Dedicated to the Mother in Law ~ The Dragon Lady!

Many reviews begin the same way, so I will try to begin mine a little different. I had a Zenoah 23 laying idle on my bench so I decided to look for a suitable model to house it in. After the usual search of the magazines and the web sites I came across the Dragon Lady from YT International. It is one of the styles of models I like, a low wing 30's style racer with aerobatic capabilities and a wide range of power options. This suited what I had in mind so I opted for it. My workshop is in my loft so building a model this size needs a bit of careful thought when moving the airframe around.

Factory Specs Wingspan: 66" Wingarea: 870 sq.in. Weight: 7.5-9 1bs. Engine: .90-.1.20 2C / .91-1.20 4C Radio: 4 channel with 4 servos.

Used in this review Engine: Zenoah 23cc petrol 5 x Futaba 148 servos GWS 8 channel r/x 6v 2100mAh r/x pack Weight 11 lb 1 oz (with zenoah & fittings)

In brief Some models are destined to be classics.. The Dragon Lady is one of those models she is so smooth and stable that first time "Low-wing" pilots will find it to be a solid sport aerobatic performer. The kit features pre-built, pre-sanded component parts, pre-sheeted foam core wing, hardware package, fibreglass cowl and wheelspats, alloy main gear, F/G leaf-sprung tail wheel assembly, and clear windscreen.

Upon arrival of the model I was impressed by the presentation and the contents of the box. Each major component is individually wrapped in a plastic bag and are packaged with cardboard inserts to stop them moving around in the box. The wing is veneered foam in two halves, very light weight and nicely finished. The tailplane is all sheeted and the dry fit is about the best I have ever come across in this level of pre finished model.


The cowl is light weight fibre glass and will need reinforcing (as specified in the manual) but required no cutting or trimming (other than to suit engine used) The undercarriage is pre-formed in super light dural aluminium. Holes are pre drilled to fit fuselage, but wheel axle holes must be drilled to suit. The moulded GRP Spats are very robust and highly resistant to normal flight wear.

Instructions are very clear and easy to follow. There is also a step by step assembly guide which is very useful even for people like me who have their own ways of putting a model together.

To complete this model I needed the following :-

Engine, fuel tank, tubing, propeller and spinner
5 servos, 5+ channel receiver, battery
Control linkages, wheels and axles.
Profilm for the main covering, Solar trim for the markings and a pilot.
Spray paint for the cowl & spats.

I always put a servo to each aileron, with direct drive as opposed to a single servo driving the ailerons from a central position, as shown for this kit. I cut out a box in each wing half to house the separate servos with ply bearers epoxied in to suit.


I used a 10mm alloy tube, sharpened at one end to bore a hole from the wing root to the servo box. This contains the servo leads as opposed to channeling the skin of the wing (tube outlined in red to show). Using a hooked length of piano wire I was able to pull the cable through the wing to the box with no problems.


The Dihedral brace comes ready made and is a tight fit width ways. When dry fitting there is a gap between the top of the brace and the underside of the top skin. I had to take care not to move the wing halves as this can split the upper skin. I then epoxied the brace into one wing half and joined the wings together with epoxy ensuring the dihedral was correct as specified. Once the epoxy was set I used the supplied glass cloth wing bandage and resin, masking tape is used to cover the bandage for a smoother finish.


With the servo fitted into the wing, a small ABS cover is used to protect the servos from dirt etc. Placing the wing central on the inverted fuselage, I lined up the dowel holes and marked the position on the wing panels through the pre drilled holes in the front former, a very simple but effective method. After drilling the wing and epoxying the dowels into place I fitted and glued the wing saddle fillet and shaped to suit. The wing bolt ply plates are then epoxied onto the bottom of the wing against the trailing edge.


I then glued the wing fillets to the fuselage sides. These have to be sanded and shaped after fitting as they are prone to cracking due to the very light weight balsa used (as I found out!!!!!). The second picture shows the fillet shaped.


Here is the first dry fit of the assembled wing. I put the tailplane & fin into position and just for effect put the cowl into place. I do this for a little inspiration now and again as I suspect most modellers do.


Next I decided to fit the engine. This is a straightforward job with the flat back-plate on the engine acting as the mounting, this bolts directly to the firewall. At this point I added 1 degree of down & right thrust.


The supplied cowl is exactly the right length for the Zenoah. The second picture of the completed installation shows how much had to be cut to accommodate the standard exhaust. If smaller engines are to be used this is not a problem as the kit is supplied with 3 additional firewalls which act as spacers which I think is a great idea.


Assembling and covering the tail fins came next. I was happy with the finish and used white Profilm as the base colour. I hinged the rudder and elevator using Robart hinges.


Moving inside I used hardwood for the servo rails and fitted servos for elevator and rudder. At this point the fuel tank is also fitted and the fuel pipe work routed to the engine.


This shot shows the finished control linkages. Wire closed loop on the rudder for positive control movement and a carbon pushrod for direct drive from the servo to the elevator. Also visible is the very scale looking steerable tail wheel assembly.


I dry fitted the supplied ply undercarriage plate to the underside of the fuselage between the firewall and the leading edge former. The alloy undercarriage is then put in place, aligned and the pre-drilled holes marked. I drilled the plate and covered it with profilm and bolted the main undercarriage in place. The whole assembly is then epoxied to the fuselage at a later stage after the fuselage is covered. This allowed for easier fitting of the fuel tank and piping and any final changes internally.


I made a battery restraint and fitted it next to the servos as far back as possible. I used a 6v 5cell 2100mAh pack. Checking the C of G at this point proved the model to be nose heavy. With some weight balanced on the tail I found I would need in excess of 1 pound of ballast at the rear to maintain the correct C of G. This is only due to the large engine used and would not be needed for most glow engines of suitable size.


I cut a small hatch in the rear of the fuselage (highlighted in red), above the longeron and in front of the stern post. It took a final amount of 1 lb 3 oz of lead to balance the model correctly.

I chose Profilm to cover the model as it is extremely easy to work with, it is very heat resistant so applying around curved or awkward areas is not a problem. White can be murder to keep clean but Profilm is very resistant to the usual grime that flying causes on a model. When I attached the tail I made double sure that the alignment by eye was correct with the main wing. This is critical in an aerobatic model.


I covered the ailerons and attached them again using robart hinges. I fitted the horns and attached the control rods to the servos. I used the intended radio gear to set up the throws and alignment and used 2 separate channels for the ailerons to set up mixing at a later stage.


Red Solartrim is used for the main wing and tail plane scallops and the centre fuselage stripe. I chose this design to keep in line with the 30s style of the plane.


I sprayed the cowl with white primer & finished with a top coat of white domestic appliance spray. Solartrim is used for the red stripe once again.


Wheels spats are undercoated with white again and top coated with red cellulose spray paint.

No plane is really complete without a decent personalised pilot. I painted the interior of the cockpit with varnish and finished with a matt black headboard. Cockpit combing added, and windscreen was glued to this at the final stage. I hand painted the pilot but forgot his moustache.


I used a 16 x 8 wooden propeller with a Goldberg snap on spinner. Registration MA-DDOG to keep in line with tradition. I'm not really mad it's all the others.


Tony lends some scale to the finished model. I took these the night before the test flights.

Final pictures of the completed Dragon Lady just prior to the maiden flight.




The weather was glorious and conditions were perfect for the Dragon Lady's first outing.


Take off requires a slight touch of right rudder, it rose smoothly off the ground about 25ft down the runway and slowly climbed into the sky. For level flight, 1 click of left aileron & 2 up elevator trim were required. Very tidy in the turns, with rudder keeping it smooth. Rolls are axial, the loops are straight and constant and stall turns look the part. The stall itself is very gentle, just dropping the nose slightly which is no problem to recover straight away. Inverted flight requires a touch of down to keep it level. Slow speed handling is stable with no dropping of a wing, with the Zenoah just burbling quietly to itself it looks and sounds superb. Landings are very straight forward but it does slow down very quickly so slight throttle is required to bring it home. Once it is in position and just above the strip I cut the throttle and she settled onto the grass for a perfect 3 pointer. Taxiing on the ground is very accurate with the steerable tail wheel and bringing it back from the end of the strip is a breeze.

Likes:
I found the Dragon Lady a dream to fly and an absolute pleasure to build. I was impressed by the clear instructions and high quality of parts, both material & finish. To date I have had 20+ flights and it gets better and better each time I take her out. Fellow flyers at Chesham Model Flying Club have flown it and all agree it is a smooth model to fly. Very accurate in flight with no nasty surprises for the unwary.
I would recommend this as a first low wing model to anyone with a bit of building & aileron flight experience behind them.

Dislikes:
Shaping the wing fillets.

The Dragon Lady is available from :-

YT INTERNATIONAL
15 Parkstone Close,
Shelfield,
Walsall,
West Midlands.
WS4 1QW, UK.
Tel/Fax: 01922 684425
Mobile: 07710 540 968 / 07719 616 634
At at very resonable price of £139.95

also from YT International is the .40 sized version for £99.95 also ARTC.

Article by Kevin Hammond from Bumpy Green Model Aerodrome
8th December 2001

Comment by Eck the Stickless on 00000000000000. Rating none

I do rather like the look of this one, especially the crisp-looking presentation of the boxed components. Having not yet myself climbed the ladder to building anything near this size (yet), I cannot speak with true authority, but it strikes me that tail ballast in excess of 1 lb is rather excessive. After all, the oldest aeromodelling question is, 'What can I add to my model to make it fly better?' and the oldest answer is, 'Lightness.' I would also have liked to see an alternative, and shorter, undercarriage as it looks just a little 'leggy'. No objection to this in certain other areas (ahem!) but not on a scale(ish) aircraft. Oh dear, I do sound rather negative! Sorry. Lets try otherwise! Looks to be an excellent paint finish and no doubt the pilot now sports a fine moustach.

Comment by Chris Kent on 00000000000000. Rating none

Firstly: What a triffik review. secondly: Well, I rather fell for this plane, and decided to get one. Upon calling YT International, Wilson informed me that the model is now only available ARTF, and no longer in ARTC form. I really DON'T want an ARTF, so reluctantly I've decided against buying one.............although the price quoted by YT is identical to the ARTC version in this review. However, Wilson did recommend their "NUTTEN SPECIAL", in ARTC. Anyone got any first-hand knowledge?? I certainly like the look of it. Any info greatly appreciated.

Comment by Chris Kent on 00000000000000. Rating none

Correction: Re my previous comments, the price quoted by YT International for this model, now in ARTF form is £160, and NOT as I said, the same as quoted in the review! OOOPS! Sorry.

Comment by Rob Buddle on 00000000000000. Rating none

Nice review. I have just test flown my Dragon Lady, which has taken me some horrendous amount of time to complete! Firstly it flies great and looks good in the air. One the down side the quoted weight is way out - mine comes in at 11.25lbs (weighed using fishing scales) plus fuel. This gives a wing loading of soem 29oz per square foot, which is high, but to it's credit it doesn't make the aircraft tip stall or less flyable. Mine has an SC 1.20 four stroke in it and despite having the elevator and rudder servos at the tail of the model, still needed about 2.5 oz of lead there too! All I can say is it must be built to last....

Comment by Mike on 20040521225156. Rating 5

I have the ARF version and found that it was a piece of cake to build. with a 120 Magmun and the servo's at the back the balance was spot on. THe lady flys better with the CG to the rear. It is one of the nicest planes I have flown. Everyone that has flown it love it.

Comment by emre kara on 20050619191814. Rating 4

hi , this is good but i don't understood placing the servos.can you explain the techniques of working of servo.!!! please....

Comment by Floyd Skoubo on 20050930140517. Rating 5

Great article.. Found a Dragon Lady ARC by Model Tech in California while on a trip there. Complete except for the cowl.. ordered one from a dealer who has parts for the ARF. Am now in working stages and debating on what engine to install. Your article and comments from the others really help.. especially the CG comments.. Not sure if rating of 1 is good or 5 so put down a 5 as execellant... Floyd in sunny and warm Panama

Comment by Floyd Skoubo on 20051019134053. Rating 5

Terrific review. Still working on my Dragon Lady. Have also put elevator servos in the rear and pull-pull rudder. Have a Saito 150 for powerplant that weighs 34 oz. installed inverted. Have beefed up firewall and added block aft of wing for float flying at a later date.. Have seen several DL's on floats, one with gas engine. Have used 5 rating as the best..

Comment by Ed Cregger on 20051118231543. Rating 3

I would prefer that they return to the ARC format with foam wings.

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