The Precedent Hi – Boy by Douglas McLaren

Wingspan 62 inches (157cm) Motor .32/.40cu.ins. Prop Dependent on engine size (.40 used with Ram 10 X 6) R/C Futaba Skysports 6Y Cost: Kit – £49.95 / R/C Gear £139 / Engine GMS 40 £49.95 Extras to complete kit. 2 X 21/2in. main wheels and 2in. nose wheel. 3 Sheets solar film. Glue: White PVA / Cyano /5min.Epoxy.(All other accessories are included with the kit)

Notes on buying a Hi-Boy

This is an excellent trainer and one that should be considered by beginners. It is a kit but goes together very easily.

The fuselage is made entirely of interlocking plywood parts with a servo carrier and control cable supports built in. Snakes are used instead of push rods which also assists quick assembly and superbly smooth controls. The wings are foam covered in tough obechi wood. The two wing panels are slotted to accept 1.5mm birch plywood braces which aligns and reinforces the wings.

There is no need to join the panels with a fibreglass bandage. The correct dihedral angle is built into both the brace and the root of the wing so that these only require gluing using epoxy glue and slotting together.

Precedent Kits forms part of Balsacraft (International) Ltd. Norwich Road Ind. Estate. Watton, NorfolkIP25 6DR. This firm also provides the modeller with SLEC accessories and also spare parts for the above kit should the worst happen. Wings or Fuselage kits can be bought separately and accordingly this will ensure that the Hi – Boy has a long life.

Notes on building a Hi-Boy

Only one downside and that is – the instructions suggest 4 degrees of side thrust which I personally found to be too much. There are several reasons for this and it may be linked to motor choice. Having settled on the GMS 40 I had plenty of power but the model had a violent tendency to veer to the right on hard surfaces. It was fine on grass and would track dead straight over this but I needed to modify something for use on a tarmac runway. I decided to reduce the side thrust and purchased a SLEC Engine plate which is made of glass filled nylon and flat, square shaped with a cut out appropriate to the size of engine being used. This was trimmed to fit over the existing wooden bearers and bolted down with 6ba bolts and nylock nuts at the four corners of the mount. I then screwed the engine to the mount with self tapping screws which made for easy removal/ repairs or whatever.The result was a resounding success and from there on this model was virtually unstoppable.

Notes on Flying a Hi-Boy

This model flies extremely well and shows no tendency to flip over in high winds particularly on take off which some high wing trainers are prone to do.That is not to say that it is NOT affected by winds. Suffice it to say that it has better ground stability than some others, and indeed has flown circuits when other modellers refused to put their aircraft into the air because of wind turbulence. With regard to engines – buy yourself a good .40 with plenty of “wellie”. There is no substitute
for power on occasions, and after the trainer stage you will go onto sports aerobatics and you will need something with a bit of “GO”. Remeber this, we are only talking about a few pounds difference in price and you will throttle back won’t you?

Verdict on the Hi – Boy

This is an easy build model which will get you up, and into R/C Flying, very quickly. The model is immensely strong and well up to taking the rough and tumble as you gain experience. It is not an expensive Kit and represents excellent value for money. Shop around, as prices vary, and I don’t think you will regret this purchase.