After building the vertical fin kit, I went ahead and ordered the full set of aircraft plans, along with the empennage kit. I was very impressed with the plans. The front cover, sitting on my kitchen floor, is pictured below. The plans measure about two feet by three feet or more. The plans cover features the original mini-max detail, as well as several other silhouettes. However, this is the set of plans for the MAX-103.
Inside, the plans are very detailed. The first several pages consist of
the construction manual, six pages on one large plans page. You cut them out and
make a book out of them. There are guides for hole punching, but I simply put
them in plastic sleeves to protect from glue damage. The next few pages from the
front list wood sizes and "RS" or Raw Stock numbers. 1/4" by
1/4" rib caps for example, are RS-1. Also, metal parts such as angles and
tubing, have their own RS numbers. On the next page is a list by page number, of
exactly what you need, with totals. If you were to plans build this plane, the
third page tells you exactly what you need, piece by piece, and as seen below,
bolt by bolt.
Each page of the plans is very detailed, and ISON aircraft (once called TEAM) has taken great care to break down tough sections into easier manageable parts. Most of the smaller parts are drawn actual size as well. If in doubt about your cutting abilities, you can simply hold your part up to the plans and check it out. I even cut paper patterns out of the plans for a few pieces, taping them back in after making the parts. Below the control stick assembly page is listed. By itself it seems a daunting task to put together. When used with the construction manual however, the plans are much easier to figure out. I have only found one mistake in the entire manual. Most of the planes are 24 and 1/4" wide and the landing gear attach point. The Max-103 however is 2" thinner, being 22 and 1/4" wide at that point. In the construction manual, they tell you to build the gear 24 and 1/4" wide, which as you may guess is too wide for the plane. I explained the discrepancy to ISON, so I hope it has been fixed. If not, however, you have been warned. It was a minor inconvenience, only involving cutting two new strut tubes, and like I said, throughout the whole manual it is the only mistake I could find. Pretty impressive in my book.
As you can see, the is a lot of information on just this one page, but seeing as how the stick is a very vital part of the aircraft, I would rather have far too much information, than not enough. By looking at the picture below, you can see how much detail exists in this set of plans. They tell you exactly what parts to use where, and include helpful hint to make life easier, such as the hint to "trim end as necessary for 30 degrees up elevator". This helps you use the control stick as sort of a built-in control surface stop. The other pieces such as the angle brackets, plate, and torque tube are pictured elsewhere on the page, and you can find most of them in the above picture.
If you have any questions about the plans, feel free to call ISON aircraft. They
are a great group of people, and will help you out any way they can. I will not
post any more plans pictures here, or pages from the construction manual. I am
sure ISON would rather you purchase the plans from them, than download them from
the internet. Besides, it is only through sales of kits and plans, that this
great line of fun airplanes can be improved, updated, and expanded. If you have
any questions or concerns about what I have posted, please feel free to e-mail
me. If you are a representative of ISON and wish this page removed, please
contact me and I will do so.
