Christchurch and District Model Flying Club
sloping off

Apache

Revisited by Terry Antell

Not one Indian or cowboy in sight, the only cowboy is the builder!

This is the third SAS “Apache”, by Alan Head that I’ve built. The first one was at least 20 years ago. Yes, a lovely 62 inch wing span slope soarer. My first one had a black Plura fuselage. Plura was a plastic material that only came in black; it resembled black plastic rainwater pipe! Not the lightest material but immensely strong. The only way to fix ANYTHING to it was with screws as it had a waxy feel to it.

Alan Head was unable to continue using this, so changed to epoxy and fibre-glass. My second Apache had one of these fuselages’.

The model was designed for slope pylon racing, doing well in its day. Of course, it was soon out classed by other specially designed racing models. I loved the smooth flying characteristics plus its all round aerobatic abilities. I still had this model but wanted a new one even though they hadn’t been produced for many, many years. I gave it to (the late) David Enticott who really seemed to enjoy the model’s capabilities.

 Having placed an advert on the BMFA website in the Wanted section, I received an email from a chap living in Kinross, Scotland. He had a new Apache still in its original box and untouched. The deal was done!! A few days later she arrived.

The model was designed to have one servo set in the centre of the wing operating the ailerons using bent wire. My first model was flown like this as servos were far more expensive 20 years ago. The elevator servo was fixed in the fuz. Just aileron/elevator control. My last Apache had 2 servos next to each other in the centre of the wing, still using the bent operating rods for aileron control.

This time I bought 2 Hitec all metal geared wing servos and one Hitec small (not mini or micro) all metal geared servo. These will work efficiently using 6 volts! My new radio is a Spectrum DX7 on 2.4 GHz. The receivers can take up to 9.5 volts. I know this model requires nose weight to bring the C of G to the design position so opted for a 5 cell 2700mah NiMH battery.

I made cut outs in the blue foam veneered wing panels for the servos and fixed them using U-Hu POR glue. The ailerons are veneered blue foam too so I let a small section of balsa wood in each aileron where the control horns would be fixed. Next, glue the hardwood leading edge and balsa sub-trailing edges, plus the aileron balsa leading edges using aliphatic resin? This is waterproof when dry and can be sanded as it isn’t too hard, unlike white bond glue or epoxy. Shape the leading and trailing edges then glue the two wing halves together (aliphatic again). When all dry bind the centre with the 2 inch wide glass bandage supplied. The small pots of 5 hour epoxy were still in a wonderful condition but I opted for new epoxy. The cables had been fed through the wing halves prior to joining. This model doesn’t have a spar!!  Well it does now because the wing had been weakened by my cutting into the veneer. 1/32 ply was used to strengthen the finished wing.

The fuselage comes in its clear epoxy state and doesn’t look too pretty. I HATE using spray paint cos more goes on the walls than the model, it needs lots of coats to cover well and runs like hell (it does when I do it!).  Hammeright one coat white gloss was used. Okay, not the lightest paint but only one coat does the job. The canopy, which is all part of the fuselage, I painted black using a small tin of acrylic paint from Channel 4 Models. A small servo tray made from plywood holds the elevator servo in place.

The elevator and vertical fin (no rudder) are both balsa wood and require shaping then gluing using epoxy.

This model is a low wing configuration with the wing bolting to the fuz from the bottom. Supplied are two white plastic bolts which experience has shown shear off as they touch the ground on landing. I used two 4mm stainless steel bolts and two flat penny washers the same as I did on the last model model.

The photos may look a little brown for those looking at them on our club website. If you are reading this in printed format the wing and tail feathers are covered using Profilm Day Glow Orange, they look great in black & white, don’t they?

She still required lead up front for the correct balance point to be established. The design weight is 60oz; my model came out a tad under 59oz.

She has flown, giving pleasing responses and a sense of achievement for me.

Nostalgia and experience spurred me into building this model and I’m so glad I did. It is much stronger than any RTF model that I know of.

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