The Stevens AeroModel Swift
100 is based on the full-scale
Comper Swift aircraft. It has a
scalelike appearance, so this model
airplane is placed in a category called
“fantasy scale,” because it resembles
the full-scale aircraft.
Bill Stevens, owner of Stevens
AeroModel, has built a business of
designing and producing models
that can be constructed from lasercut
parts kits. These kits are initially
drawn in a digital format on a CAD/
CAM computer system. From there,
the parts are cut on a special machine
that uses a laser beam instead of a
knife. The bene t in doing this is
highly accurate parts that t together
perfectly, making for easy assembly.
The Stevens AeroModel kits are so
accurate that they nearly eliminate
the need for a modeling knife.
Several years ago, Horizon Hobby
came out with a micro RC system in
the form of a brick con guration. The
brick contained the RC receiver, two
servos, and a brushed-motor ESC.
All you needed to do was connect
the motor and battery and you were
ready for ying. These rst bricks
went into micro-size Cessna and
Citabria models that weighed less
than 1 ounce.
As time passed, these bricktype
radios were upgraded to do
more and y models larger than 1
ounce. One major step forward was
the introduction of the Horizon
Spektrum AR6400LBL brick, which
now provides for brushless motor
operation with a special built-in ESC
and accepts a two-cell LiPo battery
pack.
Additionally, provision is made to
control two separate aileron servos
since the receiver now has sixchannel
function capability. This new
brick can y models that weigh 5 to
6 ounces. Best of all, these new bricks
can be operated by (bound to) any
DSM2- or DSMX-type transmitter.
You can now program many control
features into the brick; something you
couldn’t do a few years ago.
The AR6400LBL brick is now
featured in several Horizon/E- ite
The Swi was quite at home
inside the Samoset Middle School
gymnasium in Ronkonkoma, Long
Island NY. Photo by Joe Cabana.
RTF model aircraft. You could buy one
of these airplanes, y it, then transfer
the power and RC system into a kit
aircraft or your own design.
Horizon has made that choice even
easier. The company now offers the
AR6400LBL brick as a separate item,
along with the AS2000 linear (aileron)
servos and compatible battery packs.
This is where Stevens AeroModel has
stepped in with the new Swift 100
laser-cut kit.
About the Kit
The kit consists of six sheets of balsa
and one sheet of plywood, with all the
laser-cut parts clearly labeled (on the
wood). There is a 1/4-inch square balsa
wing LE and wire for the landing gear
and the control rods (for the ailerons,
elevator, and rudder).Two 11- x 17-inch
full-size plans sheets are provided. The
instruction booklet is thorough, and
you can download 11 pages of color
photos illustrating the entire assembly
process from the Stevens AeroModel
website.
What to Buy
You will need the Spektrum
AR6400LBL brick, the E- ite Park
180 brushless outrunner motors, and a
two-cell, 240 to 250 mAh LiPo battery
pack. These items can be purchased
from the individual manufacturers or
you can buy everything from Stevens
AeroModel.
Additional items needed are a pair
of Du-Bro wheels and wheel retainers,
iron-on covering material, and cement
(Medium and thin CA, along with veminute
epoxy).
Hints and Tips
Make sure you carefully read all of
the instructions before starting the
assembly. Stevens AeroModel supplies
a sanding block that has120 and 240
grit. Use it to lightly sand every sheet of
balsa and the sheet of plywood. Do this
while the parts are still attached to the
sheets.
The instructions will tell you to
The wing builds easily on top of the full-size
plans. In this photo, you can see one of the
two ailerons in place. Note the two locations
where the aileron servos are mounted.
The kit has six sheets of balsa with all the parts
clearly identi ed with numbers. The builder must supply the RC
and power system components, as well as the wheels and
covering material The fuselage takes shape
in this sequence of photos.
As a supplement to the instruction
sheet, you can download 11 pages of construction
photos from the Stevens AeroModel website.
assemble a series of parts, but to not
apply any cement. You reach a point
where the instructions direct you to use
medium or thin CA cement; this way, if
you accidentally make a mistake in the
assembly process, it’s an easy x.
The control rod wires are fashioned
from the supplied .025-inch diameter
wire. These wires are routed through
laser-cut slots from the servo arms back
to the control horns. The location of
these slots is so precise that the wires
move freely, without placing any drag
on the servos.
Although plywood control horns
are supplied, I still like to use Du-
Bro micro control horns with EZ
connectors. This allows me to make
mechanical adjustments to the control
surfaces, even after the airplane is
fully assembled and covered. This was
strictly my choice!
I used Horizon UltraCote Lite
transparent red, and BP Hobbies
Solar lm Lite (SOLITE) yellow iron-on
covering. Both applied easily despite
the Swift fuselage’s compound curves.
The laser cutting of this kit was so
accurate that I completely framed up
my Swift in six hours. This says a lot for
modern-day laser-cutting techniques.
My nal weight, ready-to- y, was 4
ounces. This resulted in a light wing
loading.
Model type: Electric-powered RC ultramicro
Skill level: Intermediate builder;
intermediate pilot
Manufacturer: Stevens AeroModel
Price: $59 (as of March 2012)
Wingspan: 21 inches
Wing area: 92 square inches
Length: 17 inches
Weight: 3.1 ounces
Wing loading: 4.8 ounce/square foot
Power system: 40-watt Park BL180 (2200 Kv)
ESC: Spektrum AR6400LBL
Battery: 120 mAh (25C) 7.4 volts
Radio required: Four-channel, Spektrum
DSM2- or DSMX-compatible
transmitter
TEST-MODEL DETAILS
Motor: Horizon Hobby/E-fl ite Park 180
brushless outrunner motor
Battery: Two-cell 250 mAh LiPo battery
pack
Radio system: Horizon Hobby/Spektrum DX7
transmitter; Spektrum AR6400LBL
RC brick (receiver, two servos,
and ESC); two Spektrum AS2000
linear aileron servos
Ready-to-fl y
weight: 4.0 ounces
Ready-to-fl y
wing loading: Propeller: Flight duration: 7 to 10 minutes
Motor current: 2.1 amps
Voltage: 7.37 volts
Power Output: 15 watts
Battery Loading: 8.4C
PLUSES
• Thanks to excellent laser cutting, all parts fi t
perfectly.
MINUSES
• Review model was slightly
battery to be moved
forward to balance.
AT A GLANCE ...
This photo shows all the surfaces covered.
The red is Horizon UltraCote Lite transparent
covering; the yellow is BP Hobbies Solar lm
Lite (SOLITE).
GWS 4.5 x 3 propeller
6.3 ounce/square foot
• Framing the entire model took only six hours.
• Detailed instructions and assembly photos
made the construction easy.
• It is hard to believe that at
only 4 ounces, this little
airplane can fl y so well on full,
four-channel control.
tail-heavy, requiring the
Seen from the rear, the Swi
100 was designed based on
a full-scale aircra called the
Comper Swi .
The AR6400LBL brick sets on a platform under
the rear portion of the wing. Removing the
wing gives you easy access to the brick. The
brick is held in place with double-sided tape
and silicone adhesive.
Final Balance
The CG location on the plans was
1/8- to 1/4-inch behind the main spar.
That’s roughly 26% from the wing
LE. When nished, my Swift came
out slightly tail-heavy. I’m known for
building heavy, so this shouldn’t have
been a surprise to me. If I had balanced
my Swift to the speci ed location,
however, I would have needed 0.4
ounce of lead weight in the nose (near
the motor). I decided to move the twocell
LiPo battery pack forward from its
initial position, so it would be between
the rewall and fuselage-former F-3.
The battery is still accessible from
the bottom of the fuselage and is held
in place with two small wire hooks and
several rubber bands. Relocating the
battery in this manner allowed me to
achieve the exact CG location.
I suggest that you initially locate the
battery as recommended in the plans.
If you do come out tail-heavy, it can
be moved forward quickly. There is
plenty of room for the battery at either
location.
Final control throws were as follows:
ailerons, 1/4 inch either side of neutral;
elevator, 5/16 inch; and rudder, 3/8 inch.
Exponential rate control was set at the
Stevens AeroModel recommendation
of aileron at 50%; elevator at 50%; and
rudder at 30%.
Flying Experiences
To date, I’ve own my Swift 100
more indoors than outdoors, because
our weather on Long Island, New York,
was so bad in February. My indoor
facility is a large gymnasium. The Swift
maneuvers well, mainly because of the
aileron control. I’ve found that rudder
This is the RC and power equipment that must be
installed inside the Swi . All items must be purchased
separately and are stocked by Stevens AeroModel.
The AR6400LBL brick sets on a platform under
the rear portion of the wing. Removing the
wing gives you easy access to the brick. The
brick is held in place with double-sided tape
and silicone adhesive. To balance his Swi 100, Bob moved the battery
pack forward to this position between the
rewall and former F-3.
control requires faster ying speeds,
whereas ailerons, combined with
elevator control, allow for sharper turns
at slower speeds.
You won’t be able to “wring out” the
Swift until you get outdoors. There, you
can do roll maneuvers, loops, inverted
ight, and more. Keep in mind that you
are ying a 4-ounce model aircraft, so
y in winds of no more than 6 mph.
With the control throws stated and the
added exponential rate control (if your
transmitter has that feature), this Swift
100 is a pleasure to y.
Summary
Many modeler friends ask me why
I like micro models and indoor ying.
Well, the fact that I can still y during
winter months and not worry about
the weather conditions is a plus. I can
travel to a local school auditorium or
gymnasium in a few minutes, rather
than spend a fortune in gas to get to my
remote outdoor ying site.
The relatively low cost of these micro
aircraft, and the fact that they can easily
be built in a short amount of time, are
also pluses. All of this adds up to extra
fun within our wonderful hobby.
I recommend that you visit the
Stevens AeroModel website. Bill
Stevens offers an extensive line of
micro- and park yer-type aircraft, all
with laser-cut parts.
If you wish to pursue micro/indoor
ying, the specialty webzine, RC Micro
World, is a good source. I’ve listed the
website address in the “Sources.”
—Bob Aberle
[email protected]
SOURCES:
Stevens AeroModel
(719) 387-4187
www.stevensaero.com
Horizon Hobby
(800) 338-4639
www.horizonhobby.com
BP Hobbies
(908) 431-5603
www.bphobbies.com
Lazertoyz
(440) 840-9625
www.lazertoyz.com/shop/batteries.htm
RC Micro World (via Full Size Plans)
www.fullsizeplans.com
This is the bottom view of the
Swi 100. This model has full
four-channel RC control of the
ailerons, elevator, rudder,
and motor throttle, yet weighs
only 4 ounces.
Two aileron servos are employed, one in each wing panel. You can use a Y
harness to plug both servos into one port on the brick, or you can plug a
servo into each of two ports.
