• Wing Span: 81 in (206 cm)
• Wing Area: 906 sq in (5845 cm²)
• Length: 64.5 in (164 cm)
• Weight:11.0 lbs (5.0 kg)
• Engine: .61 - .91 2 - cycle

(10.0 cc - 15.0 cc 2 - cycle)
.91 - 1.20 4 - cycle
(15.0 cc - 20.0 cc 4 - cycle)
• 7 Servos required

This is an excellent kit and the finished aircraft has very good flying qualities. However, there are a few complaints that are worth sharing for anyone considering this building challenge. There are several reasons that the 182 is a challenge the primary one being that there is a lot of building to this model. The fuselage is large and complex. The wing incorporates such challenges is polyhedral, Fowler flaps with hidden linkages and hand carved Horner wing tips. A hidden rudder linkage inside the fuselage complicates the tail group. The average builder who enjoys a challenge can build this plane. Top Flite designed in some features that make the model completion and flying more of a challenge than it should be.

Notes were made in the builder's manual noting problems or corrections that seemed necessary. When the plane was finished, there were 32 points for improvement of the kit. Even at this, there were a few things that were missed. The list began with parts problems, which included:

• Nyrod tubes were too large for the push rods
• Some pieces of hardware were missing
• Two (2) bottom cowl halves were included rather than a top and bottom
• Stabilizer leading edge material was too soft

The lite-ply material that Top Flite uses is okay for some applications but it can cause problems when used in the wrong locations. This first problem area is the fuselage shell. The fuselage construction begins with the lower fuselage half being built inverted over the plans. The lower half-formers must later mate to the half-formers in the upper fuselage. The lite-ply is thin and subject to warping due to moisture or other factors. Consequently, they come out of the die-cut sheets in a twisted state. Proper alignment during gluing of the bottom formers is crucial to the final alignment of the fuselage. The best solution to this problem is to use the die-cut formers as patterns to cut new ones from a better grade of plywood. Since this was not done is constructing this model, the bottom half-formers were not located properly and this caused problems later in trying to align with the upper fuselage half.

The same problem exists in the firewall and engine mounting box but to a greater extent. This area requires more strength for carrying the engine and resisting vibration and lite-ply will delaminate under vibration. The provided components should be discarded and replaced with the same thickness of aircraft grade plywood and reinforced with 1/4" triangle stock at all corner joints.

Prior to sheeting the fuselage, a balsa reinforcing block should be added between formers F8 and F9. This will provide additional strength at the rear fuselage where the two (2) main stringers pull together. This will support the tail block and cone when it is mounted.

The push rod wires should be test fitted with the push rod tubes before the tubes are installed. The black tubes that were supplied with the kit were over size and allowed too much push rod slop. This is a problem that has been relayed Top Flite. The replacement parts that were provided after a phone call were also too large. Red NyRod tubes were substituted and these have worked well.

The laminated F2B/F2D and the F3B formers carry the loads of the entire wing saddle. As stated earlier, these were warped and seemed very light for this function. After several fruitless attempts to align and glue these pieces, they were discarded and replaced with 1/4" aircraft plywood pieces that were cut to the original former shape. This former and former F3b were reinforced from below the lower former joint to the top of the former with 1/4" hardwood blocks. The wing saddle is also thin lite-ply. It was cross-braced with 1/4" and 1/16" aircraft plywood to provide additional strength. The rear cross brace ties into the wing mounting blocks which otherwise would have no support except the glued edge to the wing saddle. This effort was to make this area very strong. If a scale high wing plane catches a wing tip on landing, this whole section of the fuselage can be ripped and twisted out and is seldom repairable.

Top Flite's hidden rudder linkage is very difficult to install correctly. It involves compound linkage travel, connections, and motion. A lot of patience is required. It is advisable to work out one angle of linkage travel at a time. The finished result works okay but full satisfaction was never realized with it. The instructions call for the hidden linkage to be sealed off with a carved balsa cap and plastic tail cone after everything is working properly. It is better to glue the plastic cone to the balsa block with a short internal wood connection. Next, two (2) screw mounting holes are drilled in the shaped block and blind nuts are installed in the fuselage cross braces. This allows for removal of the rear cone and block so the rudder and elevator linkages can be adjusted.

The wing must be built on a perfectly flat building board. Careful attention to detail is required. Everything fits together as designed. There are a few problems in the wing and as described in the fuselage construction, these are structural problems. The outer wing panels and the center section are built around a top and bottom main spar. The outer panels have polyhedral beginning about 1/3 of the way out on the wing panel where the flaps end and the ailerons begin. This joint in the outer wing panels is relatively strong and has stood up to some rough punishment. The joints between outer wing panels and the center wing section are not very strong. The problem at this joint is 3 fold:

• The spars are butt-joined instead of being carried through the joint
• There is no polyhedral brace at the trailing edge
• The center polyhedral braces are laminated lite-ply

Unless all landings can be expected to be smooth and there will never be an engine shutdown during take-off, this joint should be reworked during construction or expected to be rebuilt later. Suggestions for this rework are:

• The outer panel spars should be extended into the center panel using a spar doubler technique much like the joints in the outer panel spars
• The lite-ply polyhedral braces should be discarded and new parts made of the same thickness aircraft grade plywood
• The three (3) panels should be assembled with epoxy to make the final wing with the new braces and the extended spars

In order for this change to be accomplished, a channel must be cut into the first left and right inboard ribs of the center section and the first rib of each outer panel just inside the trailing edge where the flaps tuck in. Then a 1/16" plywood plate is epoxied to the inside of the trailing edge and to the wing bolt blocks in the center panel and clamped. The wing bolt blocks must be properly shaped to match the angle of the flap trailing edge. This carries a structural member through this polyhedral joint at the rear of the wing so the center spars and polyhedral brace do not have to carry the entire load.

The engine choices for the 182 range all the way from a .60 2 - stroke sport engine to a 1.20 4 - stroke. This is a wide range of engine from which to chose. The Cessna 182 will probably be seriously under-powered even with a good .65. This is a pretty large model with a high frontal area. An OS 120 was chosen for this model and I even with the weight increases from the outlined reinforcements, the engine pulls this airplane off the ground quickly. A .91 4 - stroke should give fairly prototypical performance.

During initial flight tests and very slow landings, there was absolutely no indication of wing tip stall regardless of air speed, probably due to the polyhedral wing and the Horner wing tips. The Fowler flaps are a lot of fun and they are essential. With the engine idling and without flaps extended, the Cessna comes in quite hot. A flat approach is very ugly for this type of scale aircraft and ailerons become very sluggish. Proper landing technique calls for 1/4 flaps on the down wind leg with good altitude and half throttle, 1/2 flaps on base leg with about 1/4 throttle while still maintaining altitude, and 3/4 to full flaps depending on head wind while dropping the nose steeply and controlling descent with the throttle. Using 3/4 to full flaps is like opening the door and throwing out an anchor. The first time this is done, it seems unbelievable. Landings should be done by setting down on the main gear and then let the nose wheel drop as the roll-out develops. The length of the roll out will be depend on throttle management and head wind.

The Top Flite Cessna 182 is fun to fly and has no bad habits. It is also a big, beautiful airplane both on the ground and in the air. Even with the wing reinforcements and the OS 120, this model weighed about 12 lbs., which is at the upper limit of the advertised weight. This Cessna is covered in white 21st Century fabric with candy apple red accents. The interior kit was installed but that is a nightmare due to the very thin plastic material. The Top Flite Cessna 182 is significant building challenge but the finished aircraft is well worth the effort.