A couple of years ago I happened across the Lleyn Peninsula fly in whilst holidaying with my parents. Fascinated by the way the pilots made it look so easy I was encouraged to research the hobby further culminating on my 12th birthday when I received my first model aeroplane. Having joined our local club in January of 2004 and following their advice on entry level ARTF models I have been lucky enough to get at least some flying in on most weekends since then. With added practice on a computer flight simulator a few months later I had passed my BMFA A certificate leaving dad, who had taken up the hobby at the same time, lagging behind and suffering from the effects of his advancing years. By the end of the year my old trainer was looking very dogged so when the chance to review the Hangar 9 Solo Sport came along I jumped at the chance.
I had heard of the good reputation of Hangar 9 kits and had seen many of their range of aircraft at the club site. Most of these were more advanced aerobatic models but I already knew of the Solo as I'd been flying one on the sim for quite a while. Usually dad would build most of our models and I would help with certain parts when his patience permitted but this one I was determined to do substantially alone. The Solo Sport was supplied with the futuristic looking Evolution .46 motor and 3 bladed prop combo specifically aimed at novice pilots by Horizon Hobbies from the USA.
Opening the box revealed neatly wrapped packages and masses of bubble wrap around each of the parts. I began to inspect all of the pieces and I found good quality wood throughout. Not so common with ARTF trainers these days. The instruction booklet is quite a read but contains some good information for a complete novice. There is even a section on finding an experienced instructor for your first couple of flights and the notes point you towards a local hobby shop to steer you in the right direction. It also details a whole range of things you will need on the field, such as props, fuel, glow plug, etc. The A4 instruction booklet is 55 pages long, so as I said it's quite a read. For the most part its generally OK but is 'Americanised' with references to the AMA and Imperial measures throughout. At the risk of re-opening a long running debate in the RCM&E, it's all very confusing for a young metricated lad like me!
The Evolution .46 manual claims that the motor package is specifically aimed at use in trainer aircraft by novice pilots and includes features which reflect this. The glow plug is angled away from the prop. The motor is fitted with a small flywheel to assist a steady tick over. The needle valve is mounted to the rear of the crankcase and the motor does start very easily. The 3 bladed propeller is aimed at providing a more constant flight speed whilst reducing noise by spinning with lower tip speeds. It also significantly increases the ground clearance underneath the tips. It may however prove difficult to replace in your local UK model shop. I've never seen them in use before and they are significantly less efficient that a normal 2 bladed affair.
The build commences with the installation of the aileron hinges. My other trainers had had these already fitted at the factory so to have to install these myself was the first small surprise. I began to apply the 30-minute epoxy as specified but found that the tiny slots in the centre of the hinge which run parallel to the hinge line made the final installation a real pain. I later consulted my instructor about this and he suggested using a small drop of cyano instead! The tail surface hinges were fitted this way in a fraction of the time. The aileron torque rods are already fitted which completes their fitting. The wing is joined with a laminated plywood joiner which you must assemble. This is epoxied between the two halves before joining the roots at the correct angle with more glue. A thin strip of covering is provided to hide the wing joint after making of the aileron servo mount and fitting it to the underside of the wing centre. With the aileron pushrods cut to length the wing is complete.
The metal engine mount is already fitted for you and the Evolution .46 dropped straight into it. The fuel tank is provided with a foam collar to assist in damping vibration and avoiding fuel foaming and access to the pipes is quite easy behind the motor. The undercarriage simply clamps into place as does the steerable nosewheel. When I cam to mount the tail I noticed that a piece of covering went across the rudder hingeline preventing it from deflecting one way. I suspect that this was a one off 'mis-stick' as it is not shown in the manuals' photographs. I had to free it up of course before I could get the hinges in. The mounting of the tail was quite simple with just a few cuts to be made to remove covering and accept a bit of epoxy. It now began to look like an aircraft.
Then it was time to put in the servos and the linkages. Both of which were quite simple. A couple of smears of wood glue ensured that the plywood servo tray was in place. The holes for the servos and switch are already die cut for you. The elevator and rudder connections were also simple as only simple 90 degree bends were required to fit the supplied linkages. The exit for the elevator pushrod in the very rear of the fuselage is especially neat and I liked this a lot. It made the whole operation so much easier. The nosewheel and throttle control rods are supposed to run unprotected through the bulkheads and internal formers but on the advice of my instructor I ran them through tubing to reduce local friction and prevent them rubbing on the fuel tank. There was no mention in the manual about finishing the linkage at the carburettor end.
After a little fun balancing the three blade prop we had the engine ready to run. No running in is needed according to the instructions as it is already done for you at the factory. I filled it with fuel and turned on controls. With the engine primed and glow clip fitted I decided to try and start it by hand. A little trickier than I expected with the three blade prop and I felt that I couldn't get a proper shot at it. It started easily with the electric starter though. The pick up screw position is protected by an anti tamper device which limits the range of movement and prevents a novice from getting it too far out of sorts that the motor won't run. The motor manual claims that the needle are pre set but they still needed a little tweaking. We had enormous difficulty in getting the engine mixture to stabilise and my instructor tried numerous tweaks to get it running correctly. In the end we traced part of the problem to a split seam on the fuel tank so then I had the and messy job of wringing out all the sponge packaging around it, Luckily the deluge had missed all the radio gear. We replaced the tank with a new seamless affair and when we ran the engine again it seemed like it was ready to go.
My home club, the Tyldesley Model Flying Club has two beautiful long grass strips...in the summer. in the winter they do tend to get a little muddied up. That's Mossland for you. The wheels on the Solo are a little small for winter strips like this one. No problem through the rest of the year but I couldn't help wondering if I should have upped the nosewheel size a little. With the model assembled and an Instructor at the ready just in case, the model was good to go. The engine once again started very easily running fairly smoothly but still hunting a little on the mixture. Despite this when released, the solo tracked straight into the breeze and took off easily climbing steadily away. banking to the left it seemed stable but very unresponsive, even sluggish on the ailerons. With a few more circuits down to finish the initial trimming I brought it down to a greaser to increase the aileron throws. My instructor spotted the mass of glue on the hingeline of the ailerons were I had struggled with the fitment of the hinges and cleaning this off gave me more throw. I also dressed back a little wood on the wing centre to allow fuller movement of the torque rods. The next flight showed some improvements but response was still a little disappointing. The engine was notably quiet and the three bladed prop did indeed give the effect of a more consistent flight speed. Still it was hunting a little as if the mixture was unstable.
The model seemed at home in the blustery conditions. so I began to try out some aerobatics; it performed Loops, Reversals, Immelmans and most basic aerobatics easily. There was a good response from the elevator and rudder, but the roll response let these down. I even had to put a bit of rudder in to get a decent roll out of it! Next I thought that I would try out the claim written on the box, which states that the plane will self-right itself. A little scary to watch at first but it will do it to some extent. Not such a good idea to make a habit of trying this though. Taking your hands off the sticks in a full power dive and expecting the solo to pull out might leave you quite disappointed and in need of a spade.
The ground handling of the plane was quite good in calm conditions, this is mainly down to the quite powerful rudder. However subsequent trips out in crosswind conditions show the model up a little. No doubt a combination of the quite low wing loading and small wheels. Sometimes I felt that it was more luck than judgement that got it off the ground.
Once airborne orientation is quite good and the strange asymmetric colour scheme looks quite striking. The predominantly white wing can disappear in a grey overcast sky which is a bit unnerving. A solution I have used on my other trainer was to put some bright orange trim on the top and leading edge of the wings. This helps a lot. It is worth noting that other colour schemes are available in the Solo range. The Solo Star colour scheme is very patriotic if you're an American!
When we next flew the solo for the flying pictures the engine problem really started to show itself up. We could not get the mixture to stabilise at all. We tried different fuels, plugs and tank positions. Checked for blockages, tweaked needles and all manner of clever tricks my instructor knew to sort it out. The problem was (according to him) very symptomatic of a leaky seal somewhere in the system. To prove the point we replace the carb and needle valve with one from an OS motor and the engine ran sweetly from then on. The carb and needle valve have been returned to the distributors for inspection and we are awaiting their response. The engine problems did give us an opportunity to fly the model on the glide and a number of times it forced me to land the model 'deadstick'. It glides very nicely with its big wing and I could soon judge the landings easily.
The Hangar 9 Solo ARTF trainer is overall well-built with good quality fittings. It would be a fine choice for an absolute beginner. It is quite docile and can be flown surprisingly slowly. The engine package helps to keep the speed constant and trimchange with rpm minimal. It handles windy weather well and can perform most basic aerobatic manoeuvres. My chief criticism is the aileron response, which even set to the maximum, is still really not enough. The model would happily get you to the A certificate standard but you would struggle to progress past this. Most pilots are on to something else by then anyway despite the BMFA B certificate being designed so that a reasonable trainer can perform it. I struggle to see how you could get this model to perform consecutive rolls well and I also feel that the spin would be very difficult to achieve. The building was reasonably easy even for my first model but it was a bit fiddly in places. I benefited from having my instructor close at hand to clarify a few points along the way. It's disappointing to have struggled with the engine though. Overall it is a well made package and I like the way it compliments the trainer. It is quiet, responsive and powerful. Just what a novice needs.
The Hangar 9 Solo is distributed throughout the UK by Helger Distribution Ltd. They don't sell direct to the public but you can get the Solo range at all good model shops and some rubbish ones too. Expect the price to be around the £95.00 mark.