid; I even attempted to twist the panels, and there was absolutely no movement.

Fuselage. The fuselage is constructed mainly of 1t-inch plywood and contains five formers in addition to the firewall. The first step in the assembly of the fuselage is to attach the one-piece aluminum landing gear. I attached it to the bottom of the fuselage with the four provided screws. The screws pass through a plywood plate and are held in place with blind nuts. The provided 2-inch wheels fit nicely in the wheel pants, but Srk inch of the wheels remains exposed, and this can be problematic if you take off from a grass runway. In addition, the color of the wheel pants does not perfectly match the trim on the rest of the model, so for both these reasons, I eventually removed the wheel pants altogether. According to the owner's manual, the axle and some epoxy are supposed to hold the wheel pants in place, but I was not completely comfortable with this arrangement, so I added a 2-56 screw and locknut to further secure each wheel pant to the gear.

Next, I used 5-minute Z-Poxy to attach the stabilizer and fin to the fuselage. The owner's manual does a good job of explaining how to properly align the stabilizer. Six pinned nylon hinges secure the elevator halves, and three hinges hold the rudder in place. The shock-absorbing tailwheel assembly should be mounted on the aft end of the fuselage.