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Neo 180


Andy applies glue using a spare dowel (above left). The sheeting under the center section is applied before pulling the tail together. Glue is put onto a Post-


F4. Add formers F5 and F6, and use a piece of 1⁄8 scrap as a placeholder for the fin spar. Do not glue anything to this placeholder as you want to be able to easily remove it later. Sheet the bottom from F4 back. Add F2, pulling the bottom together. You may need


to trim the notches slightly to allow the 1⁄8 square stock to fit snugly into them. Sheet from F2 to F3.


Add plastic tubes to serve as conduits for the rudder and elevator servos between F4 and F5. I like to use coffee stirrers for this. These conduits will make it easy to insert the pushrods. The fuse top is sheeted in four sections of flexible 1⁄32 balsa, one section at a time. Allow each section to dry before mov- ing to the next. The last section was not glued on right away. I added a small spacer between the sides to help it hold the curva- ture, since it wouldn’t be glued to the stab until after covering. Only after that was dry was it attached.


Next I trimmed and rounded the fake fin spar to provide support during the remain- ing construction. To ease bending the sheet- ing, I wet one side of the wood and cooked it in the microwave for a minute over a cup of


It note and then applied carefully as needed. The fuse (above right) is ready for lightening holes in the bottom now.


hot water. After all the top sections are at- tached, remove the excess wood at the top/side joints. At this point you might want to start work on the wings while waiting for the fuselage sheeting sections to dry. Attach blocks for the cowl and canopy.


The blocks should be glued well to one an- other, but only lightly tacked to the fuse- lage because they need to be removed later. Rough-cut the blocks to shape, and then sand to a finish. After the nose pieces are sanded to shape, carefully saw the diagonal line that separates them, then gently re- move each from the fuse. Mount the motor, then hollow the cowl to make room for it. I used some old 2-inch wide clear battery shrink to make a clear canopy. If you opt to paint the canopy, be sure you hollow it out. You won’t need hatch parts H1-H3 if that’s the case. Use a small magnet front and rear to hold the hatch in place for flight. Somewhere during this time you should cut the lightening holes in the bottom cover-


ing from F4 back. Use a sharpened 1⁄2- or 3⁄8-inch brass tube to carefully cut the cor- ners, and a 6-inch straight edge and sharp knife to connect the holes. I also made a ½-


inch hole just in front of F4 to allow any cool- ing air to exit.


The wing


Before starting on the wings, you need to decide if you’ll be using trike gear or not. Ribs R1 and R2 on the plans show landing gear block placement for trike gear, and ALT R1/R2 for taildraggers. For both, the blocks are simply 1⁄4-inch square hard balsa grooved for the .047 wires. The wires are held in place by a small servo screw. It is easiest to notch and drill the blocks before adding them to the wing.


Build the wing inverted over the plans.


Set R1 perpendicular to the building sur- face, as the dihedral is all in the wing taper. The top of the wing is flat. The wing joiner holes set the dihedral. Begin by laying down the top spar, adding all the ribs, and then the bottom spar. Add the landing gear blocks and 3⁄16 square leading edge. When this is dry, add the bottom TE sheet (which is on top, since the wing is inverted). Re- move the wings from the building board, in- sert the partial ribs into the ailerons and the vertical sheeting at the aileron hinge line.


Using a sharpened brass tube, carefully cut the corners for the lightened areas (above left) in the bottom of the fuselage. Next, use a metal straightedge to


28


carefully cut and connect the holes (above right). It is important to use a sharp blade for this step! Follow this with a light sanding.


APRIL 2014


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