17
MOUNT THE WING
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1. Mount the wing to the fuselage using two 1/4-20 x 2"
[51mm] nylon wing bolts. Align the forward and aft belly pan
pieces onto the wing as shown. Trace around the pieces onto
the wing using a felt-tip pen.
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2. Carefully cut the covering 1/16" [1.6mm] inside the
lines you drew and remove the covering (it may be easier to
remove the wing from the fuselage before performing this step).
Use a sharp hobby knife and take care to only cut through
the covering and not into the wood beneath. Use denatured
alcohol to wipe away the lines you drew (or use CA debonder).
A thin coat of epoxy or CA glue around the wing bolt holes
will fuel proof the wood.
See the following
Expert Tip
for an alternative method for
removing covering.
How to Cut Covering from Balsa
Use a soldering iron to cut the covering from the area
beneath the belly pan. The tip of the soldering iron doesn’t
have to be sharp, but a fi ne tip does work best. Allow the
iron to heat fully.
A straightedge can be used to guide the soldering iron
at a rate that will just melt the covering and not burn into
the wood. The hotter the soldering iron, the faster it must
travel to melt a fi ne cut. Peel off the covering.
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3. Cut a piece of wax paper or plastic wrap to put between
the wing and the fuselage at the forward and aft ends. This
will prevent the wing from being accidentally glued to the fuse.
With the pieces in place, reinstall the wing onto the fuselage.
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4. Apply small dots of medium or thick CA around the
perimeter of the belly pan pieces. Align the pieces with the
fuselage and glue them into place as shown.
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5. The wing can now be removed and set aside until it is
needed again to balance the airplane and check the control
throws.
