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FINAL ASSEMBLY
With all the covering in place, paint the cowl and struts to match,
and add any desired trim and scale detail. Add the tail brace
wires in a continuous loop, tie off to the tailwheel strut wire, and
secure at all four points with a drop of thin CA glue. The cabin
windows are cut out of 0.006-inch acetate and can be fitted
either on the inside or the outside; either way works, but taking
the extra effort to fit them on the inside makes for a nicer-looking
finished model. Fit and glue the windshield in place. Make up the
wheel retainers as shown on the plans, and mount the wheels
to the landing gear. Build up the door latch, and hinge the door
on the fuselage using clear hinge tape. Align and glue a stop
block in the fuselage to secure the door handle when the door
is closed.
With the model complete, set up the center-of-gravity balance
point 1 7/8 inches from the wing leading edge, using the battery
to your best advantage. With the battery location determined,
make the battery tray out of 1/32-inch plywood, and glue it in
place atop the bottom-fuselage formers. Secure the battery to
the tray with Velcro.Aeronca’s “Airknocker”
The Aeronca Champ was designed
in the mid-1940s and was intended
as a pilot trainer that would compete
with the ever-popular Piper J-3
Cub. Affectionately referred to as
the “Airknocker,” the Champ also
served well as a private plane for
pleasure and was capable of short
cross-country flights. A tandem
two-place, high-wing monoplane, it
was powered by a Continental A-65
engine, and in many ways, it was
superior to the J-3. It was faster; had
a wider, taller, and generally more
comfortable cabin area; and was
flown from the front seat, so overall
pilot visibility was better both in the air and on the ground than the Cub, which was piloted from the rear seat. Its landing gear
was better designed as well, featuring Olio strut suspension rather than the Cub-style bungee-cord arrangement.
With a wingspan of 35 feet, the Champ was a rag-and-tube airplane, typical of that era. For this reason, it was considered
a lightweight, with an empty weight of 740 pounds and a gross flying weight of 1,220 pounds. Today, this weight qualifies the
Champ for the Light Sport Pilot category. The Champ, in the form of the L-16, also saw service as a military observer in World
War II. (Photo courtesy of airliners.net)CONSTRUCTION AERONCA 7ACCHAMP
The motor mount is built up and glued in place, and
then the motor and ESC are mounted. It is then test-
run to ensure the proper direction of rotation.
The vac-formed windshield is trimmed and fitted and
then glued in place.The cowl is trimmed and fitted to the fuselage, then
mounted using the leftover aileron-servo screws.