Fit your choice of tailwheel, along with any ply-
wood plate that might be necessary inside the
rear fuselage. Any 1” or 1.25” lightweight pattern
style will do, such as Kato, IMK or similar.
To set the correct angle of the wheelpants in
relation to the ground, set the fuselage on a level
surface with your choice of tailwheel in place.
Eye through both wheelpants so that they are
level, and secure with a small sheetmetal screw
through the carbon leg into a small scrap ply-
wood plate inside each wheel pant. See photo.
Remember - keep it lightweight at the tail end!
Canopy
A moulded fibreglass canopy is provided in the
kit. Fitting is simple, and with a little care the fit
will be perfect.
Sand any seams on the fuselage and canopy
that prevent it sitting perfectly flush. The front of
the canopy is secured in the same way as the
sides of the cowling, with a single plastic bolt in
the canopy, and a ‘keyhole’ shaped slot in the
fuselage. Glue the 15 x15mm ply plate inside
the canopy flange, and drill and tap M4 as
before. Fit the plastic bolt, and transfer the posi-
tion to the flange on the fuselage. Mark a centre
point 9mm back, and drill 9mm Ø. File the slot
9mm forward, and adjust the bolt length for a
snug fit. Finally secure the bolt with a drop of
epoxy inside the canopy. Glue one of the ‘U’
shaped phenolic plates underneath and adjust
with a needle file for a perfectly snug fit.
Mill and file the slot on the fuselage centreline
behind the canopy for the handle of Hatch
Catch. The slot should be 2.5mm wide x 15mm
long, and the front of the slot is about 21mm
behind the edge of the fuselage moulding. Drill a
3mm hole in the fuselage flange for the catch
pin. Scuff up the outside surface of the hatch
catch and glue in place with a little 30min epoxy
and microballoons. Oil the catch pin first to stop
it all getting stuck together!
Fit the canopy and tape tightly in place. Push the
hatch catch forward to leave a small mark on the
back of the canopy. Remove canopy and drill the
Composite-ARF IMPACT
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