Pober Pixie
Pober Pixie building instructions
4
Wheel spats
The wheel spats are supplied as vacuum-moulded ABS parts; see drawing (DET. 5).
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Cut out the spat components along the marked lines, sand the cut edges carefully and trim the
parts to fit together accurately - you will find the material is easy to cut and sand.
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Cut out the opening for the wheel in each wheel spat and check that the wheel spigots fit.
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Assemble the wheels and spigots as shown in the drawing (DET. 5), place them in the spats and
glue the trimmed outer spat shell in place with cyano.
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The method of attaching the wheel spats is shown in the drawing (DET. 5).
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The spat assemblies can easily be fitted and screwed to the undercarriage unit after they have
been filled and painted.
Tailwheel unit
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Sand the tailwheel support #4 (channeled part) to follow the shape of the fuselage as shown in the
drawing, and glue it in place.
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Cut through the fuselage using a razor blade to expose the channel, and fit the tailwheel unit in the
slot.
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Drill two 2 mm Ø holes at the marked points in the tailwheel unit to accept the 2.5 x 12 mm
woodscrews.
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The tailwheel unit can be glued and screwed in place permanently once the final finish has been
applied.
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We recommend that you install a steerable tailwheel as shown in the drawing (DET. 1): make up
the guide (wire loop) and install it in the rudder after it has been covered.
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Cut the steerable tailwheel “snake” to length and run it through the prepared guide (loop).
Tailplane and fin
Horizontal stabiliser - tailplane and elevators
The tailplane is made of balsa and can now be prepared for installation. The same applies to the
elevators, which are attached using film hinges.
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Assemble the tailplane and elevators on a flat surface and place the joiner in position.
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Drill holes for the elevator joiner in the elevators, taking care to space the holes to match the exact
length of the joiner - see drawing (DET. 2).
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Sand the tailplane / elevator panels lightly overall, wipe off all dust and cover them with iron-on
film.
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If you wish to use the covering film as the elevator hinge (see DET. 3), this is the procedure:
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Prepare a strip of film slightly longer than the tailplane and elevators.
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Cover the top surface of the tailplane and elevators.
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Lay the tailplane on the workbench and fold the elevators up and over onto the tailplane.
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Iron the strip of film to the underside of the elevators (position the elevators carefully
beforehand - align them with the outside edge of the tailplane).
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Cut off the film at the ends using a very sharp knife (use a steel straight edge).
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Turn the tailplane and elevators over and cover the underside.
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Again cut off the film accurately at the ends, leaving it overhanging by about 5 mm. Carefully
iron down the edges.
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Carefully pierce the film at the joiner hole positions and glue the steel joiner in both elevators.
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Alternative elevator control linkage: prepare two steel rods with a 90° bend (see DET. 4) and fit
them in the elevators with the angled rods located inside the fuselage. Solder the rods together
and attach a linkage ball to accept the elevator ball-link.
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This option is rather tricky, and should only be attempted if you are a competent, accurate builder.
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Place the tailplane on the fuselage and position it accurately, i.e. “square” to the fuselage centre-
line and lateral axis, as shown in the drawing.
Tip:
use a length of thread to check that it is square relative to the fuselage centreline - attach one
end to the centre of the cabane; the distance to both tailplane tips should be identical.
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Use a soft pencil to draw a light mark on the underside of the tailplane where it meets the
fuselage. Remove the tailplane, slit the film with a sharp knife and peel it away about 5 mm from
the edge of the fuselage, so that the joint surface is bare wood; the film should overhang the joint
area by about 5 mm. This ensures a strong, resilient glued joint.
