t-28 trojan 120 - RC Universe

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BY KLAUS RONGE PHOTOS BY HOPE McCALL
Black Horse Models
T-28 TROJAN 120
This quick-building T-28 is a real crowd pleaser!
MoreOnline!
modelairplanenews.com
THE NORTH AMERICAN T-28 Trojan was a
post-WW II U.S. military trainer that
replaced the Texan. It has a reputation as
being extremely strong and able to handle
the punishment doled out by students
learning to fly. Many are still flying today
and when seen in person, it’s a large and
impressive aircraft. The BH T-28 Trojan
scale model is also large and impressive and
captures all the qualities that made the fullsize
aircraft so popular.
The highly prefabricated T-28 ARF uses
standard balsa and ply construction and is
covered in a high-quality, iron-on film with
hardly any wrinkles. A highly detailed fiberglass
cowl, pneumatic retracts system, foam
wheels, engine mount, fuel tank and completed
hardware and linkage set are also
included. The wings are of the two-piece,
plug-in type and use an aluminum joiner
HANDLES LIKE A TRAINER
AND HAS THE LOOKS AND
PERFORMANCE OF A
WARBIRD
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tube. The model is designed for gasoline or
120-size glow engines, but the model would
lend itself to electric conversion as the large
canopy/hatch would allow easy access for
the batteries.
The Trojan is a mild-mannered warbird
that can be enjoyed by any pilot comfort-

able with low-wing aileron sport planes.
Assembly should present no problems for
anyone who has built a few ARFs. Now
instead of months of building a scale model
from a kit or plans, you can enjoy flying
after a week or so. It seems modelers have a
soft spot for T-28s as everyone gathered
around the model for the test flight and
gave it many compliments.
UNIQUE FEATURES
I started with the wing panels and each
requires an aileron and flap servo. All the
control surfaces have the hinge slots cut
BLACK HORSE MODELS T-28 TROJAN 120
and only require an application of CA glue.
I used Y-harnesses for the aileron and flaps;
the flaps are installed so that a reversing
harness is not required. The servos are hidden
under flush-fitting hatches with only
the arm protruding. The control horns for
all flight surfaces consist of 3mm bolts with
a thread-on horn and plastic end caps that
fit into predrilled holes. Wing attachment is
accomplished by tabs secured inside the
fuselage with bolts. After the wing is
attached, the instructions tell you to drill a
hole in the wing spar to accept the included
large wood screw. Instead, I drilled and
SPECIFICATIONS:
MODEL: T-28 Trojan 120
MANUFACTURER: Black Horse Models
DISTRIBUTOR: Hobby People
(hobbypeople.net)
TYPE: Sport scale ARF
WINGSPAN: 78.7 in.
WING AREA: 945 sq. in.
LENGTH: 63.8 in.
WEIGHT: 13lb., 2oz.
WING LOADING: 36.5 oz./sq. ft.
POWER REQ’D: 120 2-stroke glow; 20-
23cc gasoline
RADIO REQ’D: 6-channel (rudder,
throttle, aileron, elevator, flaps, retracts)
PRICE: $500
HIGHLIGHTS
■ Great scale model of classic trainer
■ Fast assembly
■ Quality pneumatic retracts included
■ Large size for easy flight characteristics
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CONTROL THROWS
AILERON: ± 5 ⁄8 in., 25% expo
ELEVATOR: ± 5 ⁄8 in., 25% expo
RUDDER: ± 7 ⁄8 in., 25% expo
GEAR USED
RADIO: Airtronics SD-10G 2.4GHz
transmitter, Airtronics 92104 10-channel
receiver, 7 Airtronics 94162Z servos, 2
Airtronics 94112Z servos (throttle and
retracts), JR 2400mAh receiver battery
(airtronics.net, horizonhobby.com)
ENGINE: Magnum XL 1.80RFS 4-stroke
FUEL: Byron 15% (byronfuels.com)
PROP: Graupner 16x8 (graupner.com)
In the Air
When I was asked to test fly the new 1.20-size T-28 ARF
from BH Models, I couldn’t say no. Having reviewed and
flown the smaller 60-size ARF T-28 (Model Airplane News
January 2008), I knew this airplane would also be a great
performer.
The Magnum 180 four-stroke provides more than enough
power and takeoffs were uneventful. I flew the first flight with
the retractable landing gear in the down position to shake out
any bugs. Happily, there were none. The airplane flew
flawlessly and was extremely stable. Half flaps were used for
the first two low passes into our 10mph wind. I was very
impressed how slow the Trojan can land in this configuration
and a slight headwind. All control surfaces stayed extremely
effective all the way to the landing flare out.
After checking the airplane over with a thorough post
flight, it was time for another sortie. After the third pass for
the camera with the gear still down, the left main wheel
chose to depart the aircraft. Hmm, I must have forgotten to
check them after the first flight. So for landing, I retracted
the gear and brought her in. With half flaps out and the
gear up, my good friend and spotter Ken Eckstein adjusted
the throttle trim so I could kill the engine just before
touchdown. I greased the belly landing with absolutely no
damage to the airplane. We even found the wheel at the far
end of the runway!
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BLACK HORSE MODELS T-28 TROJAN 120
tapped the spar for 6-32 bolts. The main
and nose gear retracts are installed after
snaking the included airlines through their
respective openings. All the fittings are
included for the pneumatic system, but an
air tank is not included. The instructions
show how to fabricate one using an empty
Ensure container, but I used a standard air
tank that I had on hand. I also added a
Robart fill valve (Robart.com) for use with a
compressor or handheld pump.
I am partial to 4-stroke engines and was
fortunate to have the new Magnum XL
1.80RFS (Blue Head) engine. The engine fit
GENERAL FLIGHT PERFORMANCE
Stability The T-28 Trojan is rock solid throughout the entire flight
envelope.
Tracking There was only minimal throw to the nose wheel, which I
thought might be an issue, but the rudder is very effective with the
application of full throttle. In the air, this thing was straight as an arrow.
Three clicks of aileron and I was flying hands-off at 60% throttle.
Aerobatics Absolutely! This airplane is capable of all normal, scale, non-
3D aerobatic maneuvers. Knife-edge flight had a slight pitch to the gear,
but not bad. Loops were nice and round. Inverted too is a piece of cake.
No issues at all if you are a sport pilot.
Glide and stall performance Phenomenal! Stalls are soft and gentle with
minimal dropping of the left wing tip. The T-28 is very forgiving and a
predictable flying airplane.
PILOT DEBRIEFING
I can’t say enough for the BH Models scale ARFs, specifically both of their
T-28 Trojans. The new 120-size Trojan handles like a trainer and has the
looks and performance of a warbird. The Magnum 180 4-stroke provides
plenty of power for the Trojan. If you are looking to get into larger-size
warbirds, this military trainer is a great choice.
— Aaron Ham

T-28 Sortie: A Raven’s Tale
Imagine a deep mountain valley with jungle-covered slopes
that cascade in dark green channels down to a solitary
runway. Nights are spent in an old teak-timbered house that,
since 1945, has seen every description of adventurer pass
through its doors. At night, while I sip Johnnie Walker Black and
consider life and its variations, the fog sometimes rolls down the
steep, looming ridges and blankets the valley
floor. It is Long Tiene (“long-chen”) near the
Plain of Jars (PDJ) in northern Laos in late
September 1969.
At dawn, nearly every imaginable aircraft
engine sound, except that of a pure jet, will
shatter the morning stillness. This valley is
also called “Site 20 Alternate,” or just
“Alternate.” Mixed with the howls of the
Pilatus Porter turboprops of Air America and
Continental Air Services and the coughing
splutters of C-123s is the distinctive sound of
the 1425hp Pratt & Whitney R-1820 radial
belonging to the T-28 aka, the Tango.
A narrow gravel parking area alongside the asphalt
runway holds two T-28Ds and half a dozen O-IFs
belonging to the Ravens-volunteer USAF forward air
controllers (FAC) in civilian clothes. There are also six or
eight Royal Lao Air Force (RLAF) T-28Ds. Hemming the
aircraft in on three sides are several hundred Mark 82 500pound
bombs—half of them fused—which is about a day’s
expenditure.
The RLAF is often called the “A team,” to distinguish them
from the “B team” who are contracted Thais who fly daily into
Laos to augment the ranks of the beleaguered RLAF. RLAF pilots
graduate from a six-month training course at Udorn Royal Thai
Air Force Base (RTAFB)-taught entirely in the T-28 B/C/D-and go
directly into combat. Their school, Detachment 1 of the 56th
Special Operations Wing, is on the Air America ramp. At its
inception, the school was called “Waterpump” (across the ramp
is a building housing the Joint Liaison Detachment, the center of
CIA operations and logistics support for operations in Laos).
Detachment 1 also repairs our T-28s (although Air America does
some of the tougher jobs) and is the administrative home for the
Ravens. They have about 70 T-28s on the ramp, a few
hundred yards and a world away from the
USAF Wing of F-4s and RF-4s on the main
part of the base. The Thais’ contract, we
have found, precludes their working in the
presence of ground fire. This is a sweet
deal for them, but it means that they are
useless for air strikes in Laos, where there
is nothing but ground fire. Our criticism of
the B team’s performance causes the
straphangers in the Air Attaches’ office (the
“downtowners”) in Vientiane to accuse us of
having a bad attitude.
The CIA is known as “the customer,” and
last night, the grayhaired, blue-eyed chief customer gave
me a special job to do before I got into the routine
business of running air strikes all day. A special truck convoy
was coming into Laos from North Vietnam on Route 7, crossing
the border at about 0700. In the convoy of seven, the third
truck, with all it contained, must be destroyed, he said. The
customer was very precise and didn’t explain what the truck
contained. — Karl Polifka
This article appeared in the December 2000 special issue, The
Best of Flight Journal: “Vietnam Air War.” For the entire article,
go to the Members Only page at modelairplanenews.com/mo
OCTOBER 2009 39

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The nose gear retract is straightforward to install. There are no gear doors to
complicate the installation or hang up during installation.
with no problem in the huge cowl with
only the usual cutouts for the cylinder
head, muffler and needle valve required. I
was especially pleased with the cowl as the
dummy radial cylinders are integral to the
unit and have the space between the cylinders
already cut out for you. I drilled several
large holes in the firewall into the nosegear
bay for some additional cooling airflow.
When it came time to install the tailfeathers,
everything lined up perfectly; no
sanding required. The vertical fin includes a
large fillet that sandwiches the horizontal
Radio Control Car
Action editor
Kevin Hetmanski
lends a hand
during ground
running of the
Magnum 1.80 in
preparation for
its first flight.
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BLACK HORSE MODELS T-28 TROJAN 120
stabilizer and results in a very strong tail.
Each elevator is controlled by its own servo
located in the radio compartment and actuated
by metal pushrods within preinstalled
tubes. Another feature that I was very
pleased with was the pull-pull cables for the
rudder as they were already installed and
only needed final adjustment. This eliminated
the tedious threading of the cables.
The canopy/hatch comes completely
assembled with the student and instructor
pilots already installed. Another nice touch
is the graphics are already applied.
The radio compartment is huge and the large canopy/hatch provides convenient
access.
CONCLUSION
It took me about 25 hours to complete
the T-28 since so much of it is already
completed at the factory. The end result
is a very nice, semi-scale model that represents
a great value. The large size
contributes to its stable and solid flight
characteristics, yet the two-piece wing
makes it easy to transport. Whether this
is your first scale project or your tenth,
you’ll be thrilled with this crowd-pleasing,
quick-building and great-flying T-28
replica.