PDF User Manual

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3DHobbyShop.com

  Aspera 46” Assembly Manual 

Thank you for purchasing this 3DHobbyShop ARF RC aircraft.  If you have any issues, questions, 
concerns or problems during assembly, please contact our tech department at: 
 

Info@3DHobbyShop.com

 or 1-830-990-6978 10am-5pm Central M-F 

 
We highly recommend 

www.RCGroups.com

 as a good source for RC tips, tricks, and information. 

SAFETY in Assembly 

 
During assembly of this aircraft, you will be asked to use sharp knives and hobby adhesives.  Please 
follow all safety procedures recommended by the manufacturers of the products you use, and always 
follow these important guidelines: 
 
ALWAYS protect your eyes when working with adhesives, knives, or tools, especially power tools.  Safety 
glasses are the best way to protect your eyes. 
 
ALWAYS protect your body, especially your hands and fingers when using adhesives, knives, or tools, 
especially power tools.  Do not cut toward exposed skin with hobby knives.  Do not place hobby knives on 
tables or benches where they can roll off or be knocked off.   
 
ALWAYS have a first-aid kit handy when working with adhesives, knives, or tools, especially power tools.   
 
ALWAYS keep hobby equipment and supplies out of the reach of children. 
 

SAFETY in Flying 

 
SAFETY NOTICE:  This is NOT a toy!  It is a very high-performance RC airplane capable of high speeds 
and extreme maneuvers.  It should only be operated by a competent pilot in a safe area with proper 
supervision.   
 
ONLY fly your aircraft in a safe, open area, away from spectators and vehicles–and where it is legal to fly. 
 
NEVER fly over an unsafe area, such as a road or street. 
 
NEVER fly near overhead power or utility lines.  If your airplane ever becomes stuck in a line or a tree DO 
NOT attempt to retrieve it yourself.  Contact the authorities for assistance in retrieving your aircraft.  
Power lines are DANGEROUS and falls from ladders and trees CAN KILL! 
 
Never fly too close to yourself or spectators.  Spinning propellers are DANGEROUS! 
 
Never run your motor inside a house or building with the propeller attached – Remove the prop for safety. 
 
Always fly within your control. 
 
Always follow manufacturer’s instructions for your radio system. 
 
Always obtain proper insurance before flying – contact the AMA at 

www.modelaircraft.org

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REQUIRED ITEMS 

 
Thin CA Glue 
Medium or thick CA glue 
Hobby Knife 
Small Phillips Screwdriver 
Set Metric Allen Wrenches 
Masking Tape  
Scissors 
Small Pliers 
Wire Cutters 
Heat gun or iron 
Drill with 1/16

th

 inch (1.5mm) bit 

Assembly Instructions 

 
 UNPACK 
 
Unpack your airplane and examine the components.  Check for damage of any kind.   
 
 WRINKLES 
 
Your ASPERA ARF was packed in plastic at the factory without any wrinkles in the covering.  You may 
notice some wrinkles now; more likely, you will notice a few in a day or two or the first time you take the 
plane out to the flying field.  These wrinkles are the result of wood shrinkage and/or expansion.  Balsa 
wood changes size and shape slightly as it is exposed to varying humidity in the air.  This is a natural 
property of balsa wood.  As your airplane adjusts to the weather in your part of the world, wrinkles may 
appear and disappear.  For the same reason, the lightweight tail components of the Aspera may develop 
a twist or warp.  For best flight performance, any warpage needs to be removed. 
 
Wrinkles and warps may be removed with the gentle application of heat to the covering material on your 
airplane.  The best tool to use is a heat gun.  Apply the heat gently: the covering material will shrink as 
you apply the heat, and this will remove the wrinkles.  BE CAREFUL!  Too much heat applied too quickly 
can damage the covering, either by causing it to pull away from the wood at seams and corners or even 
by melting it.  The covering will shrink at low temperature with patient application of heat. 
 

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WING ASSEMBLY 
 
The ailerons hinge onto the wings using 4 hinges each.  The hinges are already installed into the wings, 
but need to be glued with THIN CA glue.  Check the fit of the aileron to be sure the color stripes line up on 
the wing, and flex the aileron to be sure that it moves freely and hinges flex easily.  Drip two large drops 
of THIN CA glue into the aileron hinge joint right on top of each hinge.  The THIN CA glue will wick into 
the hinge slots and penetrate the wood, forming a strong hinge joint.  Use two large drops per hinge, no 
less. 
 

 
Turn the wing over, and locate the aileron servo mount on the bottom of the wing.  Use a hobby knife to 
remove the covering over the servo mount hole. 
 

 
Remove the covering over the slot in the aileron as shown.  The aileron control horns are different from 
the rudder/elevator control horns, see picture.   
 

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Apply medium or thick CA glue generously to the bottom of the control horn, as shown. 
 

Install the horn into the aileron with a firm push.    
 

Note:  All control horns on this aircraft install in the same way. 

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Plug your extension into your aileron servo.  Secure with tape around the plug. 
Use the string installed inside the wing to pull your aileron servo lead through the interior of the wing.   
Install servo into the wing using two servo-mounting screws with the servo output arm toward the front of 
the airplane. 
 

 
Repeat all of these steps for the other wing.   
 
 
 TAIL ASSEMBLY 
 
Check horizontal stabilizer and elevator assembly for warps.  Use a covering iron as necessary to remove 
any warpage.  Be careful!  It doesn’t take much heat to do this job!   
Remove covering over the slot in the fuselage for the horizontal stabilizer as shown. 
 

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Slide the elevator into the slot in the fuselage, as shown. 
 

 
Next, slide the horizontal stabilizer into the slot as shown. 
 

Insert elevator hinges into stab and align.  Check alignment of stabilizer side-to-side and in all directions 
with a ruler or tape measure. 

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When you are satisfied with the alignment of the stab, turn the fuselage over and drip thin CA glue into 
the joint between the fuselage and stabilizer.  It is not necessary to remove any covering on this joint.  
Allow to dry. 

Check for free motion of the elevator up and down, and apply a few drops of thin CA to each elevator 
hinge. 
 
Install vertical fin into fuselage with medium or thick CA glue. 
 

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Install rudder, sliding hinges into vertical stab.  Check alignment of rudder and vertical fin, check for free 
swinging movement of the rudder, 45 degrees in each direction.  Then apply thin CA glue to the hinges 
holding the rudder to the vertical fin, as shown.  Allow these to dry. 
 

 
Install servo and horns for the elevator and rudder as shown in the photos.   
 

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Assemble pushrods as shown.  Use thin CA on the ball-link to pushrod joint after installation to lock the 
ball-link onto the pushrod permanently. 
 

Install the pushrod connectors onto the servo arms as shown.  Tighten the nuts just to a snug fit – the 
connector must be able to rotate after installation.  Use medium CA glue on the nut to keep the connector 
from falling off due to vibration.    

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Install the ball-link end of the pushrod onto the control horn with 2mm nuts and screws as shown.  Be 
sure to use CA to lock the nuts in place.  Install the pushrods and pushrod connectors onto the ailerons in 
the same manner. 
 

 
 
Install tailwheel wire onto tailwheel retainer as shown.  Open hole in tailwheel retainer if necessary. 

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Install tailwheel assembly as shown by making a hole in the bottom of the rudder, using medium to thick 
CA glue to fix the wire to the rudder, and using two wood screws to fix the retainer to the bottom of the 
fuselage.  Allow the epoxy to cure.  If flying off of rough surfaces, also use a 2” piece of strapping tape to 
secure tailwheel wire into rudder. 

Slide the tailwheel onto the tailwheel wire and use the small wheel collar to retain the wheel. 
 

 
 
 
FUSELAGE FRONT ASSEMBLY

 
Take THIN CA glue and go over the motor mount and landing gear mount assemblies, as shown.  These 
are the highest-stress areas of the airframe, and we want to make them as strong as possible.   
 

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Install wheels onto axles and secure with wheel collars. 
 

 
Install axles and wheels into pants. 
 

 
Bolts wheel assembly into carbon gear legs as shown.  Use medium wood screws to secure gear leg to 
pant as shown. 
 

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Using your hobby knife, remove covering from slots in forward fuselage as shown.  
 

 
Install gear legs into fuselage with 3mm bolts and washers as shown.   
 

 
 
Assemble brushless outrunner motor as shown for mounting in-front of the firewall surface. 
 

 
The cowling on the Aspera can be adjusted forward or back as shown to fit various brushless motors.    
 

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Attach motor to firewall with 3mm bolts as shown.  Use included spacers between motor and firewall for 
cowl clearance if needed.  Most motors 140-160 grams need the spacers, most motors 170-180 grams do 
not.   

 
The cowl is mounted onto the fuselage with 4 small wood screws.  These screws go into the fuselage 
sides at the very front.  The following procedure is helpful to be sure the wood screws are in the proper 
location: 
 
Tape small pieces of paper over the fuselage, as shown, and mark your desired hole locations on these 
pieces of paper.  

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Install the canopy hatch 

(if the canopy hatch is not installed when you fit the cowl, it may be 

impossible to fit the canopy hatch after the cowl is installed!).

  When you are satisfied with the cowl 

fit, tape it to the fuselage with masking tape.  Use the small pieces of paper as guides to make holes in 
the cowl and install the wood screws. 
 

 
Use the included self-adhesive Velcro and the included Velcro strap to secure the Lipoly battery inside 
the fuselage as shown.  The Aspera has a long battery tray to allow you to move the battery forward or aft 
to achieve proper Center of Gravity.   
 

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Attach the wings to the fuselage with the 3mm bolts as shown. 
 

 
The receiver can mount either in front of the battery, on the front of the battery tray or on the equipment 
tray ahead of the landing gear, or behind the battery on the battery tray.  Use Velcro to attach your 
receiver to the tray.  Mount your ESC either to the motor mount or to the equipment tray, using zip-ties.  If 
your ESC is equipped with a switch, there is a switch location provided as shown.   
 

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Balance and Setup 

Balance the airplane 4 3/4 inches (117mm) from the leading edge of the wing at the root (where the wing 
meets the fuselage).  After initial flights, you may want to move the Center of Gravity back to 4 7/8 inches 
(120mm) to achieve best inverted performance. 

Control Throws: 

 
Measure control throws at the rear edge of the surface. 
 

Low Rate Settings: 

Ailerons - 1/2" up and down. 
Elevator - 5/8" up and down. 
Rudder - 2" Right and Left. 

We recommend 30-35% exponential (Positive on JR/Spektrum, Negative on Futaba/Hitec) on all 
low rate controls. 

High Rate Settings: 

Ailerons - 7/8" up and down. 
Elevator - 1"  up and down. 
Rudder -  As much as possible, this throw is limited by interference with the elevator on each 
side. 

  
We recommend 50-60% exponential (Positive on JR/Spektrum, Negative on Futaba/Hitec) on all high rate 
controls. 
 
Install your propeller.  Be sure to check the motor manufacturer’s recommendations for help in selecting a 
prop.  Test your power system in a safe manner on the ground before ever attempting to fly your aircraft.  
Range check your radio system according to manufacturer’s instructions. 
 
During the trimming phase, we recommend landing with some throttle, not attempting to “dead stick” the 
airplane.  This may mean you need to time your flights and keep them a bit shorter than usual.  After your 
first flights, check all control connections and motor and prop mounts for tightness. 
 
 
 
 
 
 

We hope you enjoy your 

3D Hobby Shop  

Aspera. 

Be sure to look for new aircraft coming soon from 3D Hobby Shop! 

3 D H O B B Y S H O P . C O M 

copyright 2009 3D Hobby Shop