Hangar 9: Cessna 182 Skylane

Gorgeous giant-scale gem

When Cessna introduced the first 182 Skylane in 1956, it set the standard for multipurpose, single-engine light airplanes. With its powerful engine, roomy cockpit and forgiving flight characteristics, the 182 has been a favorite among pilots for many years.

The Hangar 9 Cessna 182 ARF is an easy-to-assemble, detailed reproduction of this. The kit features bulit-up balsa and plywood construction, numerous scale details and a complete hardware package-truly a deluxe kit. Modeled after the 2000 Skylane, this IMAA-legal model is certain to please those who are looking for something a little different and want to impress their fellow aviators.

THE BASICS

The fuselage, wings and tail feathers are built up and fully sheeted with balsa. The elevator, ailerons and flap surfaces are finished with plastic corrugations. I contacted the folks at Hangar 9 when I noticed a small hole in the left flap, and they promptly sent me a new one.

The cabin area comprises a moldedplastic piece glued to a balsa and plywood substructure. The plane comes with plastic, formed strut fairings, seats and windows and a fiberglass cowl, tail cone and wheel pants. The airframe is adorned with a scale trim scheme and is covered in white Ultracote. The instrument panel and Skylane markings are provided on a self-adhesive decal sheet.

The hardware package includes bolts, screws, CA hinges, hinge points, landing gear, control horns and linkages, a fuel tank and an engine mount-nearly everything you need to finish the airframe. An aluminum spar tube and airfoiled aluminum struts are provided for wing attachment. The 50-page instruction manual is one of the finest I have seen and features nearly 200 photos to clearly detail every step of assembly.

ASSEMBLING THE WING

To complete the wings, you must hinge the ailerons and flaps and install the servos and linkages. Using the supplied hinge points, attach the scale flaps; they're actuated by concealed linkages. CA hinges are provided for the ailerons. The aileron pushrods and control horns are the only exposed linkages on the model. opted to replace the supplied nylon control horns with Du-Bro adjustable control horns because they're easier to install.

The servos are mounted on plywood hatches and neatly concealed in the wings. I had to remove a small portion of the mounting rails to achieve proper clearance for the servos. You'll need two, 24-inch servo-extension wires to connect the aileron servos to a standard Y-harness.

Setting up the flaps requires that the servos move in opposite directions. A reversed Y-harness easily achieves this and eliminates the need for additional extension wires. You can also reverse one of the flap servos using a computer radio to slave an auxiliary channel to the main flap channel. If you choose this option, you'll need two, 12-inch extension wires.

TAIL-FEATHER INSTALLATION

You must remove a portion of covering from the stabilizer's center section before you epoxy it into the provided balsa saddles. Carefully align the fin and glue it to the top of the fuselage. A notch in the rear of the fuselage and stabilizer keep the fin accurately positioned. I had to deepen this notch slightly to seat the fin properly.

The elevator halves are controlled by a metal control horn that arrives welded to a single torque rod. The rudder uses a single aileron-type torque rod. My only complaint with this kit was that the rudder's short torque-rod arm and its angle of movement created approximately ±¼ inch of play. Although I appreciate that both linkages are completely concealed, I would have preferred a slightly tighter setup on the rudder. Despite this concern, I haven't encountered any problems during flight.

FUSELAGE

Most of the construction centers on the fuselage. The first step is to position the wing, which rides on an aluminum-tube spar and to mount the struts and fairings. Each panel is retained by a single ¼-20 nylon bolt and aligned by two antirotation pins. You must drill the struts and mount them on the fuselage. Factory-installed T-nuts in each wing panel and in the fuselage sides accept the 4-40 retaining bolts. I decided to use screws instead of glue to secure the plastic strut fairings because this is how they are attached on the full-scale 182.

The instruction manual details how to mount the Zenoah G-26. After 1 had drilled the mounting plate, I bolted the engine to the firewall with four 8-32 bolts and T-nuts. I used ¾-inch pine blocks as standoffs to provide the proper distance between the engine and the firewall. I mounted the throttle servo in the enginemounting box so that I'd have easier access to the throttle linkage.

Pass the two-piece, ¼inch-thick aluminum main gear through two openings in the side of the fuselage and bolt it to the internal plywood plate. All the hardware necessary to attach the wheels and wheel pants is provided. A fiberglass wheel pant comes mounted to the nose gear. After I opened the base of the pant slightly with a Dremel Moto-Tool, I was able to mount the nosewheel on the bracket easily.