A dab will do; apply just a bit of thin CyA (above left) to the hinges with a bit of flexing of the surfaces, and it will ensure a strong hinge joint. A tape measure (above right) makes an effective tool for keeping the horizontal
stab square with the fuselage. The tiller and wheel assembly is secured to the rudder assembly after a V groove is cut into the rudder (below left). Spruce was used to prevent bulkhead flexing (below right).
If you have not painted the cabane struts
and are going to, do it now. I painted mine black. The longer ones go towards the front of the plane. Glue the eight 3mm plywood connectors in the pockets in the top of the lower wing and the bottom of the top wing. I was one short and fabricated a new one, a simple 15-minute task. The kit I received had been through a number of hands so I am not sure how it came up missing. Judging by the care and quality of the kit
I assume it was lost in transit. Now secure the interplane struts. Slowly tighten the nuts and bolts for the interplane and ca- bane. Everything should come into align- ment. Check for alignment and adjust as necessary. In step #16 the motor is mounted. This
took me quite some time. If you mount the motor as shown in the diagram it will not protrude through the hole in the cowl. The mounting holes in the firewall did not align with the motor mounting holes on my motor. I first used a center punch and tapped the
blind nuts out. I next used some JB Weld to fill in the holes in the firewall. After the JB Weld set up I aligned the motor. This re- quires some patience and testing to be sure the motor was going to protrude through the hole in the cowl. After getting the proper
FLYING MODELS
alignment I drilled the mounting holes. For standoffs I went to my local craft store and got some miniature wooden spools to use as spacers. I re-drilled holes in the firewall then reset the blind nuts and mounted the motor using longer bolts. Mounting of the motor and proper align-
ment is essential for a great performing plane. Take your time and, if new to the hob- by, don’t be afraid of asking for help. I used my Dremel tool and carbide wheel and opened a radiator hole in the cowl. I had sprayed a piece of window screen black, backed the hole with the piece of screen and epoxied it in place. It looks good and is func- tional for cooling the battery which will sit behind it. You can usually get a small piece of window screen at your local hardware store gratius as they usually have some left over from trimming. After drilling the holes to mount the cowl
I removed the cowl and inserted small pieces of fuel tubing in the holes in the fuselage. This enables the removal and reinstalling of the cowl without enlarging the holes. The windshields are vacuum-formed plas-
tic and require careful trimming. I secured them to the fuselage using canopy glue and small brass screws in the corners. I assem- bled the plane and took some pictures in my
driveway. I did this to show the plane as as- sembled out of the box. I added extra details to make the plane
more scale-like. The wing wires are made from black elastic cord (bead cord) from my local craft store. They are secured to the wings with electrical connectors that are pinched on. I added my pilot who had sur- vived the crash of one of my previous planes. He is secured in place not with a seat belt but epoxy. I simulated doors for my pilot with trim tape The pilots walk on the left wing was simulated with fine black carbide sandpaper.
Getting ready to fly The most crucial step in preparation is to
set the c.g. Refer to the plan and set the mark at 75–85mm from the leading edge of the upper wing. My plane required the ad- dition of 6 ounces of lead which I epoxied as far forward in the cowl as possible. I set the high rate throws as stipulated on
the plans: 30 degrees deflection of the ailerons, rudder and elevator. 30 degrees is a lot of throw so I set the low rates at ap- proximately half that. I also softened the re- sponse around center of the sticks. The plane is very responsive so I would recom- mend softening for novice pilots.
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