The design team at Hangar 9 decided they wanted a different look, drawing back to an early years racer, so they created a mid winged version of the Hangar 9 Pulse series. The Saratoga ARF is the end result of the design team's work. With an open cockpit and rounded tail feathers, it brings back that 1930's early years racer look. The trim scheme is a classic with clean, sharp lines on the top of the flying surfaces and a checker board pattern on the bottom for easy orientation while flying.
Weight: 5.5-6.25 lb- add 33 oz. with floats and rudder servo (5.22-5.67 kg)
Wing Loading: 19 oz/ft²(without floats)
Length: 49.25 in (1,251.58 mm)
Requires: 4+ channel radio w/5 servos (6 w/ floats) and a 2-stroke .46-.52 or 4-stroke .56-.82 engine or an out-runner brushless motor, 60A ESC (min), 11.1V 3200mAh LiPo battery & 7.4V 3200mAh LiPo battery.
Channels Used: 4 total - Elevator, Aileron, Rudder, Throttle
Items Needed To Complete
4+ Channel Radio and Receiver
5 Standard Servos (6 w/ floats)
2 or 4 stroke engine of appropriate size
Thin CA Glue
30-min Epoxy
Small Drill bits
Various Standard Shop Tools
The Saratoga ARF and the float kit arrived on my doorstep in plain brown packing boxes. Upon opening these, I found the nicely colored boxes that I see at the local hobby shop. I removed the box tops from each to find all the contents for both kits packed neatly in plastic bags and taped together to prevent shifting during shipping.
As I pulled the pieces from their respective boxes, I found no shipping damage at all, and very few wrinkles in the iron-on covering. The color scheme chosen for the Saratoga is bright and should be very easy to see while flying!
Manual
The manuals are top notch. The illustrations and written instructions are well though out and leave no questions at all. Even a beginner can read through these manuals and assemble an airplane and floats that will fly true!
I am really excited to get this project started... Are you?
LANDING GEAR
Assembly starts with the installation of the main landing gear. The painted aluminum main gear is very strong, and it is installed using the machine bolts included. Once complete, the axles are inserted through the holes in the gear and tightened. Make sure to follow the instructions when the say to place the head of the axle in a certain position to avoid complications installing the wheel pants. Don't forget to grind a flat spot in the axle so the wheel collar set-screws have a place to "bite" to keep them in place!
Installing the wheels requires a set-screw on both sides . The set-screws have a Phillips screwdriver head making it easy to tighten them. Be sure to use a thread locking compound where the instructions state to do so!
Wheel pants come next, and installing them could not be easier! They slide over the axle, and are locked in place by a single machine bolt, making removal simple if needed.
TAIL SECTION
On to the tail feathers! The CA hinges are pre-installed, cutting down assembly time, and there is NO adhesives needed to assemble the tail. The long bolts protruding from the bottom of the vertical stabilizer slip through pre-drilled holed in the Horizontal stabilizer and then down through the fuselage.
The bolts are now coming through the bottom of the fuselage, and two washers and locking nuts are used to secure the tail assembly. Pay much attention when tightening these locking nuts to avoid crushing the fuselage. Even the tail wheel bracket, wheel, and rudder and elevator control horns are pre-installed!
RADIO INSTALLATION
Now its time to install the servos and radio gear! We start by driving a screw in each of the servo screw holes, followed by a shot of thin CA. The CA hardens the wood for the servo screws to help prevent them from pulling out under load and vibration. Installing the servos is quite easy, as there is a lot of room in the fuselage.
The hook and loop fastener is included, and this is the first piece to go in followed by a piece of foam under the battery pack. The receiver is installed on top of the battery pack with the included foam between them.
The secondary receiver is mounted up front in the fuel tank area perpendicular to the primary receiver. It is held in place with a double sided foam tape.
the servo arms are drilled out to the proper diameter and the push rods are slid into the tubes for the rudder and elevator. the 90 degree bend is already made, so all that is left to do is install the clevises and keepers.
The push rods are attached to the servos using the included keepers, and the clevises are attached to the control horns for the rudder and elevator. This could not get any easier, except if it were done for you at the factory!
ENGINE INSTALLATION
We begin by installing the engine mount using the included hardware. Don't forget to use thread locker on the engine mount bolts.
Adding the top plates for the engine mount is next, and this makes positioning the engine very easy.
Once the location for the throttle push rod is found, drill the hole. At this point, be sure seal the cut-outs in the firewall with some epoxy.
The engine is secured using the top plates and included hardware. This method makes using all the engines recommended very easy, and no drilling or tapping of the mount is required.
The last step is to install the throttle pushrod and tube, but don't glue the push rod tube in place yet. this will be done at a later time. That concludes the engine installation!
Cowl installation is started by using the included clear template. Carefully cut the template to fit around your engine of choice. When satisfied, slide the clear template over the fiberglass cowl and trace the opening in the template on to the cowl.
I found it hard to slide the entire clear template over the engine, so I cut it in half vertically, placed it back over the fiberglass cowl and marked the pre-drilled holes in the cowl on the template. The picture is a little deceiving- the drive washer on the engine does line up with the front of the template.
Cutting the fiberglass cowl is done using a rotary tool. I prefer to use a cutting wheel to cut the large portion out of the center, then use a grinding wheel to get out to the edge of the marked line. the rotary tool makes short work of this task.
Installation of the fuel tank starts by threading the included zip-tie through the slots in the fuselage as shown. The fuel tank comes pre-assembled, so it is just a matter of sliding it through the opening in the wing saddle. Once in place the zip-tie is tightened and it secures the tank in place.
After the fuel lines have been run to their correct location, the cowl is slid into place and secured using the 4-40 bolts, washers, and short sections of fuel line. I really liked the fuel tubing for two reasons. First, it prevents the cowl bolts from backing out, and second, it helps dampen vibration from the engine to the cowl.
WING INSTALLATION
It's time to assemble the wings! The servo screw holes are first threaded, and then hardened with a shot of CA to keep things solid.
After the extensions have been securely attached to the servo leads, they are pulled through the wing using the pre-installed strings in the wings.
The servos are secured in the wing using the hardware that came with them, and the servo arm is drilled to accept the aileron push rod.
After the aileron push rod is slid into the servo arm, it is secured using the included keeper. All that is left is to install the threaded clevis and attach it to the aileron control horn. The second wing is done in the same manner.
The Saratoga has a two piece removable wing, making transporting it very easy. The wing has a large main aluminum wing tube by the main spar, and a smaller secondary alignment tube further aft.
The wing halves are then slid together over the wing tubes, and this completes wing assembly!
Now, the assembled wing is attached to the fuselage. There are two alignment dowels in the leading edge of the wing, and these are slid into holes in the former in front of the wing. The wing cover is then attached using two 1/4-20 nylon bolts, which also attach the rear of the wing to the fuselage, and the spring-loaded locking pin in the front.
Final assembly includes gluing the pilot and windscreen in place. The manual tells you to use canopy glue to secure the windscreen, but I added some small screws as well. I thought the screws would also add to the vintage look of the Saratoga.
FLOAT ASSEMBLY AND INSTALLATION
If you choose to install the floats, assembly begins with removal of the three landing gear bolts and installing the front float mount block. This block uses the bolts from the wheeled gear. Once secure, the wire gear for the floats is attached using four nylon straps and eight machine screws. I really like the way the floats are attached, and the rear float mount is pre-installed in the fuselage!
Once complete, the floats can be removed in about 3-5 minutes by removing the front three machine bolts, and two of the machine screws in the rear. I leave the two rear nylon straps and four screws in the fuselage when I change back to the wheeled landing gear. This prevents them from getting lost.
The float mounting blocks are added to the floats next. There are two per float, and each block is secured using four machine bolts. These bolts thread into blind nuts pre-installed inside the float.
Drill out the servo screw holes next, and add a drop of CA to harden each hole. This will help prevent stripping of the screw holes and provide a better bite for the screws.
The servo fit perfectly in the mount, and I used the hardware that came with the servo to secure it in place. The water rudder push rod is then slid into the pre-installed tube, a clevis is threaded on, and it is attached to the servo arm. The rudder mount is bolted in place next, and is attached like the float mounts on top of the float.
A quick connect is used to attach the push rod to the water rudder tiller arm, and makes adjusting the rudder easy.
The servo cover is then attached using four machine screws. The cover has a small cut-out to allow the servo wire to pass through once secure. There are four oversized wheel collars that hold the wire float gear in the mounting blocks.
The last step in assembling and attaching the floats is to attach the water rudder servo to a Y-harness plugged in to the rudder channel.
The manual tells you to install a charging jack in the side of the airplane to plug the servo wire in to. While this does provide a cleaner look, I simply pulled the side of the Y-harness not connected to the air rudder servo over the wing saddle area and bolt on the wing. I also applied tape in two spots on the wire gear to keep the water rudder servo wire straight and neat.
Let's take the Saratoga out into the daylight to see how she looks!
The maiden flight was done at our flying field in central Minnesota on a calm, muggy night. After the Saito had been tuned, the Saratoga was off the ground and climbing very quickly at a little more than 1/2 throttle. The Saito .82 is at the upper end of the recommended engine range, but I have no doubt that this plane would fly just as good on a .40 two stroke!
In the air, the Saratoga is a real beauty! She flies where you point it, with no bad qualities at all. Stalls are straight forward, and coming out of one is as easy as adding some throttle and a little up elevator. Slow and easy or fast and spirited flying are both well within the capabilities of this plane. On to aerobatics- if you can do it, so can this plane! Stall turns, Cuban eights, and very nice flat spins are just a few of the things the Saratoga does gracefully. Landing this plane comes as naturally as taking off, and could not be easier. She has a very nice glide ratio, and slow and easy is the best way to describe an approach with her! Flying this plane is a real treat- one might call her a 'five-star flyer'!
The float flight was done on a local lake near our field. The Saratoga flies the same off water as it does off the ground. Take-offs are smooth and the water rudder on the floats really keeps the plane tracking nicely on the water. In the air it flies like there are no floats. Almost any aerobatic maneuver can be done with the floats attached too! Landing the Saratoga on floats is a breeze, and it settles in nicely with very little bounce.
Check out the video to see her in action!
Hangar 9 Saratoga ARF Or, Download the Video (24meg) CLICK HERE
To date, the Saratoga is one of the easiest assembling, best flying airplanes I have reviewed. At times it was hard to figure out how to write this review, because it went together so effortlessly! I think that this would be a good second plane, but even better as a third plane. The aerobatic and slow flight qualities, combined with the built-in float mounts really open the Saratoga up to a wide variety of flying styles that anyone can enjoy. The classic look and bright trim scheme make it easy to see in the air, and at $249.99, the Saratoga is a great deal too!
Hangar-9
Distributed through Horizon Hobby
4105 Fieldstone Rd.
Champaign, IL 61822
Phone: (217) 352-1913 www.hangar-9.com/
Saito Engines
Distributed through Horizon Hobby
4105 Fieldstone Rd.
Champaign, IL 61822
Phone: (217) 352-1913
Website: www.osengines.com
Du-Bro
Everything For The R/C Hobbyist
Phone: 1-800-848-9411
Website: www.dubro.com
Comments on RCU Review: Hangar 9 Saratoga ARF on Floats!
I have a Saratoga that has negative wing dihedral. I have asked Horizon Hobby about this and all they ask is about the balance. I have balanced it using the Great Planes device but it requires noticeable uptrim to fly level. Has anyone else seen this?belairbob
BelAirBob,If you look at the picture in the wing assembly where the checkerboard pattern is facing up, you will see that the Saratoga I received has positive dihedral. As far as how much up trim I had on the elevator, I cannot recall, but I am still impressed by how nicely this plane flys, both off land and off the water! It really is a sweet flying plane.
I agree, it should have a little positive dihedral, and I can see that in the photo, but mine is the opposite...slight negative and I can not get anyone at HH to listen....Thanksbob
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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