gwh
Oct 01, 1998, 12:00 AM
<div align="center"><center>
<table border="1" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0" width="80%" bgcolor="#FBFEDA">
<tr>
<td width="50%"><p align="center"><a href="/articles/ezonemag/1998/oct/triffik/front.jpg"><img src="http://static.rcgroups.com/articles/ezonemag/1998/oct/triffik/front_small.jpg" alt="front.jpg (72703 bytes)" border="2" WIDTH="123" HEIGHT="100"></a></td>
<td width="50%"><p align="left"><strong>Stats:</strong></p>
<ul>
<li><b>Wing span:</b> 27.5 inches </li>
<li><b>Fuselage Length</b>: 23.6 inches</li>
<li><b>Wing area:</b> approx 164 sq.in. </li>
<li><strong>Weight:</strong> 18.25 ounces</li>
<li><strong>Wing Loading:</strong> 16 oz/ sq. ft.</li>
<li><b>Power System: </b>Speed 400 6V motor, 7 cell 500 AR pack, Graupner CAM Speed 5x5 prop
</li>
<li><b>Available from:</b> RC Direct (current price is $159.95) - <a href="http://www.rc-direct.com"><font color="#0000ff"><u>http://www.rc-direct.com/</u></font></a></li>
</ul>
</td>
</tr>
</table>
</center></div>
<p align="center"> </p>
<p align="left"><big>Introduction</big></p>
<p align="center"><a href="/articles/ezonemag/1998/oct/triffik/parts.jpg"><img src="http://static.rcgroups.com/articles/ezonemag/1998/oct/triffik/parts_small.jpg" alt="parts.jpg (55803 bytes)" border="2" WIDTH="193" HEIGHT="100"></a></p>
<blockquote>
<p>The Triffik is a highly prefabricated speed 400 size sport plane. The fit and finish of
the parts is amazing. Upon opening the box the builder finds three large pieces and a
small bag of parts. The fuselage, wing and tail are all fiberglass with a painted color
scheme already applied.</p>
<p> </p>
</blockquote>
<p align="left"><big>Construction</big></p>
<blockquote>
<p align="left"><strong>Wing</strong></p>
<p>The wing only requires three steps to complete. The first step is to cut slots in the
wing for the aileron torque rods to be glued. The only difficulty is that its hard to cut
the beautiful finish on the fiberglass wing.</p>
<p align="center"><strong><a href="/articles/ezonemag/1998/oct/triffik/servo.jpg"><img src="http://static.rcgroups.com/articles/ezonemag/1998/oct/triffik/servo_small.jpg" alt="servo.jpg (55054 bytes)" border="2" WIDTH="85" HEIGHT="100"></a></strong></p>
<p>The torque rods were mounted using the supplied PAF powder and CA. PAF powder is a
filler made from small glass beads, it can be used with CA to make fillets and field
repairs. Small dams of modeling clay were use to set the torque rods in the proper place
and to prevent the CA from gluing the torque rods to the housings. After the torque rods
were in place a micro servo was glued in place in the precut hole and connected to torque
rods. The final step is mounting a wing hold down dowel. This step is performed in the
fuselage assembly.</p>
<p align="left"><strong>Fuselage</strong></p>
<p align="center"><strong><a href="/articles/ezonemag/1998/oct/triffik/sectioned.jpg"><img src="http://static.rcgroups.com/articles/ezonemag/1998/oct/triffik/sectioned_small.jpg" alt="sectioned.jpg (40940 bytes)" border="2" WIDTH="256" HEIGHT="100"></a></strong></p>
<p>The fuselage has a removable nose section. This is a nice touch. The nose section only
requires holes to be drilled for mounting the motor. This was quickly and accurately
accomplished by placing one of Tim Mc Donough's round laser cut motor mounts in place and
drilling two holes at the appropriate positions. </p>
<p>First the opening for the wing must be removed from the fuslage. A Dremel tool made the
job quick and painless. Next the wing is placed in position and a hole is drilled for the
wing hold down bolt. I glued the supplied nut to a small piece of wood and finally glued
the nut in place for the wing hold down bolt. I then bolted the wing onto the fuselage and
used tape to hold the front portion of the wing in alignment on the fuselage while I ran a
drill through the fusealage bulkhead and into the wing. I then glued the dowel into the
wing.</p>
<p><strong>Tail</strong></p>
<p align="center"><strong><a href="/articles/ezonemag/1998/oct/triffik/tail.jpg"><img src="http://static.rcgroups.com/articles/ezonemag/1998/oct/triffik/tail_small.jpg" alt="tail.jpg (22380 bytes)" border="2" WIDTH="103" HEIGHT="100"></a><a href="/articles/ezonemag/1998/oct/triffik/wing.jpg"><img src="http://static.rcgroups.com/articles/ezonemag/1998/oct/triffik/wing_small.jpg" alt="wing.jpg (61192 bytes)" border="2" WIDTH="227" HEIGHT="100"></a></strong></p>
<p>A hole must be drilled into the vertical tail for the elevator pushrod to exit. I used
a small piece of brass tube to attach the pushrod to the elevator. The horizontal tail may
be made removeable with the included hardware or glued on permantly. I chose to glue mine
on permantly. </p>
</blockquote>
<blockquote>
<p align="left"><strong>Final Assembly</strong></p>
</blockquote>
<blockquote>
<p>Now all that remains is to bolt in a Speed 400 motor, place a reciever in the space
provided in the wing, hook up the elevator servo and place velcro to hold the batery in
the proper position.</p>
</blockquote>
<p align="center"><a href="/articles/ezonemag/1998/oct/triffik/nose.jpg"><img src="http://static.rcgroups.com/articles/ezonemag/1998/oct/triffik/nose_small.jpg" alt="nose.jpg (75154 bytes)" border="2" WIDTH="127" HEIGHT="100"></a></p>
<p align="left"><big>Flying</big></p>
<blockquote>
<p>The Triffik flew right out of my hand on the first flight. Loops and rolls were
accomplished with ease. The Triffik came around and landed smoothly. I later tried a
flight with the controls set beyond the recommendations. I would not recommend
exceeding the recommended control deflections. The elevator became too sensitive for my
flying style.</p>
<p align="center"><strong><a href="/articles/ezonemag/1998/oct/triffik/rear.jpg"><img src="http://static.rcgroups.com/articles/ezonemag/1998/oct/triffik/rear_small.jpg" alt="rear.jpg (34111 bytes)" border="2" WIDTH="138" HEIGHT="100"></a></strong></p>
<p>The Triffik has a large wing and, consequently, a much lower wing loading than a lot of
Speed 400 pylon racers out there. This makes the Triffik fairly easy to land.</p>
<p> </p>
</blockquote>
<font size="4">
<p align="left">Recommendation</p>
</font>
<blockquote>
<p><b>Pros:</b> <ul>
<li>Almost ready to fly </li>
<li>Assembles quickly- one evening assembly could be possible</li>
<li>Flies straight and true</li>
</ul>
<b><p>Cons</b>: <ul>
<li>Few assembly instructions</li>
<li>Too heavy to be competitive in Speed 400 pylon</li>
</ul>
<p>The kit is very nearly finished out of the box but could still use a little work on the
instructions for people who are new to completing this kind of airplane. I did not
have any problem getting my Triffik ready quickly and neither will you if you have built a
few airplanes before.</p>
<p>I recommend the Triffik to people who are looking for a high-quality hollow-molded
plane. The Triffik is not as light as some other Speed 400 designs, but it builds quickly,
looks great and flies well. It also has a much larger wing than a lot of other
airplanes in its class, which means it can handle the extra ounce or two without any
trouble. If good looks, precise flying, and fast assembly time are high on your list
of priorities, this could be the plane for you. </p>
</blockquote>
<table border="1" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0" width="80%" bgcolor="#FBFEDA">
<tr>
<td width="50%"><p align="center"><a href="/articles/ezonemag/1998/oct/triffik/front.jpg"><img src="http://static.rcgroups.com/articles/ezonemag/1998/oct/triffik/front_small.jpg" alt="front.jpg (72703 bytes)" border="2" WIDTH="123" HEIGHT="100"></a></td>
<td width="50%"><p align="left"><strong>Stats:</strong></p>
<ul>
<li><b>Wing span:</b> 27.5 inches </li>
<li><b>Fuselage Length</b>: 23.6 inches</li>
<li><b>Wing area:</b> approx 164 sq.in. </li>
<li><strong>Weight:</strong> 18.25 ounces</li>
<li><strong>Wing Loading:</strong> 16 oz/ sq. ft.</li>
<li><b>Power System: </b>Speed 400 6V motor, 7 cell 500 AR pack, Graupner CAM Speed 5x5 prop
</li>
<li><b>Available from:</b> RC Direct (current price is $159.95) - <a href="http://www.rc-direct.com"><font color="#0000ff"><u>http://www.rc-direct.com/</u></font></a></li>
</ul>
</td>
</tr>
</table>
</center></div>
<p align="center"> </p>
<p align="left"><big>Introduction</big></p>
<p align="center"><a href="/articles/ezonemag/1998/oct/triffik/parts.jpg"><img src="http://static.rcgroups.com/articles/ezonemag/1998/oct/triffik/parts_small.jpg" alt="parts.jpg (55803 bytes)" border="2" WIDTH="193" HEIGHT="100"></a></p>
<blockquote>
<p>The Triffik is a highly prefabricated speed 400 size sport plane. The fit and finish of
the parts is amazing. Upon opening the box the builder finds three large pieces and a
small bag of parts. The fuselage, wing and tail are all fiberglass with a painted color
scheme already applied.</p>
<p> </p>
</blockquote>
<p align="left"><big>Construction</big></p>
<blockquote>
<p align="left"><strong>Wing</strong></p>
<p>The wing only requires three steps to complete. The first step is to cut slots in the
wing for the aileron torque rods to be glued. The only difficulty is that its hard to cut
the beautiful finish on the fiberglass wing.</p>
<p align="center"><strong><a href="/articles/ezonemag/1998/oct/triffik/servo.jpg"><img src="http://static.rcgroups.com/articles/ezonemag/1998/oct/triffik/servo_small.jpg" alt="servo.jpg (55054 bytes)" border="2" WIDTH="85" HEIGHT="100"></a></strong></p>
<p>The torque rods were mounted using the supplied PAF powder and CA. PAF powder is a
filler made from small glass beads, it can be used with CA to make fillets and field
repairs. Small dams of modeling clay were use to set the torque rods in the proper place
and to prevent the CA from gluing the torque rods to the housings. After the torque rods
were in place a micro servo was glued in place in the precut hole and connected to torque
rods. The final step is mounting a wing hold down dowel. This step is performed in the
fuselage assembly.</p>
<p align="left"><strong>Fuselage</strong></p>
<p align="center"><strong><a href="/articles/ezonemag/1998/oct/triffik/sectioned.jpg"><img src="http://static.rcgroups.com/articles/ezonemag/1998/oct/triffik/sectioned_small.jpg" alt="sectioned.jpg (40940 bytes)" border="2" WIDTH="256" HEIGHT="100"></a></strong></p>
<p>The fuselage has a removable nose section. This is a nice touch. The nose section only
requires holes to be drilled for mounting the motor. This was quickly and accurately
accomplished by placing one of Tim Mc Donough's round laser cut motor mounts in place and
drilling two holes at the appropriate positions. </p>
<p>First the opening for the wing must be removed from the fuslage. A Dremel tool made the
job quick and painless. Next the wing is placed in position and a hole is drilled for the
wing hold down bolt. I glued the supplied nut to a small piece of wood and finally glued
the nut in place for the wing hold down bolt. I then bolted the wing onto the fuselage and
used tape to hold the front portion of the wing in alignment on the fuselage while I ran a
drill through the fusealage bulkhead and into the wing. I then glued the dowel into the
wing.</p>
<p><strong>Tail</strong></p>
<p align="center"><strong><a href="/articles/ezonemag/1998/oct/triffik/tail.jpg"><img src="http://static.rcgroups.com/articles/ezonemag/1998/oct/triffik/tail_small.jpg" alt="tail.jpg (22380 bytes)" border="2" WIDTH="103" HEIGHT="100"></a><a href="/articles/ezonemag/1998/oct/triffik/wing.jpg"><img src="http://static.rcgroups.com/articles/ezonemag/1998/oct/triffik/wing_small.jpg" alt="wing.jpg (61192 bytes)" border="2" WIDTH="227" HEIGHT="100"></a></strong></p>
<p>A hole must be drilled into the vertical tail for the elevator pushrod to exit. I used
a small piece of brass tube to attach the pushrod to the elevator. The horizontal tail may
be made removeable with the included hardware or glued on permantly. I chose to glue mine
on permantly. </p>
</blockquote>
<blockquote>
<p align="left"><strong>Final Assembly</strong></p>
</blockquote>
<blockquote>
<p>Now all that remains is to bolt in a Speed 400 motor, place a reciever in the space
provided in the wing, hook up the elevator servo and place velcro to hold the batery in
the proper position.</p>
</blockquote>
<p align="center"><a href="/articles/ezonemag/1998/oct/triffik/nose.jpg"><img src="http://static.rcgroups.com/articles/ezonemag/1998/oct/triffik/nose_small.jpg" alt="nose.jpg (75154 bytes)" border="2" WIDTH="127" HEIGHT="100"></a></p>
<p align="left"><big>Flying</big></p>
<blockquote>
<p>The Triffik flew right out of my hand on the first flight. Loops and rolls were
accomplished with ease. The Triffik came around and landed smoothly. I later tried a
flight with the controls set beyond the recommendations. I would not recommend
exceeding the recommended control deflections. The elevator became too sensitive for my
flying style.</p>
<p align="center"><strong><a href="/articles/ezonemag/1998/oct/triffik/rear.jpg"><img src="http://static.rcgroups.com/articles/ezonemag/1998/oct/triffik/rear_small.jpg" alt="rear.jpg (34111 bytes)" border="2" WIDTH="138" HEIGHT="100"></a></strong></p>
<p>The Triffik has a large wing and, consequently, a much lower wing loading than a lot of
Speed 400 pylon racers out there. This makes the Triffik fairly easy to land.</p>
<p> </p>
</blockquote>
<font size="4">
<p align="left">Recommendation</p>
</font>
<blockquote>
<p><b>Pros:</b> <ul>
<li>Almost ready to fly </li>
<li>Assembles quickly- one evening assembly could be possible</li>
<li>Flies straight and true</li>
</ul>
<b><p>Cons</b>: <ul>
<li>Few assembly instructions</li>
<li>Too heavy to be competitive in Speed 400 pylon</li>
</ul>
<p>The kit is very nearly finished out of the box but could still use a little work on the
instructions for people who are new to completing this kind of airplane. I did not
have any problem getting my Triffik ready quickly and neither will you if you have built a
few airplanes before.</p>
<p>I recommend the Triffik to people who are looking for a high-quality hollow-molded
plane. The Triffik is not as light as some other Speed 400 designs, but it builds quickly,
looks great and flies well. It also has a much larger wing than a lot of other
airplanes in its class, which means it can handle the extra ounce or two without any
trouble. If good looks, precise flying, and fast assembly time are high on your list
of priorities, this could be the plane for you. </p>
</blockquote>