Seagull Decathlon Citabria ARF

RCU Review: Seagull Decathlon - .40
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Contributed by: Mike Buzzeo | Published: December 2004 | Views: 88954 |
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Review by: Mike Buzzeo (MinnFlyer) Email Me
Introduction
Specifications
First Look
Assembly
Posing Time
Flight Report
Summary
Manufacturer Information
Seagull Models
Distributed through
Horizon Hobby
In the world of Acrobatics, the Super Decathlon stands apart from
the crowd. Nowadays, when people think of Air Show Performers,
they conjure up images of Extras, Caps, Edges or any of the
numerous bi-planes that top the bill at the local airports. The
Super Decathlon is quite different in design from that type of
plane, yet in the hands of a capable pilot, they can do every trick
in the book.
Horizon Hobby
4105 Fieldstone Rd.
Champaign, IL 61822
Phone: (217) 352-1913
www.seagullmodels.com
www.horizonhobby.com
Airshow Professional Greg Koontz Cuts A
Ribbon
With His Bellanca Super Decathlon
The original full scale airplane got its start in 1951 as the Aeronca
7, and went through several changes before becoming the
aerobatic trainer known as the Citabria in 1964. Bellanca took
over production of the Citabria in September 1970, and with a few
more modifications, it became the fully aerobatic "Decathlon". With
the later addition of a 180hp engine, it became the "Super
Decathlon".
Now, Seagull Models, who is a relative newcomer in the industry,
has scaled the Super Decathlon down to an 68" version, ready to
be assembled and wrung out. Personally, I'm looking forward to
this!
Window Media Player
Seagull Decathlon ARF
VIDEOS
Name: Seagull Model Decathlon ARF
Price: $139.95
Packaging:
Wingspan: 68 in. (172 cm)
Wing area: 762 sq. in. (49.17 dm2)
Construction:
Length: 50 in. (127 cm)
Weight per Mfg: Total: 7 - 8 lbs. (3.17 - 3.62 kg)
Actual Flying Weight: Total: 7.5 lbs. (dry)
Hardware:
Manual:
Skill level: Intermediate-Advanced
Radio Used: Futaba Sky Sport Transmitter
Futaba R127DF FM Rx
Ease of Assembly:
(6) Futaba S-3004 Servos - Elevator (2), Aileron (2), Rudder,
Throttle
Channels Used: 4 total - elevator, aileron, rudder, throttle
Completeness of Kit:
Battery Used: 1
Prop Used:
NoBS 4.5V 600 Mah NICD
Graupner 12 x 7
Required to Complete:
Covering Quality:
4-channel radio with 6 servos
"Y" Cord (2)
CA glue
30-Min epoxy
Takeoff:
Landing:
Basic Flight:
Advanced Flight:
Stall Characteristics:
Solid Construction
Quality Covering
(Hangar 9 Ultracote)
Quality Hardware - All
Screws Matched With
Their Mating
Washers/Nuts
Preinstalled Pushrods
Preinstalled
Adjustable Engine
Mount
Spinner Included
Fiberglass Cowl, and
Wheel Pants
Manual
Loctite thread lock
Fuel Tubing
50 -72 class 4-Stroke, or 40-46 class 2-Stroke Engine, and
Propeller
Standard building tools
No matter how many times I've done it, opening a new airplane box still gives me goose bumps. The
Seagull Decathlon was no exception. Once I was inside, I could see that all of the parts were
individually bagged in translucent plastic, and nicely laid out with a cardboard divider between the
main sections.
A closer look showed some interesting features. The pushrods were preinstalled, as was the engine
mount, and Seagull also included a fiberglass cowl, and wheel pants. The covering job was also
excellent.
A quick inventory showed all of the major components present, so it was time to get started.
Manual
Unfortunately, as with so many of the new ARF's, the Manual is
the biggest downfall. This manual however, was particularly
strange in that for some steps, like installing the CA Hinges, it
went into painstaking detail bordering on overkill, while other
areas, like mounting the Wing Struts, simply showed a few
pictures that were too dark to see details, and no text
whatsoever.
We start off using CA to glue the hinges in place. As I mentioned earlier, the manual not only
gives you step-by-step details here, but after describing the steps for the aileron hinges, it
repeats them for both the elevator and rudder, only substituting the words "Aileron",
"Elevator" and "Rudder".
The The next step is to use epoxy to glue the wing halves together. I found the same problem
here as I did with the Seagull Spacewalker II - The Wing Joiner fit very loosely. I considered
adding a piece of very thin plywood to the joiner, but ultimately, Like the Spacewalker, I just
added lots of 30-Minute Epoxy to fill the gaps.
Later, after checking the Horizon website, I found this is the correct procedure. The Wing
Joiner is specifically designed to be loose as to not "squeegee" the epoxy off the joiner as the
joiner is inserted into the wing.
Once the joiner is installed, a piece of masking tape holds everything straight until the epoxy
cures. Later, the tape is removed, and a strip of self-stick covering is applied to the seam.
AILERON SERVOS
The Decathlon uses one servo in each wing for the ailerons. Each servo is mounted to a
hatch door which screws into the under side of the wing panel. The hatch covers are
preassembled, and preinstalled (Another big time saver!).
With the servo mounted to the hatch cover, the wire can be threaded through the wing (No
string supplied). Now you can line up and mount the control horn, and attach the pre-shaped
pushrod.
TANK INSTALLATION
The Tank installation goes as most do, with the only exception being the plastic fuel tubes
used instead of metal. My first impression of this was that it appeared to be a corner-cutting
method. However, once I got past the unorthodox material, I found the plastic to work well,
and be easy to shape.
After assembly, the tank fits into the nose with the lines running through a hole in the firewall.
Although foam padding was supplied, there was virtually no room to fit any around the tank.
ENGINE INSTALLATION
I decided to go with an OS 70 Surpass for powering the Decathlon. This proved to be an
excellent combo. The preinstalled engine mounts have elongated firewall mounting holes, so
that they can accommodate a range of engine sizes. Once they were adjusted to the 70, the
engine was placed as far back as possible (Which was still slightly farther out than the
manual recommended), and the mounting holes were marked using a long drill bit.
The engine was then bolted in place, throttle pushrod connected, and the cowl was fitted on
to the nose. I used a Graupner 12 x 7 Prop, and attached the supplied spinner.
LANDING GEAR
While the photos in the Decathlon manual were clearer than the Space Walker II manual, the
lack of text was a little annoying. Text really shouldn't be necessary though, as this is a pretty
straight forward procedure that anyone capable of handling this type of airplane should be
able to figure out.
One really nice thing here is that even though the wheels are small, the pants are large
enough to accommodate much larger wheels should you need them.
Once the wheels/pants are installed onto the gear, the gear are bolted to the fuse with 4 steel
screws. Again, the screws and blind nuts are preinstalled at the factory.
TAIL SECTION
Nothing unusual here. The tail feathers are placed and marked, so the covering can be
removed from the gluing areas, and then reinstalled using 30 - Minute Epoxy.
After the epoxy had cured, the control horns were attached, and the preinstalled push rods
were connected.
Next the tail wheel is installed. One thing worth mentioning here is that the rear screw
attachment point in the tail wheel bracket is in such a tight area that it was too narrow to fit
the screws supplied, however, I found that a standard servo screw with its flange ground off
fit nicely.
With the tail wheel installed, it was time to place the servos. The Decathlon employs the use
of two servos for the elevator. I really think this is overkill. Even though it is a very aerobatic
plane, two servos is more than is needed in my opinion (but then, I feel the same way about
using 2 aileron servos on 40 - size planes).
WING ATTACHMENT
Again, I found the lack of written instruction here very annoying. While plenty of pictures are
provided, several key points are missing, such as: the manual does not state that the
aluminum strut attachment plates should be bent on the outboard ends, nor does it give the
locations of the wing attachment points.
I not only had to guess as to where to put them, but also how to install them. I found that
drilling a slightly undersized hole allowed me to screw them into the wood. I then added a
drop of thin CA to secure them. I should also point out that the lengths of the struts are
adjustable, so the attachment points are not critical.
Once all of the attachment points were installed, the struts bolt onto the fuse plates, and
clevises are provided to attach the struts to the wing.
FINISHING
We're getting close now! The supplied decals were applied, but I was disappointed to see
that the white cowl stripes (which were pictured on the box) were neither painted on, nor was
there a decal for it. I thought it needed something to break up all of that red, so I masked and
painted some stripes on the cowl.
With the cowl reattached, and the battery placed under the tank, the Decathlon balanced right
where it was supposed to. It was time to bring it out into the daylight and get a few pictures.
Maiden Flight
The day I took the Decathlon out for her maiden flight, the winds were a little gusty and variable.
Not ideal conditions, but not too bad either. In no time, the OS 70 was purring, and the
Decathlon was sitting at the end of the runway. The grass had been mowed just the day before,
so the small wheels didn't have much trouble cutting through it, but I could see that it wouldn't
be long before I would replace them with larger wheels. Fortunately (Unlike Seagull's
SpaceWalker II) the wheel pants were large enough to accommodate much larger wheels.
Throttle up, and she's rolling down the runway. It was ready to lift off in no time, but I held it on
the ground until a decent flying speed had been reached, as I know that a plane with such a
short tail moment is susceptible to snapping if you lift off too soon. Once she was ready, the
Decathlon lifted off the runway like she'd been doing it all her life. Trim requirements were
minimal, and after two circuits of the field to get a feel for it, I started putting it through some mild
maneuvering.
It was very responsive in the yaw and pitch axes, But the roll rate was a bit slow for my liking.
After a smooth landing, I zipped up the ailerons a bit, and was back in the air.
NOW she's flying the way I like to fly!
Rolls, spins, loops, just about anything I threw at her, she took. knife-edge flight took a small
amount of down elevator, but it did them well. At this point, the winds were picking up, so after a
somewhat sloppy landing, I packed up for the day.
Usually when I am doing a review, I like to get the video shot immediately after getting the feel
for a new plane (Lest Murphy come up and smite me!), but the following weekend, a friend in
another town was holding a fun fly at their club's field (Which is in his backyard - Talk about
lucky!). I didn't have anything from my usual hangar ready, so I thought "what the heck", and I
brought the Decathlon.
What with the nature of the event, and seeing other fliers that I only see once or twice a year, I
forgot all about the review. I was just out for a day of Fun Flying - and the Decathlon was just
the plane to have with me. No smoke, no retracts, no flaps, nothing but 4 controls, and a very
responsive airplane. I had a ball!
Later that week, I got the videos shot. I also got a few extra flights in, and in the weeks that
followed, several more. This little plane is quickly becoming one of my favorite "Throw it in the
car, and head to the field" planes. No muss, no fuss, just lots of fun!
Seagull Decathlon ARF
Windows Media Player Format
High Resolution
5.5m
Med Resolution
2.4m
Low Resolution
506k
Something I have noticed about the Seagull models is that when you consider the price of these
planes, they are amazingly well built. I don't mean to say that the engineering is fantastic, or that
there is any innovative technologies used, what I do mean to say is that all of the parts seem to fit
well, joints appear to be well glued, and overall quality is much better than you might expect for a
model in this price range. Furthermore, they tend to preassemble so much for you (preinstalled
Engine Mount, Windows, Pushrods, Etc.), that work bench time is held to a minimum. Overall, I'm
pretty impressed with their products.
pretty impressed with their products.
As for skill level, I think anyone who has mastered a basic trainer could handle it; however, I
would caution a rookie pilot that Decathlons (or any variation of the Citabria) have a very short
tail moment, and may be more responsive than you are ready for. So I won't say "Don't get this as
a second plane", but I will caution you to be careful until you get used to it. The more
accomplished flier will find this to be a most enjoyable craft.
I did think however, that using two elevator servos on a plane this size was overkill, but that's one
of the few bad things I can say about this model. All in all, this one is definitely a keeper!
Seagull Models
Distributed through
Horizon Hobby
4105 Fieldstone Rd.
Champaign, IL 61822
Phone: (217) 352-1913
www.seagullmodels.com www.horizonhobby.com
Futaba Corporation of America
Distributed Exclusively in the U.S.A., Canada and Mexico by:
Great Planes Model Distributors
P.O. Box 9021; Champaign, IL 61826-9021
Website: www.futaba-rc.com
Product: Futaba 6VH SkySport
O.S. Engines
Distributed Exclusively in the U.S.A., Canada and Mexico by:
Great Planes Model Distributors
P.O. Box 9021; Champaign, IL 61826-9021
Website: www.osengines.com
Graupner Propellers
Website: www.hobby-lobby.com/grprop.htm
NoBS Batteries, Inc..
139 Oak St
Patchogue NY 11772-2844
Phone: 631-610-5169
Website: www.hangtimes.com/nobsbatteries.html
email: hangtimes@optonline.net
Comments on RCU Review: Seagull Decathlon - .40
Posted by: skykid33 on 10/01/2008
Profile
Posted by: Mojavegold on 10/23/2008
Profile
Awesome flyer, great aerobatics. I coverted mine from gas to e-power AXI 4130/20 on 6S. The only issues I noticed were
as follows: The firewall has zero right thrust built in, so you have to mount the motor with 2 degrees of right thrust. The
wing struts are lacking in strength. I fixed this by bonding the brass insert into the strut and grinding a flat on the link to
give the set screw more bite. The rest of the build was straight forward.
Posted by: frnkenstien on 10/27/2008
Profile
Posted by: frnkenstien on 10/27/2008
Love this plane and all the seagull stuff I bought this summer it flew well enough for a pilot of my 3 month flying
experience could tell.
Profile
Posted by: frnkenstien on 10/27/2008
Profile
I have to agree on everything but the cowl details as the stickers for the stripes and the star were in a bag in the box but
I almost painted it too!
Posted by: mickeyrogers on 10/12/2009
Profile
Posted by: mickeyrogers on 10/12/2009
Profile
Are you kdding? This thing flies terrible!!! AEROBATICS are sloppy ,it does nothing well,I would buy other SEAGULL planes
but never another DECATHLON,controls are sluggish,fies too much like a trainer to be considered an aerobatic plane.
Posted by: dean2287 on 05/17/2010
I have the Phoenix Decathlon, it flies great with a OS.46AX in it. I question the Seagull version as it is a bit
heavier...probably needs more like a .55 2S or a .82 FS.
Profile
Posted by: MinnFlyer on 05/17/2010
As you can see from the video, an OS 70 is plenty of power for this plane.
Profile
Posted by: schweizer1551 on 05/25/2010
Profile
Hmmmm..... i have the Decathlon with a 72 Saito in it.I did not like the small wheels on grass.It does everything i want it
to do..I think it is a verry good plane.NOT FOR A BEGINNER!!!!! I realy dont like 2 servos on the elevator.
Page: 1
The comments, observations and conclusions made in this review are solely with respect to the particular item the editor reviewed and may not apply
generally to similar products by the manufacturer. We cannot be responsible for any manufacturer defects in workmanship or other deficiencies in products
like the one featured in the review.
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