❏
5. Glue the stab in place with 30-minute epoxy. Excess
epoxy can be cleaned away with a paper towel and
denatured alcohol. After the stab is positioned and all
excess epoxy has been cleaned away, temporarily install the
vertical fin part of the way into the slot. Just put it into place
enough to verify that you have not pushed the wood
fuselage fairings too close together and that the slot in the
stab is aligned with the opening for the fin. Remove the fin
and allow the glue to cure. If any glue has gotten on the fin,
remove it with denatured alcohol.
❏
6. Remove the bottom wing from the fuselage.
Temporarily install the fin into the slot in the top of the
fuselage. Using a fine-point felt-tip pen, mark the outline of
the fuselage onto the fin. Cut the covering from the fin using
the same method described earlier.
❏
7. Test fit the fin into the fuselage. Check to be sure the
fin is perpendicular to the stab. If it is not, sand the side of
the fin to make minor adjustments. Once you are satisfied
with the fit, glue the fin to the fuselage with epoxy.
❏
8. Using the same installation method used previously,
install three hinges into each elevator half. Then install the
elevators into the stab. Glue the hinges using thin CA.
Did you know?...Built as a private venture by the Stearman
Aircraft Company of Wichita (bought by Boeing in 1934),
this two-seat biplane was of mixed construction. The wings
were of wood with fabric covering while the fuselage had a
tough, welded steel framework, also fabric covered. In 1936,
the Army tentatively bought 26 airframes from Boeing (the
Model 75), which the Army named the PT-13. With war on
the horizon, this trickle of acquisition soon turned into a
torrent; 3519 were delivered in 1940 alone.
❏
9. Locate the tailwheel wire. Test fit it into the two slots
in the back of the fuselage. Use your hobby knife to clean
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