GREAT PLANES SLOWPOKE SPORT 40
FIELD & BENCH REVIEW
by Robert Van Tassel

SPECIFICATIONS:
Type: Sport
Manufacturer: Great Planes
Wingspan: 64 in.
Length: 49 in.
Weight: 6 lbs.
Engine req'd: .32 to .46 2-stoke or .40 to .52 4-stroke
Radio req'd: 4-channel with 5 servos
Radio used: Futaba T6XA
Price: $69.99
Features: CAD-engineered plan; simple interlocking construction; large wing area and light wing loading; ailerons; large radio compartment for easy gear installation, detailed, photo illustrated instruction manual.
Comments: This plane reminds me of the homebuilts of the 1930's. Great Planes has modified its popular original SlowPoke with the larger Sport 40 version, which incorporates ailerons. It is about the size of a .60 but flies well on a .52 4-stroke. It is a great, relaxing Sunday flyer. It is also a good way to experience the joy of a well-thought-out, fun-to-build plane that you can have in the air in a very short time.

Hits:

• Can be assembled quickly
• Excellent materials and die-cutting
• Good flight performance
• Detailed manual and plan

Misses:

• Leading-edge material isn't preshaped

As soon as I opened the box containing the Great Planes SlowPoke Sport 40, I knew it would be a pleasure to build. Y most recent projects have been ARF's, and though they were quick and easy to get in the air, I wanted the satisfaction of seeing something I build take shape and come to life. The SlowPoke Sport 40 was the perfect choice; it provided a true building experience and went together very smoothly.

The Kit

The SlowPoke comes with a detailed, 28-page construction manual with clear photos of each step, well-written text and even a small copy of the plan in the center section. It contains line drawings of the top and side of the plane to work out your color scheme, and the side of the box pictures a few color options. There are also metric conversion and common abbreviations tables. The "Expert Building Tips" are a nice feature; they give valuable information at various stages of construction. The rolled CAD plan is detailed and has a ruler printed along on edge and a phone number to call if you encounter problems.

CONSTRUCTION

The overall quality of the kit- particularly of the wood - is excellent. Pay attention to the wood sizes called for during construction, you do not have enough to waste. I used Great Planes thin, medium and thick CA for most of the building. I used aliphatic wood glue for sheeted areas to ease sanding. I also used 6- and 30 minute epoxy.

TAIL FEATHER

I laminated eight pieces of 1/8 inch die cut balsa to form the rudder's curved trailing edge (TE). I added the leading edge (LE) and a few cross-braces to complete it.

Build the fin, elevator and stab over the plan using the supplied balsa; use laminated balsa on all the curved areas. Join the elevator halves using the supplied joiner wire.

I flat-sanded most of the parts and sanded the LE's round. I cut the hinge slots using my Great Planes hinge-slotting tool; what a great labor saver!

WINGS

The wings are build in three sections over the plan, starting with the center section. A wing-plug doubler holds the wings on the fuselage from the center section's LE, and two nylon bolts hold them at the TE. This provides plenty of support and goes together quickly and cleanly at the field. The center section is build around the wing plug doubler and the center section rib, and it's sheeted on the bottom with an 1/8 in skin. Be careful building this section; accurate alignment is vital if you're to join the outboard wing sections properly. Secure the polyhedral braces with 30 minute epoxy, then sheet the top in 1/8 inch balsa to complete this section.

Building the outer panels is straightforward: add the root ribs using the supplied dihedral gauge. The wing tips consist of two die cut, butt joined, 3/32 inch balsa pieces. I reinforced the top of the joint with a couple of scrap pieces of the 1/8 inch strip balsa. The ailerons are made as part of the wing. I installed two pieces of string to act as draw strings for easy servo installation.

I inserted the wing joiner (the ones that I had previously installed in the center section) into the wing tips and, using the supplied wing tip supports, I joined the tips to the center section using 30 minute epoxy. I sanded the wing LE to shape; this required quite a bit of planning and sanding. It would have saved a lot of work had Great Planes provided shaped LE material

THE FUSELAGE

The fuselage is build upside-down on the plan. Be sure to follow the instructions carefully, as the engine is mounted on the forward fuselage plate, and you can easily end up with the reversed thrust line. Fabricated die-cut balsa and plywood form the fuselage sides. Join them to the fuselage plate upside down and then add the formers. Next, glue the rear ends of the fuselage sides together, clamp them, and add the planking. Now turn the fuselage right side up and sheet the bottom front of the engine compartment. I coated the inside of the forward fuselage bays with thinned epoxy. I also cut a small slot in the lower sheeting, just in front of the firewall, to allow any fuel to drain out. Next, I added the upper formers and cockpit, and the fin, turtle-deck stringer and forward sheeting completed the fuselage.

FINISHING

After fitting all the parts together, I laterally balanced the plane and finished sanding it. I used two rolls of yellow and one roll of blue Coverite. Just for the fun of it, I used some Micro Mark decal paper in my computer printed to generate a few rabbit decals, which I applied to the side of the cockpit to represent "kills." I also generated a small turtle decal for the cockpit's left side. I sprayed the decals with Micro Mark Last Step to protect them from fuel.

The plan suggest a 1/4 scale pilot, but I used a 1/6 scale pilot figure instead and painted him with flat acrylic paint over sprayed with flat polyurethane. The rudder is trimmed in black and yellow checkerboard patter. I made a quick trip to the local hardware store for sash cord to simulate padding around the cockpit and 20 inch anti slip stair tread material, which I applied to the upper side of the wings to allow my pilot easy access to the cockpit. I used 3 inch treaded wheels from Great Planes and a 10 ounce fuel tank. I cut a slit in the covering, used medium CA to attach the windshield and trimmed it with black. The radio installation is straightforward, and there is plenty of room to work. To my surprise, though, it took 5 ounces of lead under the engine to balance the plane.

CONCLUSION

Great Planes has put a lot of effort into the design and production of this kit, and it shows. I like the concept and thoroughly enjoyed the time spent building it. The Slow Poke Sport 40 proved to be a nice change of pace from the ARFs I've become used to, and the satisfaction of seeing my plane come together piece by piece was well worth the little extra construction time and effort. Plus, this plane is a lot of fun to fly. Its capabilities keep experienced pilots entertained, but its reactions are gradual and predictable enough for less experienced fliers to learn with and enjoy.

FLIGHT PERFORMANCE

Takeoff and Landing
After performing the routine preflight checks, I faced the SlowPoke into a 10mph wind and slowly applied power. The tail comes up in about 30 feet at a little more than 1/2 throttle. With very little right rudder and a little up-elevator, the SlowPoke comes off the ground in about 60 feet.

Landing is a piece of cake; just line up with the runway and reduce the power on final, and the SlowPoke settles in for a 3 point landing. As unlikely as it seems, these 3 point landings are easily repeatable; I did identical ones after four consecutive flights!

Low Speed Performance
This is where this plane excels. I took it up high, faced it into the breeze and reduced power while feeding in up elevator. The plane slowed to a crawl and continued to fly. I applied more up elevator and reduced power back to an idle, and it still continued to fly. This plane simply will not stall

High Speed Performance
This is not a high speed plane; one look at the chord and design will tell you that. But with a suitable power plant such as the L.S. 52 the SlowPoke produces respectable speed-certainly more than its name suggests!

Aerobatics
Although the SlowPoke isn't a pattern planes, it will do mild aerobatics when set at the high aileron rate. Loops are smooth and require no additional power. On high elevator rate, the SlowPoke loops in about 20 feet and at a speed that an intermediate flier can appreciate. Rolls require aileron/elevator coordination. I tried to spin a number of times and succeeded only in doing a slow spiral, but hammerheads are another story: with that large rudder, you can go straight up, kick over the rudder and take the same path down. Inverted flying requires a lot of down-elevator, but it can be done. The nice thing about this planes is that everything happens slowly, so you have plenty of time to get yourself out of trouble.