Hanger 9 PT19 Review - October 1999

After seeing the quality of the Hangar 9 Cap 232 ARF, I figured that the IMAA legal PT-19 would be of similar or better quality. Upon opening the box my assumptions were validated, for the most part. In the very neatly organized and packed box were several components. What was interesting about each of these "components" is that they were very carefully packaged in separate plastic bags which were secured to the cardboard dividers and formers to prevent them from shifting during shipping. Very nice. The instruction manual is also very thorough and well organized. 

This kit is very complete containing all the hardware (including a Dubro 16 ounce gas tank) and decals (wings, fuselage numbers, cockpit controls, etc.) necessary to build the kit to the point of radio installation. Being quirky as usual, I chose to replace some of the factory shipped parts, even though they appeared to be very good quality. First was the tail wheel assembly. The one provided in the kit attaches to the trailing edge of the fuselage and then the tiller is inserted into the leading edge of the rudder. I used a Sullivan tail wheel assembly with the spring tiller. Much nicer setup. I also replaced the kit-supplied pull-pull assembly for the rudder. It requires soldering the wires into threaded connectors - a task that I don't think I would effectively accomplish if I spent the next two years practicing. I used a Dubro 4-40 pull-pull assembly and it worked very well. 

Specifications:

Wing Span:  81 7/8"
Wing Loading:  34.23 oz/sq ft
Weight:  13-16 lbs
Fuselage Length:  63 3/4"
2-stroke engine size:  1.08-1.20, G23
2-stroke engine prop size:  14x8, 16x8
4-stroke engine size:  1.20-1.50
4-stroke engine prop size:  14x8, 17x8
Radio:  4-10 channels
Servos:  5

The kit comes with CA hinges and all the hinge slots are pre-cut. I normally like to use Radio South 1/4 scale hinges on my planes. I find they are easier to install and are very durable. However, the hinge slots were slightly too wide and I didn't feel comfortable that I would get a good solid glue connection. So I used the hinges supplied with the kit. 4 1/2" rubber tires are supplied with the kit. These are very good quality and give a very good scale appearance, but are very heavy. However, after extensive contemplation, I decided to stick with them rather than go for feather-lights. In retrospect, it was a good decision. 

The kit is covered in Midnight Blue (not Insignia) and Yellow ultracote. The rudder is covered in the traditional red and white striped configuration. The quality of the covering job is excellent. However, the sides of the fuselage have built-up ribs and the covering needs to be shrunk again to get a good tight surface. Other than the gouge I put in the side of the fuselage with my drill, the covering looks great. The kit comes with a molded fiberglass cowl that is painted to match the fuselage. The cowl has small indentations for the cut outs for the propeller shaft and air intake, making it a snap to cut these out with a Dremel tool. The kit also comes with molded windshields to which black trim tape is applied to simulate the frame. A roll-bar is provided with the kit. I was not overly impressed with this feature. Basically a piece of quarter-round two which four legs were glued. Now, on to the problems. I have been following several newsgroup threads concerning this plane. 

Some of the earlier kits had an alignment problem between the holes in the bulkhead and the dowels in the leading edge of the wing. This was not the case with my kit, but I did add a 3/32" doubler to the bulkhead and drilled new holes because there seemed to be a little slop in the fit. The wing halves joined together very nicely. Knowing that Larry Dobson would eventually fly this plane, I glassed the wing joint with 6" wide fiberglass. This process is known as "Dobsonizing." 

The second problem with this kit is the landing gear blocks. Unfortunately, this is the place Hangar 9 cut corners on this kit. Almost every newsgroup thread I read indicated that there was a problem here. Hangar 9 simply did not glue the landing gear blocks securely into the wings. I was hoping that my kit was different. After my first landing (yes, I know my landings are not smooth, but it wasn't that hard a landing…) both blocks were loose. So, on to repair time. Upon dissecting the landing gear assembly, I found that the landing gear block had not been glued into the two ribs, but had been inserted and then hot-glued around the joints. Yikes! Thin plywood doublers had been glued to one side of each of the ribs to which the block had been inserted, but this only provided only about a 1/4" wide structure. Given the fact that this is an 11-12 lb plane, this appeared rather weak. I added 3/32" plywood doublers to each side of each rib and securely glued new blocks into place. Several "smooth" landings later, the landing gear seems very sturdy. I am using a Saito 1.50 for power with a Master Airscrew Classics series 16x8 propeller. The kit is designed for the Saito as well as a Zenoah 23 gas engine or a Webra 1.20 2 stroke. Some reports I have seen indicate that the Zenoah option leaves the plane under-powered since it produces less horsepower and weighs almost 20 ounces more than the Saito.  I have been very pleased so far with the power to weight ratio, but I think the new Saito 1.80 would be an awesome combination. 

The plane has great flying characteristics. The takeoff is fairly uneventful. Right rudder is definitely required as well as a little bit of up elevator. If you don't give the up elevator then the tail will come up very quickly and the plane will nose over. Once the tail starts flying then the plane is very controllable with the rudder and straight takeoffs are fairly easy. The first flight required a little trim on the rudder and elevators, but nothing major. The plane had a tendency to climb, but I have not checked the wing incidence yet, so this may be causing some of this problem. With the Saito 1.50 the plane has fairly good aerobatic capabilities. Loops are nice and round, stall turns follow the CG fairly well, and snaps are fairly crisp. However, this plane is really suited to half-throttle flying and the Saito 1.50 does a great job here. Landings are fairly simple. Even though this plane has a big fat wing (82" wingspan) it is tapered and will have a slight tendency to tip stall if too much speed is drained off. Other than that, it has no bad tendencies. 

Now, if I could just learn to land……… 

So in conclusion: 

Hits:  

• Completeness of kit (hardware, decals, accessories, etc.)  

• Quality of instructions  

• Overall quality of materials (with one exception)  

• Very good covering job (Ultracote)  

• Painted fiberglass cowl 

Misses:

• Landing gear block construction  

• Roll bar construction 

All-in-all I am satisfied with this plane. I think it really looks good and flies very nicely. A great everyday flier. I just wish Hangar 9 would get around to fixing these nagging problems….