The Hangar 9 Piper Pawnee 40 Scale RC Plane

The Piper Pawnee, by Hangar 9, is a 40 sized scale RC airplane, that is easy to build and fly. Detailed review and glow and electric power options are featured.

The Pawnee is a mid size ARF RC airplane that is simple to build and a joy to fly. It is not a beginner RC plane, but is ideal for your first attempt at scale RC model planes.

The Hangar 9 Pawnee has a wing span of 80" and a total wing area of 942 Sq. in. The total finished weight will be from 8 to 9 lbs, depending on the choice of power.The resulting wing loading of 20 to 22 oz. per sq. ft. contributes greatly to the easy flying characteristics. 

The power options for range from 46 to 62 2-stroke RC plane engines or 62 to 82 4-stroke RC engines. For you electric model airplane enthusiasts, an E-Flite Power 46  outrunner brushless motor would be ideal.

The flaps mean that a 5 channel (minimum) RC transmitter is required, along with 7(6 if electric power is used) Standard size RC servos.

More details of the electric powered version will be found lower down this page.

The Piper Pawnee hatch

Here we get a good look at the large hatch, in the top of the fuselage. This gives lots of access to the fuselage interior, for all power versions of the piper Pawnee.

Construction of this model is typical of most Hangar 9 ARF RC planes. Laser cut balsa and ply parts are jig assembled and the superb covering is of UltraCote.

Colors used are Turquoise (HANU898), Midnight Blue (HANU865) and White (HANU870).

Wing strut attachment

The extruded aluminum wing struts need to be removed, when the wing panels are disconnected . The hardware used is a strut attachment pin and a retainer pin clip, that has to be inserted, through a hole in the attachment pin.

I would replace this system, by tapping the fuselage strut plate and use socket head cap screws to fix the strut to the plate, A ball end driver would make attachment far easier and not as "fiddly"!  4-40 or 6-32 size screws would be more than strong enough.

Wing panels

The wings for the Piper Pawnee are 2 separate panels that slide onto 2 wing tubes. The struts can be left attached to the wing panel and then the ends must be fixed to the fuselage plate.

This whole arrangement is a good part of making this model a good looking scale RC airplane.

Tail section

Here we can see more details of this scale RC airplane. The rigging wires are functional as well as being a nice scale detail.

The tail plane follows the latest trend in ARF RC planes, by using a bolt-on arrangement. I like this method. It makes replacement, if and when required, a snap! Make sure you use Locktite on all the screws and check frequently for tightness.

Landing gear

The landing gear is of a wire design and attaches to the fuselage with straps and screws. The nice looking wheels are included and notice that the wheel collars are concealed. A nice feature for all scale RC airplanes!

Flaps

The flaps are a nice touch and can add a lot of fun to your flying sessions with the Hangar 9 Piper Pawnee.

Do not use them for the first few flights, as you are trimming out and getting used to the flying characteristics of the Pawnee.

Use them first, at altitude. Head into the wind and throttle back to about 1/4 throttle. Lower the flaps and watch the models reaction. It may be necessary to add a bit of down trim, to keep the nose down. This is one time when it is nice to have a computer RC transmitter, as down trim can be mixed in.

I prefer to use a 2 position switch for flaps that gives half and full deflections. I also use the servo speed function to slow the flap servos down to a minimum speed of 2 seconds.

Cockpit

Here we can see the cockpit details. A nice instrument panel along with the seat, makes into a good scale area.

Hanger 9 do not include a pilot, so you will have to supply your own!

Power options

The manual gives all the details on installation of 3 different power options for the Piper Pawnee. The 2-stroke option is the Evolution .52NX, that comes complete with a muffler.

If a 4-stoke is preferred (I think it sounds much better in a scale RC plane), then the Saito .82AAC is the choice.

For electric power, the E-Flite Power 46 BL outrunner brushless motor is shown.

The RC ESC to use is the E-Flite 60 Amp Pro Switch-Mode BEC Brushless ESC. 

Regarding a suitable power source, the E-flite 4000mAh 4S 14.8V 30C LiPo battery is one choice, although up to a 5000mAh unit can be used.

Please note that all the hardware is included for all of these motor options.

Flying notes

Flying characteristics are first class and maybe the only criticism I came across, after reading many customer comments, was regarding the landing gear. It does not stand up well to the harder type of landing, so keep those landings smooth and "grease them in!"