76 MODEL AVIATION
AS DID THE original Patriot, Great Planes’ larger Patriot XL offers
the pilot an irresistible combination: the exhilaration of jetlike speeds
and looks.
It is designed for .60-.91 engines and avoids the costs and
complexity of traditional ducted-fan jets by relying on familiar sport
techniques for building and a front-mounted glow engine for speed.
This model can be built so that it uses a standard four-channel control
setup, but there are also provisions for building in wing flaps and
retracts.
First Impressions: The first thing I noticed when I opened the box
was that this was a ready-to-assemble kit. There was a fair amount of
Plane Talk: Great Planes Patriot XL Kit
DENNIS RIDENHOUR
In the middle of a four-point roll the Patriot shows a profile
reminiscent of a Korean-era fighter. Point rolls are crisp, but
extended knife-edge flight takes effort.
With its typical sport-Pattern flight characteristics, Loops, Rolls,
Cuban 8s, and more are easily within the Patriot XL’s capabilities.
A well-mannered “jet” with high-performance benefits and sportmodel
simplicity is a fun building project for any modeler
Above and left: Aluminum-colored MonoKote and LustreKote
paint were used for the base of the Thunderbirds-inspired paint
scheme. Included insignia and star decals make finishing a bit
easier.
11sig3.QXD 9/26/06 11:02 AM Page 76November 2006 77
Engine used: O.S. .91 FX
Propeller: Master Airscrew 11 x 8
three-blade
Fuel: 12-ounce fuel tank, 10%-15% glow
fuel
Radio system: Futaba 6EXA
transmitter, R127DF receiver, seven
S3004 servos
Ready-to-fly weight: 9.2 pounds
Flight duration: Eight to 10 minutes
Test-Model Details
Type: Ready-to-build sport
Pilot skill level: Intermediate
Wingspan: 55 inches
Wing area: 742 square inches
Length: 59.5 inches
Weight: 8.0-8.5 pounds
Wing loading: 25-27 ounces per square
foot
Engine: Two- or four-stroke .60-.91 cu. in.
Radio: Four channels (minimum), six to
nine standard servos
Control options: Flaps, pneumatic
retracts
Materials used in construction: Balsa
and plywood, ABS cowl and fairings
Covering/finish: MonoKote over wood
surfaces; LustreKote paint on cowl, tail
cone, fairings
Street price: $125
Specifications
+
• Easy-to-follow photo-illustrated, 44
page manual.
• Most parts fit well for a die-cut kit.
• Great-flying sport-Pattern design.
• True “jetlike” performance with the
O.S. .91 engine.
• It’s not an ARF. -• Although the die cutting was great
overall, some pieces required a bit of
careful work to remove; I wish they
were laser cut.
• Nose-heavy with a .91; required 7
ounces of weight to balance.
• If using larger engines (.91), propeller
clearance is critical. (See text.)
• The ABS cowl and tail cone are twopiece
units; they take quite a bit of
finish work to come out looking
pleasing.
Pluses and Minuses
You can choose fixed or retractable gear
for the Patriot XL. Additional hardware is
included for flaps, although they weren’t
used on this model.
This is a ready-to-build (RTB) kit. You can go from this point to a
finished airframe in 20-30 hours whether it’s your first build or not.
All of the radio gear in the fuselage is mounted in the rear. It is accessed from the
underside of the fuselage through a hatch.
After a bit of building and sanding, you should end up with an
airframe that looks something like this. The ABS parts are
assembled to fit before covering.
Photos by the author
wood, rolled full-size plans, a decal sheet, and
a few bags of hardware.
You might notice that I cited the lack of
laser-cut parts as a strike against this kit.
This is a minor point. The Patriot XL’s
balsa and plywood parts are die cut and are
overall cleanly made.
However, I had trouble removing several
11sig3.QXD 9/25/06 1:54 PM Page 77The Patriot includes provisions for
Robart retracts—specifically the 605HD
(main) and 607HD (nose) pneumatic
retracts. These are simple to install and far
less “finicky” to set up.
The retract units are constructed with
strong, fiberglass-filled nylon,
incorporating an aluminum bushed cam
mechanism with positive up/down locks.
The struts are 5/32-inch tempered steel and
are quite strong.
Installing them is almost as easy as it
can be. Included are full-size templates for
the mounting surfaces. Just position them,
mark the holes, and drill them. Each gear
is held in with four screws and matching
T-nuts.
On each of the retract units are two
fittings: one is for extending and one is for
retracting. It’s a simple job to hook up the
color-coded hoses to the fittings, Tfittings,
and the control valve which are
included in the accessory kit. Also
included is a valve stem where you can
pressurize the entire system with a hand
pump or any of the 12-volt pumps you’ll
find at a local discount store.
The entire system works off a single
servo which is attached to the control
valve. This valve also has an adjustment
which controls the airflow distributed to
the gear. You can make the gear really
“pop” up and down or slow things down
for more of a realistic speed. MA
—Dennis Ridenhour
78 MODEL AVIATION
In addition to the retractable gear itself,
there is a bit of “plumbing” to route
through the model. It’s easier and less
complex than it looks.
The Robart 605HD and 607HD
pneumatic retracts for the Patriot XL
include everything to equip the model.
Robart HD Pneumatic Retracts
The Patriot XL includes die-cut parts to
easily mount the air tank inside the
turtledeck—a nice touch.
pieces from the sheets. Laser cutting would
solve this problem, but you shouldn’t have
any problems if you take a few extra minutes
with a hobby knife/saw and some sandpaper.
Included was a nicely illustrated
instruction manual that was clear about how
to put everything together. Toward the front
of the manual was a diagram showing all the
names of the die-cut pieces.
Before getting too far into things, be sure
to label each of those die-cut parts. Doing so
at this time can save a great deal of time later.
There were several ABS parts: a two-piece
cowl, a two-piece tail cone, and the left/right
fuselage “intakes” and vertical fin fairing.
There was nothing really special about these
components, but we’ll deal with these later.
Construction: I know I’ve mentioned this
before, but if you’ve never completely built a
kit from balsa and plywood, you don’t know
what you’re missing. Yes, it takes longer than
assembling an ARF does, but in the end you
can have a model that is stronger and lighter
than an ARF might be.
In addition, you can cover it however you
would like. How many times have you passed
over an ARF just because of the color
scheme?
If you take your time, you will end up with
something you will be proud of. You’ll have a
kit that is uniquely yours. Plus you’ll know
how to fix it if Murphy reaches out and zaps
you!
Building starts with the vertical fin and
horizontal stabilizer. The construction is
standard with these two parts, which are made
from various lengths and widths of 3/16 balsa.
The stabilizer and rudder assemblies are then
sheeted with 1/16 sheet, top and bottom.
The rudder and elevator halves are cut,
tapered TE balsa stock and shaped to fit.
Cutouts need to be made for the hinges, and
that’s about it.
Start on the wing panels. Each wing
half is built separately and then joined into
one piece. The wing construction is a
simple rib-and-spar design, which is all
dry assembled. Once everything is in
place, glue the panels together into a nicely
aligned component.
One of the features that makes building
the Patriot XL easier is that shims are part
of the TE and the main spar. These shims
give the proper angle when aligning all the
parts.
After the wing ribs and spars are glued,
apply the sheeting to the top surface.
Around the center half of the wing panel
the sheeting covers the entire surface. The
outer panel only has sheeting on the front
and back parts of the wing, leaving an
open section. Cut capstrips for the ribs in
the open part of the wing.
It’s time to flip the wing over and
install a few more pieces: the retract
mounting rails and hinge blocks. There are
no real surprises here, although you may
have to trim the rib cutouts a bit for the
retract rails.
It’s decision time! If you haven’t
chosen the style of landing gear you want
to install (fixed or retracts), now is the
time. There are provisions for both types,
but at this step there is no turning back.
I picked the retract route and went with
a set of Robart pneumatic retracts: the
605HD sets for the main and a 607HD for
the nose gear. The Patriot was designed for
these specific retracts, although I assume
other types could be used with a bit of
modification.
Fitting the mains requires time with the
Dremel tool. A bit of wood has to be
removed from the retract mounting rails,
as well as from rib R2. Take your time and
trim a little at a time; it’s better to creep up
on it than cut off too much!
Set that wing panel aside and build the
other. Remember to make a left and right
half!
Now you assemble an interesting wing
joiner. Notice I didn’t refer to a dihedral
brace. This part has bumps where it meets
the ribs, but it is straight overall. The
dihedral is set by the root ribs. I had to do
a little trimming and sanding to get this
piece to fit, but once it did I glued the
halves together with 30-minute epoxy.
After all is set up, glue in the center LE
and bolt supports. Apply the bottom
sheeting after making the cutouts for the
main gear. Then it’s time for the final
shaping and sanding of the completed
wing.
The Patriot’s fuselage is fairly
straightforward, using die-cut plywood
sides, bottom, and formers throughout.
Everything locks into place with a minimal
amount of trimming.
The only exception is the area around
the firewall. The firewall is slightly
rounded and requires the fuselage sides to
conform to this bend. It took a bit of
“persuading” to get this to happen.
After the major parts of the fuselage are
11sig3.QXD 9/25/06 1:57 PM Page 78framed up, test-fit the wing to the wing
cradle. Trim as needed and then drill the
holes for the center pins and wing holddown
bolts.
When mounting the nose gear (if using
retracts as I did), you’ll need to make the
gear as long as possible. Using the 2-inch
wheel, as you’ll see later, it takes every bit
of ground clearance possible to keep the
propeller off the ground.
Install the pushrod tubes, routing them
through the path made by the prepunched
holes in the various pieces. Install the
turtledeck. It is a bit flimsy until the sheeting
is applied, so be careful not to snap the
stringers.
I gave the fuselage a good sanding at this
point, rounded off all the corner blocks, and
blended the turtledeck into a smooth unit.
Attach the tail surfaces (stabilizer and
vertical fin). Remember to keep everything
properly aligned while the epoxy is curing.
Extra attention at this step will make a huge
difference in flight performance later.
Engine: This kit calls for a .61-.91 two- or
4-stroke engine. Since this is a model with
“jet-type” performance and I happened to
have an O.S. .91 FX sitting around, well,
why not?
There were no surprises here; the
included mount worked fine. I mounted the.91 on its side, with the muffler extending
below the fuselage.
Radio: The radio installation is unique for
a kit this size. If you read through the
manual’s required-items section, you
might notice that the Patriot XL requires
more servo extensions than is typical; that
is because the majority of the radio is
installed in the rear of the fuselage.
Everything is accessed through a bottom
hatch, which is held in place with one
screw. Designing the Patriot XL with these
items in the back serves two purposes: to
keep the rudder and elevator pushrods
short and to help with the CG balance.
Final Assembly: The ABS parts for the
cowl and tail cone were assembled next.
My first reaction is normally to pitch ABS
parts such as these for my own kits, but
since this was a review model I used them
to see it they matched up and fit properly.
After a great deal of cutting, trimming, and
sanding, you can end up with parts that
work.
However, regardless of how I tried, I
could not get the cowl to mount properly
over the firewall. In the end I cut away a
bit of the corner blocks around the firewall
to make the cowl fit. Looking at the parts,
the radius of the cowling’s corners were
slightly different from what the included
guides showed.
Attaching the side “intakes” is not hard,
but it did cause me some concern. To save
weight there are large holes in the sides of
the fuselage. However, there is little
material to which the side “intakes” can
mount.
I guess you could cover the model and
then glue the pieces on top of the covering,
but I chose to mount the pieces to the
wood itself, giving a better bond. Covering
was trickier, but at least I knew the parts
would stay on in flight!
It was time to cover the airframe. I
choose MonoKote to finish the Patriot XL.
The color scheme is a simplified version of
the model’s shown on the box: all
aluminum with red, white, and blue trim. I
chose to paint all attached ABS parts
before I covered the fuselage.
To complete the Patriot XL, install all
the other bits of hardware: hinges, clevises,
etc. The ailerons, rudder, and elevator are
installed using the supplied cyanoacrylate
hinge material.
Almost the only thing left is to attach
the canopy and apply the decals. I used
many of the included pressure-sensitive
stickers for the stars, insignia, and US Air
Force wording on the side of the fuselage.
With everything finished, the Patriot
XL balanced quite a bit nose-heavy. It
required 7 ounces of tail weight to balance
correctly, bringing the all-up weight to a
hefty 9.2 pounds. It was time to fly!
Flying: After assembly and a quick
preflight check, I was ready to go. I started
the engine and let it warm up, and then Itaxied the model out to the runway,
throttled it up, and in no time the Patriot
was accelerating down the runway.
It took a bit of coaxing to break ground
and way too much up-trim to hold level
flight. I suffered through the flight until
the mandatory flight shots were in the bag,
and then I set the Patriot up for the
landing.
Not having a lot of up-elevator left on
final, I brought the Patriot in a bit hotter
than normal. When the time came to flare,
it slowed nicely, to the point where all the
elevator control was used up and it came
down pretty hard.
At first glance it looked like it had a
broken propeller and a bent gear, but I
found the cause of the problem. The tail
weight had worked its way loose, causing
the nose-heavy condition. Back to the shop.
After repairing the damage, fixing the
scrapes, and securing the tail weight, I was
back at the field a few days later. This time
the Patriot was much better—with
performance exactly as you’d expect.
It handled like a fast sport-Pattern model
and grooved through the sky. The roll rate
was a bit high for my taste and was
corrected on the next flight.
The Patriot flies nicely. Point Rolls are
especially good, but knife edge is a bit
wanting. This model tracks straight through
loops and has a predicable stall, with the
nose dropping and no yaw tendencies.Landings are easy and taxiing with the
tricycle gear is a snap. The only complaint
I have is with the ground clearance. I
chose a three-blade propeller to get the
extra clearance. If you use retracts, a .91
engine, and a two-blade propeller, I don’t
think you’ll have any clearance at all—
pavement benefit included.
The Patriot XL isn’t a quick build, but
it is certainly not complex. A couple
weeks of building, spending a couple
hours a night, will give you smooth,
jetlike performance that’s hard to find in
today’s selection of ARFs.
This model does come out a bit on the
heavy side and ground clearance is
minimal at best. But these problems can
be overcome with a bit of planning. All in
all, this is a great addition to my fleet,
offering me the performance that an Extra
or CAP can’t match. MA
Dennis Ridenhour
Edition: Model Aviation - 2006/11
Page Numbers: 76,77,78,80
Edition: Model Aviation - 2006/11
Page Numbers: 76,77,78,80
76 MODEL AVIATION
AS DID THE original Patriot, Great Planes’ larger Patriot XL offers
the pilot an irresistible combination: the exhilaration of jetlike speeds
and looks.
It is designed for .60-.91 engines and avoids the costs and
complexity of traditional ducted-fan jets by relying on familiar sport
techniques for building and a front-mounted glow engine for speed.
This model can be built so that it uses a standard four-channel control
setup, but there are also provisions for building in wing flaps and
retracts.
First Impressions: The first thing I noticed when I opened the box
was that this was a ready-to-assemble kit. There was a fair amount of
Plane Talk: Great Planes Patriot XL Kit
DENNIS RIDENHOUR
In the middle of a four-point roll the Patriot shows a profile
reminiscent of a Korean-era fighter. Point rolls are crisp, but
extended knife-edge flight takes effort.
With its typical sport-Pattern flight characteristics, Loops, Rolls,
Cuban 8s, and more are easily within the Patriot XL’s capabilities.
A well-mannered “jet” with high-performance benefits and sportmodel
simplicity is a fun building project for any modeler
Above and left: Aluminum-colored MonoKote and LustreKote
paint were used for the base of the Thunderbirds-inspired paint
scheme. Included insignia and star decals make finishing a bit
easier.
11sig3.QXD 9/26/06 11:02 AM Page 76November 2006 77
Engine used: O.S. .91 FX
Propeller: Master Airscrew 11 x 8
three-blade
Fuel: 12-ounce fuel tank, 10%-15% glow
fuel
Radio system: Futaba 6EXA
transmitter, R127DF receiver, seven
S3004 servos
Ready-to-fly weight: 9.2 pounds
Flight duration: Eight to 10 minutes
Test-Model Details
Type: Ready-to-build sport
Pilot skill level: Intermediate
Wingspan: 55 inches
Wing area: 742 square inches
Length: 59.5 inches
Weight: 8.0-8.5 pounds
Wing loading: 25-27 ounces per square
foot
Engine: Two- or four-stroke .60-.91 cu. in.
Radio: Four channels (minimum), six to
nine standard servos
Control options: Flaps, pneumatic
retracts
Materials used in construction: Balsa
and plywood, ABS cowl and fairings
Covering/finish: MonoKote over wood
surfaces; LustreKote paint on cowl, tail
cone, fairings
Street price: $125
Specifications
+
• Easy-to-follow photo-illustrated, 44
page manual.
• Most parts fit well for a die-cut kit.
• Great-flying sport-Pattern design.
• True “jetlike” performance with the
O.S. .91 engine.
• It’s not an ARF. -• Although the die cutting was great
overall, some pieces required a bit of
careful work to remove; I wish they
were laser cut.
• Nose-heavy with a .91; required 7
ounces of weight to balance.
• If using larger engines (.91), propeller
clearance is critical. (See text.)
• The ABS cowl and tail cone are twopiece
units; they take quite a bit of
finish work to come out looking
pleasing.
Pluses and Minuses
You can choose fixed or retractable gear
for the Patriot XL. Additional hardware is
included for flaps, although they weren’t
used on this model.
This is a ready-to-build (RTB) kit. You can go from this point to a
finished airframe in 20-30 hours whether it’s your first build or not.
All of the radio gear in the fuselage is mounted in the rear. It is accessed from the
underside of the fuselage through a hatch.
After a bit of building and sanding, you should end up with an
airframe that looks something like this. The ABS parts are
assembled to fit before covering.
Photos by the author
wood, rolled full-size plans, a decal sheet, and
a few bags of hardware.
You might notice that I cited the lack of
laser-cut parts as a strike against this kit.
This is a minor point. The Patriot XL’s
balsa and plywood parts are die cut and are
overall cleanly made.
However, I had trouble removing several
11sig3.QXD 9/25/06 1:54 PM Page 77The Patriot includes provisions for
Robart retracts—specifically the 605HD
(main) and 607HD (nose) pneumatic
retracts. These are simple to install and far
less “finicky” to set up.
The retract units are constructed with
strong, fiberglass-filled nylon,
incorporating an aluminum bushed cam
mechanism with positive up/down locks.
The struts are 5/32-inch tempered steel and
are quite strong.
Installing them is almost as easy as it
can be. Included are full-size templates for
the mounting surfaces. Just position them,
mark the holes, and drill them. Each gear
is held in with four screws and matching
T-nuts.
On each of the retract units are two
fittings: one is for extending and one is for
retracting. It’s a simple job to hook up the
color-coded hoses to the fittings, Tfittings,
and the control valve which are
included in the accessory kit. Also
included is a valve stem where you can
pressurize the entire system with a hand
pump or any of the 12-volt pumps you’ll
find at a local discount store.
The entire system works off a single
servo which is attached to the control
valve. This valve also has an adjustment
which controls the airflow distributed to
the gear. You can make the gear really
“pop” up and down or slow things down
for more of a realistic speed. MA
—Dennis Ridenhour
78 MODEL AVIATION
In addition to the retractable gear itself,
there is a bit of “plumbing” to route
through the model. It’s easier and less
complex than it looks.
The Robart 605HD and 607HD
pneumatic retracts for the Patriot XL
include everything to equip the model.
Robart HD Pneumatic Retracts
The Patriot XL includes die-cut parts to
easily mount the air tank inside the
turtledeck—a nice touch.
pieces from the sheets. Laser cutting would
solve this problem, but you shouldn’t have
any problems if you take a few extra minutes
with a hobby knife/saw and some sandpaper.
Included was a nicely illustrated
instruction manual that was clear about how
to put everything together. Toward the front
of the manual was a diagram showing all the
names of the die-cut pieces.
Before getting too far into things, be sure
to label each of those die-cut parts. Doing so
at this time can save a great deal of time later.
There were several ABS parts: a two-piece
cowl, a two-piece tail cone, and the left/right
fuselage “intakes” and vertical fin fairing.
There was nothing really special about these
components, but we’ll deal with these later.
Construction: I know I’ve mentioned this
before, but if you’ve never completely built a
kit from balsa and plywood, you don’t know
what you’re missing. Yes, it takes longer than
assembling an ARF does, but in the end you
can have a model that is stronger and lighter
than an ARF might be.
In addition, you can cover it however you
would like. How many times have you passed
over an ARF just because of the color
scheme?
If you take your time, you will end up with
something you will be proud of. You’ll have a
kit that is uniquely yours. Plus you’ll know
how to fix it if Murphy reaches out and zaps
you!
Building starts with the vertical fin and
horizontal stabilizer. The construction is
standard with these two parts, which are made
from various lengths and widths of 3/16 balsa.
The stabilizer and rudder assemblies are then
sheeted with 1/16 sheet, top and bottom.
The rudder and elevator halves are cut,
tapered TE balsa stock and shaped to fit.
Cutouts need to be made for the hinges, and
that’s about it.
Start on the wing panels. Each wing
half is built separately and then joined into
one piece. The wing construction is a
simple rib-and-spar design, which is all
dry assembled. Once everything is in
place, glue the panels together into a nicely
aligned component.
One of the features that makes building
the Patriot XL easier is that shims are part
of the TE and the main spar. These shims
give the proper angle when aligning all the
parts.
After the wing ribs and spars are glued,
apply the sheeting to the top surface.
Around the center half of the wing panel
the sheeting covers the entire surface. The
outer panel only has sheeting on the front
and back parts of the wing, leaving an
open section. Cut capstrips for the ribs in
the open part of the wing.
It’s time to flip the wing over and
install a few more pieces: the retract
mounting rails and hinge blocks. There are
no real surprises here, although you may
have to trim the rib cutouts a bit for the
retract rails.
It’s decision time! If you haven’t
chosen the style of landing gear you want
to install (fixed or retracts), now is the
time. There are provisions for both types,
but at this step there is no turning back.
I picked the retract route and went with
a set of Robart pneumatic retracts: the
605HD sets for the main and a 607HD for
the nose gear. The Patriot was designed for
these specific retracts, although I assume
other types could be used with a bit of
modification.
Fitting the mains requires time with the
Dremel tool. A bit of wood has to be
removed from the retract mounting rails,
as well as from rib R2. Take your time and
trim a little at a time; it’s better to creep up
on it than cut off too much!
Set that wing panel aside and build the
other. Remember to make a left and right
half!
Now you assemble an interesting wing
joiner. Notice I didn’t refer to a dihedral
brace. This part has bumps where it meets
the ribs, but it is straight overall. The
dihedral is set by the root ribs. I had to do
a little trimming and sanding to get this
piece to fit, but once it did I glued the
halves together with 30-minute epoxy.
After all is set up, glue in the center LE
and bolt supports. Apply the bottom
sheeting after making the cutouts for the
main gear. Then it’s time for the final
shaping and sanding of the completed
wing.
The Patriot’s fuselage is fairly
straightforward, using die-cut plywood
sides, bottom, and formers throughout.
Everything locks into place with a minimal
amount of trimming.
The only exception is the area around
the firewall. The firewall is slightly
rounded and requires the fuselage sides to
conform to this bend. It took a bit of
“persuading” to get this to happen.
After the major parts of the fuselage are
11sig3.QXD 9/25/06 1:57 PM Page 78framed up, test-fit the wing to the wing
cradle. Trim as needed and then drill the
holes for the center pins and wing holddown
bolts.
When mounting the nose gear (if using
retracts as I did), you’ll need to make the
gear as long as possible. Using the 2-inch
wheel, as you’ll see later, it takes every bit
of ground clearance possible to keep the
propeller off the ground.
Install the pushrod tubes, routing them
through the path made by the prepunched
holes in the various pieces. Install the
turtledeck. It is a bit flimsy until the sheeting
is applied, so be careful not to snap the
stringers.
I gave the fuselage a good sanding at this
point, rounded off all the corner blocks, and
blended the turtledeck into a smooth unit.
Attach the tail surfaces (stabilizer and
vertical fin). Remember to keep everything
properly aligned while the epoxy is curing.
Extra attention at this step will make a huge
difference in flight performance later.
Engine: This kit calls for a .61-.91 two- or
4-stroke engine. Since this is a model with
“jet-type” performance and I happened to
have an O.S. .91 FX sitting around, well,
why not?
There were no surprises here; the
included mount worked fine. I mounted the.91 on its side, with the muffler extending
below the fuselage.
Radio: The radio installation is unique for
a kit this size. If you read through the
manual’s required-items section, you
might notice that the Patriot XL requires
more servo extensions than is typical; that
is because the majority of the radio is
installed in the rear of the fuselage.
Everything is accessed through a bottom
hatch, which is held in place with one
screw. Designing the Patriot XL with these
items in the back serves two purposes: to
keep the rudder and elevator pushrods
short and to help with the CG balance.
Final Assembly: The ABS parts for the
cowl and tail cone were assembled next.
My first reaction is normally to pitch ABS
parts such as these for my own kits, but
since this was a review model I used them
to see it they matched up and fit properly.
After a great deal of cutting, trimming, and
sanding, you can end up with parts that
work.
However, regardless of how I tried, I
could not get the cowl to mount properly
over the firewall. In the end I cut away a
bit of the corner blocks around the firewall
to make the cowl fit. Looking at the parts,
the radius of the cowling’s corners were
slightly different from what the included
guides showed.
Attaching the side “intakes” is not hard,
but it did cause me some concern. To save
weight there are large holes in the sides of
the fuselage. However, there is little
material to which the side “intakes” can
mount.
I guess you could cover the model and
then glue the pieces on top of the covering,
but I chose to mount the pieces to the
wood itself, giving a better bond. Covering
was trickier, but at least I knew the parts
would stay on in flight!
It was time to cover the airframe. I
choose MonoKote to finish the Patriot XL.
The color scheme is a simplified version of
the model’s shown on the box: all
aluminum with red, white, and blue trim. I
chose to paint all attached ABS parts
before I covered the fuselage.
To complete the Patriot XL, install all
the other bits of hardware: hinges, clevises,
etc. The ailerons, rudder, and elevator are
installed using the supplied cyanoacrylate
hinge material.
Almost the only thing left is to attach
the canopy and apply the decals. I used
many of the included pressure-sensitive
stickers for the stars, insignia, and US Air
Force wording on the side of the fuselage.
With everything finished, the Patriot
XL balanced quite a bit nose-heavy. It
required 7 ounces of tail weight to balance
correctly, bringing the all-up weight to a
hefty 9.2 pounds. It was time to fly!
Flying: After assembly and a quick
preflight check, I was ready to go. I started
the engine and let it warm up, and then Itaxied the model out to the runway,
throttled it up, and in no time the Patriot
was accelerating down the runway.
It took a bit of coaxing to break ground
and way too much up-trim to hold level
flight. I suffered through the flight until
the mandatory flight shots were in the bag,
and then I set the Patriot up for the
landing.
Not having a lot of up-elevator left on
final, I brought the Patriot in a bit hotter
than normal. When the time came to flare,
it slowed nicely, to the point where all the
elevator control was used up and it came
down pretty hard.
At first glance it looked like it had a
broken propeller and a bent gear, but I
found the cause of the problem. The tail
weight had worked its way loose, causing
the nose-heavy condition. Back to the shop.
After repairing the damage, fixing the
scrapes, and securing the tail weight, I was
back at the field a few days later. This time
the Patriot was much better—with
performance exactly as you’d expect.
It handled like a fast sport-Pattern model
and grooved through the sky. The roll rate
was a bit high for my taste and was
corrected on the next flight.
The Patriot flies nicely. Point Rolls are
especially good, but knife edge is a bit
wanting. This model tracks straight through
loops and has a predicable stall, with the
nose dropping and no yaw tendencies.Landings are easy and taxiing with the
tricycle gear is a snap. The only complaint
I have is with the ground clearance. I
chose a three-blade propeller to get the
extra clearance. If you use retracts, a .91
engine, and a two-blade propeller, I don’t
think you’ll have any clearance at all—
pavement benefit included.
The Patriot XL isn’t a quick build, but
it is certainly not complex. A couple
weeks of building, spending a couple
hours a night, will give you smooth,
jetlike performance that’s hard to find in
today’s selection of ARFs.
This model does come out a bit on the
heavy side and ground clearance is
minimal at best. But these problems can
be overcome with a bit of planning. All in
all, this is a great addition to my fleet,
offering me the performance that an Extra
or CAP can’t match. MA
Dennis Ridenhour
Edition: Model Aviation - 2006/11
Page Numbers: 76,77,78,80
76 MODEL AVIATION
AS DID THE original Patriot, Great Planes’ larger Patriot XL offers
the pilot an irresistible combination: the exhilaration of jetlike speeds
and looks.
It is designed for .60-.91 engines and avoids the costs and
complexity of traditional ducted-fan jets by relying on familiar sport
techniques for building and a front-mounted glow engine for speed.
This model can be built so that it uses a standard four-channel control
setup, but there are also provisions for building in wing flaps and
retracts.
First Impressions: The first thing I noticed when I opened the box
was that this was a ready-to-assemble kit. There was a fair amount of
Plane Talk: Great Planes Patriot XL Kit
DENNIS RIDENHOUR
In the middle of a four-point roll the Patriot shows a profile
reminiscent of a Korean-era fighter. Point rolls are crisp, but
extended knife-edge flight takes effort.
With its typical sport-Pattern flight characteristics, Loops, Rolls,
Cuban 8s, and more are easily within the Patriot XL’s capabilities.
A well-mannered “jet” with high-performance benefits and sportmodel
simplicity is a fun building project for any modeler
Above and left: Aluminum-colored MonoKote and LustreKote
paint were used for the base of the Thunderbirds-inspired paint
scheme. Included insignia and star decals make finishing a bit
easier.
11sig3.QXD 9/26/06 11:02 AM Page 76November 2006 77
Engine used: O.S. .91 FX
Propeller: Master Airscrew 11 x 8
three-blade
Fuel: 12-ounce fuel tank, 10%-15% glow
fuel
Radio system: Futaba 6EXA
transmitter, R127DF receiver, seven
S3004 servos
Ready-to-fly weight: 9.2 pounds
Flight duration: Eight to 10 minutes
Test-Model Details
Type: Ready-to-build sport
Pilot skill level: Intermediate
Wingspan: 55 inches
Wing area: 742 square inches
Length: 59.5 inches
Weight: 8.0-8.5 pounds
Wing loading: 25-27 ounces per square
foot
Engine: Two- or four-stroke .60-.91 cu. in.
Radio: Four channels (minimum), six to
nine standard servos
Control options: Flaps, pneumatic
retracts
Materials used in construction: Balsa
and plywood, ABS cowl and fairings
Covering/finish: MonoKote over wood
surfaces; LustreKote paint on cowl, tail
cone, fairings
Street price: $125
Specifications
+
• Easy-to-follow photo-illustrated, 44
page manual.
• Most parts fit well for a die-cut kit.
• Great-flying sport-Pattern design.
• True “jetlike” performance with the
O.S. .91 engine.
• It’s not an ARF. -• Although the die cutting was great
overall, some pieces required a bit of
careful work to remove; I wish they
were laser cut.
• Nose-heavy with a .91; required 7
ounces of weight to balance.
• If using larger engines (.91), propeller
clearance is critical. (See text.)
• The ABS cowl and tail cone are twopiece
units; they take quite a bit of
finish work to come out looking
pleasing.
Pluses and Minuses
You can choose fixed or retractable gear
for the Patriot XL. Additional hardware is
included for flaps, although they weren’t
used on this model.
This is a ready-to-build (RTB) kit. You can go from this point to a
finished airframe in 20-30 hours whether it’s your first build or not.
All of the radio gear in the fuselage is mounted in the rear. It is accessed from the
underside of the fuselage through a hatch.
After a bit of building and sanding, you should end up with an
airframe that looks something like this. The ABS parts are
assembled to fit before covering.
Photos by the author
wood, rolled full-size plans, a decal sheet, and
a few bags of hardware.
You might notice that I cited the lack of
laser-cut parts as a strike against this kit.
This is a minor point. The Patriot XL’s
balsa and plywood parts are die cut and are
overall cleanly made.
However, I had trouble removing several
11sig3.QXD 9/25/06 1:54 PM Page 77The Patriot includes provisions for
Robart retracts—specifically the 605HD
(main) and 607HD (nose) pneumatic
retracts. These are simple to install and far
less “finicky” to set up.
The retract units are constructed with
strong, fiberglass-filled nylon,
incorporating an aluminum bushed cam
mechanism with positive up/down locks.
The struts are 5/32-inch tempered steel and
are quite strong.
Installing them is almost as easy as it
can be. Included are full-size templates for
the mounting surfaces. Just position them,
mark the holes, and drill them. Each gear
is held in with four screws and matching
T-nuts.
On each of the retract units are two
fittings: one is for extending and one is for
retracting. It’s a simple job to hook up the
color-coded hoses to the fittings, Tfittings,
and the control valve which are
included in the accessory kit. Also
included is a valve stem where you can
pressurize the entire system with a hand
pump or any of the 12-volt pumps you’ll
find at a local discount store.
The entire system works off a single
servo which is attached to the control
valve. This valve also has an adjustment
which controls the airflow distributed to
the gear. You can make the gear really
“pop” up and down or slow things down
for more of a realistic speed. MA
—Dennis Ridenhour
78 MODEL AVIATION
In addition to the retractable gear itself,
there is a bit of “plumbing” to route
through the model. It’s easier and less
complex than it looks.
The Robart 605HD and 607HD
pneumatic retracts for the Patriot XL
include everything to equip the model.
Robart HD Pneumatic Retracts
The Patriot XL includes die-cut parts to
easily mount the air tank inside the
turtledeck—a nice touch.
pieces from the sheets. Laser cutting would
solve this problem, but you shouldn’t have
any problems if you take a few extra minutes
with a hobby knife/saw and some sandpaper.
Included was a nicely illustrated
instruction manual that was clear about how
to put everything together. Toward the front
of the manual was a diagram showing all the
names of the die-cut pieces.
Before getting too far into things, be sure
to label each of those die-cut parts. Doing so
at this time can save a great deal of time later.
There were several ABS parts: a two-piece
cowl, a two-piece tail cone, and the left/right
fuselage “intakes” and vertical fin fairing.
There was nothing really special about these
components, but we’ll deal with these later.
Construction: I know I’ve mentioned this
before, but if you’ve never completely built a
kit from balsa and plywood, you don’t know
what you’re missing. Yes, it takes longer than
assembling an ARF does, but in the end you
can have a model that is stronger and lighter
than an ARF might be.
In addition, you can cover it however you
would like. How many times have you passed
over an ARF just because of the color
scheme?
If you take your time, you will end up with
something you will be proud of. You’ll have a
kit that is uniquely yours. Plus you’ll know
how to fix it if Murphy reaches out and zaps
you!
Building starts with the vertical fin and
horizontal stabilizer. The construction is
standard with these two parts, which are made
from various lengths and widths of 3/16 balsa.
The stabilizer and rudder assemblies are then
sheeted with 1/16 sheet, top and bottom.
The rudder and elevator halves are cut,
tapered TE balsa stock and shaped to fit.
Cutouts need to be made for the hinges, and
that’s about it.
Start on the wing panels. Each wing
half is built separately and then joined into
one piece. The wing construction is a
simple rib-and-spar design, which is all
dry assembled. Once everything is in
place, glue the panels together into a nicely
aligned component.
One of the features that makes building
the Patriot XL easier is that shims are part
of the TE and the main spar. These shims
give the proper angle when aligning all the
parts.
After the wing ribs and spars are glued,
apply the sheeting to the top surface.
Around the center half of the wing panel
the sheeting covers the entire surface. The
outer panel only has sheeting on the front
and back parts of the wing, leaving an
open section. Cut capstrips for the ribs in
the open part of the wing.
It’s time to flip the wing over and
install a few more pieces: the retract
mounting rails and hinge blocks. There are
no real surprises here, although you may
have to trim the rib cutouts a bit for the
retract rails.
It’s decision time! If you haven’t
chosen the style of landing gear you want
to install (fixed or retracts), now is the
time. There are provisions for both types,
but at this step there is no turning back.
I picked the retract route and went with
a set of Robart pneumatic retracts: the
605HD sets for the main and a 607HD for
the nose gear. The Patriot was designed for
these specific retracts, although I assume
other types could be used with a bit of
modification.
Fitting the mains requires time with the
Dremel tool. A bit of wood has to be
removed from the retract mounting rails,
as well as from rib R2. Take your time and
trim a little at a time; it’s better to creep up
on it than cut off too much!
Set that wing panel aside and build the
other. Remember to make a left and right
half!
Now you assemble an interesting wing
joiner. Notice I didn’t refer to a dihedral
brace. This part has bumps where it meets
the ribs, but it is straight overall. The
dihedral is set by the root ribs. I had to do
a little trimming and sanding to get this
piece to fit, but once it did I glued the
halves together with 30-minute epoxy.
After all is set up, glue in the center LE
and bolt supports. Apply the bottom
sheeting after making the cutouts for the
main gear. Then it’s time for the final
shaping and sanding of the completed
wing.
The Patriot’s fuselage is fairly
straightforward, using die-cut plywood
sides, bottom, and formers throughout.
Everything locks into place with a minimal
amount of trimming.
The only exception is the area around
the firewall. The firewall is slightly
rounded and requires the fuselage sides to
conform to this bend. It took a bit of
“persuading” to get this to happen.
After the major parts of the fuselage are
11sig3.QXD 9/25/06 1:57 PM Page 78framed up, test-fit the wing to the wing
cradle. Trim as needed and then drill the
holes for the center pins and wing holddown
bolts.
When mounting the nose gear (if using
retracts as I did), you’ll need to make the
gear as long as possible. Using the 2-inch
wheel, as you’ll see later, it takes every bit
of ground clearance possible to keep the
propeller off the ground.
Install the pushrod tubes, routing them
through the path made by the prepunched
holes in the various pieces. Install the
turtledeck. It is a bit flimsy until the sheeting
is applied, so be careful not to snap the
stringers.
I gave the fuselage a good sanding at this
point, rounded off all the corner blocks, and
blended the turtledeck into a smooth unit.
Attach the tail surfaces (stabilizer and
vertical fin). Remember to keep everything
properly aligned while the epoxy is curing.
Extra attention at this step will make a huge
difference in flight performance later.
Engine: This kit calls for a .61-.91 two- or
4-stroke engine. Since this is a model with
“jet-type” performance and I happened to
have an O.S. .91 FX sitting around, well,
why not?
There were no surprises here; the
included mount worked fine. I mounted the.91 on its side, with the muffler extending
below the fuselage.
Radio: The radio installation is unique for
a kit this size. If you read through the
manual’s required-items section, you
might notice that the Patriot XL requires
more servo extensions than is typical; that
is because the majority of the radio is
installed in the rear of the fuselage.
Everything is accessed through a bottom
hatch, which is held in place with one
screw. Designing the Patriot XL with these
items in the back serves two purposes: to
keep the rudder and elevator pushrods
short and to help with the CG balance.
Final Assembly: The ABS parts for the
cowl and tail cone were assembled next.
My first reaction is normally to pitch ABS
parts such as these for my own kits, but
since this was a review model I used them
to see it they matched up and fit properly.
After a great deal of cutting, trimming, and
sanding, you can end up with parts that
work.
However, regardless of how I tried, I
could not get the cowl to mount properly
over the firewall. In the end I cut away a
bit of the corner blocks around the firewall
to make the cowl fit. Looking at the parts,
the radius of the cowling’s corners were
slightly different from what the included
guides showed.
Attaching the side “intakes” is not hard,
but it did cause me some concern. To save
weight there are large holes in the sides of
the fuselage. However, there is little
material to which the side “intakes” can
mount.
I guess you could cover the model and
then glue the pieces on top of the covering,
but I chose to mount the pieces to the
wood itself, giving a better bond. Covering
was trickier, but at least I knew the parts
would stay on in flight!
It was time to cover the airframe. I
choose MonoKote to finish the Patriot XL.
The color scheme is a simplified version of
the model’s shown on the box: all
aluminum with red, white, and blue trim. I
chose to paint all attached ABS parts
before I covered the fuselage.
To complete the Patriot XL, install all
the other bits of hardware: hinges, clevises,
etc. The ailerons, rudder, and elevator are
installed using the supplied cyanoacrylate
hinge material.
Almost the only thing left is to attach
the canopy and apply the decals. I used
many of the included pressure-sensitive
stickers for the stars, insignia, and US Air
Force wording on the side of the fuselage.
With everything finished, the Patriot
XL balanced quite a bit nose-heavy. It
required 7 ounces of tail weight to balance
correctly, bringing the all-up weight to a
hefty 9.2 pounds. It was time to fly!
Flying: After assembly and a quick
preflight check, I was ready to go. I started
the engine and let it warm up, and then Itaxied the model out to the runway,
throttled it up, and in no time the Patriot
was accelerating down the runway.
It took a bit of coaxing to break ground
and way too much up-trim to hold level
flight. I suffered through the flight until
the mandatory flight shots were in the bag,
and then I set the Patriot up for the
landing.
Not having a lot of up-elevator left on
final, I brought the Patriot in a bit hotter
than normal. When the time came to flare,
it slowed nicely, to the point where all the
elevator control was used up and it came
down pretty hard.
At first glance it looked like it had a
broken propeller and a bent gear, but I
found the cause of the problem. The tail
weight had worked its way loose, causing
the nose-heavy condition. Back to the shop.
After repairing the damage, fixing the
scrapes, and securing the tail weight, I was
back at the field a few days later. This time
the Patriot was much better—with
performance exactly as you’d expect.
It handled like a fast sport-Pattern model
and grooved through the sky. The roll rate
was a bit high for my taste and was
corrected on the next flight.
The Patriot flies nicely. Point Rolls are
especially good, but knife edge is a bit
wanting. This model tracks straight through
loops and has a predicable stall, with the
nose dropping and no yaw tendencies.Landings are easy and taxiing with the
tricycle gear is a snap. The only complaint
I have is with the ground clearance. I
chose a three-blade propeller to get the
extra clearance. If you use retracts, a .91
engine, and a two-blade propeller, I don’t
think you’ll have any clearance at all—
pavement benefit included.
The Patriot XL isn’t a quick build, but
it is certainly not complex. A couple
weeks of building, spending a couple
hours a night, will give you smooth,
jetlike performance that’s hard to find in
today’s selection of ARFs.
This model does come out a bit on the
heavy side and ground clearance is
minimal at best. But these problems can
be overcome with a bit of planning. All in
all, this is a great addition to my fleet,
offering me the performance that an Extra
or CAP can’t match. MA
Dennis Ridenhour
Edition: Model Aviation - 2006/11
Page Numbers: 76,77,78,80
76 MODEL AVIATION
AS DID THE original Patriot, Great Planes’ larger Patriot XL offers
the pilot an irresistible combination: the exhilaration of jetlike speeds
and looks.
It is designed for .60-.91 engines and avoids the costs and
complexity of traditional ducted-fan jets by relying on familiar sport
techniques for building and a front-mounted glow engine for speed.
This model can be built so that it uses a standard four-channel control
setup, but there are also provisions for building in wing flaps and
retracts.
First Impressions: The first thing I noticed when I opened the box
was that this was a ready-to-assemble kit. There was a fair amount of
Plane Talk: Great Planes Patriot XL Kit
DENNIS RIDENHOUR
In the middle of a four-point roll the Patriot shows a profile
reminiscent of a Korean-era fighter. Point rolls are crisp, but
extended knife-edge flight takes effort.
With its typical sport-Pattern flight characteristics, Loops, Rolls,
Cuban 8s, and more are easily within the Patriot XL’s capabilities.
A well-mannered “jet” with high-performance benefits and sportmodel
simplicity is a fun building project for any modeler
Above and left: Aluminum-colored MonoKote and LustreKote
paint were used for the base of the Thunderbirds-inspired paint
scheme. Included insignia and star decals make finishing a bit
easier.
11sig3.QXD 9/26/06 11:02 AM Page 76November 2006 77
Engine used: O.S. .91 FX
Propeller: Master Airscrew 11 x 8
three-blade
Fuel: 12-ounce fuel tank, 10%-15% glow
fuel
Radio system: Futaba 6EXA
transmitter, R127DF receiver, seven
S3004 servos
Ready-to-fly weight: 9.2 pounds
Flight duration: Eight to 10 minutes
Test-Model Details
Type: Ready-to-build sport
Pilot skill level: Intermediate
Wingspan: 55 inches
Wing area: 742 square inches
Length: 59.5 inches
Weight: 8.0-8.5 pounds
Wing loading: 25-27 ounces per square
foot
Engine: Two- or four-stroke .60-.91 cu. in.
Radio: Four channels (minimum), six to
nine standard servos
Control options: Flaps, pneumatic
retracts
Materials used in construction: Balsa
and plywood, ABS cowl and fairings
Covering/finish: MonoKote over wood
surfaces; LustreKote paint on cowl, tail
cone, fairings
Street price: $125
Specifications
+
• Easy-to-follow photo-illustrated, 44
page manual.
• Most parts fit well for a die-cut kit.
• Great-flying sport-Pattern design.
• True “jetlike” performance with the
O.S. .91 engine.
• It’s not an ARF. -• Although the die cutting was great
overall, some pieces required a bit of
careful work to remove; I wish they
were laser cut.
• Nose-heavy with a .91; required 7
ounces of weight to balance.
• If using larger engines (.91), propeller
clearance is critical. (See text.)
• The ABS cowl and tail cone are twopiece
units; they take quite a bit of
finish work to come out looking
pleasing.
Pluses and Minuses
You can choose fixed or retractable gear
for the Patriot XL. Additional hardware is
included for flaps, although they weren’t
used on this model.
This is a ready-to-build (RTB) kit. You can go from this point to a
finished airframe in 20-30 hours whether it’s your first build or not.
All of the radio gear in the fuselage is mounted in the rear. It is accessed from the
underside of the fuselage through a hatch.
After a bit of building and sanding, you should end up with an
airframe that looks something like this. The ABS parts are
assembled to fit before covering.
Photos by the author
wood, rolled full-size plans, a decal sheet, and
a few bags of hardware.
You might notice that I cited the lack of
laser-cut parts as a strike against this kit.
This is a minor point. The Patriot XL’s
balsa and plywood parts are die cut and are
overall cleanly made.
However, I had trouble removing several
11sig3.QXD 9/25/06 1:54 PM Page 77The Patriot includes provisions for
Robart retracts—specifically the 605HD
(main) and 607HD (nose) pneumatic
retracts. These are simple to install and far
less “finicky” to set up.
The retract units are constructed with
strong, fiberglass-filled nylon,
incorporating an aluminum bushed cam
mechanism with positive up/down locks.
The struts are 5/32-inch tempered steel and
are quite strong.
Installing them is almost as easy as it
can be. Included are full-size templates for
the mounting surfaces. Just position them,
mark the holes, and drill them. Each gear
is held in with four screws and matching
T-nuts.
On each of the retract units are two
fittings: one is for extending and one is for
retracting. It’s a simple job to hook up the
color-coded hoses to the fittings, Tfittings,
and the control valve which are
included in the accessory kit. Also
included is a valve stem where you can
pressurize the entire system with a hand
pump or any of the 12-volt pumps you’ll
find at a local discount store.
The entire system works off a single
servo which is attached to the control
valve. This valve also has an adjustment
which controls the airflow distributed to
the gear. You can make the gear really
“pop” up and down or slow things down
for more of a realistic speed. MA
—Dennis Ridenhour
78 MODEL AVIATION
In addition to the retractable gear itself,
there is a bit of “plumbing” to route
through the model. It’s easier and less
complex than it looks.
The Robart 605HD and 607HD
pneumatic retracts for the Patriot XL
include everything to equip the model.
Robart HD Pneumatic Retracts
The Patriot XL includes die-cut parts to
easily mount the air tank inside the
turtledeck—a nice touch.
pieces from the sheets. Laser cutting would
solve this problem, but you shouldn’t have
any problems if you take a few extra minutes
with a hobby knife/saw and some sandpaper.
Included was a nicely illustrated
instruction manual that was clear about how
to put everything together. Toward the front
of the manual was a diagram showing all the
names of the die-cut pieces.
Before getting too far into things, be sure
to label each of those die-cut parts. Doing so
at this time can save a great deal of time later.
There were several ABS parts: a two-piece
cowl, a two-piece tail cone, and the left/right
fuselage “intakes” and vertical fin fairing.
There was nothing really special about these
components, but we’ll deal with these later.
Construction: I know I’ve mentioned this
before, but if you’ve never completely built a
kit from balsa and plywood, you don’t know
what you’re missing. Yes, it takes longer than
assembling an ARF does, but in the end you
can have a model that is stronger and lighter
than an ARF might be.
In addition, you can cover it however you
would like. How many times have you passed
over an ARF just because of the color
scheme?
If you take your time, you will end up with
something you will be proud of. You’ll have a
kit that is uniquely yours. Plus you’ll know
how to fix it if Murphy reaches out and zaps
you!
Building starts with the vertical fin and
horizontal stabilizer. The construction is
standard with these two parts, which are made
from various lengths and widths of 3/16 balsa.
The stabilizer and rudder assemblies are then
sheeted with 1/16 sheet, top and bottom.
The rudder and elevator halves are cut,
tapered TE balsa stock and shaped to fit.
Cutouts need to be made for the hinges, and
that’s about it.
Start on the wing panels. Each wing
half is built separately and then joined into
one piece. The wing construction is a
simple rib-and-spar design, which is all
dry assembled. Once everything is in
place, glue the panels together into a nicely
aligned component.
One of the features that makes building
the Patriot XL easier is that shims are part
of the TE and the main spar. These shims
give the proper angle when aligning all the
parts.
After the wing ribs and spars are glued,
apply the sheeting to the top surface.
Around the center half of the wing panel
the sheeting covers the entire surface. The
outer panel only has sheeting on the front
and back parts of the wing, leaving an
open section. Cut capstrips for the ribs in
the open part of the wing.
It’s time to flip the wing over and
install a few more pieces: the retract
mounting rails and hinge blocks. There are
no real surprises here, although you may
have to trim the rib cutouts a bit for the
retract rails.
It’s decision time! If you haven’t
chosen the style of landing gear you want
to install (fixed or retracts), now is the
time. There are provisions for both types,
but at this step there is no turning back.
I picked the retract route and went with
a set of Robart pneumatic retracts: the
605HD sets for the main and a 607HD for
the nose gear. The Patriot was designed for
these specific retracts, although I assume
other types could be used with a bit of
modification.
Fitting the mains requires time with the
Dremel tool. A bit of wood has to be
removed from the retract mounting rails,
as well as from rib R2. Take your time and
trim a little at a time; it’s better to creep up
on it than cut off too much!
Set that wing panel aside and build the
other. Remember to make a left and right
half!
Now you assemble an interesting wing
joiner. Notice I didn’t refer to a dihedral
brace. This part has bumps where it meets
the ribs, but it is straight overall. The
dihedral is set by the root ribs. I had to do
a little trimming and sanding to get this
piece to fit, but once it did I glued the
halves together with 30-minute epoxy.
After all is set up, glue in the center LE
and bolt supports. Apply the bottom
sheeting after making the cutouts for the
main gear. Then it’s time for the final
shaping and sanding of the completed
wing.
The Patriot’s fuselage is fairly
straightforward, using die-cut plywood
sides, bottom, and formers throughout.
Everything locks into place with a minimal
amount of trimming.
The only exception is the area around
the firewall. The firewall is slightly
rounded and requires the fuselage sides to
conform to this bend. It took a bit of
“persuading” to get this to happen.
After the major parts of the fuselage are
11sig3.QXD 9/25/06 1:57 PM Page 78framed up, test-fit the wing to the wing
cradle. Trim as needed and then drill the
holes for the center pins and wing holddown
bolts.
When mounting the nose gear (if using
retracts as I did), you’ll need to make the
gear as long as possible. Using the 2-inch
wheel, as you’ll see later, it takes every bit
of ground clearance possible to keep the
propeller off the ground.
Install the pushrod tubes, routing them
through the path made by the prepunched
holes in the various pieces. Install the
turtledeck. It is a bit flimsy until the sheeting
is applied, so be careful not to snap the
stringers.
I gave the fuselage a good sanding at this
point, rounded off all the corner blocks, and
blended the turtledeck into a smooth unit.
Attach the tail surfaces (stabilizer and
vertical fin). Remember to keep everything
properly aligned while the epoxy is curing.
Extra attention at this step will make a huge
difference in flight performance later.
Engine: This kit calls for a .61-.91 two- or
4-stroke engine. Since this is a model with
“jet-type” performance and I happened to
have an O.S. .91 FX sitting around, well,
why not?
There were no surprises here; the
included mount worked fine. I mounted the.91 on its side, with the muffler extending
below the fuselage.
Radio: The radio installation is unique for
a kit this size. If you read through the
manual’s required-items section, you
might notice that the Patriot XL requires
more servo extensions than is typical; that
is because the majority of the radio is
installed in the rear of the fuselage.
Everything is accessed through a bottom
hatch, which is held in place with one
screw. Designing the Patriot XL with these
items in the back serves two purposes: to
keep the rudder and elevator pushrods
short and to help with the CG balance.
Final Assembly: The ABS parts for the
cowl and tail cone were assembled next.
My first reaction is normally to pitch ABS
parts such as these for my own kits, but
since this was a review model I used them
to see it they matched up and fit properly.
After a great deal of cutting, trimming, and
sanding, you can end up with parts that
work.
However, regardless of how I tried, I
could not get the cowl to mount properly
over the firewall. In the end I cut away a
bit of the corner blocks around the firewall
to make the cowl fit. Looking at the parts,
the radius of the cowling’s corners were
slightly different from what the included
guides showed.
Attaching the side “intakes” is not hard,
but it did cause me some concern. To save
weight there are large holes in the sides of
the fuselage. However, there is little
material to which the side “intakes” can
mount.
I guess you could cover the model and
then glue the pieces on top of the covering,
but I chose to mount the pieces to the
wood itself, giving a better bond. Covering
was trickier, but at least I knew the parts
would stay on in flight!
It was time to cover the airframe. I
choose MonoKote to finish the Patriot XL.
The color scheme is a simplified version of
the model’s shown on the box: all
aluminum with red, white, and blue trim. I
chose to paint all attached ABS parts
before I covered the fuselage.
To complete the Patriot XL, install all
the other bits of hardware: hinges, clevises,
etc. The ailerons, rudder, and elevator are
installed using the supplied cyanoacrylate
hinge material.
Almost the only thing left is to attach
the canopy and apply the decals. I used
many of the included pressure-sensitive
stickers for the stars, insignia, and US Air
Force wording on the side of the fuselage.
With everything finished, the Patriot
XL balanced quite a bit nose-heavy. It
required 7 ounces of tail weight to balance
correctly, bringing the all-up weight to a
hefty 9.2 pounds. It was time to fly!
Flying: After assembly and a quick
preflight check, I was ready to go. I started
the engine and let it warm up, and then Itaxied the model out to the runway,
throttled it up, and in no time the Patriot
was accelerating down the runway.
It took a bit of coaxing to break ground
and way too much up-trim to hold level
flight. I suffered through the flight until
the mandatory flight shots were in the bag,
and then I set the Patriot up for the
landing.
Not having a lot of up-elevator left on
final, I brought the Patriot in a bit hotter
than normal. When the time came to flare,
it slowed nicely, to the point where all the
elevator control was used up and it came
down pretty hard.
At first glance it looked like it had a
broken propeller and a bent gear, but I
found the cause of the problem. The tail
weight had worked its way loose, causing
the nose-heavy condition. Back to the shop.
After repairing the damage, fixing the
scrapes, and securing the tail weight, I was
back at the field a few days later. This time
the Patriot was much better—with
performance exactly as you’d expect.
It handled like a fast sport-Pattern model
and grooved through the sky. The roll rate
was a bit high for my taste and was
corrected on the next flight.
The Patriot flies nicely. Point Rolls are
especially good, but knife edge is a bit
wanting. This model tracks straight through
loops and has a predicable stall, with the
nose dropping and no yaw tendencies.Landings are easy and taxiing with the
tricycle gear is a snap. The only complaint
I have is with the ground clearance. I
chose a three-blade propeller to get the
extra clearance. If you use retracts, a .91
engine, and a two-blade propeller, I don’t
think you’ll have any clearance at all—
pavement benefit included.
The Patriot XL isn’t a quick build, but
it is certainly not complex. A couple
weeks of building, spending a couple
hours a night, will give you smooth,
jetlike performance that’s hard to find in
today’s selection of ARFs.
This model does come out a bit on the
heavy side and ground clearance is
minimal at best. But these problems can
be overcome with a bit of planning. All in
all, this is a great addition to my fleet,
offering me the performance that an Extra
or CAP can’t match. MA
Dennis Ridenhour